From today’s status on Facebook: “I have got to stop psyching myself out about auditions. I’ve been getting SO nervous these days and yet they always - knock knock - go well. I’ve got to trust more...”
I had an audition today for a company that was hearing rep for the next four years out. Lots of rep, and lots of “opera’s greatest hits,” which naturally includes many roles I am dying to get under my belt: Gilda, Lucia, Violetta, et al. Yesterday I sang through a couple of my arias, and things were going beautifully. I felt like I was singing lightly, without pushing or trying to make my voice sound bigger than it is, and yet the richness that has come into my voice over the past few years was there. High notes were feeling great. Even Henry seemed to like it. (There is nothing better than singing “Caro nome” with Henry in my arms, him laughing at each coloratura passage...)
But then this morning? I was a nervous wreck. I almost felt sick to my stomach in the cab on the way to the audition. What happened to the blasé auditioner I used to be??
A friend asked if I felt like motherhood had anything to do with these relatively new feelings, and I’ve been pondering that all day. I think the easy answer is yes, if only because the list of things I need to do in order to get ready and BE ready for an audition is so much longer these days. It’s not just about putting on a dress and praying for a good hair day anymore!
It’s harder to warm up well, since we can’t sing while Henry is sleeping. (I was just sure I would have a baby who could sleep through it, but alas!) I had to worry about the timing of feeding and naps and my departure. I got too busy with other stuff and forgot to feed myself, and so my blood sugar made me shaky and irritable. I was running out of time trying to warm up and review my arias, and the later it got, the more nervous I became and the tighter my voice got. All the confidence I had yesterday fell away with each vibrato-less high D or inflexible and imprecise run.
And yet how did it end? With me walking out of the audition room with my head high, feeling like I had not only sung the best I could sing today given the circumstances, but feeling like I was singing my best ever! What is this disconnect?
True, before the audition I had some time to collect myself and eat a Clif bar, as they were running late. I took one difficult aria off my list, freeing me up a little. I put on my kickass red lipstick. I chatted with colleagues and generally relaxed a bit before heading in.
But mostly? In the audition room I did what I just can’t do at home: I performed. I got my head out of the way and just sang and loved it. The high notes were there, and I remembered all my words. It was a great audition.
And it almost always happens this way! Why can’t I remember this in the hour beforehand, when I am freaking out and making myself - and my family - miserable? I never have these feelings for performances, only auditions. Is it something I’ve come to depend on, this dance of fear and doubt and the conquering thereof? Or is it just that I feel that the stakes are higher now, that I have more to gain and lose? I need the work, after all. Baby needs new shoes!
Who knows. I’m grateful that today turned out the way it did, and thankful to have such a supportive husband and smiley baby. We each, the three of us, have obstacles to overcome everyday, and we do our best to help each other out. It could be a hell of a lot worse...
Showing posts with label auditions. Show all posts
Showing posts with label auditions. Show all posts
Thursday, May 19, 2011
Friday, October 30, 2009
Audition Lessons
So... Monday’s audition will probably go down in my version of my history as the worst. ever.
I can not begin to tell you all the “lessons” I learned. But, since that’s kind of the whole point of this blog, I guess I’ll try. On the subway on the way home, I thought, “WHY did I mention this audition on the blog?! Now I have to tell them all about it!” It’s one I’ll never forget, but one that’s been surprisingly easy to leave behind.
Lesson #1: Sing what you have been preparing for!! If you’ve been preparing a new aria and you have a low-stress audition opportunity in which to debut that aria, do not be swayed by the fact that you might also be considered for a role in a crazy, sexy, rarely produced show.
I got so excited by this obscure sexy role that I let a chance to rock my new rep pass me by. Sure, in the coaching room two hours beforehand, both arias sounded great, but when I got into the audition, other factors (see Lessons #2 & #3) came into play, and I lost my focus. Badly. I should have presented *my rep* first and foremost, and let them see me and the other sopranos and then make whatever casting decision they will. As it was, I feel like I wasted their time, whereas if I’d just come in and nailed “Come scoglio,” I might have gotten a job.
Lesson #2: Know who your pianist is going to be, even if you are scheduled fairly last-minute for an audition. And if you are not 100% certain that they can play your difficult rep, DON’T OFFER IT.
I spent way too much energy while singing worrying about what was happening at the keyboard, wondering if we were going to make it. I wasn’t performing. I was thinking, and worrying, and I’m sure it showed all over my face.
Lesson #3: I can sing high notes after low notes, but not vice versa.
In the coaching room we ran through Fiordiligi first, to test my memory and make sure my tempo in the second section was set. Then we sang through the last half of Zerb, mostly just for kicks. The high notes were really there, and I was stoked. But when I got to the audition, I was so excited to sing the Strauss (see #1) that I started with it. When it didn’t go nearly as well as I wanted (although the E was pretty good!), I got tense, and when I got tense, my larynx raised, and I can’t sing Fiordiligi’s sexy low notes with a raised larynx. FAIL.
It was not fun. It was the only time in my auditioning career that I felt like running off the stage in the middle of singing. But we ended with the usual “thank you, thank YOU” and I went home. Disappointed in myself, but grateful that it was a small-house international audition and not a US house with colleagues of mine behind the table. And then...
I got home to a voice mail which led to a phone call about a potential job this weekend: a colleague was ill, and I might be needed to step in and sing a performance if she wasn’t better by opening. All of a sudden, the terrible audition is a thing of the past! We are moving forward here, people! No time to sulk; life, and opera, goes on.
The company ended up not needing me*, but the effect was as big as if I’d done the gig. I was reminded that all things, good and bad, pass. That audition was over and I couldn’t do anything about it, so I might as well move on. The rest of week was filled with other reminders that I am more than one bad audition. Great rehearsals, job possiblities, good singing, and most importantly: putting more auditions on the calendar.
There is always something to learn (or to be reminded of) in this business; we are never done. And there is always another audition.
*This is a good thing. While it would be a great adventure for me to step in last-minute, that sort of thing is very stressful on a cast and company, not to mention the poor sick singer who did all that work in rehearsal. Remember, we only get paid for performances, not rehearsals. I was happy for her and for the company that they got to present the show they rehearsed. Toi toi, all!
I can not begin to tell you all the “lessons” I learned. But, since that’s kind of the whole point of this blog, I guess I’ll try. On the subway on the way home, I thought, “WHY did I mention this audition on the blog?! Now I have to tell them all about it!” It’s one I’ll never forget, but one that’s been surprisingly easy to leave behind.
Lesson #1: Sing what you have been preparing for!! If you’ve been preparing a new aria and you have a low-stress audition opportunity in which to debut that aria, do not be swayed by the fact that you might also be considered for a role in a crazy, sexy, rarely produced show.
I got so excited by this obscure sexy role that I let a chance to rock my new rep pass me by. Sure, in the coaching room two hours beforehand, both arias sounded great, but when I got into the audition, other factors (see Lessons #2 & #3) came into play, and I lost my focus. Badly. I should have presented *my rep* first and foremost, and let them see me and the other sopranos and then make whatever casting decision they will. As it was, I feel like I wasted their time, whereas if I’d just come in and nailed “Come scoglio,” I might have gotten a job.
Lesson #2: Know who your pianist is going to be, even if you are scheduled fairly last-minute for an audition. And if you are not 100% certain that they can play your difficult rep, DON’T OFFER IT.
I spent way too much energy while singing worrying about what was happening at the keyboard, wondering if we were going to make it. I wasn’t performing. I was thinking, and worrying, and I’m sure it showed all over my face.
Lesson #3: I can sing high notes after low notes, but not vice versa.
In the coaching room we ran through Fiordiligi first, to test my memory and make sure my tempo in the second section was set. Then we sang through the last half of Zerb, mostly just for kicks. The high notes were really there, and I was stoked. But when I got to the audition, I was so excited to sing the Strauss (see #1) that I started with it. When it didn’t go nearly as well as I wanted (although the E was pretty good!), I got tense, and when I got tense, my larynx raised, and I can’t sing Fiordiligi’s sexy low notes with a raised larynx. FAIL.
It was not fun. It was the only time in my auditioning career that I felt like running off the stage in the middle of singing. But we ended with the usual “thank you, thank YOU” and I went home. Disappointed in myself, but grateful that it was a small-house international audition and not a US house with colleagues of mine behind the table. And then...
I got home to a voice mail which led to a phone call about a potential job this weekend: a colleague was ill, and I might be needed to step in and sing a performance if she wasn’t better by opening. All of a sudden, the terrible audition is a thing of the past! We are moving forward here, people! No time to sulk; life, and opera, goes on.
The company ended up not needing me*, but the effect was as big as if I’d done the gig. I was reminded that all things, good and bad, pass. That audition was over and I couldn’t do anything about it, so I might as well move on. The rest of week was filled with other reminders that I am more than one bad audition. Great rehearsals, job possiblities, good singing, and most importantly: putting more auditions on the calendar.
There is always something to learn (or to be reminded of) in this business; we are never done. And there is always another audition.
