Dual Career Musicians: the Singing Artist and the Piano Nurse
“Blue Sky” by Wendy Hatala Foley
There was a time when musicians were told that the only way to succeed as professionals was to focus all their efforts on music. Sure, there were examples of people who succeeded in dual careers—E.T.A. Hoffmann, Robert Schumann, and Charles Ives, for example—but today’s world demanded that true artists devoted themselves to music and music only. Given my passion for music and writing, this prescription brought me a lot of stress when I was in my 20s. It wasn’t until my mentor Jill Timmons told me that I was a “hybrid,” that I was able to see that (for me) two career paths were a strength, not a weakness and with her tutelage and encouragement, I built a career that straddled both loves. But, being the only dual career musician I knew, I thought I was alone in my split focus and felt vaguely guilty for not having a strong enough passion for either one to focus on it entirely.
Fortunately, this “all or nothing” approach to being a musician is waning. Pianist Stephen Hough is a world-class pianist, composer, and author. Composer Scott Pender worked for years as a producer for the ABC News program Nightline. Pianist Jeremy Denk is also an author. These artists remind us that sometimes we need to let our talents take us where they will in order to be better musicians and more complete human beings.
This post is the first in an occasional series I plan to run about dual career musicians. Both musicians featured in this article have created bespoke careers in disparate fields. Wendy Hatala Foley has performed as a soloist in operas across Canada; she’s also a thriving visual artist. Genaida Benson is a performing pianist who is also a nurse at Mayo Clinic. Both remind us that no career follows a formula, and that true success lies in following the Muse wherever it leads.
Wendy Hatala Foley, Opera Singer/Visual Artist
“Painting is very similar to singing for me. I always knew that they were not great ways to make a living, but I did them anyway because I couldn’t live without them.” —Wendy Hatala Foley
I decided when I was 9 years old that I would be an opera singer. I didn’t understand what that entailed but I knew I loved to sing and that I was LOUD! I finally felt like I had found where I belonged. I had a single minded focus until I turned 40. Another life goal for me was to have a family, and after a lot of difficulty, I finally had 2 beautiful daughters, and I realized that the time with them would fly by. A turning point for me was when my youngest daughter had to pin a picture of me up over her bed to kiss me goodnight when I was traveling.
So instead of continuing to pursue a solo career, I auditioned for the Canadian Opera Company Chorus and decided to stay put at home. It really was the best of both worlds - I was still surrounded by music and opera but I came home to my family every night. I have been cast as a cover for many roles, so I still learn new roles and staging, and live with equal parts hope and fear of being called to step in on stage. And although there is not much security in performing, there was a little bit more security in singing with the chorus. Plus the contracts are longer than solo contracts in smaller houses across the country.
At this time I also started doing descriptive video voice work for a post-production company. I did this for a decade and it was a fun and interesting way to use my voice training. I had to be able to read ahead in the paragraph and have breath control so I didn’t have audible gasps in the recordings. And it was always my goal to read scripts in one take so that the editors did not have to do too much work. Unfortunately, this job ended at the beginning of Covid and I was replaced with a synthesized voice.
Throughout this whole time I sporadically taught voice lessons - from teaching at the University of British Columbia, to local music schools and privately, to ultimately creating a business with my husband, Chris Foley, Foley Music and Arts Inc. Our (mostly piano) studio has 3 teachers (4 when I take voice students), 4 pianos, 3 studios and over 70 students. To make a living in music, we have had to diversify as much as possible.
In my forties, I realized that I didn’t have any interests outside of music. I had been laser focused for so long that I hadn’t allowed myself to try new things. When we were building our 3rd studio, we decided that it would be called the “Fishbowl Studio” and have an accent color of orange. I searched high and low for an appropriate painting to decorate it and I couldn’t find it anywhere. I decided to try and paint something myself. I had never painted before but my husband and I were always huge fans of galleries and museums. I fell in love with painting instantly! My new hobby quickly turned into an obsession and I haven’t stopped yet.
I don’t think it was my idea originally to make this a new career path. I felt compelled to paint. Social media allowed me to display my work and I soon had interest and orders from people in Canada and the United States. The pandemic gave me a lot of time to focus on my art (in the last 2 years I have only worked for 2 weeks at the COC filming online music content). As I continue to explore new ideas and techniques I keep trying new ideas and I am very fortunate to have new supporters across North America. Painting is very similar to singing for me. I always knew that they were not great ways to make a living, but I did them anyway because I couldn’t live without them. And if I was going to do it with 100% effort I should try to make a living from it.
The opera world has influenced my painting - often on stage I feel like I am in the middle of a living painting - costumes, sets, lighting. And yet it is experienced in the moment and then lives in memory. My paintings are my attempt to make something that lasts and live on long after they are created.
