Expert Friday: Enjoy Yourself!

A few choice words of audition advice from Darren Keith Woods, General Director, Fort Worth Opera & Artistic Director, Seagle Music Colony. (And, it just so happens, an alumnus of the WTOC!)

The main piece of advice I would give to a young singer is to sing what they sing best and do not play to the repertoire. Learning an aria for an audition that you haven’t lived with for awhile can be treacherous. You will never sing it as well as something you have coached and worked out – musically and dramatically.

I also like the artist to give me a sense of the dramatic arch of the aria. Don’t just stand and sing – this is not a concert we are hiring you for, we need to see what you bring to the aria dramatically so that we can adequately judge the artist’s ability to put a character across on stage.

Lastly – enjoy yourself. Opera is an amazing, wonderful thing and we are all fortunate to make our livings this way. Perform, enjoy and show us your gifts! That’s all we want.

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Enjoy your weekend! If you're applying for an audition spot in LA, Chicago, Cincinnati, or Houston, the deadline is midnight tonight!

What (Not) To Wear

Today's opera blog episode, in which KPW and Rahree channel Clinton Kelly and Stacy London. (Yeah, I had to ask who they were, too.)

Before we get to the fashion advice...

DEADLINE WARNING!

Tomorrow (Friday October 2) at midnight is the application deadline for an audition in LA, Chicago, Cincinnati or Houston. Please don't overwhelm the internet server at 11:59pm.

If you do apply and you have any doubt about whether or not your payment went through, send us an email before you hit "submit" multiple times. We'll write back and let you know if everything's OK. We don't want to have to process reimbursements for multiple payments. (Some folks believe that paying once is more than enough; paying twice is certainly not a good idea.)

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Just like Tuesday's post about headshots, today's entry is highly unscientific. But it comes out of discussions with colleagues, conventional wisdom about audition attire, and from observing over 6,ooo singers in the audition room over the last 15 years.

(Demographic description of contributors: Rahree is a hip 30-something with fabulous taste in clothes. KPW is, uh, well, older than that, and tends to retreat into nondescript black things.)

General Guidelines

Be professional. Wear something that is the singer equivalent of what a 9-5 person would wear to a job interview. Or think about it as Sitzprobe clothes. Within the industry, there's a fairly widespread custom of wearing something polished for a Sitz rehearsal. That's the general category of clothing we're aiming for.

No formal wear. Leave the tuxes and the full-length evening gowns in their dry-cleaning bags. Same with sequins and other über-glitzy options.

Color. Solid, vibrant colors are always welcome. Busy prints add a level of visual white noise that is somehow distracting. Few people make strong statements in washed-out pastels. And, although black is an always defensible choice, it's rarely memorable.

Confidence. Feel like a million bucks in your audition clothes. Don't wear something that someone else prescribes if you feel you're apologizing for your appearance in any way. You and your friends/teacher/circle should agree that you look terrific - there is an intersection, and you can find it.

Comfort. Be able to move. Nothing should constrict your freedom of movement, for both vocal/technical reasons, and for general ease and fluidity of motion.

Familiarity. Don't wear your new stuff for the first time in front of an important panel. Get to know it, so it isn't another variable on a stressful day.

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Guys Only

You get to go first because you're easier.

Tie. Probably, but if you can look fabulously turned out with an open collar and jacket, we can be convinced. If you wear a tie, bold colors can work wonders. No cravats, please.

Jacket. Probably, but if you can look irresistible in a crisp shirt and tie, we won't complain.

Neither? You really shouldn't abandon both jacket and tie. Let's just say it's risky.

Hair. Out of your eyes. Usually more of a problem for the ladies, but if you sport some serious locks, make sure they're not obscuring your face.

Accent. Bold tie. Fun socks. An amazing suit. Colorful pocket square if you can bring it off. Helps us remember you.

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OK, Ladies...

