ariaready

2.0

You know how to sing.
Now learn to be fierce.

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ARIAREADY: The Business of Singing

Carol Kirkpatrick's critically-acclaimed career guide for singers, now available in Softcover, PDF, and Amazon Kindle.
Get Your Copy →

Preparing for a career in any specialized field is an important process, and Opera is no exception. The transition from aspiring artist to the professional world of singing is often filled with doubts, insecurities, and stumbling blocks because the knowledge, skills, and tools needed for this journey may have only been peripherally studied and talked about during your schooling.

Understanding who you are, how you're wired, and what lies ahead are your first steps toward building your career. Is this a profession you are willing to take seriously, and make many sacrifices for? If you choose to become part of this amazing industry, you will find it is a matter of hard work, commitment, and assertive persistence that better prepares you for the exciting adventures ahead as you move toward your goal of achieving success.

The question is... Are ya' ready?

Avanti!

Tosca, from Puccini's opera, holds a pair of burning candles over the dead body of Scarpia in a stage production.
Photo © Anyul Rivas (Modified).
Creative Commons

Awaken Your Power + Potential

Being a professioinal singer takes guts.

Rejection stings after you've gone out and done something as vulnerable as baring your voice and soul in front of a few important people judging whether you're good enough at it to deserve a paycheck. Who knows, maybe you didn't sing well enough, but the thing is, maybe you did.

It's no secret that, while a solid vocal technique is absolutely paramount, success in this field demands so much more. Many essential skills have nothing to do with singing, and often, traditional singer training doesn't emphasize them enough, or even teach them at all. This leaves countless singers stuck in a whirlwind of uncertainty, feeling awkward and frantic as they scramble between gigs to figure out how to be taken seriously and make a good impression.

Do you truly know how to present yourself and professionally connect with those you meet? If you want to gain an edge in this competitive field, you need to be able to:

Manage yourself

It's nothing personal, it's just business. Learn to avoid common pitfalls and build a solid roadmap toward where you want to be.

Effortlessly communicate

Relationships are everything in this industry. Learn to relate to others ways that they easily understand, and how to make them feel fully understood.

Know yourself

Leverage your own unique ways of processing information so you can more easily be prepared, memorized, expressive, and constantly aligned with your own Personal Brand.

Master your craft

And, most importantly, be good at what you do.

Learn From Legends

AriaReady was originally founded by Carol Kirkpatrick—a legend in her own right as a renowned dramatic soprano, voice teacher, and mentor whose personal lineage of mentorship descended directly from some of the greatest teachers and conductors in operatic history.

After forging a successful singing career, Carol wrote her bestselling book and developed a series of masterclasses in which she taught the secrets of success she collected while mingling with legendary masters in the worlds of both opera and business—skills and tools that are rarely combined in universities, yet form the foundation of how history's greatest singers made it to the top.

Carol departed this world at the end of 2021, leaving behind a treasure trove of wisdom. Soon, for the first time, this unbroken chain of powerful instruction will be made available in an online format by those who worked directly with her, sharing the incredible skills, tools, and knowledge she passed down to them, continuing her work of holistically developing not just the voice, but the entire singer, person, and spirit in AriaReady 2.0.

  • What is your motivational style and how can you leverage it?
  • How do you define and live by your Personal Brand?
  • What are effective ways to manage negative self-talk and confidence?
  • What's the real secret of charismatic stars who can command attention when they enter the room or stage?
  • How do you properly and professionally prepare your resume for an audition?
Arturo Toscanini, circa 1950
Arturo Toscanini
Leonard Bernstein's headshot, black and white photo, close up.
Leonard Bernstein
Portrait of Herbert Grossman, a middle-aged, bearded man formally-dressed in a classic tuxedo.
Herbert Grossman
Carol Kirkpatrick
Aria Ready logo abbreviated to "AR"
ariaready 2.0
You

Master Your Foundation:

The Four Cornerstones of the AriaReady Process
A solid and consistently dependable vocal technique.
Knowing who you are, from the inside out.
Having a destination and a solid plan to get there.
Maintaining personal accountability in all areas of your life.

Step 1: Get The Book

Who are you? What is your purpose? What do you believe in? How can you get out of your own way and get to where you want to be? Change is inevitable, so what tools and skills do you need to help you clear your path to living your dream?