*This is a good thing. While it would be a great adventure for me to step in last-minute, that sort of thing is very stressful on a cast and company, not to mention the poor sick singer who did all that work in rehearsal. Remember, we only get paid for performances, not rehearsals. I was happy for her and for the company that they got to present the show they rehearsed. Toi toi, all!
Monday, August 31, 2009
Out of Body
Well, after all that, they didn’t even ask for Susannah! Oh well, it was a good excuse to get the aria ready for this coming season.
They asked for Juliette’s “waltz” aria instead, an aria I have sung many, many times - and an aria that many people hate. It is sung by young sopranos for many reasons: it’s not difficult (in the sense that it’s easy to learn the notes), the accompaniment is light, and it shows some flexibility and a few high notes. It is often interpreted by said young sopranos as a joyous romp through Juliette’s birthday party, nothing more than an expression of how happy she is in the moment. “What a great party! I wish I could stay here forever!” This treacly approach is why the aria is widely loathed by audition pianists and panelists.
Yes, it’s a waltz, and it’s her birthday, but what is joyful about
“This intoxication of youth lasts, alas, only for one day!
Then comes the hour when one weeps.
Far from the morose winter let me slumber
and inhale the rose before it’s petals are plucked.”
Sounds like a girl going kicking and screaming toward womanhood, if you ask me, but I swear to you that I have seen a soprano pick up a prop rose with a smile, sniff it, and then toss it gaily over her shoulder at the end of those lines! I died a little in that moment...
I put the aria away for a long time, because I wasn’t sure I could sing it with the necessary gravitas, but a couple of years ago I put it back in the line-up. I’ve been 30-something for a while now, and I think I understand a bit more the longing that Juliette was feeling. It was fun to watch my interpretation grow as I grew up...
And then this summer I started working on Juliette’s second big aria, sung as she takes the poison in the tomb. It is a very mature, very womanly aria which I love to sing and which will be making an occasional appearance this audition season. And - and this shouldn’t really have been a surprise - I think my knowledge of the rest of the character has put the finishing touches on fleshing out the Waltz. There we go.
As if to prove a point, at the audition on Friday I did something new, something I wasn’t expecting and, frankly, something I’m not sure is even “done.” The waltz ends with a cadenza, a long running stream of unaccompanied notes. This cadenza is kind of shaped like a mountain, building up to a quick high D and then back down again before rejoining the piano and ending with a big finish. I have always sung the cadenza fairly evenly; it’s entirely comprised of 8th notes, after all. But Friday, when I got to the D, I actually held it out, probably not more than an extra second, but long enough for my brain to scream at me!! “What are you doing?! You’ve never done this before! Do you know how to get back on track and end this thing without falling to pieces now that you’ve totally broken your rhythm?!?!”
Heh. I made it out unscathed, but those moments when instinct takes over can sure be scary! I hadn’t, after all, “totally broken” my rhythm; I just stretched it a bit. The phrase was alive, vibrant, and apparently it wanted to blossom. It was kind of an awesome moment, one in which my voice seemed to exist outside of me for a moment. I hope it won’t be the last...
They asked for Juliette’s “waltz” aria instead, an aria I have sung many, many times - and an aria that many people hate. It is sung by young sopranos for many reasons: it’s not difficult (in the sense that it’s easy to learn the notes), the accompaniment is light, and it shows some flexibility and a few high notes. It is often interpreted by said young sopranos as a joyous romp through Juliette’s birthday party, nothing more than an expression of how happy she is in the moment. “What a great party! I wish I could stay here forever!” This treacly approach is why the aria is widely loathed by audition pianists and panelists.
Yes, it’s a waltz, and it’s her birthday, but what is joyful about
“This intoxication of youth lasts, alas, only for one day!
Then comes the hour when one weeps.
Far from the morose winter let me slumber
and inhale the rose before it’s petals are plucked.”
Sounds like a girl going kicking and screaming toward womanhood, if you ask me, but I swear to you that I have seen a soprano pick up a prop rose with a smile, sniff it, and then toss it gaily over her shoulder at the end of those lines! I died a little in that moment...
I put the aria away for a long time, because I wasn’t sure I could sing it with the necessary gravitas, but a couple of years ago I put it back in the line-up. I’ve been 30-something for a while now, and I think I understand a bit more the longing that Juliette was feeling. It was fun to watch my interpretation grow as I grew up...
And then this summer I started working on Juliette’s second big aria, sung as she takes the poison in the tomb. It is a very mature, very womanly aria which I love to sing and which will be making an occasional appearance this audition season. And - and this shouldn’t really have been a surprise - I think my knowledge of the rest of the character has put the finishing touches on fleshing out the Waltz. There we go.
As if to prove a point, at the audition on Friday I did something new, something I wasn’t expecting and, frankly, something I’m not sure is even “done.” The waltz ends with a cadenza, a long running stream of unaccompanied notes. This cadenza is kind of shaped like a mountain, building up to a quick high D and then back down again before rejoining the piano and ending with a big finish. I have always sung the cadenza fairly evenly; it’s entirely comprised of 8th notes, after all. But Friday, when I got to the D, I actually held it out, probably not more than an extra second, but long enough for my brain to scream at me!! “What are you doing?! You’ve never done this before! Do you know how to get back on track and end this thing without falling to pieces now that you’ve totally broken your rhythm?!?!”
Heh. I made it out unscathed, but those moments when instinct takes over can sure be scary! I hadn’t, after all, “totally broken” my rhythm; I just stretched it a bit. The phrase was alive, vibrant, and apparently it wanted to blossom. It was kind of an awesome moment, one in which my voice seemed to exist outside of me for a moment. I hope it won’t be the last...
Friday, August 28, 2009
Susanna/h
I have an audition today, the first of the season!
In a funny twist of audition repertoire, I’m offering both Susanna and Susannah! The heroines of Mozart’s Marriage of Figaro and Carlisle Floyd’s Susannah share a name, but not much else. One is a feisty Italian who is always at the head of the action, either manipulating it or cleaning up the messes, literal and figurative, and who ends the day in the arms of her beloved. The other is a young Appalachian girl, pure and sensual, who is desired and misunderstood and shunned by her town in such a way that it leads to her ruin. You know my long love affair with Susanna, but I’ve also had a place in my heart for Susannah (keep your eye out for that H in this post!) over the years. It is a wonderful opera, with a great heroine with a great character arc. I sang several scenes throughout my schooling, but was never sure my voice would gain the required heft to make it through so dramatic a role. Well, here we are!
As I was warming up this morning, I was thinking about which aria to start with, and I’ve decided to go with Susanna. I know the aria very well, I have two great productions on my resume, and I have another already booked for the 2010-11 season. It should be a good introduction to the panel! (Although technically I think I’ve sung for them about ten times over the years...) If they ask for Susannah after that, I’ll have some things to watch out for.
First, character. Gone will be the crafty yet dreamy lover hoping for a good end to a crazy day, and in her place will need to be an innocent, wide-eyed, hopeful girl, longing to see the world. The Floyd aria needs to start without a trace of guile or desperation. In fact, I think the whole aria (“Ain’t it a pretty night”) should be sung with hope and innocence; the outside world hasn’t yet become real to Susannah.
Second, vocal style. Well-sung Mozart is all about line, line, line. Legato for days. With the American aria, I need to get back to truly speaking the text, similar to how I would sing a Mozart recitative. There are moments in the Floyd where I will pour on the legato, but not on every phrase. There are several chunks of phrases (that’s the technical term, “chunks”) that come back at the end of the aria. I need to remember to sing them the first time as if the words are just pouring out of my mouth as quickly as I think them up, without schmaltzy embellishments. Those can come in at the end, tastefully, of course.
It’s exciting to think about rep like this, to take two arias that are so different and remind myself of the potential areas for danger. Too much legato in Susannah will lead me to sing too heavily which will lead me to blowing the high notes. Too much Susanna sass won’t allow the purity of Susannah’s character to come through. A great challenge.
I’ve got more thinking to do about purity and innocence this season, as my three new roles are all wide-eyed wonder girls: Genovieffe, Micaela, Marguerite. The approach to these ladies will be very different from that of Susanna, Rosina, and Zerlina!
Stay tuned...
In a funny twist of audition repertoire, I’m offering both Susanna and Susannah! The heroines of Mozart’s Marriage of Figaro and Carlisle Floyd’s Susannah share a name, but not much else. One is a feisty Italian who is always at the head of the action, either manipulating it or cleaning up the messes, literal and figurative, and who ends the day in the arms of her beloved. The other is a young Appalachian girl, pure and sensual, who is desired and misunderstood and shunned by her town in such a way that it leads to her ruin. You know my long love affair with Susanna, but I’ve also had a place in my heart for Susannah (keep your eye out for that H in this post!) over the years. It is a wonderful opera, with a great heroine with a great character arc. I sang several scenes throughout my schooling, but was never sure my voice would gain the required heft to make it through so dramatic a role. Well, here we are!
As I was warming up this morning, I was thinking about which aria to start with, and I’ve decided to go with Susanna. I know the aria very well, I have two great productions on my resume, and I have another already booked for the 2010-11 season. It should be a good introduction to the panel! (Although technically I think I’ve sung for them about ten times over the years...) If they ask for Susannah after that, I’ll have some things to watch out for.