Foundation. It all starts here. Undergarments. If you have less than 10% body fat and we won't be distracted by jiggling lumps and bumps, then you're safe. Otherwise, be conservative. I don't really want to know that much about what's under your stretchy tight wrap dress, and I don't want to spend the aria wondering if your girls are going to fall out. And if you haven't watched your torso in a mirror during coloratura lately, perhaps it's time to see what we see. There are athletic aspects to your chosen craft, and you should dress for them.

Shoes. Be sure you can walk easily in them and support your singing. We don't really care about open vs. closed toes, but I guess some people do. And character shoes almost never come off well.

Pants are fine. Mezzos or sopranos. They should look classy, and they should fit you well.

Length. Above the knee is dicey, but not impossible. Just be sure you're not going to be singing on a stage well above the panel. (If you're not sure, don't chance it.) And don't delude yourself about whether or not you look good in a short(er) skirt.

Hair. Not in your face. Not overwhelming. Doesn't have to be "pulled back," it just has to not be the mane [sic:)] event.

Accessories. Be careful about shawls and scarves and other things that are not stabilized or otherwise affixed to your person. I don't want to be distracted by wondering how you're going to catch it next. But an accessory that sets you apart is a marvelous thing... an unusual cut to a dress, a vibrant touch of color, an interesting piece (pin, necklace) that doesn't overwhelm. It helps us remember you visually, and it adds energy and detail to your presence.

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Come As You Are Tour 2009 !
[WARNING: THIS IS A JOKE. GOT IT. RIGHT? DO NOT TAKE US SERIOUSLY. SERIOUSLY.]

Don’t worry about dressing up – you sing better in grubbies anyway, right?

If we hire you, chances are that we’ll make you wear something fairly crazy anyway, so looking your prettiest/most handsome isn’t really a selling point for us. (This will also keep Rahree from paying too much attention to your cute shoes and not enough to la voce.) Come as you are, and blow us out of the water with your amazing musical talents! And don’t forget to say “hi” on your way in. We’ll be the folks sitting behind the table…

…in our sweats.

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The Notebook

Let's talk about the printed music that comes in the audition room with you. Just a few guidelines - no rocket science here, but you'd be surprised how many folks create stumbling blocks for themselves by ignoring this basic advice.

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Music That Stays Open
If you bring actual scores (anthologies or piano/vocal scores), please be sure that they stay open easily. My library science friends cringe when I break the spines of my scores, but that's one of the things they made us do in Piano School to toughen us up. If the book won't stay open, the pianist can barely play, let alone collaborate with you on a higher musical/artistic level.

Hide & Seek
Regardless of whether you bring a book or a notebook, please mark all of the pages carefully - with easy-to-read and clearly marked tabs. If the panel asks for the Donizetti aria, you don't want to have to retreat to the rack to thumb through the book for the pianist. You want to use those precious seconds to prepare yourself for the next aria.

Page Turns
All copied music should be double-sided.

Sheet Protectors
Generally, avoid sheet-protectors. Strictly, if they are non-reflective, they should work, and some pianists don't mind them. But it's always dicey to know which plastic is going to be reflective in which light situations.

Cuts
Mark your cuts extremely carefully. There can be no ambiguity about where a cut begins or ends. Cover cut material with white paper. (Then don't change your mind about wanting to sing what's covered up.)

Cadenzas
Please write in your cadenzas (or at least an approximation of how they end) so the pianist doesn't have to guess about when to meet you at the finish line.

TMI
Don't use a copy of the music that has every single note that you or your teacher has ever written in it. It's hard to read past all of that stuff, and some of it is downright misleading.

Missing Music
At least once every season, someone offers an aria that's not in his/her book. Or sings something that's missing a page (usually the last page.) It sounds so basic, but it's alarmingly easy to do. The notebook does a lot of work for you during the audition season, and it requires careful, thoughtful attention. It's the most basic stuff that'll get you every time.

