A lunch hour post, for I’m feeling a bit guilty at my blogging track record this time around. Seems that I can either do things or write about them, but not both… We implemented a callback audition procedure a couple of years ago, and it has served us well. We only have one trip around
Read MorePosts Tagged: auditions
Midwest Musings
This part of the tour is always too much of a whirlwind. Too many good singers, and too few hours in the day. It was a quick 8-hour turnaround from Wednesday night’s arrival in Cincinnati to our morning departure from the hotel. And Thursday was dense, with only a half-hour for lunch, and a dash
Read MoreChicago: The No Caffeine Zone
We’ve settled into a new audition space in Chicago for 2 days. The management at Classical Symphony Hall is taking very good care of us, and we appreciate being able to listen to voices in a space that doesn’t fight against us. The acoustic isn’t luxuriously live, but the ceilings are high, and the sound
Read MoreTechnology in the Audition Room
We kicked off the fall audition tour with a strong start in Los Angeles, and as I was emptying my portable office of its seemingly endless gear, I was reminded of this NY Times article from last summer. I bookmarked it with a reminder to revisit this topic during the audition tour, and this seems
Read MoreExpert Friday: Tips from Texas
On our final expert Friday, some combined advice from Kathleen Kelly and Laura Canning of the Houston Grand Opera Studio: Don’t Second-Guess! We like hearing you sing; we know auditioning is hard and we want you to do well. Don’t try to second guess what I want you to sing, or wear, or say. Just
Read MoreYour Audition Partner at the Piano
First, a list from a few seasons ago, when my colleague Thomas Lausmann sat on the audition panel with me: What Makes a Fabulous Audition Pianist? Listening. The ability to put the playing in subconscious mode and use most of the conscious mind to take in all of the details of the performance and become
Read MoreAudition Room Protocol
Don’t spend a lot of time obsessing about how to relate to the audition panel. Auditions aren’t cocktail parties, and other than avoiding the appearance of being extraordinarily grumpy and crank, there’s not a lot to worry about. Greetings First of all, there’s no reason to walk to the opposite end of the room to
Read MoreAudition Room Acoustics
The annual search for decent audition spaces in various cities across the country is a huge challenge. Some of the spaces we use are typical opera house rehearsal halls, and we’re all familiar with how they feel, look, and sound. But occasionally we end up in a space at one of the two extremes of
Read MoreOutside the Room
I’m easing back into work this week, feeling fairly disoriented for reasons good and bad. But today’s topic is pretty straight-forward, so I’m in luck. We get a lot of questions about protocol inside the audition room, and we’ll take a look at this topic later this week. For now, though, spare a moment to
Read MoreExpert Friday: Chicago
It’s a good thing it’s Expert Friday, because I have been rendered completely inarticulate by the last 50 hours of application processing. Can’t even hold a simple phone conversation. Have no English. David Holloway is the Director of the Apprentice Singers Program for Santa Fe Opera and Head of the Voice Department at the Chicago
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