CRASH

Crashing, or more delicately put, "walking up" or "walking in", can be an effective way of getting heard. It doesn't always work, as is reflected by one attempt in which they calmly took my resume into the room, looked it over and responded with a short, "Thanks, but not thanks." I was a little in awe of the response and didn't muster the brain power to ask what it was on my resume that turned them off to hearing me. They were running slightly ahead and had only two more singers left in their day. They were willing to look at my materials but something, some mythical magical something, ended my chances before I even opened my mouth.

However, my next day's attempt went very differently. I didn't have any auditions scheduled but I got up, got dressed, warmed myself up and headed out to the studios where a large number of auditions are held. I knew for a fact that several companies would be present that I wanted to sing for secondary/comprimario roles. The first was rather painless, they had a list outside of the door and a pen for walk-ins to sign up on. I had happened to have worked with the Artistic Consultant/Accompanist several years before and it was great to sing for her again. She seemed genuinely surprised and pleased with the progress I'd made. It felt so great to have validation of that progress. It was empowering enough to get my bum upstairs and talking to another company about hearing me that day. If it wasn't for a scheduling snafu that left a hole in the companies schedule, I wouldn't have sung anymore that afternoon. As it turned out, I had another opportunity to sing my heart out. The Artistic Director picked a second piece for me to sing, letting me know that he had edited the score I was about to sing an aria from. I felt a bit nervous hearing this piece of news but all in all, it gave me a boost to realize that he didn't want to hear the contemporary opera because he was simply curious and wanted to hear what the piece was. He wanted to hear me sing it because he knew it well and wanted to hear how I handled the piece. I have always thought of myself as a musician, a conductor's singer. I have instrumental training from a wee tender age and feel at home in the music. I think I sang the pants off of the aria, at least I sang it to the best of my current ability.

As for tonight, the waiting game to hear back from the vast majority of my auditions is in full swing. I am a possible for one company. I got a work-shop for a new opera in NY for January, but can't make any official announcements just yet. That's all for now. I've got to get to sleep for my second lesson with a teacher out here. More on that later.

Night and Day

There once were these two Auditions, One and Other, each very different in their own way. One Audition made people feel very bad, even made one girl cry by throwing her resume in the trash right in front of her (not me). Other Audition made people smile, laugh and enjoy themselves by simply enjoying what they did and talking to the singers. I met both of these Auditions and decided that One Audition company made me feel very sad while I very much fell in love with the Other.

My personal experience with these two Auditions goes something like this:

ONE AUDITION

I walk in, smiling, hand over my resume, rep list and headshot. I walk to the piano. I'm then asked if I sing mostly pant roles (One Audition is reading my rep list at this point). I think to myself, I have 3 pant roles and 2 straight roles listed on my rep list. "Yes," I answer believing it to be logically true. Then I'm asked why I'm wearing a dress. Flummoxed, I respond, I like the dress and if I'm unable to pull of singing a pant role in a dress I shouldn't be there in pants either. I'm still wondering where this line of questioning is going when the One Audition asks what I'd like to sing.

I sing the Composer's Aria. The tempo was too slow and I was trying to pull it forward so that I could sing comfortably. I couldn't get the temp "up" so I continued to charge forward praying they'd follow. Nope. I guessed I'd made a bad choice.

Afterwords, I was asked, "Did you know were weren't together?". Yup, bad choice.

"Of course". It is a tricky piece to do without a conductor, there are several shifts in tempos, rubato and the like. I've not had such a problem with it in an audition or performance in years, literally years. Accompanists in auditions follow and I've worked hard at making my tempo shifts clear. This accompanist obviously knew the piece and it almost felt as if they wanted me to follow them. Were they testing me? "I was trying to pull the temp forward".

I was then told me I can't do that with an orchestra.

The obvious and childish though popped into my head, "Well duh, that's what the conductor is for".

I left feeling a bit attacked and not at all feeling alone in having had a strange audition experience with the One Audition.

OTHER AUDITION

I walk in, everyone is all smiles, including me. Several of the auditioners extend their hands to shake mine. The others wave. I go and give my music to the accompanist , we exchange a few words and I sing. Again, I sing the Composer and this time, the timing was great and I was back on track. Then this great thing happens: One of the auditioners claps when I'm done. Another says, "That was great!". Another says, "Wow". I sit down and chat with them and get this, someone asks me what's it like to sing a pants role in such a pretty dress. They then add, I did a great job as a man, they never once doubted I was a man, even wearing a dress. Hazzah! I was so happy. I still am. They noticed the same thing, but responded to it in a very different way. They waited until I sang then made an assessment. I've posted before about why I'm choosing to wear a dress. And quite frankly, if I were to list all of my repertoire on one list, I'd have more female than male roles in total. It's a crap shoot I suppose. It shouldn't surprise me that audition attire is so important, we are visual creatures and a dress can affect us as well as a smile or a frown.

I digress: They asked me more questions, and even still a little nervous and jittery from just singing my heart out, I smiled and laughed and had a great time.

Just this morning I wrote that I love auditioning. I love getting the chance to sing for people. How true it turned out to be. It's amazing what a little kindness and joy from behind that desk can do.

Next:

Dec 12: Opera North

Dec 15: Union Avenue

Dec 19: Green Mountain

Crashing: several... shhhh