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Short and sweet today. We'll talk about the pianist him/herself in week 5.

Tomorrow, another highly subjective discussion: audition attire.

"There are no rules for good photographs, there are only good photographs."

Ansel Adams offers consolation as I try to figure out what guidance we could possibly give about headshots. In preparation, my colleague and I surfed through all of the photos that have been submitted to date (about 420), trying to get some sense of current trends and articulate some caveats that we could share. It was surprisingly difficult to draw global conclusions, for the range of acceptable shots was quite wide. We share these observations - take them or leave them, as you wish. (Most of the good stuff is Rahree's. This is not an area in which I have any expertise - the fact that I have opinions about this at all is scary...)

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Highly Subjective Random Headshot Advice

Your headshot should bear some resemblance to what you actually look like. Simple. We're not always as well put-together in person as we are in our headshots, but you shouldn't make yourself over so completely that we don't recognize you at all.

Makeup should accentuate, not overpower. The first impression should not be all about the makeup.

Solid color tops, no patterns. Or very gentle ones. They overwhelm facial features so easily.

Here's a weird one: It's actually somewhat useful to have your facial expression telegraph something about your Fach - in a general sense. I find it reassuring to know that the soubrette looking out at me from the computer screen can radiate energy in her headshot. Or that the dramatic soprano or bass-baritone can throw out some intensity. But not too much intensity... see next...

A level of "pleasantness" (yeah, I know, that's probably not a legit word, but I can't come up with anything better) is appreciated. If when asked to write a caption for your headshot, the first things that occur to me are unprintable, this is a problem. And truly, a few photos look like they would spit nails if they could. Angry, pissy, people. Some look as if they were caught in the split second after they smelled something really bad. You don't have to show all your teeth or look as if you're ready to start a clown act, but it's helpful if you look like someone of whom I shouldn't be afraid.

Technical photographic things:

• Shoot for sufficient contrast to reveal your facial features. You don't want to look like you've had some unfortunate plastic surgery.
• Shadows shouldn't obscure your features.
• No need to do extensive artsy post-production. I'm not sure that sepia or an extreme soft focus gradient is helpful.

We want to hire you, not be seduced by you. Yes, your headshot can be too sexy.

Completely subjective on our part, but photos shot looking into the camera seem more communicative. I guess aloof has its place, but as a default headshot, I get far less of a feeling for you than I do when I can see your eyes.

Environmental settings and extra context are great, but be sure that you - and not the gak around you - are the primary focus of the shot.

Above all, please try not to radiate craziness. When you have a satellite headshot taken to use in the Playbill when you sing Elettra, you can trot it out. But for a general audition, it just makes me scared.

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The quality of the headshots we see these days is exponentially better than it was just five years ago. There are two sides to this scenario, though.

The good news is that due to digitals formats and the availability of good equipment, even dedicated amateurs are doing some fabulous work. And it costs far less to get yourself a good shot - easily down into the mid-3-figures, where it used to be well over $1,000 just to start.

The tough thing is that the bar is being raised for everyone. I used to see an unfortunate shot and shake my head, suspecting that the aspiring singer probably simply didn't have the money to get a decent one. Now that's not necessarily the case. It's still not terribly cheap, but it's within most people's reach. And you tend to be judged a bit more harshly if your shot isn't competitive.

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Eat.Sweat.Blog

Since my own most recent headshot session was not a rousing success due to the 30 extra pounds that have crept back on my frame, I am forcing the entire fall fulltime staff of the WTOC (well, that's Rahree and me...) to take the October Eat.Sweat.Blog challenge. 20 days of workouts, 10 Feats of Healthy Eating, and opportunity to whine about it online! (Not here, of course.) Looking for a kick start for a healthier you? Join us. We'll be the ones on the audition tour with stinky luggage reeking of gym clothes.