First, character. Gone will be the crafty yet dreamy lover hoping for a good end to a crazy day, and in her place will need to be an innocent, wide-eyed, hopeful girl, longing to see the world. The Floyd aria needs to start without a trace of guile or desperation. In fact, I think the whole aria (“Ain’t it a pretty night”) should be sung with hope and innocence; the outside world hasn’t yet become real to Susannah.
Second, vocal style. Well-sung Mozart is all about line, line, line. Legato for days. With the American aria, I need to get back to truly speaking the text, similar to how I would sing a Mozart recitative. There are moments in the Floyd where I will pour on the legato, but not on every phrase. There are several chunks of phrases (that’s the technical term, “chunks”) that come back at the end of the aria. I need to remember to sing them the first time as if the words are just pouring out of my mouth as quickly as I think them up, without schmaltzy embellishments. Those can come in at the end, tastefully, of course.
It’s exciting to think about rep like this, to take two arias that are so different and remind myself of the potential areas for danger. Too much legato in Susannah will lead me to sing too heavily which will lead me to blowing the high notes. Too much Susanna sass won’t allow the purity of Susannah’s character to come through. A great challenge.
I’ve got more thinking to do about purity and innocence this season, as my three new roles are all wide-eyed wonder girls: Genovieffe, Micaela, Marguerite. The approach to these ladies will be very different from that of Susanna, Rosina, and Zerlina!
Stay tuned...
Saturday, April 12, 2008
Head Games
It’s been a rough couple of days, career-wise, and I can’t really get into it here without lots of thinly-veiled references. There are some important ideas to try and get across, though, so I’m going to try my best.
I sang an audition yesterday for someone I sang for recently in a different forum, and while the first instance was far from a bomb, it, um, wasn’t terribly well-received. I was nervous today in a way I haven’t been in a while, the butterflies in my stomach almost making me nauseous. For a brief moment, I considered “calling in sick.” How was I going to redeem myself? What if I didn’t?
I’ve been learning - or trying to learn - a lesson recently: not everyone is going to love what I do. Art is subjective, people have deeply held ideas of what is “right,” blah blah blah... I know all those things, but it is still unsettling to hear that someone really disapproved of the way I sang something. And then to have to put myself out there for their judgement again? Not an easy day at the office.
So, I steeled myself as best I could, made sure I looked fabulous, and armed myself with standard arias. I thought about my interpretations, how I wanted to present these arias that EVERY soprano sings. Should I scale myself back, give a more vanilla interpretation? Try to guess how they think the characters should be presented? No way. I’m an acting singer. Anything less than my full interpretation of a character, an aria, is not really acceptable to me. I would go into this audition and show them that in addition to the somewhat unorthodox and slightly unpolished (and very tired...) singer they heard before, I am also a bit of a purist. I would rely on good singing and musicianship to show my stuff. And if they still didn’t like it? Well, then there wouldn’t be much more to worry about.
I got there a bit late, and they were running early, so I paused for just a minute to give the pianist a rundown of my pieces, and we were on. I sang my first piece (Mozart), and they asked for Juliette, just as I’d hoped (I have really come to love that aria...), and I sang it with all my heart. And then, when it was over, since there was time, we actually talked about the previous audition! Compliments were paid and disappointments expressed, but more importantly, honest thoughts were expressed from both sides of the table, and I walked away feeling like I had just engaged in one of the most constructive conversations of my career. Not in terms of “oh yeah, I totally got the job,” but more in a sense that I presented myself well to someone who wanted me to do well, and had been stymied by the fact that I didn’t.
It was a draining few days, but as with every hurdle, I came away feeling more in command of my self as a singer. Ultimately, it’s up to me to believe in my work, to know that I can deliver a product that I am proud of. Like I said, a hard lesson to learn... Stay tuned for further chapters; I’m sure there will be many.
I sang an audition yesterday for someone I sang for recently in a different forum, and while the first instance was far from a bomb, it, um, wasn’t terribly well-received. I was nervous today in a way I haven’t been in a while, the butterflies in my stomach almost making me nauseous. For a brief moment, I considered “calling in sick.” How was I going to redeem myself? What if I didn’t?
I’ve been learning - or trying to learn - a lesson recently: not everyone is going to love what I do. Art is subjective, people have deeply held ideas of what is “right,” blah blah blah... I know all those things, but it is still unsettling to hear that someone really disapproved of the way I sang something. And then to have to put myself out there for their judgement again? Not an easy day at the office.
So, I steeled myself as best I could, made sure I looked fabulous, and armed myself with standard arias. I thought about my interpretations, how I wanted to present these arias that EVERY soprano sings. Should I scale myself back, give a more vanilla interpretation? Try to guess how they think the characters should be presented? No way. I’m an acting singer. Anything less than my full interpretation of a character, an aria, is not really acceptable to me. I would go into this audition and show them that in addition to the somewhat unorthodox and slightly unpolished (and very tired...) singer they heard before, I am also a bit of a purist. I would rely on good singing and musicianship to show my stuff. And if they still didn’t like it? Well, then there wouldn’t be much more to worry about.
I got there a bit late, and they were running early, so I paused for just a minute to give the pianist a rundown of my pieces, and we were on. I sang my first piece (Mozart), and they asked for Juliette, just as I’d hoped (I have really come to love that aria...), and I sang it with all my heart. And then, when it was over, since there was time, we actually talked about the previous audition! Compliments were paid and disappointments expressed, but more importantly, honest thoughts were expressed from both sides of the table, and I walked away feeling like I had just engaged in one of the most constructive conversations of my career. Not in terms of “oh yeah, I totally got the job,” but more in a sense that I presented myself well to someone who wanted me to do well, and had been stymied by the fact that I didn’t.
It was a draining few days, but as with every hurdle, I came away feeling more in command of my self as a singer. Ultimately, it’s up to me to believe in my work, to know that I can deliver a product that I am proud of. Like I said, a hard lesson to learn... Stay tuned for further chapters; I’m sure there will be many.
Thursday, December 13, 2007
Goes to show
You can just never tell. I sang an audition last week on a day when I felt terrible, not physically sick, but totally down in the dumps. The uncertainty of this season - auditions and the implied rejection that comes with them, making decisions about the direction of my career - coupled with nasty weather, a mouse in my apartment, not getting to leave town for the holidays, etc., has made for a rough couple of weeks.
On this day, I felt like I probably sang ok, but didn’t walk out of the audition room feeling like I’d nailed it, or even like I’d “done my best.” It was an off day. I’m generally pleased with my auditions, but this day I was in. a. funk. My manager even said that she could tell, not in the way I sang or performed in the audition, but she could sense that my energy was just “off.”
And yet: today she told me I got an offer from that company! A good one, too. A standard rep kind of role, and not in English, even! I’m excited and encouraged, and more than a little surprised. Sometimes you are just not aware of what you’re putting out there, you know? I am learning that I am well-trained enough - vocally, mentally, and in general performance aspects - that even on an off day, I know how to do my job well. My job is to sing, to tell a story, and I can do it, even when conditions are less than ideal. A good lesson to learn...
2008 is filling up very nicely, and there are more inquiries on the table moving into 2009. Hopefully this period of uncertainty is coming to an end. (Rest assured, though, there will be others!) I’ve been spending good times with good friends, trying to get the most out of the other season that’s currently taking over NYC: Christmas!
On this day, I felt like I probably sang ok, but didn’t walk out of the audition room feeling like I’d nailed it, or even like I’d “done my best.” It was an off day. I’m generally pleased with my auditions, but this day I was in. a. funk. My manager even said that she could tell, not in the way I sang or performed in the audition, but she could sense that my energy was just “off.”
And yet: today she told me I got an offer from that company! A good one, too. A standard rep kind of role, and not in English, even! I’m excited and encouraged, and more than a little surprised. Sometimes you are just not aware of what you’re putting out there, you know? I am learning that I am well-trained enough - vocally, mentally, and in general performance aspects - that even on an off day, I know how to do my job well. My job is to sing, to tell a story, and I can do it, even when conditions are less than ideal. A good lesson to learn...
2008 is filling up very nicely, and there are more inquiries on the table moving into 2009. Hopefully this period of uncertainty is coming to an end. (Rest assured, though, there will be others!) I’ve been spending good times with good friends, trying to get the most out of the other season that’s currently taking over NYC: Christmas!
Sunday, September 30, 2007
Hot Links
To go with the updated Blogroll, here are some links I’ve been collecting over the past few weeks months, but am just now getting around to sharing. Old news, maybe to some, but good stuff.
From someone who sees a lot of bad audition attire, a spot-on post about what to wear. This is a MUST READ for anyone who will sing an audition this year. I whole-heartedly second everything she has to say, and will add this: color, color, COLOR!! I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been in the hall at an audition and felt like I was at a funeral. I know it travels well, but so does purple. And green. This goes for men, too. A blue suit can be amazing with a colored shirt and accent tie vs. a white shirt and lighter blue tie. Be bold!
