Recap and Upcoming

I've been meaning to write about my first lesson in NY and about a libretto reading performance that I attended but for some reason it seems too daunting at the moment. Oddly enough, a brief breakdown of all the auditions I've done so far doesn't. I think it's my mind's way of trying to sort through what I've done so far and what I still have left to do. It is the half way point of my time in NY so I might as well go with what my mind has set it's self to do.

Oct 31: Christmas Show Auditions - I started rehearsals 2 weeks ago)

Nov 2: DMMO - They offered contracts yesterday, sadly nothing for me. I felt so great about this audition and think I got too excited about the program. C'est la vie. Sang Composer's Aria and Nina.

Nov 8: Met Opera Chorus - I won't hear until May if I am offered anything. It will probably take me that long to stop wondering. Sang Composer's Aria.

Nov 15: Palm Beach - No call back. Felt great about the Composer's Aria, lost steam with Cherubino.

Nov 16: Minnesota Opera - No call back. Another Composer and Cherubino.

Nov 18: Ohio Light Opera - A friend was the accompanist, it was great to see him. I felt good about the audition overall. Sang Nina's Aria and Losing my Mind. Plus I did a monologue from Nuts. Anyone sensing a theme?

Nov 20: Santa Fe Opera - Sang only Composer. The accompanist did like my singing even if Santa Fe didn't seem to be looking for what I had.

NEXT UP:

Dec 1: Utah Opera, Crested Butte, New Jersey Opera

Dec 4: Pensacola Opera, Tri-Cities Opera

Dec 5: Opera Company of Middlebury

Dec 12: Opera North

Union Avenue (waiting on date and time)

Waiting to hear from a handful of others

One pending contract!

Some Days are Tougher than Others

This was going to be a post consisting primarily of a sob story recounting my many woes from yesterday. Luckily I was so stricken yesterday that I didn't have the heart to write. Today has turned around, leaving this a post more about the fact that indeed, some days are tougher than others, which leaves those other days to look forward too.

My beginning sentence yesterday went something, okay, exactly like this: "Today was a rough day."

I'm amending it to read as: Yesterday was one of the rougher days, but today I'm feeling more optimistic and I've managed to pull myself away from the pity party, for now.

What was it that left me sulking in the corner? Rejection. It's always rejection. I can take criticism because there's feed back associated with criticism. I'm able to accept or reject what's said and make the appropriate adjustments to my singing/performance/self. Silent rejection smarts. It's much harder to make sense of it. It wasn't even that the rejection letters I received yesterday were the sole cause of my blues. Instead they were the proverbial straw. But for every time I fall apart, there's the opportunity to put myself back together stronger and better. Sometimes I'd rather not have so many opportunities for self improvement.

With that out of the way, now to the good stuff.

Yesterday, I made my way to the Metropolitan Opera Chorus audition which was a bit of a trip, the mental kind. The audition was held at the Met. First stop was a waiting room full of singers and a large flat screen T.V. broadcasting the combat staging rehearsal from the stage. No, no, not intimidating at all.

After waiting room number one, we were brought downstairs in groups or 5 to another waiting room set up in a hall outside of the audition room. I had enough time to hear a good number of singers and get a feel for the accompanist, who of course as spectacular (reportedly the Assistant Chorus Master, Joseph Lawson). I also heard from other auditioners that the room was a bit hard to sing in, carpeted and with little acoustic feedback. I heard one baritone push his way through an aria possibly in an attempt to get some of the non existent acoustic feedback. I also learned that there were a row of auditionors behind laptops madly typing away.

Armed and dangerous, I went it, announced my piece and sang my heart out. I was nervous going in since I've been nursing a chest cold for the last few days but it only had a minimal impact on a few middle register notes which came out slightly under-supported, aka flat. But the acoustics in the room seemed great to me. It left me prepared to just sing, not listen, factoring out a good portion of the internal self-depreciation that sometimes happens mid song. The auditioners were indeed behind their laptops typing away - hopefully phrases like, "hire her", "great voice", "lovely vocal color", "darling", "musical". They did however all look up and make nice contact at various moments in the music. I was allowed to sing the entire aria, had a nice "thank you very much." I thanked the accompanist then walked out all jittery and excited. The kicker though, contracts won't be offered until May so I'll at least forget I ever auditioned by that time.

