Inside Wolf Trap Opera Casting

A guest post from Joshua Winograde

ossia A Semi-Outsider Perspective on an Amazing System

ossia Why You Might Want To Take It All Slightly Less Personally

CHAPTER ONE: What You Maybe Didn’t Know About Wolf Trap

Wolf Trap Opera Company gave me my first job … three times. First, when I was a grad student transitioning into a year-round Young Artist Program I became a Filene Young Artist and sang in five operas and four recitals over the course of two summers. Second, when Wolf Trap commissioned the world premiere of John Musto’s Volpone I was given my first guest artist contract to sing the title role. Third, when I decided to give the exciting world of Young Artist training a whirl as an administrator, Wolf Trap gave me my first “desk job” which was to help create and manage the Wolf Trap Opera Studio.

It would be redundant and a profound understatement to say that I am eternally indebted to this amazing place. Not just for the career opportunities Wolf Trap has given me on every level, but for shaping the way I view this incredible art form. As an artist I was always aware of the good vibe going around the Wolf Trap Opera Company. It’s one of the reason people love coming back: it just feels good to work here. And having now been a staff member, I am floored to see what a well-run and progressive place it is on every level of the whole Foundation. It is traditional where tradition works best, yet can be cutting edge where tradition no longer applies. It is reverent to art and music that has survived the centuries, yet is always willing to expose Monteverdi and Mozart for the rude (lewd?) little devils they could sometimes be. The entire Wolf Trap Foundation has achieved this wonderful balance, and you can see, feel, and hear that special quality in every department. I would venture to say that calling Wolf Trap’s modus operandi “revolutionary” is only a little bit dramatic. (“Progressive” might be more on track, but hey, I’m an opera singer and I tend toward the hyperbolic :)

This is all background information that I felt you should know before I get to opera casting.


CHAPTER TWO: WTOC Casting - Why It Is So Much Harder Than It Needs To Be (In a GOOD Way)

One major example of Wolf Trap’s revolutionary – ok, fine! – progressive approach to the performing arts is the way the Opera Company casts and programs its seasons. To be precise: the Wolf Trap Opera Company works backwards.

Most opera companies choose repertoire, then cast that repertoire with the best matches they can find for each role. That system definitely works, and what’s more, it allows companies to hire directors, conductors, and designers WELL in advance. It also allows companies to start fundraising for specific shows, to plan marketing and outreach strategies, and to get the word out to various target audiences. Wouldn’t that be easier on so many levels? YES!

What I mean by “backwards” is this: WTOC hears hundreds of singers and chooses the repertoire based on whom they’ve heard. That means that the entire season plan can shift on a dime as late as the final singer at 6 PM on the very last day of auditions. And this kind of rollercoaster happens EVERY SEASON!

The following is a slightly fictionalized re-enactment, and any resemblance to actual events is only partially coincidental.

Last year, I remember how beautifully the casting seemed to be falling into place for Hansel and Gretel. KPW heard the perfect Hansel, the perfect Gretel, the perfect Witch, the perfect Father… and then who walked in but Mr. Amazing Bass #1 and Mr. Amazing Bass #2 – basically back to back! Basses are, quite simply, a rare breed and you can never count on hearing very many in any given season. One a day would be a lot!

These TWO fantastic basses walked in, sang the heck out of a couple of arias each, and KPW turned and said, after spending thousands of minutes figuring out how to produce, cast, and market a Humperdinck opera to sell up to 12,000 seats: “I guess we’re doing Magic Flute this year!”

WHAT??? What happened to how perfectly the Hansel could also sing Hermia opposite the Demitrius who would be such a great Guglielmo with the Despina who could sing the heck out of Sandman AND Dewfairy??? And now you wanna do MAGIC FLUTE???? Is it possible to offer Hansel the 2nd Lady, and Gretel the role of Papagena, and 3rd Lady to the Witch? Maybe, but you get my point.

On one hand, choosing rep for a particular person is not a new idea: most major companies like, let’s say HGO, will plan, let’s say, a Traviata around someone like, let’s say, Renee Fleming, who may decide that it is a role she would like to add to her repertoire two or three or six years down the line. But that leaves a LOT of time to find the perfect Alfredo, Germont, and Doctor Grenvil (did I mention I was Doctor Grenvil in Renee’s first Traviata at HGO?). But at Wolf Trap, these decisions are happening in any given January for this coming summer only 5 months away!!!