From the Collaborative Pianist, tips on memorizing music. I like Nos. 8 (“use the Force”), 10 (analyze the piece harmonically), 11 (memorize dynamics), and all the tips for singers, especially 17 (memorize the orchestral interludes); seems like a no-brainer, but once again, it’s those “obvious” things that make the difference.
Also from CP: Houston Symphony trading cards! Who was I talking with about this, saying that singers need these? Doesn’t this have “new Met” written all over it?! Can you imagine what Stephen Costello’s rookie card will go for in a few years? (Editor’s note: Regular readers know that I don’t generally comment on my colleagues, I don’t do “reviews” or critiques, but that was a debut I was thrilled to watch. We haven’t met, but kudos to you, SC.)
James Roe shares a moment of joy from the Mostly Mozart festival. Sweet.
From someone who sees a lot of bad audition attire, a spot-on post about what to wear. This is a MUST READ for anyone who will sing an audition this year. I whole-heartedly second everything she has to say, and will add this: color, color, COLOR!! I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been in the hall at an audition and felt like I was at a funeral. I know it travels well, but so does purple. And green. This goes for men, too. A blue suit can be amazing with a colored shirt and accent tie vs. a white shirt and lighter blue tie. Be bold!
From the Collaborative Pianist, tips on memorizing music. I like Nos. 8 (“use the Force”), 10 (analyze the piece harmonically), 11 (memorize dynamics), and all the tips for singers, especially 17 (memorize the orchestral interludes); seems like a no-brainer, but once again, it’s those “obvious” things that make the difference.
Also from CP: Houston Symphony trading cards! Who was I talking with about this, saying that singers need these? Doesn’t this have “new Met” written all over it?! Can you imagine what Stephen Costello’s rookie card will go for in a few years? (Editor’s note: Regular readers know that I don’t generally comment on my colleagues, I don’t do “reviews” or critiques, but that was a debut I was thrilled to watch. We haven’t met, but kudos to you, SC.)
James Roe shares a moment of joy from the Mostly Mozart festival. Sweet.
Thursday, August 16, 2007
The Week in Re/Preview
This has been – and will continue to be – a busy week! Here’s a Hump Day recap and look ahead.
Monday: all day Italian coaching with FG, Wolf Trap’s Italian coach and astute reader of The Concert. And when I say “all day,” I mean all. day. Oy! My brain was fried by 5pm. Even with a fabulous lunch (a “family style” feast of pasta with lemon and herbs from the garden, cheese, roasted summer veggies, a glass of wine AND a pre-lunch cocktail, all lovingly prepared by FG) and a dip in the pool, it was a tough day. She pulled no punches, repeatedly (but gently) reminding me to
- keep my “ee” vowel skinny
- keep my “ah” vowel bright
- keep my r’s and l’s crisp, not lazy
- remember to speak through the conversation, not just to the end of my line. Duh. I know this; why is it so much harder in Italian?!
Tuesday: photo shoot!! I finally went in for some new headshots. I’m gathering opinions (shot 139 seems to be a favorite…) and will likely have my choices made by early next week. The photographer is an old friend, Alexander Vasiljev, aka Sasha, who has been my makeup artist through three summers now: both summers at Tanglewood (the first Ainadamar and Midsummer Night’s Dream) and here for Volpone. I loved having someone who knows me behind the camera, someone who could make me smile my real smile. He just won a major photography competition, too, for his nature photography. Congrats, Sasha!
Wednesday: High Mass at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. What a gorgeous church! I went to hear Charles sing with the professional choir there, and as he promised, the music was fantastic. (What was that final piece, Charles? Love it.) I dragged KG along to see all the beautiful mosaics, and they did not disappoint. Incredible detail, such vibrant colors. Our Lady of Siluva was one of many breath-taking chapels, but our favorite might have to be Our Lady of China. (Follow the link and scroll down.)
Thursday: road trip to NYC with YL. Install an air conditioner in the window across from my tiny room so I don’t roast up in the loft in these last days of summer. Then a date!
Friday: audition, then head back to VA for the weekend. My friends will be putting on the final WTOC performances – Magic Flute – and I wouldn’t miss it for the world. I heard a run-through last week, and the singing is out of this world.
Saturday: Flute performance (yay!) and final after party (boo!).
Sunday: more pre-season NFL while writing translations into my Figaro score, then one last dinner with my amazing hosts. They’re splitting time between VA and NYC these days, so we already have plans for a monthly dinner – and they’ll be coming to see Figaro for CH’s birthday!
I’ll putz around here for the weekend, trying to wrap up selling my car and spending more time with Susanna. Then on Monday or Tuesday, my time here is done!
“Where has the time all gone to?” Indeed.
Monday: all day Italian coaching with FG, Wolf Trap’s Italian coach and astute reader of The Concert. And when I say “all day,” I mean all. day. Oy! My brain was fried by 5pm. Even with a fabulous lunch (a “family style” feast of pasta with lemon and herbs from the garden, cheese, roasted summer veggies, a glass of wine AND a pre-lunch cocktail, all lovingly prepared by FG) and a dip in the pool, it was a tough day. She pulled no punches, repeatedly (but gently) reminding me to
- keep my “ee” vowel skinny
- keep my “ah” vowel bright
- keep my r’s and l’s crisp, not lazy
- remember to speak through the conversation, not just to the end of my line. Duh. I know this; why is it so much harder in Italian?!
Tuesday: photo shoot!! I finally went in for some new headshots. I’m gathering opinions (shot 139 seems to be a favorite…) and will likely have my choices made by early next week. The photographer is an old friend, Alexander Vasiljev, aka Sasha, who has been my makeup artist through three summers now: both summers at Tanglewood (the first Ainadamar and Midsummer Night’s Dream) and here for Volpone. I loved having someone who knows me behind the camera, someone who could make me smile my real smile. He just won a major photography competition, too, for his nature photography. Congrats, Sasha!
Wednesday: High Mass at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. What a gorgeous church! I went to hear Charles sing with the professional choir there, and as he promised, the music was fantastic. (What was that final piece, Charles? Love it.) I dragged KG along to see all the beautiful mosaics, and they did not disappoint. Incredible detail, such vibrant colors. Our Lady of Siluva was one of many breath-taking chapels, but our favorite might have to be Our Lady of China. (Follow the link and scroll down.)
Thursday: road trip to NYC with YL. Install an air conditioner in the window across from my tiny room so I don’t roast up in the loft in these last days of summer. Then a date!
Friday: audition, then head back to VA for the weekend. My friends will be putting on the final WTOC performances – Magic Flute – and I wouldn’t miss it for the world. I heard a run-through last week, and the singing is out of this world.
Saturday: Flute performance (yay!) and final after party (boo!).
Sunday: more pre-season NFL while writing translations into my Figaro score, then one last dinner with my amazing hosts. They’re splitting time between VA and NYC these days, so we already have plans for a monthly dinner – and they’ll be coming to see Figaro for CH’s birthday!
I’ll putz around here for the weekend, trying to wrap up selling my car and spending more time with Susanna. Then on Monday or Tuesday, my time here is done!
“Where has the time all gone to?” Indeed.
Wednesday, August 01, 2007
Another reminder
And just in case I wasn't already aware of "life going on," I just got an email from my manager - with the first scheduled audition of the season, August 17th.
It begins...
It begins...
Friday, July 20, 2007
Shop talk - arias
It’s been a while since I’ve written an “identity crisis” post, but as I’m starting to nail down arias for this fall’s audition season, the question of Fach is on my mind yet again. I’m coming more to terms with this every day/month/year, but it is still frustrating: I sit squarely between two Fachs! (Reminder for those not in the biz: Fach is the term used to describe someone’s vocal category. People love labels…)
I’m not quite a Lyric soprano, because my voice isn’t heavy enough to sing the big Lyric roles like Mimi or Marguerite. I also have an extension, meaning that I’m comfortable accessing notes above “high C” on a regular basis. Funny, but after a year of embracing my inner Lyric, my highest notes are coming back into focus again. I’m regularly warming up to an F# these days, and therefore that pesky E is getting more and more solid.
But I’m not a Coloratura soprano, because the color of my voice is warmer and rounder than one typically identifies with a “fireworks and bird calls” soprano.* I also am not comfortable with the pointalistic kind of coloratura, a la the Queen of the Night or Olympia, or even Lakme. But what’s one of my favorite arias to sing? Zerbinetta’s showstopper from Ariadne auf Naxos, widely considered to be “the” coloratura masterpiece. I just sang it again today after a few months away… what an incredible aria. It shows everything – lyric singing, agility, high and low notes, acting. Fantastic.
(* For the Associates concert, we all sang an aria or song, and I chose Caro nome (Gilda’s aria from Rigoletto). Several of my colleagues came to me afterwards and said things along the lines of “I’ve never heard anyone sing that with so much voice!” I had no idea what they meant by that; was I just loud that whole time? So I asked a couple of people whose opinions I trust to tell me what that meant. Turns out, it was, in fact, a good thing. The presence and warmth that I’ve been developing in my voice by working with Mark and by growing up and freeing up is really coming into focus, and rather than singing a light, quasi-chirpy Caro nome, my voice sings it as a Lyric soprano. Cool.)