Now in its Revised and Expanded 2nd Edition, ARIAREADY: The Business of Singing explains the foundational building blocks of a successful career. Before you can make a plan, you need to know the goal. Get your copy now to learn how you can begin to develop skills and tools that will help you get on-track and stay there.

Carol Kirkpatrick’s ARIA READY: The Business of Singing is a remarkable book filled with tremendous insight, humor, and real world advice that is easily accessible, immediately practical, and frankly indispensable. I consider it to be essential reading for all singers, and I am thankful that Carol’s voice continues to be such a prominent one in our industry.

JAMES MARVEL, Stage Director
Get Your Copy →

Step 2: Delve Deeper

Subscribe to the AriaReady Blog to keep yourself moving forward with constant learning.
An adult woman and a young girl sit facing each other in a quiet, sunlit rehearsal room, representing an honest dialogue with the inner child.An adult woman and a young girl sit facing each other in a quiet, sunlit rehearsal room, representing an honest dialogue with the inner child.
Updating Your Brat
June 1st, 2026 • By David Anderson
Your inner critic isn’t the enemy — it’s an outdated protector still trying to keep you safe. Learn how to recognize, understand, and update your “Brat” so your inner dialogue becomes a productive partnership rather than a source of sabotage.
Read the post: Updating Your Brat →
AI-generated image of a woman with an average build sitting at a sunlit desk by a large window, holding a pen over an open notebook while gazing thoughtfully at a bright city skyline, surrounded by personal items like books, a plant, and a coffee mug.
May. 1st 2026
The Power of Owning Your Own Story!
By David Anderson
What happens when you stop reacting to expectations and start living with intention? Owning your story means understanding who you are beneath the surface, quieting…
The Power of Owning Your Own Story!: Read More →
A casually dressed man stands in a bright, modern bedroom, looking directly into his own eyes in a mirror with a calm, reflective expression. Soft natural light fills the space, with plants and personal items on the dresser adding warmth and a sense of everyday authenticity.
Apr. 1st 2026
Knowing Who You Are, From The Inside Out
By David Anderson
Before you can perform with power, you have to know who you are. This exploration of instinct, intuition, and identity shows how aligning your inner…
Knowing Who You Are, From The Inside Out: Read More →
Backstage view of a soprano in an ornate 18th-century gold gown standing in the shadows of the stage wings, seen from behind as she watches other performers mid-scene under warm stage lights in a grand opera house.
Mar. 1st 2026
Moving Past Technique to Performing Artist
By David Anderson
Technique got you here. Presence will take you further. When preparation is complete, the real work begins: letting go of control and stepping fully into…
Moving Past Technique to Performing Artist: Read More →
Singer sitting at a piano with eyes closed, pausing in thought as sunlight fills a calm rehearsal studio and an open opera score sits on the music stand.
Feb. 1st 2026
Take A Beat
By David Anderson
DO THIS EXPERIMENT: TAKE A BEAT AND CONSIDER CHANGING WORDS & LABELS. Search out places where you may have labelled something or someone that may…
Take A Beat: Read More →
View All Blog Posts →

Latest discussions

The Buzzz... Interview with Susannah Biller

A conversation between Carol Kirkpatrick and Susannah Biller at Carol’s voice studio in Denver CO, after Ms. Biller’s debut as Marie in The Daughter of the Regiment for Arizona Opera in April of 2015, discussing topics such as mentorship and having your personal "Board of Directors," learning music, preparation, how to choose a good agent, and general life as a traveling opera singer.

Posted May. 3rd, 2015 on: Moving Past Technique to Performing Artist
Read the post: "Moving Past Technique to Performing Artist" →

Watch more

The Buzzz... Interview with Alexandra LoBianco
Posted May. 4th, 2014 on: Your Responsibilities: Choosing Your Voice Teacher
The Buzzz... Jose Maria Condemi Interview
Posted Feb. 25th, 2013 on: Story Telling: The Art of Communication as an Artist
The Buzzz... Interview with Joan Rutkowski
Posted Jan. 6th, 2013 on: Getting Your Foot in the Door at the Local Level
The Buzzz, Episode 1: Successful Auditioning
Posted Nov. 4th, 2010 on: Audition Strategy and Tactics
View All Videos →
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