Now that we have added the Wolf Trap Opera Studio to this casting equation, there is a new piece of the puzzle to fit in. The Studio Artists are cast in small roles and in the chorus of the Barns operas. First and foremost, the Studio Artists as an ensemble MUST populate a wonderful and repertoire-specific chorus. Any small roles or role-studies are perks based on the current readiness of individual Studio applicants.

Let’s use the comparison example of the Cosi-Midsummer-Hansel season that became Volpone-L’Etoile-Flute basically overnight, here is how it all affected the Studio Artist casting:

STUDIO CASTING EXAMPLE #1

Cosi
Studio Artists must sing chorus, so we know we need more or less 3 sopranos, 3 mezzos, 3 tenors, 4 bar/basses
Possible Despina and Alfonso study-roles if a perfect match presents itself

Midsummer
no adult chorus
Puck: smallish guy, lots of acting and dance experience, good rhythm
Snout and Starveling: tenor and baritone

Hansel
Nothing

So you can see that in EXAMPLE #1 we have the freedom to choose the Studio Artist with very few limitations other than by voice type.

STUDIO CASTING EXAMPLE #2

Volpone
Soprano Judge, tricky to cast
Baritone Judge, strong high F
Bass Judge, sits on a low G for DAYS
Epicene, funny mezzo who needs to imitate a bass for one page
Castrato, soprano or male-soprano
Nano, bass
Police Capt., baritone, tricky rhythmically
NO chorus

L’Etoile
SATB chorus that is much more demanding than Cosi: the women sing REALLY high and the men sing REALLY low … a lot!
Patacha and Zalzal, tenor and high baritone

Flute
Nothing

So you can see that when Mr. Bass #1 and Mr. Bass #2 walked in, the equation shifted dramatically not only for the Filene Young Artists, but for the Studio Artists as well. Now we need to make sure that there are very specific voices in the Studio. Now that we need two baritones and two basses for Volpone, for example, we may no longer be able to offer a spot to a wonderful bass-baritone who would have been a perfect Alfonso study-cover. Also, now that we have the role of Castrato, we can seriously consider a countertenor that we would not have been able to in EXAMPLE #1. I mean, who would ever know that the reason they did or did not get in to the Wolf Trap Opera Studio was because of those two awesome basses?


CHAPTER THREE – Why Am I Writing This?

Having heard about a hundred Studio auditions in the last week, and having another hundred more scheduled for next week, I felt compelled to get these thoughts out. For some reason recently I have been asked the same question by several singers, voice teachers, and administrators: “How does Wolf Trap Opera choose its singers?” which to me translates to “Do you think I/my student/such-and-such singer will get in to Wolf Trap”? The answer can be as short as “I have no idea.” But as you can see, it is nowhere near that simple. I think it does singers good to know some of the insider perspective. In fact, now that I reflect on every time I didn’t get, let’s say, a Figaro that I really wanted, I can just let go of so much frustration, because how would I know if it came down to something as simple as being too tall for the 5’3” Susanna and the 5’7” Count? Or maybe they wanted the Figaro to also sing Escamillo in the same season (a role I am just not right for).

Knowing this about casting in general, and specifically about Wolf Trap Opera Company and Studio, whose repertoire is so tailor-made to each season’s artists, just might help a few of you to let go of what it essentially out of your control. Having said that, what IS in your control is developing the skills needed to audition and perform as best as you can.

Steve Smith, a fantastic New York City-based voice teacher, just wrote a book about what he calls “Whole-istic Singing” which is modeled after holistic medicine. The focus of holistics is to address the small, internal components of any issue rather than to simply treat the symptoms. In other words, DO the right things and the right result will HAPPEN. For example: rather than taking decongestants, cough suppressants, and an anti-inflammatory to mask the symptoms of a cold, the focus should be on sharpening the immune system through nutrition, rest, and stress-reducing. The RESULT will be that the cold doesn’t get you next time, or at the very least that your body gets rid of it quickly. In the long run, it seems to me to be a much more gratifying solution than being hopped up on Theraflu every few months. The same can be said for singing: rather than worrying about the RESULTS – i.e. Did they like me? Did I sound great? Will I get a role? – you should think only about the small things: excellent language, good breathing and vocal technique, connection to the text, having something to say, presenting yourself professionally, etc. Those things are very much IN your control, and I bet you’d be surprised at how much faster the RESULTS roll in.