So, I call myself a Lyric with Coloratura. Clear enough, right? The only trouble is that some auditioners might look at an audition list and see roles that, to their minds, might not belong in the same voice. But, I have to trust that they belong in my voice, and so the are “allowed” to coexist on my rep list. (See why this is frustrating?)
What are the roles I know I could sing the pants off of right now: Gilda, Susanna, Adina, Nannetta, Pamina, Zerbinetta, Anne Truelove, Baby Doe. So, arias from these roles should make up my audition list, right? Let’s see what that would look like. Generally, one aims for five arias representing the four major opera languages. I’m usually up to six arias these days, ‘cuz I want an extra Italian aria to show my budding bel canto chops.
It: Gilda, Caro nome
It, Mozart: Susanna, Deh vieni, non tarder
It, bel canto: Adina, Prendi, per me se libero
Ger: Zerbinetta, Grossmächtige Prinzessin
Eng: Baby Doe, Always through the changing (?? There are five others to choose from…)
What’s missing? What’s always missing?! Something French… I’m toying with “Non, monsieur mari” from Poulenc’s “Les mamelles de Tirésias.” Funny, 20th Century… Maybe I’ll spend some time with that tonight.
The trouble with Zerb is that her aria is 12 minutes long and a real test for the pianist. I usually bring my fearless companion, JD, to my auditions, and we’d rehearse it of course. I’ll have to poll some of my fellow sopranos who offer this piece and see which excerpts they offer – and if it ever gets asked for!
How does this list compare with last season’s list?
It: Nannetta’s aria
It, Baroque: Morgana, Tornami a vagheggiar
It, bel canto: Lucia, Regnava nel silenzio
Ger: Sophie, Presentation of the Rose
Fr: Sophie, Du gai soleil
Eng: Baby Doe, Silver Aria
I stopped offering Presentation about halfway through, ‘cuz I still have a hard time carrying that scene as a solo scene (it’s really a duet). And the “other Sophie” was rarely asked for. I feel like this new batch of arias is pretty consistent. I’m swapping a Verdi, a bel canto, and a Baby Doe aria for another of the same; I’m adding a character French (Tirésias) and a flashy German (Zerb).
This feels like a post I write every year… (Heh. Every year in mid-July, it seems...) Sorry for the rehashing, but it helps me get my audition book into focus! Up next: a recap of Instant Opera, but first a trip away from this idyllic countryside. A change of perspective is always good, especially when it involves good food, friends, and the best city in the world. Back soon…
I’m not quite a Lyric soprano, because my voice isn’t heavy enough to sing the big Lyric roles like Mimi or Marguerite. I also have an extension, meaning that I’m comfortable accessing notes above “high C” on a regular basis. Funny, but after a year of embracing my inner Lyric, my highest notes are coming back into focus again. I’m regularly warming up to an F# these days, and therefore that pesky E is getting more and more solid.
But I’m not a Coloratura soprano, because the color of my voice is warmer and rounder than one typically identifies with a “fireworks and bird calls” soprano.* I also am not comfortable with the pointalistic kind of coloratura, a la the Queen of the Night or Olympia, or even Lakme. But what’s one of my favorite arias to sing? Zerbinetta’s showstopper from Ariadne auf Naxos, widely considered to be “the” coloratura masterpiece. I just sang it again today after a few months away… what an incredible aria. It shows everything – lyric singing, agility, high and low notes, acting. Fantastic.
(* For the Associates concert, we all sang an aria or song, and I chose Caro nome (Gilda’s aria from Rigoletto). Several of my colleagues came to me afterwards and said things along the lines of “I’ve never heard anyone sing that with so much voice!” I had no idea what they meant by that; was I just loud that whole time? So I asked a couple of people whose opinions I trust to tell me what that meant. Turns out, it was, in fact, a good thing. The presence and warmth that I’ve been developing in my voice by working with Mark and by growing up and freeing up is really coming into focus, and rather than singing a light, quasi-chirpy Caro nome, my voice sings it as a Lyric soprano. Cool.)
So, I call myself a Lyric with Coloratura. Clear enough, right? The only trouble is that some auditioners might look at an audition list and see roles that, to their minds, might not belong in the same voice. But, I have to trust that they belong in my voice, and so the are “allowed” to coexist on my rep list. (See why this is frustrating?)
What are the roles I know I could sing the pants off of right now: Gilda, Susanna, Adina, Nannetta, Pamina, Zerbinetta, Anne Truelove, Baby Doe. So, arias from these roles should make up my audition list, right? Let’s see what that would look like. Generally, one aims for five arias representing the four major opera languages. I’m usually up to six arias these days, ‘cuz I want an extra Italian aria to show my budding bel canto chops.
It: Gilda, Caro nome
It, Mozart: Susanna, Deh vieni, non tarder
It, bel canto: Adina, Prendi, per me se libero
Ger: Zerbinetta, Grossmächtige Prinzessin
Eng: Baby Doe, Always through the changing (?? There are five others to choose from…)
What’s missing? What’s always missing?! Something French… I’m toying with “Non, monsieur mari” from Poulenc’s “Les mamelles de Tirésias.” Funny, 20th Century… Maybe I’ll spend some time with that tonight.
The trouble with Zerb is that her aria is 12 minutes long and a real test for the pianist. I usually bring my fearless companion, JD, to my auditions, and we’d rehearse it of course. I’ll have to poll some of my fellow sopranos who offer this piece and see which excerpts they offer – and if it ever gets asked for!
How does this list compare with last season’s list?
It: Nannetta’s aria
It, Baroque: Morgana, Tornami a vagheggiar
It, bel canto: Lucia, Regnava nel silenzio
Ger: Sophie, Presentation of the Rose
Fr: Sophie, Du gai soleil
Eng: Baby Doe, Silver Aria
I stopped offering Presentation about halfway through, ‘cuz I still have a hard time carrying that scene as a solo scene (it’s really a duet). And the “other Sophie” was rarely asked for. I feel like this new batch of arias is pretty consistent. I’m swapping a Verdi, a bel canto, and a Baby Doe aria for another of the same; I’m adding a character French (Tirésias) and a flashy German (Zerb).
This feels like a post I write every year… (Heh. Every year in mid-July, it seems...) Sorry for the rehashing, but it helps me get my audition book into focus! Up next: a recap of Instant Opera, but first a trip away from this idyllic countryside. A change of perspective is always good, especially when it involves good food, friends, and the best city in the world. Back soon…
Wednesday, February 28, 2007
Summer
While I’m waiting to hear if I can go out to have drinks for my birthday or if I need to stay home and rest for the George London Finals tomorrow, I thought I’d distract myself by finally writing about the summer. Through a most unorthodox – but not really that unusual – turn of events, I will be a Filene Young Artist at Wolf Trap!
As I made pretty clear a few weeks ago, I didn’t audition for Wolf Trap this year. But I sang a good audition for them in 2005 (Kim Witman is the voice behind the table in the first anecdote in my “Average Audition” post), and KPW and I have kept in touch over the past couple of years. When she learned that my summer plans had fallen through, she let me know of their own unusual situation.
After they’d made invitations for the summer, WTOC had several returning singers, including a soprano, withdraw from their contracts, each for their own good reasons. The handful of other sopranos that they had on their shortlist after the auditions in December had all been informed that they weren’t in the final group, released from their “holds,” and they went on to accept other summer gigs. So Kim and her crew went back to the drawing board, so to speak, informing some initially rejected singers that they might be considered again – and inviting me to come down to Vienna and audition. I took a day trip to DC, sang four arias (the most I’ve sung in any audition), and was later offered the spot!
A friend of mine said, when the first gig fell through, “There must be something better out there for you this summer.” I agreed, of course, because you always agree when someone says that when trying to cheer you up, but inside I was thinking, “What can there be, this late in the game?” And here it is, quite possibly the perfect summer scenario for me at this stage of my career. I still don’t quite understand how it came to me, or why, but I’m going to take the opportunity and run with it. It’s unexpected, and unusual, but here it is.
I have heard so many wonderful things about Wolf Trap – the attitude of support and collegiality that is fostered there, the level of artistry of the singers and staff, the beauty of the surrounding area – and it is seen as the height of “young artist programs.” People look at WTOC and say “Who’s singing there this year?” It’s like a barometer of the up-and-coming singers. Does that make sense? As Kim says in her post today, “an entire generation of singers began their careers” at Wolf Trap. She lists Nathan Gunn, Dawn Upshaw, Mary Dunleavy, and Eric Owens, and the rest of the list of alumni is thrilling. And now, since a professional gig I’d pinned my hopes on didn’t pan out, I get the chance to join them. What a ride.
While I’ve been typing this, I’ve learned that calls went out for the finals, and I didn’t make the cut. Oh, well. Win some, lose some, as this post now fully relates!