While I'm on the happy bus, I might as well mention that I attended my first rehearsal for the Christmas Spectacular. I'll be singing "Lo, How a Rose E'er Blooming" in addition to the choral selections.

New Opera

A few nights ago I made my to a Salon Series performance put on by Opera America, a national service organization dedicated the the education and support of operatic artists, composers, companies and the community at large. I've been pleased with my few interactions with Opera America in the past and I'm a sucker for new music so it seemed like a winning idea.

I couldn't have been more pleased. I was only peripherally aware of the featured composer, but from the moment I slipped into my seat, I was captivated. I found myself dreaming up ways to write a grant proposal to support a recital dedicated to the art song and arias of current composers. The evening consisted of several parts. First, a song cycle, which was artfully sung by Amy Burton. Her attention to what I assume were the composer's markings, brought the story and music to life. There were various art songs and three aria's excerpted from Paul Molavec's recent opera, The Letter, which premiered in 2009 at Opera Santa Fe.

I'm not a trained critic so I'll keep the description to a few striking details. The harmonies and accompaniment provided sparkling sunshine, poignant love and desperate sorrow. The vocal lines were melodic and singable, heightening the text and poetry. I was also taken by small ensemble of musicians performing. It turns out, Mr. Molavec arranged the pieces specially for the evening.

Following the performance and a brief interview session with Mr. Molavec, I had the opportunity to chat with several folks present. A poet whom wrote the words Mr. Molavec set one of his pieces to was there. I've often wondered if poets are pleased with their works begin set to music and if so what they think of the chosen settings. Poetry already has a music all its own, with thought out rhythms and meter, the sounds of the words creating the percussion and sustained tones. I asked the poet her thoughts and she mentioned that having her words set to "music" breathes a new sort of life into the work. It comes before a different audience in a new way.

I also had a brief encounter with Mr. Molavec; short enough to blather that I'm a singer, hadn't heard his music before BUT was very taken with it. With that done, I handed over my business card before he was swept away by the numerous other conversations awaiting him.

I then hustled off to find out more about "workshopping". During the interview, I heard a term come up that I was unfamiliar with. If you've got any sort of musical theatre or theatre background I'm sure it's a familiar term. I however was feeling a bit ignorant, still am. Turns out, new compositions are tested out and tuned up before performance. Composers work with singers and production staff to massage out the kinks and sometimes re-write or even write new material before taking it to the stage. Also turns out that singers that work shop the piece can end up on stage at the opera houses. There are several organizations in NY that provide these workshopping opportunities. My heart skips a beat to just thinking about it - the opportunity to create a role and work with the composer. In the style of my new found hero, Liz Lemon, "I wants to have some of that."

DMMO

✓ Green Dress

✓ Sparkle Shoes

✓ Composer's Aria

✓ Laughter and Fun

Even though I sang at 9:20 am (my natural habits tending towards fully away by noon) I felt like things were flowing well. I had to catch myself a few times, coaxing myself to breathe deep and relax, but other than that, I felt settled and good. I've been working on slowing down the dramatic actions while I sing and it seems to have helped keep my nerves less frenetic as well.

I was tickled when asked if I "really wanted to sing Nina's Aria so early in the morning."

"Of course!!!" I emphatically replied. "It's one of my favorites."

Which was met with, "It's one of my favorites as well."

The accompanist made me giggle as he looked at me with a huge grin that said, "I'll play it but it is definitely NOT one of my favorites." He did a smashing job, and even though I had several words slip my mind, I felt so well supported by the pianist I was easily able to keep the train going on the right track.

The current state of affairs is that overall I had fun, laughed, felt technically secure, dramatically solid with room to grow and had a fulfilling exchange with the audition panel. I know where the glitches occurred and can smooth them out for the next audition. On the whole I'd say that's a top notch audition! I even heard a hushed, "...wow..." from behind the desk following the Nina. Here's hoping it wasn't due to some fantastically horrid vocal snafu or *gasp* pop star type wardrobe malfunction. What? The opera world's crazy too you know. Bonkers I tell you. Divas were partying like rock stars when a rock was still just a rock and a star was, well you get the picture.

I digress.

Next up: Met Chorus Auditions