How long is it okay to sing?

Many singers are curious about how long they can sing without causing vocal problems.  At first, the length one can sing depends greatly on how efficient and clean your vocal process is.  Beginning students will find it hard to sing full-out for more than hour, but rapidly gain stamina as their vocal technique improves.  However, how you pace yourself during rehearsal is vital.  Simply put, singing loud or soft all the time is far more wearing on the voice than varying the volume, with proper breath support, during rehearsal.  There is a reason why professional singers get several run-thrus before the first performance; just like a great marathon runner, you have to figure out when to sprint and when to conserve your energy.

I remember this pacing most vividly in a performance of Mendelssohn's Elijah.  Elijah is a massive oratorio, and the role of Elijah is very demanding for any baritone soloist.  While I could easily sing any of the individual songs in isolation, having to sing 4 solos and numerous recitatives and ensembles is extremely taxing if sung all at once.  In the first run-thru, I had to figure out how when to 'coast' as a singer, and when to push myself so that I could make it through the performance sounding excellent throughout.  Then I had to modify my 'vocal strategy' in the second run-thru with orchestra, and discovering there were parts I had to sing louder so that the orchestra did not overwhelm my voice.  Elijah was a great lesson for me on how to manage a taxing lead role with orchestra.

DWS