Now I have no reason not to stay up until 2am watching Season Two of Grey’s Anatomy…
As I made pretty clear a few weeks ago, I didn’t audition for Wolf Trap this year. But I sang a good audition for them in 2005 (Kim Witman is the voice behind the table in the first anecdote in my “Average Audition” post), and KPW and I have kept in touch over the past couple of years. When she learned that my summer plans had fallen through, she let me know of their own unusual situation.
After they’d made invitations for the summer, WTOC had several returning singers, including a soprano, withdraw from their contracts, each for their own good reasons. The handful of other sopranos that they had on their shortlist after the auditions in December had all been informed that they weren’t in the final group, released from their “holds,” and they went on to accept other summer gigs. So Kim and her crew went back to the drawing board, so to speak, informing some initially rejected singers that they might be considered again – and inviting me to come down to Vienna and audition. I took a day trip to DC, sang four arias (the most I’ve sung in any audition), and was later offered the spot!
A friend of mine said, when the first gig fell through, “There must be something better out there for you this summer.” I agreed, of course, because you always agree when someone says that when trying to cheer you up, but inside I was thinking, “What can there be, this late in the game?” And here it is, quite possibly the perfect summer scenario for me at this stage of my career. I still don’t quite understand how it came to me, or why, but I’m going to take the opportunity and run with it. It’s unexpected, and unusual, but here it is.
I have heard so many wonderful things about Wolf Trap – the attitude of support and collegiality that is fostered there, the level of artistry of the singers and staff, the beauty of the surrounding area – and it is seen as the height of “young artist programs.” People look at WTOC and say “Who’s singing there this year?” It’s like a barometer of the up-and-coming singers. Does that make sense? As Kim says in her post today, “an entire generation of singers began their careers” at Wolf Trap. She lists Nathan Gunn, Dawn Upshaw, Mary Dunleavy, and Eric Owens, and the rest of the list of alumni is thrilling. And now, since a professional gig I’d pinned my hopes on didn’t pan out, I get the chance to join them. What a ride.
While I’ve been typing this, I’ve learned that calls went out for the finals, and I didn’t make the cut. Oh, well. Win some, lose some, as this post now fully relates!
Now I have no reason not to stay up until 2am watching Season Two of Grey’s Anatomy…
Thursday, January 18, 2007
Living with it
For an audition last week, I added an aria to my usual audition program. I was still getting over my cold, and my top notes weren’t as free as I wanted them, so I thought I would rework the audition pattern a little bit. I took a look at the audition notice email from my manager, which listed the operas that the company was looking to cast; what else could I offer that they might be interested in?
The only thing that I thought I might be considered for, besides the usual high-note roles, was Zerlina, the peasant girl in Don Giovanni. Her first aria, “Batti, batti, o bel Masetto,” was the first opera aria I ever worked on, back at the University of Georgia circa 1997. It’s Mozart, so it’s not easy, but it’s a good place to start at age 21. These days, the role is often cast with a mezzo, as there are two other (higher) soprano roles in the opera, so I haven’t offered it in a while. But I sang through it, figured it would do for the day, and tossed the book in my bag.
I warned JD of the new addition, and since it’s an aria we’ve played through once or twice over the years, she was her usual cool-as-a-cucumber self. We decided to start the audition with Nannetta instead of Baby Doe (see above re: that morning’s high notes), and it went well enough. The Man Behind the Table must have been picking up on my mind waves, because instead of the usual “What else did you bring?” he said, “Do have any Zerlina with you?” Score!
The aria starts with a short recitative (the talky bits of an opera that help propel the action), and as I was in the middle of it, I thought, “Wow, this Italian is really IN; I know these words!” Since I’ve been singing this aria in some capacity for ten years, living with it, there’s nothing new about it. I know it so well that it is automatic, as if I were thinking the words for the first time at the moment they were coming out of my mouth. It felt really, really good.
As I’m spending time with other Italian roles these days, I’m realizing that I don’t have ten years to let these roles settle! I have to find the way to get the words into my body, into my mouth and my voice, so that they are automatic. So that they come from my soul as I am “inhabited” by Lucia, Adina, Rosina. (ACD and I saw the same interview with Peter O’Toole on Charlie Rose; “inhabited” is a word I stole from him and his description of the preparation process. Go read ACD’s post for more from this inspiring interview.) This is especially tricky with the recit sections, where I can’t rely on the lyricism of the music to carry the words. The words need to come first, and they need to come without thinking.
Of course, this all applies with French, German, et al, as well, but Italian is the language I have studied the least. This is starting to feel like a problem as I’m looking at more and more bel canto rep. Since my summer gig fell through (hmm, I still haven’t talked about that, have I?), maybe I’ll go to Italy for an intensive language course. And shopping…
The only thing that I thought I might be considered for, besides the usual high-note roles, was Zerlina, the peasant girl in Don Giovanni. Her first aria, “Batti, batti, o bel Masetto,” was the first opera aria I ever worked on, back at the University of Georgia circa 1997. It’s Mozart, so it’s not easy, but it’s a good place to start at age 21. These days, the role is often cast with a mezzo, as there are two other (higher) soprano roles in the opera, so I haven’t offered it in a while. But I sang through it, figured it would do for the day, and tossed the book in my bag.
I warned JD of the new addition, and since it’s an aria we’ve played through once or twice over the years, she was her usual cool-as-a-cucumber self. We decided to start the audition with Nannetta instead of Baby Doe (see above re: that morning’s high notes), and it went well enough. The Man Behind the Table must have been picking up on my mind waves, because instead of the usual “What else did you bring?” he said, “Do have any Zerlina with you?” Score!
The aria starts with a short recitative (the talky bits of an opera that help propel the action), and as I was in the middle of it, I thought, “Wow, this Italian is really IN; I know these words!” Since I’ve been singing this aria in some capacity for ten years, living with it, there’s nothing new about it. I know it so well that it is automatic, as if I were thinking the words for the first time at the moment they were coming out of my mouth. It felt really, really good.
As I’m spending time with other Italian roles these days, I’m realizing that I don’t have ten years to let these roles settle! I have to find the way to get the words into my body, into my mouth and my voice, so that they are automatic. So that they come from my soul as I am “inhabited” by Lucia, Adina, Rosina. (ACD and I saw the same interview with Peter O’Toole on Charlie Rose; “inhabited” is a word I stole from him and his description of the preparation process. Go read ACD’s post for more from this inspiring interview.) This is especially tricky with the recit sections, where I can’t rely on the lyricism of the music to carry the words. The words need to come first, and they need to come without thinking.
Of course, this all applies with French, German, et al, as well, but Italian is the language I have studied the least. This is starting to feel like a problem as I’m looking at more and more bel canto rep. Since my summer gig fell through (hmm, I still haven’t talked about that, have I?), maybe I’ll go to Italy for an intensive language course. And shopping…
Friday, December 15, 2006
Audition Season Recap
**I wrote this last night, but was unable to post due to the wind storm. It's dry and fairly calm here today; I think Washington got the worst of it. I'll check in with Seattle folks later today and see that they're all accounted for.**
Some thoughts from my first full audition season in New York:
It was nice to have a representative from the office at every audition (except the few that I traveled to). They would come into the room with me and sit near the auditors, at the ready to answer any questions. They also provided materials, a bio and headshot, and take care to follow up. The office always has a pretty good idea of what roles the company is looking to cast, so they can speak in specifics rather than generalities. Now the waiting game begins. I don’t really have any idea what kind of timeline I’m dealing with for these sorts of casting auditions. I try not to pester the office with emails and calls (and visits, since they are just five blocks up the street!), but I do wonder every day: Has anybody made an offer?
By far the most popular requests from my aria list were Nannetta and Baby Doe. Except for the two auditions when I started with “Regnava” (NYCO and the last minute audition) these two were always my starters. How did I decide, on any given day, what to start with? Different ways on different days. I’d occasionally feel like my “float” wasn’t working, so I’d start with Baby Doe. Some days, I felt that I was dressed more like one or the other, or that I had more of the attitude of one more than the other. What’s ironic about all of these reasonings is that, on most days, I ended up singing both arias anyway! Even though the arias are, to my way of thinking, very similar, when I started with Nannetta they’d most often ask for Baby Doe, and vice versa. The characters are very different, one very girlish and one very womanly, so that was fun to contrast. But I did wonder what the panel’s logic was in asking for the second aria. (Assuming there is logic…)
I had great pianist karma. I worked with JD most of the time, and with CK for almost all of the times JD couldn’t be there. CK and I found an easy rapport very quickly, and I’ll gladly call him for anything. For my last audition of the year, I ended up with somebody new, with very little rehearsal, and it ended up being great. I’ll use him again, too, whenever I can. It’s nice to have such a solid “bullpen” of pianists from which to pull!
I felt very good about all of my auditions. The one audition I walked out of feeling just kind of ok about – it was fine, it was ok, but I wasn’t jazzed about it so I didn’t expect the auditors to be – I ended up getting an offer! I think I mentioned it a while ago; I’m not available, but it’s always great to know that they were interested. Hopefully they’ll ask again! But it just goes to show that you can never predict how you will be received. Just go do your best, and the rest is out of your hands.
