Auditions: Nashville and Florentine Opera

I think I have figured out the key to life: dresses with POCKETS!

Well, at least it has brought about some help during my audition process. I have found that in the emotional rush of an audition, I tend to not really remember how it went. I'll remember the completely fabulous and the totally awful, but it's difficult to really pick it apart after the fact. But I have been using the recording device on my phone for my voice lessons and tested its recording capabilities through from my pocket prior to my Nashville audition, and decided to give it a try. It recorded really well, and I was able to listen back with a critical ear. I tend to get carried away with the "theatrical" aspect of auditions/performing, so it was good to hear how it went vocally.

Nashville: I sang for the education director, Stuart Holt, who happened to have worked at Sarasota Opera back when I was a young artist there (small world, opera is!). I started with Lucretia, which works well because I just throw out those first notes and abandon all nerves. It shows top to bottom of my range as well as my dramatic "range". I felt like it was successful. Listening back, the only passage that was pretty off was "and time's their theif" which starts off on a pp D on the middle of the staff. It just makes me nervous, and you can hear it in my voice, when the passage should be one of the most expressive, free and tragic of the aria. He asked for the Habanera, which went well and I was happy to have it picked since I'm very comfortable with it after OSB. But I realized that I shouldn't feel nervous AT ALL about any piece I am offering. Beppe's good, but I didn't want him to pick it. What a Movie! is good, but there are always coordination issues. Va! is rusty. I realize that I must be very judicious as I pick my "5" for this coming fall audition season.

Florentine: I drove to Milwaukee thinking that I was going to sing Carmen to start, since I didn't know the accompanist and I figured I should play it safe. But then I got pulled over and given not one, but TWO tickets... one for speeding but 10 miles over the speed limit on the highway (come ON!) and another for expired liscence plates (I haven't made it to the DMV since being back in town... also don't have cash for the sticker... much less these tickets!). Needless to say, I was pissed and upset and in tears over the money, blah blah blah. So I had to do Lucretia. That's what I was feeling... And it went very well. The accompanist handled it beautifully. They must have liked it because they asked for half of the Habanera when they'd been asking for just one piece from most singers. Rockin! Again, I recorded it, and both pieces sounded pretty awesome (I'm not gloating... but just relishing in the fact that I'm no longer choking in auditions!!!). I could hold that last F# a bit longer, milk it. But other than that, it sounded in line and fun. Once I get all of my pieces feeling as comfortable and confident as those two arias, I will be really set to go.

Really... it's been such a journey. For some reason it just feels like it's sort of coming together... the breath support, the acting, the grounding of the sound. But I'm more actively making it happen, taking responsibility. In the end, no one can tell you how to do it, how to sing. You take in what teachers say, but you have to own the information and take responsibility for putting yourself into it, taking the risk. I am lucky to have finally found great guidance. Now I need to match that with the drive to implement all of the information, and make art.