Get Your Left Brain Ready

Inspirational pep talks and creative problem-solving on the shelf for the next few days. Get your left brain in gear, and let's tackle:

The Preparation of Things (Audition Mini-Course Week 3)

• Monday - Résumé
• Tuesday - Headshot
• Wednesday - Aria Notebook
• Thursday - Clothes
• Expert Friday - We hear from Darren Keith Woods of Fort Worth Opera and Seagle Music Colony.

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Your Résumé

We care about this on two levels - one functional (format), and the other less tangible (professionalism/accuracy).

Format

We need to be able to find information fast. If something is buried or not represented cleanly, I may miss it entirely or misinterpret it.

• Color: Dark/black only. If your résumé gets printed or photocopied, the sexy light lavender text disappears.
• Font: I don't really care about sans serif etc, but don't get too creative. Save the faux cursive fonts for personal correspondence.
• Columns: Please please use columns! In addition to reading the information horizontally, it's extraordinarily useful to scan vertically for companies, roles, etc. Putting the role/opera/company/date in an unbroken line of text is most emphatically not a good idea.
• Abbreviations: When you list the venue/organization for a role you've performed, please don't write "Opera Theatre." It may be apparent to you which Opera Theatre you mean, but it's terribly confusing for us until we match it up with the name of your conservatory, etc. Find a better way to abbreviate so that it fits in the column.
• Order: Most recent things first within categories. Put performances, degrees, etc in reverse chronological order.
• Photo: The presence of a thumbnail photo on the résumé itself is fairly new - we've only been seeing it a lot recently, since it has become easier to include a small sharp-resolution image. Personally, I like it. Not enough to urge everyone to do it, but enough to appreciate it when it's there. I'm sure someone out there disagrees, but I haven't heard from any detractors yet.
• Length: Resist the urge to tell us everything you've ever done. One page please. A 3-page resumé is hardly ever to your advantage. If you desire to be inclusive, get a website and put everything there. (Oh, and while we're on the topic, get a website as soon as you can. Manage your online identity. This isn't really an audition-specific topic, but an increasingly important one. Will try to remember to discuss on the blog this winter.)

Accuracy

• Roles/Operas/Arias: We want you to sing well, first and foremost. You’re not applying to be a writer, editor, or any other sort of wordsmith. If you don’t know how to spell the name of the role you performed or the opera it occurred in, it’s not unreasonable for us to wonder about the level of care with which you prepared the important details of that role. So please please please ask a handful of people – professors, teachers, coaches, highly literate friends – to proofread your paperwork. Spelling may not be your thing, and if you sing well enough, eventually I won't care. Indeed, if a company hires you to sing, they won’t ask you to edit copy. But you don't want your first impression to be diluted by messiness.
• People: Look up the names of coaches, directors, conductors, institutions. My name ends up misspelled on résumés with alarming frequency. If your contact with me wasn't long or detailed enough for you to figure out how to spell my name, it begs the question as to how much impact I could've had on your development.
• References: When you list mentors and colleagues who might be able to attest to your work, please be sure that those folks will remember you. If you worked once with someone in a master class, chances are s/he might not be able to speak eloquently on your behalf.

On the Other Hand...

Some singers are so busy being their own publicists that they forget that their main task is to learn to sing. When you're just too tired or frustrated to deal with one more practice session, I know it's far easier to tweak the fonts on your résumé, write glowing prose for your bio, or photoshop your latest production shots for your website. These things are important and useful, but they don't take the place of those long hours in the practice room or with a score. Don't spend an inordinate amount of time polishing your image instead of your singing.

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Back tomorrow, with a brief discussion of headshots.

Expert Friday: East & West Coast

Part of a weekly series, in which my colleagues responsed to an email request for anything (or 2 or 3 things…) in the way of advice they would like to give to auditionees.

First, Don Marrazzo, Director of Casting & Artistic Operations at Glimmerglass Opera.