In one audition, I was asked how tall I was. When I replied (5’7”), he said, “Oh, you look much taller.” I was also asked a few times, in warm-up rooms and such, if I was a mezzo. When I said no, one person said, “But you’re so tall!” Ah, physical stereotypes! Hopefully no one would pass me over for a role based solely on the fact that I’m tall(er), but I guess if they have a 5’8” tenor in mind, they might want a shorter soprano. Every time I meet a tall tenor, I think, “there’s hope for me yet!”
One company was casting a Gilbert & Sullivan operetta, so I got to do some dry reading, which was great. I did straight theater for years in school, so it was wonderfully familiar to get a sheet of text I’d never seen before, read it over once, then do my best to deliver it as if I’d been studying it for weeks! That’s part of an audition process opera singers don’t often have to deal with, but I love it.
Several times, as I was leaving the audition, or between arias, an auditor would mention that he had seen Cendrillon or the Golijov St. Mark Passion earlier this year. Fun! Since there is only so much you can show in an audition setting, knowing that the folks behind the table have seen you “in action” is reassuring. If they saw Cendrillon, they know I can be funny and silly; if they saw the Golijov, they have a sense of my concert work. And, since work begets work, I have to think that these connections are just as important as any audition. Every performance an audition; every audition a performance.
Which takes us up to today: At the dress rehearsal was a conductor with whom I worked earlier this year. As he was leaving, he mentioned that he was conducting a Messiah next year, and that he would be in touch. Today’s rehearsal was not just a rehearsal! It was an audition.
Some thoughts from my first full audition season in New York:
It was nice to have a representative from the office at every audition (except the few that I traveled to). They would come into the room with me and sit near the auditors, at the ready to answer any questions. They also provided materials, a bio and headshot, and take care to follow up. The office always has a pretty good idea of what roles the company is looking to cast, so they can speak in specifics rather than generalities. Now the waiting game begins. I don’t really have any idea what kind of timeline I’m dealing with for these sorts of casting auditions. I try not to pester the office with emails and calls (and visits, since they are just five blocks up the street!), but I do wonder every day: Has anybody made an offer?
By far the most popular requests from my aria list were Nannetta and Baby Doe. Except for the two auditions when I started with “Regnava” (NYCO and the last minute audition) these two were always my starters. How did I decide, on any given day, what to start with? Different ways on different days. I’d occasionally feel like my “float” wasn’t working, so I’d start with Baby Doe. Some days, I felt that I was dressed more like one or the other, or that I had more of the attitude of one more than the other. What’s ironic about all of these reasonings is that, on most days, I ended up singing both arias anyway! Even though the arias are, to my way of thinking, very similar, when I started with Nannetta they’d most often ask for Baby Doe, and vice versa. The characters are very different, one very girlish and one very womanly, so that was fun to contrast. But I did wonder what the panel’s logic was in asking for the second aria. (Assuming there is logic…)
I had great pianist karma. I worked with JD most of the time, and with CK for almost all of the times JD couldn’t be there. CK and I found an easy rapport very quickly, and I’ll gladly call him for anything. For my last audition of the year, I ended up with somebody new, with very little rehearsal, and it ended up being great. I’ll use him again, too, whenever I can. It’s nice to have such a solid “bullpen” of pianists from which to pull!
I felt very good about all of my auditions. The one audition I walked out of feeling just kind of ok about – it was fine, it was ok, but I wasn’t jazzed about it so I didn’t expect the auditors to be – I ended up getting an offer! I think I mentioned it a while ago; I’m not available, but it’s always great to know that they were interested. Hopefully they’ll ask again! But it just goes to show that you can never predict how you will be received. Just go do your best, and the rest is out of your hands.
In one audition, I was asked how tall I was. When I replied (5’7”), he said, “Oh, you look much taller.” I was also asked a few times, in warm-up rooms and such, if I was a mezzo. When I said no, one person said, “But you’re so tall!” Ah, physical stereotypes! Hopefully no one would pass me over for a role based solely on the fact that I’m tall(er), but I guess if they have a 5’8” tenor in mind, they might want a shorter soprano. Every time I meet a tall tenor, I think, “there’s hope for me yet!”
One company was casting a Gilbert & Sullivan operetta, so I got to do some dry reading, which was great. I did straight theater for years in school, so it was wonderfully familiar to get a sheet of text I’d never seen before, read it over once, then do my best to deliver it as if I’d been studying it for weeks! That’s part of an audition process opera singers don’t often have to deal with, but I love it.
Several times, as I was leaving the audition, or between arias, an auditor would mention that he had seen Cendrillon or the Golijov St. Mark Passion earlier this year. Fun! Since there is only so much you can show in an audition setting, knowing that the folks behind the table have seen you “in action” is reassuring. If they saw Cendrillon, they know I can be funny and silly; if they saw the Golijov, they have a sense of my concert work. And, since work begets work, I have to think that these connections are just as important as any audition. Every performance an audition; every audition a performance.
Which takes us up to today: At the dress rehearsal was a conductor with whom I worked earlier this year. As he was leaving, he mentioned that he was conducting a Messiah next year, and that he would be in touch. Today’s rehearsal was not just a rehearsal! It was an audition.
Friday, December 08, 2006
Last minute
Nothing like getting a call from my manager asking if I can do a last minute audition this afternoon! Especially when it turns out that they are looking for a Lucia!!
Wish me luck.
And after the audition? A massage... finally!
Wish me luck.
And after the audition? A massage... finally!
Thursday, November 30, 2006
A small milestone
In the continuing effort to keep my resume to one page, as we are strongly encouraged to do, tonight I took my last school role off the list.
That feels pretty good!
All the remaining are either training program roles (Tytania, Noemie) or professional credits, however small the paycheck might have been! Each role listed is truly representative of my voice, past, present, and future, with no “out of Fach” roles simply there for filler. (Not that I’ve really done any out of Fach roles…)
But there are still things missing.
Namely, leading roles with orchestra. I really only have one, when it comes down to it – Tytania. And that wasn’t a professional gig. I have tons of concert work, at high levels, and more booked for the future. But opera roles have been slow in coming. My path to this stage of my career has been through concert work, so it makes sense, I suppose, but I’m ready to shift the percentage. Someone asked me recently if I was afraid of being put in the box of “new music concert singer,” and, frankly, the idea hadn’t crossed my mind. But I can see the trend on my resume. I know I will always sing concerts; my voice is well-suited for that repertoire. And I love bringing new music to life. But somewhere along the way in the past five years, I became on opera singer.
I’m doing my best to be patient, but I’ll admit to a few anxious moments during this audition season. A few weeks ago, I learned that a job I wanted went to another soprano (one I know personally; all the jobs I don’t get go to other sopranos…). I got seriously bummed out, even though on that same day I sang two great auditions AND booked a series of concerts for May, 2008. I had to work hard to get myself out of the funk, reminding myself that the wheels were set in motion for me, that I have a great team working on my behalf, that I am singing better than ever, that the jobs will come. They will. Won’t they?!
I believe that they will. My managers fielded an inquiry as to my availability for a great role (a leading role with orchestra…) – but it’s fairly last minute and I’m booked. Is it wrong to confess that, even though I’m booked at THE MET, I was disappointed? I am so ready to get on that stage as a principal artist, delving into a character and a plot, taking the audience along with me on the journey through the story, singing the arias and duets and ensembles of the leading lady.
I’m ready, Coach. Put me in!
That feels pretty good!
All the remaining are either training program roles (Tytania, Noemie) or professional credits, however small the paycheck might have been! Each role listed is truly representative of my voice, past, present, and future, with no “out of Fach” roles simply there for filler. (Not that I’ve really done any out of Fach roles…)
But there are still things missing.
Namely, leading roles with orchestra. I really only have one, when it comes down to it – Tytania. And that wasn’t a professional gig. I have tons of concert work, at high levels, and more booked for the future. But opera roles have been slow in coming. My path to this stage of my career has been through concert work, so it makes sense, I suppose, but I’m ready to shift the percentage. Someone asked me recently if I was afraid of being put in the box of “new music concert singer,” and, frankly, the idea hadn’t crossed my mind. But I can see the trend on my resume. I know I will always sing concerts; my voice is well-suited for that repertoire. And I love bringing new music to life. But somewhere along the way in the past five years, I became on opera singer.
I’m doing my best to be patient, but I’ll admit to a few anxious moments during this audition season. A few weeks ago, I learned that a job I wanted went to another soprano (one I know personally; all the jobs I don’t get go to other sopranos…). I got seriously bummed out, even though on that same day I sang two great auditions AND booked a series of concerts for May, 2008. I had to work hard to get myself out of the funk, reminding myself that the wheels were set in motion for me, that I have a great team working on my behalf, that I am singing better than ever, that the jobs will come. They will. Won’t they?!
I believe that they will. My managers fielded an inquiry as to my availability for a great role (a leading role with orchestra…) – but it’s fairly last minute and I’m booked. Is it wrong to confess that, even though I’m booked at THE MET, I was disappointed? I am so ready to get on that stage as a principal artist, delving into a character and a plot, taking the audience along with me on the journey through the story, singing the arias and duets and ensembles of the leading lady.
