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.