Posts Categorized: Auditions

Monday was spent listening to candidates for our studio, hearing singers who are doing undergrad study or just beginning a graduate degree. This is tough stuff. Not because these kids aren’t talented, but because it takes an entirely different kind of listening and discernment. My hat is off to those folks in university and conservatory

No opera today, just traveling. Thanks to Rahree and her Audition Tour 2008 iPod playlist, Woody Guthrie’s Seattle to Chicago took us back to the familiar side of the Mississippi. Getting ready for the unbroken 8-day stretch of auditions that lies ahead. Todays agenda: to Empty Out the Inside of My Head. The blog is

Aria Trends We’ve only been in three cities so far, but there’s been a surprisingly lack of trends in first aria offered. Only 4 arias have been offered by more than one singer, and they are not the ones you’d expect (even though they are all soprano arias): Fire Aria, I Want Magic, Norina’s Aria,

We’re in Seattle, where we checked into the charming Mayflower Park. The staff must’ve had a pumpkin-carving contest, and one of the big winners greeted us at the reception desk. Cannibal Pumpkin!! A few weeks ago I heard a bit of an NPR story called “Vocal Impressions in which listeners responded to the challenge of

Today’s singing was heard in a lovely small rehearsal studio at the LA Opera Costume Shop facility. Pretty easy to listen in, with lots of natural light, and a helpful sign (not by us, but we approve) on the wall outside: Where Do These People Come From? The first in a series of regular postings

I’ve been meaning to link to this for a while: a post on Sequenza21 titled The Conservatory. It’s on my mind these days as we listen to auditions for the Wolf Trap Opera Studio. I’m one of those oddballs who believes that (for most people), conservatory is not the best choice for an undergraduate. We

Making It Before we begin, I must point you to this. Whether you want to be a professional singer or you simply know someone who aspires to such a career, this is required reading. A huge thanks to my friend Nick for his insight and honesty. And if you have opinions of your own, take

Some brainstorming about 2008 repertoire possibilities, completely in the abstract. When we begin auditions (in less than a week!), the list will quickly be winnowed. The Return of Sir Benjamin to The Barns Midsummer Night’s Dream, The Rape of Lucretia The Perennial Handel Wish List Agrippina, Alcina, Ariodante, Flavio, Giustino, Hercules, Partenope, Rinaldo, Semele Mozart,

Well, the audition notifications have starting going out, and I had a chance to check the online chatter. There’s general confusion and consternation about who’s getting tapped for an audition this year and who’s not. We’re also receiving email inquiries (and a few rants) about our screening policy. I’m in Singapore right now (to play

This time of year brings lots of difficult decisions. But before I get to them… a re-run of my audition season post in the fall of 2005: S = (R + T) x LF My son is the mathematician in the family. But even though my fling with math is decades in the past, I