I’m ready, Coach. Put me in!
Wednesday, November 15, 2006
Surprises
A good surprise: Opening my letter from the Sullivan Foundation to discover that the amount of my encouragement award is almost twice what I was expecting! Hallelujah. A voice lesson and a few rep coachings are on the horizon (remember that Czech stuff? Yeah, me too…), plus paying for my recording and accompanists for all my auditions. I may not be paying application fees this year, but I’m taking my pianist with me whenever possible. At $35 a pop, it adds up – but it is worth it! I will also use some of the money for new headshots, probably in January. Rent just went up, so this will help smooth that transition, as well as refill the savings account a bit.
A bad surprise: I also learned this week that now two very important people in my life, Friends and Mentors (each are both to me) are facing breast cancer. There is nothing that makes one feel more helpless than knowing that your loved ones are suffering in a way that you can do nothing to alleviate. Not much more to say about this... Well, not anything that I would want printed in a public forum…
The trip to Boston (actually the South Shore; I never made it into the city…) was wonderful – oh, to live by the ocean again – and included another surprise, of sorts. The groundwork is being laid for some potentially awesome work. Something completely different, but fun and challenging. Details to come…
This week’s auditions: Opera Company of Philadelphia (I’m making a day trip to Philly for this one), Canadian Opera Company, and Bard Summerscape Festival.
A bad surprise: I also learned this week that now two very important people in my life, Friends and Mentors (each are both to me) are facing breast cancer. There is nothing that makes one feel more helpless than knowing that your loved ones are suffering in a way that you can do nothing to alleviate. Not much more to say about this... Well, not anything that I would want printed in a public forum…
The trip to Boston (actually the South Shore; I never made it into the city…) was wonderful – oh, to live by the ocean again – and included another surprise, of sorts. The groundwork is being laid for some potentially awesome work. Something completely different, but fun and challenging. Details to come…
This week’s auditions: Opera Company of Philadelphia (I’m making a day trip to Philly for this one), Canadian Opera Company, and Bard Summerscape Festival.
Tuesday, November 07, 2006
Don’t forget to vote!
I happened to walk home from the subway past my polling location, so rather than going home to change first, I just stopped in. I figured if the line was too long (ha!), I’d go around the corner, change out of my audition clothes and come back in flats. But, of course, no line. Efficiency on the part of the vote organizers or apathy on the part of the voters? Regardless, I was in and out in less than five minutes. I was never asked to show my ID, just to sign the book (directly below the scanned copy of my “motor-voter” signature). This didn’t even register with me until I’d left the building. How easy is it to vote for someone else?! Quite, I would think.
Don’t let anybody else steal your vote. Get out there and do it yourself. And bring your ID, just in case…
Oh, and the audition? Went fine, I think. I had a few weird memory slips, getting a few entrances and cutoffs wrong. I very, very rarely do that kind of thing, so I’m thinking it was just fuzzy-headed cold-medicine stuff. The pianist was wonderful, though, and was right there with me for everything.
Unlike auditions for companies, who are generally casting two or threes years out, competition auditions usually get results back to you within a matter of days. So I imagine I’ll hear something this week. Last year, they gave seven prizes of $7500 and three Encouragement Awards of $2000. They’ll hear about eighty singers this year, so that’s a one-in-eight chance of winning a prize. Here’s to hoping that the odds fall in my favor!
Don’t let anybody else steal your vote. Get out there and do it yourself. And bring your ID, just in case…
Oh, and the audition? Went fine, I think. I had a few weird memory slips, getting a few entrances and cutoffs wrong. I very, very rarely do that kind of thing, so I’m thinking it was just fuzzy-headed cold-medicine stuff. The pianist was wonderful, though, and was right there with me for everything.
Unlike auditions for companies, who are generally casting two or threes years out, competition auditions usually get results back to you within a matter of days. So I imagine I’ll hear something this week. Last year, they gave seven prizes of $7500 and three Encouragement Awards of $2000. They’ll hear about eighty singers this year, so that’s a one-in-eight chance of winning a prize. Here’s to hoping that the odds fall in my favor!
Monday, October 30, 2006
A nest
As I said a few posts ago, I’ve definitely settled into Life here in NY. My room has taken a real turn from the almost-uninhabitable to the very cozy and welcoming. All it took was a trip to Ikea to put the finishing touches on the place. I’ve even offered it up to a fellow singer who’ll be here for auditions while I’m on a gig, and I would only let someone stay here if I knew they would be comfortable. So, that’s saying something!
Here’s a picture. I love my little desk, which now has my laptop on the pullout shelf underneath and my electric keyboard on the top. Currently there are also some red and yellow roses, two Netflix movies ready to be returned, and a bunch of other clutter. At the top of the photo, you can see my brown comforter hanging down from the loft bed, which has a wonderful light in it now. I’ll post a picture of that, too. I still have some art to frame and hang, but that will be the last touch. It’s my little nest, and I love it.
I had a strange experience at an audition last week, one that will probably occur from time to time if I keep blogging. The audition was for Chicago Opera Theater, whose General Director, Brian Dickie, keeps his own blog here, chronicling the ins and outs of his General-Director-ship. Mr. Dickie and I met briefly this summer at Santa Fe, and when I was introduced to him, he said, “Oh, yes, the blogger!” This was my first encounter with a GD who reads The Concert (or who admits to reading it), and we talked briefly of blogging and singing and parted ways.
At the audition last week, when my manager introduced me, there was the usual “Hello, good to see you again, yes, I know you, we met last summer, etc.” But then he mentioned the blog again and said, “Yes, I know you; I know you intimately.” Gulp. I’ve had few moments through this blogging trip when I wondered if I’d ever said too much, and this was one of them! (And it’s funny writing about this now, knowing he’ll read it…Hi, Mr. Dickie!) Did he read about my insecurities (and conquering them) in regards to Regnava? Did he wonder why I didn’t sing it for him?! Probably not, but I did wonder. Only momentarily, of course, and then it was on to the task at hand: singing a bang-up audition!
This week’s auditions: MidAmerica Productions and Des Moines Metro Opera.
Here’s a picture. I love my little desk, which now has my laptop on the pullout shelf underneath and my electric keyboard on the top. Currently there are also some red and yellow roses, two Netflix movies ready to be returned, and a bunch of other clutter. At the top of the photo, you can see my brown comforter hanging down from the loft bed, which has a wonderful light in it now. I’ll post a picture of that, too. I still have some art to frame and hang, but that will be the last touch. It’s my little nest, and I love it.
I had a strange experience at an audition last week, one that will probably occur from time to time if I keep blogging. The audition was for Chicago Opera Theater, whose General Director, Brian Dickie, keeps his own blog here, chronicling the ins and outs of his General-Director-ship. Mr. Dickie and I met briefly this summer at Santa Fe, and when I was introduced to him, he said, “Oh, yes, the blogger!” This was my first encounter with a GD who reads The Concert (or who admits to reading it), and we talked briefly of blogging and singing and parted ways. At the audition last week, when my manager introduced me, there was the usual “Hello, good to see you again, yes, I know you, we met last summer, etc.” But then he mentioned the blog again and said, “Yes, I know you; I know you intimately.” Gulp. I’ve had few moments through this blogging trip when I wondered if I’d ever said too much, and this was one of them! (And it’s funny writing about this now, knowing he’ll read it…Hi, Mr. Dickie!) Did he read about my insecurities (and conquering them) in regards to Regnava? Did he wonder why I didn’t sing it for him?! Probably not, but I did wonder. Only momentarily, of course, and then it was on to the task at hand: singing a bang-up audition!
This week’s auditions: MidAmerica Productions and Des Moines Metro Opera.
Monday, October 23, 2006
Take that
Not only did I sing Regnava at the audition today, I started with it.
Take that, Fear!
Somebody ate their Wheaties this morning. (Actually, it was granola with vanilla yogurt and blueberries.) And my manager’s response? “Well, I expect to hear a lot more of that aria this fall!”
Yes, ma’am.
Take that, Fear!
Somebody ate their Wheaties this morning. (Actually, it was granola with vanilla yogurt and blueberries.) And my manager’s response? “Well, I expect to hear a lot more of that aria this fall!”
Yes, ma’am.
Friday, October 06, 2006
AAAARRRRGH
Ok. First audition with the new haircut.
HELP! This is a great rock-n-roll, city haircut, but I have no idea how to pretty it up for an audition. I have bangs now, so to speak, and having them in my face is fun and sexy for walking down the street (I’m apparently the kind of woman who gets asked out by strangers on the street now… true story.), but it’s not good for an audition. No hair in the face.
Sigh. Maybe half-up with some strategically placed hair pins? And a lot of hairspray.
At least La Voce is working…
HELP! This is a great rock-n-roll, city haircut, but I have no idea how to pretty it up for an audition. I have bangs now, so to speak, and having them in my face is fun and sexy for walking down the street (I’m apparently the kind of woman who gets asked out by strangers on the street now… true story.), but it’s not good for an audition. No hair in the face.
Sigh. Maybe half-up with some strategically placed hair pins? And a lot of hairspray.
At least La Voce is working…
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