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I have always felt that audition “do’s and don’ts” can be somewhat tricky, as one person’s ‘do’ is very often another person’s ‘don’t’ and vice versa. Even when listening to auditions with my Glimmerglass colleagues, while we often agree as to how we feel about a singer, there are also definitely times when we strongly disagree!

While there are several universal truths with regard to audition ‘do’s’ (do make sure that your music is legible for your audition pianist), as well as audition ‘don’ts’ (don’t be late for your audition) any adjudicator's response to the entirety of a singer’s audition (their singing, stage deportment, attire, personal interaction with the audition panelists, etc) will be every bit as subjective as how an adjudicator may feel about someone’s voice and artistry.

I really want singers to be themselves in an audition. I would much rather be given an honest impression of the person standing in front of me singing, than get an ‘ironed out’ version of that individual because they are trying to employ someone else’s list of audition ‘do’s,’ which might be, in actuality, audition ‘don’ts’ for me. An individual’s idiosyncrasies fascinate me the most, as they often help determine whether or not the singer in question might be a fit for our program – not only vocally and artistically, but personally as well.

Rather than focus too much on audition ‘do’s’ and ‘don’ts,’ it would be wonderful for young singers to focus on what is perhaps the most important audition ‘do.’ Do give a committed, intelligent, well-sung audition which makes the listener sit up, take notice, and offer you a contract!

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Today's double-header also brings comments from Joshua Winograde, Artistic Planning Manager at LA Opera. Josh is also a Wolf Trap alum, and he spent the summers of 2007 and 2008 with us as an administrator, developing the Wolf Trap Opera Studio. His observations come largely out of the over 400 auditions he just heard this past summer, and they focus on the topic of this past Monday's post: versatility.

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Versatility is overrated.

Before you freak out, let me explain.

I would like to create two hypothetical, admittedly extreme audition packages, although I must say these are more common than you would think.

Singer #1 offers Pinkerton, Boheme, Cavaradossi Act 1, Cavaradossi Act 3, and Forse la soglia attinse (Ballo)

Singer #2 offers Chi il bel sogno, Mein Herr Marquis, Piangero' la sorte mia, Manon's gavotte, and I Want Magic.

Singer #1's package is obviously of a very narrow focus. All in the same language, only two composers represented, two arias from the same opera, etc. This singer could be possibly the most successful audition of the day, however, if he shows that he knows EXACTLY what his marketability is, what his voice is good for, how his temperament and vocalism are ideal for his rep, etc. However, in the event that he sees himself differently than we do, this will be a major problem. If he is a light lyric tenor or character tenor stuck in the mindset that Verdi and Puccini are the only "real" opera composers, and the only exciting tenor roles are the impassioned romantic lead, he could set himself up for failure.

Singer #2's package is extremely diverse. 5 composers, 4 languages, 4 centuries (technically 3, but Previn is still composing, of course), some fast, some slow, some high, some low, and very diverse character types. First of all, anyone that could make it through the whole role of Magda (not just the song) has no business singing some of these other roles. Chances are, however, that the singer has never really looked at the rest of Rondine or they would realize it is a BEAST of a sing. That possibility is not something you want us to speculate on. Also, if you look at the professional singers who are making these roles successful at major companies around the world today, they generally don't overlap on lots of rep. If the singer in question really can represent themselves flawlessly across this broad board, that is a major accomplishment. But more likely than not, it simply reads as trying too hard to show us you can do ANYTHING. Versatility, in this case, verges on schizophrenic.

So the questions I pose are:

How can versatility be demonstrated (if that is in fact something you wish to demonstrate) while staying more true to what you do best, or in what genres you would be most convincing? Especially at the YAP level, you may be told very specifically how many languages, centuries, and styles to represent. But I would suspect the average singer can be more successful choosing repertoire that fits the application's requirements while still appearing more authentic and appropriate. For example, if you really ARE a Magda, you are probably a more convincing Rosalinde than Adele. If the character of Adele fits your youthful, bubbly personality, you are probably NOT a convincing Blanche DuBois. Cleopatra is cast all over the map these days, so this one COULD fit, I guess. Still, she is a young girl, right? If you give off a serious Blanche DuBois vibe both in terms of personality and vocalism, and are required to sing Handel, consider an aria from Alcina, who is equally, um, nuts, and also of nebulous age.

