Tigress

Several weeks ago I received some advice from Dolora Zajick. "Find the Tigress within." In a voice category fully stocked with star studded young singers, I need to stand apart. There's something powerful and unique inside me that is ready to be seen.

I have anywhere from 5 to 10 minutes in an audition to make my mark. Admittedly, a large percentage of mezzos show up in beautiful black suits, myself included. Being a bit daunted with Ms. Zajick's directive to allow my Kunst Diva out, I started with her first bit of wisdom: Find something to set me apart visually. Even considering over half of my audition repertoire consists of "pants roles", I decided on my green dress. I used it for head shots, why not for an audition. Plus, I should be able to pull off masculine in a dress. I'm and actress, right? PLUS, Cherubino wears a dress, so that leaves an even 50% of my audition rep suited to a suit.

Next, the shoes. Oh, how they sparkle. It's truly amazing how a pair of shoes can make you walk taller. Maybe not too surprising, being heels and all. Amazingly enough, the first audition I had following the change in attire included a great nod to my attire and appearance.

"You really offered a fine audition and showed a lot of personality as well. Your green dress was perfect and made you stand out from the others."

Talk about perfectly timed feedback and results! Which leads us to discovering more about the Kunst Diva. Once again, Ms. Zajick pointed me in the direction and all I had/have to do is run with it. She mentioned a few articles found on this great site called Parterre Box. I've since spent quite a bit of time reading through the articles entitled, "The Quantification of the Diva: Part the First, Second, Third, Fourth, and Upon Reflection".

While the aforementioned articles are dedicated to quantifying who is the greatest diva of our time, I've taken them as a series of studies both in words and video as to what that elusive diva is and how I can achieve it. I can't say to have fully synthesized how to let the tiger out, but I have realized there is definitely one in there.

So actually taking the time to think about the various great voices and operatic presences I've had the fortune to be around, I came to a conclusion: A great many of these women have grand personalities and put themselves out there. They walk into a room with "blood and guts" (a favorite phrase of a voice teacher of mine). They are sexual power, strength and poise. The audience wants not only to watch them but to have the self confidence and assuredness to be them. Simply put, show some personality. Show YOUR personality.