Has this made any sense? If not, just think of it as five minutes of your time wasted reading the 4 AM ramblings of someone who meant well but got caught up in a tangent.

If it did make sense, cool.

2008 Tour: New York

We're saying goodbye to 42nd Street this afternoon. Going back home for a day to do some laundry and repack for Cincinnati.

Next week will bring the complete aria list for this year's tour, as well as random reflections from the 200+ auditions we've heard so far. (Papagenos, how do you handle miming those panpipes in the suicide scene? Norinas, what about that crazy laugh before the cabaletta?)

I also hope to have a discussion about our experiment this year with callback auditions. If you sang for us this year, and you have comments on our process, please feel free to email me and tell us what you think (link at right). We toyed with several different ways of doing callbacks and finally settled on a same-day scenario. Did it wreak havoc on travel plans? What other reactions did you have?

Betwixt and Between

This comment was posted earlier in the week: Re: sopranos masquerading as mezzos... some of us really are just young and confused! how can you tell in an audition if we're shirking soprano competition or insecure about high notes, or if we truly are working through it with our teachers? is it ever acceptable to put "zwischenfach" on an application? i personally am teetering on the lyric mezzo-lyric soprano line, but i'm not ready to audition for things as a soprano. does that mean i shouldn't be auditioning for things at all? if someone has everything you're looking for, but isn't quite "fachable" yet, would you still consider hiring them?

Not sure if I can answer this to anyone's satisfaction in a global fashion, for this is a very individual judgment call. And I'm sure not everyone agrees with me. But here goes.

The sopranos that I believe are legitimately passing for mezzos during the young artist phase of their careers are those who will ultimately mature into bona fide dramatic or spinto voices. There's a certain heft, depth, and color of sound in the midvoice that is easily mistaken for mezzo color. And once the voice develops and the top is opened up, there's still an undeniable vocal footprint in the midvoice that has more to do with traditional mezzo "color" than it does with a soprano timbre.

This isn't the most common scenario, though. More often we hear sopranos whose vocal color and weight are light lyric (or even lighter) singing mezzo material. Remember, this is still rather subjective, but these folks don't have the kind of midvoice that will carry through any orchestral texture designed to surround a mezzo role. They often have to dip into full raw chest for anything at or below the lower break. And where a traditional mezzo voice begins to gather excitement at the top of the mezzo range, this faux mezzo voice will do nothing but begin to thin. So everything is out of focus.

In response to a few specific questions posed above:

We can't tell if you're shirking the competition or in the process of working it out with your teacher. And (sorry, but this is coarse and blunt), on a certain level we don't care. If you're putting yourself out there to sing roles (and although we work with emerging artists, we only do it in the context of full roles), you need to have those problems solved.

It's a little odd to put Zwischenfach on a piece of paper, for you do have to categorize yourself somehow for most purposes. But there's nothing wrong with explaining that you're in transition from A to B. Many people do it. Knowing that is very useful, and it really helps fill in some puzzling blanks.

As for whether one should audition during a transition, well, it depends on what you're auditioning for. There are plenty of programs that can easily handle such a scenario. It's really between you and the program in question. As I said, it's a little wonky for us because we assume that the work you're going to do at Wolf Trap is in the context of a particular role. While there are roles that will accommodate this, they are not plentiful. And it's a huge risk to take because we have to assume that you're in relatively stable technical shape, at least enough to sustain a month-long rehearsal and performance period.

Martyrdom

By way of Butts in Seats, this illuminating article on Fast Company about incompetent managers. It's not targeted toward the performing arts field, but it's spookily relevant nontheless. Among other warning signs of bad managers such as extreme secrecy (something the opera business is good at), over-sensitivity (artists are never accused of this...) and focus on small tasks (always a good way to avoid the big problems), comes the kicker: long hours.

"[Bad Managers] think this is a brand of heroism but it is probably the single biggest hallmark of incompetence. To work effectively, you must prioritize and you must pace yourself. The manager who boasts of late nights, early mornings and no time off cannot manage himself so you’d better not let him manage anyone else."

Butts in the Seats at first disagrees that this could apply to the arts, then recapitulates. After all, aren't long hours an unavoidable part of our business? Yes, but we are sadly good at "thriving on martyrdom." And although I'm clearly not in favor of abandoning responsibilities in a company that has to run around the clock, expecting everyone who desires a career in the arts to forgo any hope of a life outside the theatre or the concert hall is sick. It's incumbent on us to try to figure out to keep sane and balanced people in our business, not to drive them away.

