Paul Grant, from RAM to La Scala Academy

Read the interview

Paul Grant is a young Scottish baritone originally from Edinburgh. He trained at the Royal Academy of Music in London and is now a student at the La Scala Academy.

Let's find out his story.

“When I lived in Edinburgh, I worked as a music teacher, a subject I have always loved and studied privately since I was a child with my two sisters. I learned to play the piano, violin, viola and saxophone. In addition, I was part of a choir, which allowed me to get in touch with the world of theater right away.”

What do you like about teaching?

Seeing a boy who cannot read music but who, with your help, can learn to play an instrument and read a score is a great motivator for me. I like to think of the ideal teacher as the one who makes the impossible possible. I consider myself very fortunate in that I have met very competent music teachers, who have positively inspired me to want to continue on this path of education. 

And how did opera music enter your life?

When I was in college I attended a performance from Wagner's Ring, and I remember thinking, “The opera singer cannot be a loner, but needs a team to be able to make the best of the part on stage.”  Up to that time, I'm honest, I was convinced that this kind of career was meant for those who aim to become big solo stars, while I was used to living among people, working with more people and singing in a group.

I have always sought collaboration in music, work and life in general. I don't like individualism, in fact I detest it; I prefer teamwork. Of course, there are times when one must necessarily seek solitude, for example when studying. However, when there is to stage a work, full cooperation from everyone is necessary.

Dreaming of big stage performances I then began to study opera singing privately, and then attended the Royal Academy of Music, in London; there I worked on my voice with Glenville Hargreaves and Jonathan Papp. 

And then the Accademia Teatro alla Scala

With the London experience over in June 2019, I decided to immediately attempt auditions for the Academy of Improvement for Opera Singers. I presented myself with “Hai già vinto la causa” from Le nozze di Figaro and the aria “È sogno o realtà” from Falstaff, as well as other pieces from my repertoire.

It was an incredible experience! I was very relaxed at first, but when I had to go on stage at La Scala for the last rehearsal I looked around and sensed the long story told by that wonderful place and the tension began to build. The greats of music and dance had been right there where I stood.

Moreover, before me, only one other British singer had been admitted to the Academy: so I was afraid of not making it, I felt a certain responsibility. Fortunately, my insecurities were disproved a few days later when I was called to tell me that I had joined the new singing class.

After about twenty years, the Academy was admitting another Briton, and I think the first Scot...what an honor! 

For my debut in Italy, I was chosen as Dandini in the children's show La Cenerentola, which was staged at the Teatro alla Scala, where I was directed by maestro Pietro Mianiti.

It was full of children in the auditorium and, by the way, my family was also present: a great energy.

Another great satisfaction was when they informed me that I was chosen for the role of Gregorio in Gounod's Romeo and Juliet, directed by Lorenzo Viotti also at La Scala, a production of The Metropolitan Opera in New York with a cast of great professionals such as Diana Damrau and Vittorio Grigolo.

I also took part in La Scala's production of Strauss' Salome, which was staged at the theater in March 2020 and revived in a television version for Rai5, Radio3 and RaiPlay in February 2021.

Also in 2021, I took part in the concert “Alla francese” broadcast from the Ridotto dei Palchi of La Scala Theater, with my colleagues from the Singing Academy and pianists from the Course for Collaborating Masters.

For this event, held in collaboration with the Palazzetto Bru Zane - Centre de musique romantique française, we prepared with Alexandre Dratwicki.

How did you prepare for these roles?

I arrived in Milan not speaking Italian. I had to study the language very quickly to improve pronunciation; in this sense the lockdown was providential, it gave me time to study a lot. Also, I decided to live with another Italian guy to force myself to speak this language as much as possible. The first four months I had to translate everything, but slowly I improved a lot and today I can better handle a lesson or a rehearsal in Italian.

I recently resumed rehearsals of La Cenerentola for La Scala, and listening to myself again, I realize that my pronunciation has refined. Also here at the Academy, before the lockdown, I was able to attend a masterclass by Marcelo Álvarez, who taught me how to best interpret my role, giving the right pathos to the text. Opera is music but it is also text, which we have to make clear to the audience through our voice and gestures.

A reflection for those who would like to pursue this career, maybe one day your children....

It is not an easy profession: you have to study a lot, have passion for both music and the world of theater and opera. Also, you have to be willing to travel, to have very intense periods and other periods that are definitely more empty. You have to be able to handle stress as well as possible so as not to strain your body: it is a profession that requires strong control and healthy living. For example, you should avoid smoking or exaggerating with food and alcohol before a debut, because the voice is produced by our body and if this is not informing the performance also suffers.

I would tell them, however, to jump in if that is what they really want to do in life. If done with the right feeling, it can bring great satisfaction, wonderful encounters and even trips to great places.

I would definitely recommend the Accademia Teatro alla Scala to them, as here they would have the opportunity to study with great artists and former professionals of international renown and with the best accompanying masters, such as Beatrice Benzi, Nelson Guido Calzi, Michele D'Elia, Federica Falasconi, Umberto Finazzi, Jeong Un Kim, Paolo Spadaro Munitto, Vincenzo Scalera, Ulisse Trabacchin, Paolo Troian, James Vaughan... the list is really long!