Some advice: follow the careers of historic singers and current singers whose voices resemble yours. Also consider the historic and local trends... Liu in Europe is cast much heavier than here, for instance, and tweety-bird Gildas are common today although in the past they were cast with very much the same singers as, say, Violetta. And remember, when you are Angela Gheorghiu, you can start singing Traviata and Carmen and Rondine wherever you want. But if you aren't, consider that her repertoire is more allowably varied while backed with major star power than yours will be in the early stages of a career. Ask your coaches and teachers to recommend some singers to you if you can't think of any. See what they sang when they were 25, 35, 45 ... also, where did they sing them? Did those roles become signatures, or were they disasters? Do YOU like them in those roles? Obviously every voice and singer is different, so don't be too literal with this. I do suspect, however, this search will provide food for thought about expanding or contracting your own versatility.

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Something to chew on over the weekend. And...

DEADLINES!

One week from today (October 2) for LA, Chicago, Cincinnati & Houston.

Two weeks from today (October 9) for New York, Philadelphia, & Vienna.

Don't wait until the last minute! I sure hope our internet servers can handle it, but I don't want to find out...

Cutting Corners

There are some really tremendous (and useful!) potential audition arias that share one huge disadvantage: They're too long to be really functional in the typical audition situation. We schedule our appointments in 1o-minute intervals, and I know some companies who are forced to schedule shorter blocks. If you want any hope of singing a second piece - heck, even if you want to be able to finish the first one - please don't start with a 7-minute scene.

Lest you feel deprived, consider that you could be working in musical theatre, searching for your best 16 bars. Pity party over.

I wish that the audition were an artistically satisfying, purity-driven experience, in which nothing but the composer's true and complete intentions were acceptable. But it's not. We are so lucky to work in the arts, where the stuff of our regular days has the potential to fill our souls. But we can't get all hung up in what will happen to the architectual structure of a scene if we hack a big chunk out of it in audition.

My colleagues in symphonic, chamber, and choral music are far less barbaric. They usually gasp when I take out my scissors. (Real or metaphorical.) And perhaps I am too willing to sacrifice for the sake of practicality. But I still think it's best to think of it in cost-benefit terms. If you sing this cabaletta/aria/scene better than almost anything else in your rep, and it can be brought into play by trimming it to a "highlights only" version, you'd be foolish to walk away from it entirely.


Warnings

Mark the cuts in your music so that they can't possibly be misinterpreted. Cover over the parts you don't want with white paper. (Then make sure you don't change your mind and want what's covered up...) Check out the standard cuts for a scene before you get too creative. If the standard works for you, consider using it. (It got to be traditional for a reason.) It makes life easier for everyone.

Be clear in the list you offer to the panel. If you are offering the cavatina only (or the cabaletta only, for that matter), be clear in the way you list it. If you really feel good about the whole scene, list its components and indicate the ways that you are willing to excerpt. ("Ah non creadea / Ah non giunge: aria only, cabaletta only, or entire scene") Singers are often willing to be cut short in a long scene, but very often, what we really need to hear is the second half. So find a logical starting midpoint, practice starting there, and mark the optional starting point for the pianist.

If you list a long scene in toto, you take your chances. Be prepared for the panel to ask for it to be sampled in chunks, even if you don't offer it. If it throws you off to have to start in the middle or to be stopped before the ornamented repeat in the cabaletta, then don't set yourself up for heartache.

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The weekend looms. Tomorrow is Expert Friday, bringing tips and observations from Glimmerglass and LA Opera!