I am most proud of being able to make a living working in the arts. It seems like a simple accomplishment, but anyone who has done it knows how difficult it is. I often tell young singers that the only reason they should pursue singing as a career is if they can’t live without it. There is so much competition, especially as a woman, and opera companies are closing everywhere from a lack of funding. It seems like there are more and more talented young performers every day. I am still learning about the art world and I am currently attempting to get professional representation with a gallery. Once again I have chosen a field that requires constant self-promotion, and I can honestly say that I am not very good at it. I am very proud of the amount of paintings I have sold to friends and especially to people that I have never met.
I believe that the most challenging part of my 2 chosen careers is trying to stay inspired and focused. Every painting I do seems to have the same highs and lows as performing. I feel elated, then depressed, then happy, then ready to quit. The roller coaster of emotions is very draining and I try to stay as even keeled as possible. But I do believe that these emotions are part of being an artist.
When I’m asked for advice on how to combine multiple career paths, I tell people that being a musician means that you have to be willing to do multiple things to make your career work. I have often commented that as musicians we never lose our ability to look for work and are constantly striving towards the next gig. It is very useful talent in a tumultuous world.
Wendy Hatala Foley can’t remember a time when she was not pursuing art. She is a professional opera singer and more recently, a painter, who has spent much of her life studying and performing classical music. Wendy has a Masters Degree in Music and has sung across Canada, from Victoria to St. John’s, and she currently sings with The Canadian Opera Company. Opera is a combination of all the arts and she has loved being surrounded by every conceivable expression of beauty, love, and life. Wendy has always been challenged by the fact that music only lives in the moment it is being performed, and those moments are extremely choreographed and rehearsed. The same cannot be said of visual art. There is a freedom in visual art that is not negated by its permanency. Through her use of bright acrylic paints, thick textures, and abstract visualizations, Wendy has transferred her love of music onto the canvas to illustrate her joy of life. It is her profound hope that those who experience her paintings will likewise feel the same. To learn more about her, visit Foley Music and Arts.
Wendy Hatala Foley possesses a “magnificent voice.” Paula Citron, 96.3 FM
"Wendy Hatala Foley … burst on stage like a madwoman escaped from an Italian opera; her powerful voice and stage presence energized every scene she appeared in." Colin Eatock, The Globe and Mail.
"Hatala Foley rendered a lovely account of the Pie Jesu, now serene, now urgent, always powerful and expressive.” Richard Todd, The Ottawa Citizen
Genaida Benson, Piano Nurse
“Becoming a nurse has made me a better teacher. I am able to appreciate the student as a whole person. It has made me more compassionate, more empathetic, and helped me to have an even a greater listening ear. That said, the reverse is also true with nursing. Having such a deep love for music has made me a caring, compassionate, empathetic nurse with a big heart for helping people and a listening ear with attention to detail.” —Genaida Benson
I started playing piano at age four. Raised in a conservative, Christian, Seventh-day Adventist home, with regular weekly church attendance, I learned early that our purpose in life is to fulfill the mission God has planned for each one of us and to use our talents for His glory. Both my parents were missionaries when my brother and I were born in Bolivia and they have always had a passion for helping people. This passion must have been passed on, because I grew up with a love for music and for nursing.
When I went to college, I decided to major in Piano Performance. Encouraged by my parents and also my passion for nursing, I decided to also pursue a nursing major. At the time, I did not realize how demanding and time-consuming both programs would be, but I did know of others who attempted and succeeded on this path. As the sciences became more challenging, it became overwhelming and in the second semester of the nursing program, when I failed a test by .1%, I was devastated. I hadn’t failed at anything before. It was only years later, looking back on this experience that I can now realize that I was doing too much at one time. At that time, my love for music was much stronger than nursing, because I had been involved in it, playing for select choirs, participating in special musical events and keyboard festivals throughout my academic experience. I had already traveled and performed internationally, and my goal was to become a concert performer, record CDs and teach music—particularly piano on the college level.
With pressure surrounding me, and the fact that I was no longer allowed to continue in the nursing program at that time, I put my energy and focus to music, graduated with two majors, Piano Performance and Piano Pedagogy, and eventually earned my masters degree in Piano Performance so that I could continue my dream of being able to teach on the college level. After finishing my master’s degree, I was hired as an adjunct teacher at the nearby public college where I taught piano lessons to college students and older students.
In the years that followed, I can look back and say that the experience of “failing out” of nursing only made me stronger for what was to come because several years later, my father was diagnosed with stage 4 liver cancer. All the major big name hospitals told him he had 3 months or less to live and to go home to die. Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN was the only hospital that gave him hope. I moved back home to help care for my dad, during which time we made many trips to Mayo Clinic. Spending time with my dad and performing nursing care for him brought back my passion for nursing and music therapy. Witnessing the care and compassion shown to my dad at Mayo Clinic also gave me a vision: I wanted to become a nurse and work at Mayo Clinic to help people as my dad was helped. When I visited with my dad, I would play piano for him on the Gonda piano in the lobby, and we would also listen to others playing music on the piano. My dad told me that it was hymns, especially, that brought him hope and healing and drove away the depression caused by the chemo treatments.
