“When everything seems to be going against you, remember that the airplane takes off against the wind, not with it.”

This post has been on my mind for a long time.  It is a difficult one to tackle for several reasons, and some of the articles I share or the opinions I have may be difficult for people to understand.  I guess I will start with this.  I ask you to listen to the music.  You don’t have to be a fan of opera (although I am) to appreciate this man’s voice.  He has a huge range…how many people can sing tenor, baritone, and bass?  Now, watch this video.

Thomas is gifted in other genres as you will see in the above video.  Something else you will notice is that he was born with shortened leg bones, and is missing long bones in his arms.   He faced some challenges as a child:

Appearance is irrelevant when he sings, and I wonder if performances and their glowing reviews aren’t a respite from what could crassly be termed the Quasthoff baggage: the Thalidomide baby made good. In his autobiography, The Voice, and in countless interviews, Quasthoff has told his story in typically blunt style. He spent most of his first two years in an isolation ward, his family unable to speak to him. For four years his legs were clamped in a cast to force his feet to grow the right way round. Against all prognoses, his mother (who died in January) taught him to walk by tempting him with chocolate.

This obviously doesn’t affect his singing ability, but it has been a challenge to his career.  He was denied admission to the music conservatory in Hanover, Germany, because of his physical inability to play the piano, then a requirement for entry to the conservatory. (Years later, the same school asked him to join its staff.  He accepted.)  His music career was launched in 1988 when he won first prize in the ARD International Music Competition in Munich.  His career has been quite successful and prolific, however he has sung very few staged opera roles.  This is because he only wants to sing roles that are suited to his voice.  However, he is also quite realistic about the importance of looks in the music industry. When asked about the prospects for disabled singers, this is his response:  “It depends how good he is. Very simple.  As long as you’re good, nobody can raise their nose and say: ‘Oh, it is because of his disability.”  Of course, this means you have to be that better than everyone else.  You have to prove yourself, and self-acceptance is of utmost importance.  “I think it’s important to accept your disability. If you don’t love people—and that includes yourself—you shouldn’t be in this business.”

Now, as anyone who knows me can tell you, the word inspirational makes my blood boil.  I hate being called inspirational.  I’m sorry, but I don’t think that waking up in the morning and going about my daily life makes me an inspiration.  Yes, there have been hard times in my life.  I would have been institutionalized had it not been for my parents insistence.  (Thomas was institutionalized, but his parents fought to bring him home.)  Attitudes about disability were different thirty years ago.  That isn’t to say that some people don’t still have narrow ideas of what a disabled person can do.  It can be hard to empathize with someone if you aren’t able to understand what they have gone through, but pity is not the answer.  Life has its struggles, but most of the time they are not exclusive to the disabled.   As someone who has had abundant success in his life, Thomas seems to share this sentiment.

He detests any notion of heroics. “People say: ‘Oh, your life was full of struggle.’ No, it wasn’t! I can totally understand if a normal grown person is sitting in front of a person with seven fingers, short arms and short legs, it’s natural to say ‘Your life must be so aah’,” and he emits an exhausted moan. “And I could support this very much if I was sitting here like that [he slumps pitifully].. I’m not.

I wanted to write about this because it is something I have struggled with as a singer.  The truth is that the music industry is very competitive no matter what you look like physically.  When you have a disability, it is harder.  It isn’t impossible.  Thomas Quasthoff was born to be a singer.  He has amazing stage presence.  I don’t claim to be the best performer, and obviously it does take work.  To have such a positive attitude and outlook on life is imperative if you want to make a career of singing.  (Being amazing doesn’t hurt either…)

I intended to discuss the implications of being of a disabled child, and what sort of thought process goes into raising a child who has special needs while keeping your sanity.  I also want to discuss my views about disability and child rearing, but I think that will have to be in the next post.

 

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