Now that that’s settled… FINAL DEADLINE for audition applications for summer 2010 is this Friday, October 9 at midnight.Start here.
Read MorePosts Tagged: auditions
Don’t Pace & Don’t Land the Plane
What does your audition aria look like from behind the table? Singers worry endlessly about the extent to which they can move in an audition situation. Should You “Block” Your Aria? Well strictly speaking, no. You shouldn’t perform your audition in the same way you would approach a staged performance. But the exercise of staging
Read MoreThree Soapboxes
When I crafted the outline for this set of audition posts, I threw in a day called “Musical Preparation.” Well, duh. That’s sort of what you do most days every day. I know that, but I just want to call attention to a few specific vocal/musical issues, to make sure they are never overlooked or
Read MoreCould We Hear the [Insert Name of Aria Here], Please?
Coming up this week in our Fall 2009 Audition Mini-Course: Monday – The Second Aria Tuesday – Musical Preparation Wednesday – Physicalization Thursday – Props Expert Friday – Chicago-based colleagues weigh in Do You Have Any Mozart? Much of the time, you’ll get to choose your first audition aria. Sometimes it’ll be your only aria,
Read MoreExpert Friday: Enjoy Yourself!
A few choice words of audition advice from Darren Keith Woods, General Director, Fort Worth Opera & Artistic Director, Seagle Music Colony. (And, it just so happens, an alumnus of the WTOC!) The main piece of advice I would give to a young singer is to sing what they sing best and do not play
Read MoreThe Notebook
Let’s talk about the printed music that comes in the audition room with you. Just a few guidelines – no rocket science here, but you’d be surprised how many folks create stumbling blocks for themselves by ignoring this basic advice. Music That Stays OpenIf you bring actual scores (anthologies or piano/vocal scores), please be sure
Read More“There are no rules for good photographs, there are only good photographs.”
Ansel Adams offers consolation as I try to figure out what guidance we could possibly give about headshots. In preparation, my colleague and I surfed through all of the photos that have been submitted to date (about 420), trying to get some sense of current trends and articulate some caveats that we could share. It
Read MoreExpert Friday: East & West Coast
Part of a weekly series, in which my colleagues responsed to an email request for anything (or 2 or 3 things…) in the way of advice they would like to give to auditionees. First, Don Marrazzo, Director of Casting & Artistic Operations at Glimmerglass Opera. I have always felt that audition “do’s and don’ts” can
Read MoreSomething Old, Something New
I often refer to the “standard” audition repertoire as having a useful analogy in gymnastics compulsories. There’s a checklist of things that the panel needs to know that you can nail, and the most efficient way to do that is to attack the warhorses. Yes, I know everyone sings them. And because of that, you
Read MoreJust How Versatile Can You Be?
Getting down to some brass tacks this week. The outline: Monday – Depth vs. breadth Tuesday – Standards vs. fresh fare Wednesday – Cuts and alternate versions Thursday – Stretching Expert Friday – Don Marrazzo, Glimmerglass Opera; & Joshua Winograde, LA Opera So… Jack of all Trades? Master of One? Depending on when you ask
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