When my dad became stable and we knew he was going to make it, I applied to the nursing program at a different college. This nursing program, although very competitive, had an encouraging, compassionate and dedicated team of highly educated staff members who mentored the students to prepare for passing the NCLEX. I prayed for God to lead and was chosen as one of 70 out a bank of 300 applicants. This time, I had one goal in mind. With all my dedicated studies focused on nursing, and wonderful mentors, I was able to graduate with honors, not only with my 2 year ASN degree but also my 4 year BSN degree. While I studied, I would use music as my stress release. I still performed at church and taught piano lessons, but this became secondary to my studies. After graduating, I started working to gain experience, and less than a year after graduation, I applied for and was accepted to work at Mayo Clinic in Rochester.
Shortly after I arrived in Rochester, I visited one of the hospitals and played hymn arrangements in the lobby. These arrangements were without music and from my heart. They came from experiences that I’d had, and when requests were made, I believe God placed the arrangement in my hands. I made playing hymn arrangements in the lobby a regular habit after each work day and then my patients and co-workers started recognizing me. They were the ones who gave me the name “Piano Nurse.” Now I play on the famous Gonda piano for patients, family members and staff after my work shift in Radiology ends. Shortly after going to work at Mayo Clinic, I recorded my first CD, and now, several years later, I’ve just released my 4th CD. One of my goals was to become a music therapist; with nursing and music, I feel I’ve reached that goal. I am still teaching 15 piano students in my studio, and the lobby at Mayo Clinic has become my concert hall. In this capacity, I’ve been featured on TV in a Kare 11 special interest story, as well as nationally on CNBC.
Both nursing and teaching are demanding and exhausting emotionally and physically. Scheduling is also a big issue as I work a flexible 8, 10, 12 hr shift, which can include evening hours and mandatory overtime. When this occurs, I have an understanding with each of my piano students that my nursing career comes first and we will either postpone or skip that week’s lesson. All students have agreed to this before starting lessons in my studio. So far, this arrangement has worked well as many of the students have parents who also work at Mayo Clinic.
Becoming a nurse has made me a better teacher. I am able to appreciate the student as a whole person. It has made me more compassionate, more empathetic, and helped me to have an even a greater listening ear. That said, the reverse is also true with nursing. Having such a deep love for music has made me a caring, compassionate, empathetic nurse with a big heart for helping people and a listening ear with attention to detail. Both compliment each other well and I have a continued thirst for knowledge in becoming the best I can be with both careers.
When I’m asked for advice on how to combine two challenging careers, I say this: never give up on your passion and your dreams. Present your path before God and let Him lead. Don’t be surprised as the journey may vary from what you want…be flexible and willing to adapt to the challenges that arise. There will be pressure from all sides and even teachers who will tell you it won’t be possible. There will be pressure to give up and to focus only on a “stable career”. The love of music inside me is as real as eating and breathing. If I were to stop playing music, a part of me would die. Don’t let your passion fade or die away. There may be a delay in achieving your dream, you may have to pursue one major at a time, your educational years may be extended to allow for more credits, it will be more expensive, and the challenge is real, but with God, all things are possible! Looking back today, despite all the challenges, setbacks and discouragements, it has been worth it all.
Genaida Benson (Piano Nurse), is a pianist, organist, piano instructor, and nurse who is active as a recitalist and has served as an accompanist in studios and for select choral groups at both the secondary and college levels. She has toured as a performer throughout North and South America, Russia, Scandinavia, Hawaii, and Bermuda. Benson has been a church musician since her earliest years and has worked for various churches and religious programs. She has directed children's music classes, and was an assistant leader in children's programs and Vacation Bible Schools. She has released 4 CDs, and has been featured as Piano Nurse on Kare 11 television station and CNBC network. She holds degrees in Piano Performance and Piano Pedagogy from Pacific Union College, a Master’s degree in Piano Performance from Andrews University, and an Associate of Science and a Bachelor of Science degree from Southern Adventist University. She has studied piano with Anita Ford, Rhonda Ringering, C. Lynn Wheeler, and Marcelo Caceres.
Benson presently resides in Minnesota, where she works as a Non-Vascular Radiology Nurse in Radiology at Mayo Clinic. She has been given the name Piano Nurse by her patients and co-workers and regularly plays for patients, family members and staff in the lobby on the Gonda piano each day after her shift. She has been chosen to represent Mayo Clinic by performing at events and has received 3 Above and Beyond Nursing awards. She teaches piano privately. To learn more about her and to purchase her CDs, visit Piano Nurse
Are you a dual career musician interested in being featured in this series? If so, please contact me!