From Thursday's Writer's Almanac, a particularly appropriate poem by Samuel Hazo. A brief excerpt: (follow link for entire poem: scroll down)

The Necessary Brevity of Pleasures

Call it a tug-of-war between enough and more
than enough, between sufficiency
and greed, between the stay-at-homers
and globe-trotting see-the-worlders.
Like lovers seeking heaven in excess,
the hopelessly insatiable forget
how passion sharpens appetites
that gross indulgence numbs.

Opera in Times Square

Still happily ensconced on 42nd Street, in what otherwise must surely be an opera-free zone. The studios at the New 42 are clean, humane and civilized, and there's a nice deli next door. Occasionally the sprung floors begin to bounce because the workshop of Shrek: The Musical on the floor above us is doing improv, but it's all quite pleasant. Good singing, good colleagues, and the 34-block commute is lifting the temporary fog from my brain.

And who wouldn't be happy with Madame Tussaud's right outside the window? :)



A Friendly Reminder

Thanks to our pianist "Marco "for making our slightly out-of-tune piano sound like a million bucks. He would like to remind all singers out there to please take your music out of those glossy page protectors. Not so good for you if the pianist can't see your music.


Aria Trends


This year's aria list is forthcoming, I promise. Perhaps to be tabulated on the train out of New York this weekend.

For now, I will simply note that there seems to be more variety than in previous years, if not on the actual rep lists themselves then at least in the selections that singers chose as starters. It's not that what's being offered is exotic, just that the repeats aren't as plentiful. Or perhaps it's just my memory, the deficiency of which is legendary...

I did hear a few of my less-common favorites this week: "Au mont Ida" (tenor, from Offenbach's La belle Helene), "Va pure ad altri in braccia" (mezzo, from Mozart's Finta giardiniera), "Love Me Big" (soprano, from Bolcom's McTeague), and "Guardian Angel" (tenor, from Floyd's Cold Sassy Tree).

Pancetta Affumicata

This morning I had a few moments to catch up with Chicago Opera Theater's Brian Dickie, a fellow opera blogger. All lovely except for the bacon:)

Studio Day 3 - New York

Monday was spent listening to candidates for our studio, hearing singers who are doing undergrad study or just beginning a graduate degree. This is tough stuff. Not because these kids aren't talented, but because it takes an entirely different kind of listening and discernment. My hat is off to those folks in university and conservatory who regularly listen to 18-year-olds and have to make any kind of judgment call about who gets into a program, who gets scholarships, etc. It too often feels like a crap shoot at this early age.

Mezzo vs. Soprano

Give me a day or two, and I'll respond to the comments that Sunday's post generated. I'm struggling with some significant mental fatigue and trying to reserve my few moments of clarity for the auditions themselves.

The Shorter List

Some things are falling off the Longest Short List; other things rising toward the top. Here, the newest version. But don't hold me to it.

A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Alcina
Ariadne auf Naxos
Cosi fan tutte
Die Entführung aus dem Serail
Il mondo alla roversa (Galuppi)
Il Mondo della luna (Haydn)
Il Re Teodoro in Venezia (Paisiello)
Il ritorno d'Ulisse in patria
Semele
The Rape of Lucretia

Un Giorno di Regno (Verdi)

This list is for The Barns only. The Filene Center is an entirely different animal, with its own very short list. But that's a story for another day.

Where Do These People Come From?

The second in a series of regular postings listing the universities and conservatories from which this year's auditionees hail. If you're considering a career in opera, and you'd like to know where the schools are, this might be of interest.

In each city there are a few people who travel from other parts of the country because they have a date conflict with our auditions in their home area (for example, someone from Rice University traveling to New York because the Houston audition date was inconvenient). I'm not listing those outliers, but rather the schools that line up geographically with each part of the country we visit. I've put an asterisk by the ones that show up with more frequency.

From the Seattle auditions:

Graduate Programs
University of Colorado
University of Kansas
University of Washington

Young Artist Programs
Seattle Opera
Portland Opera

From the Chicago auditions:

Graduate Programs
DePaul University
Indiana University*
Northwestern University*
Roosevelt University (CCPA)
University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music*
University of Colorado
University of Illinois*
University of Michigan
University of Northern Iowa
University of Iowa

Young Artist Programs
Lyric Opera of Chicago*
Chicago Opera Theatre
Forth Worth Opera


From the New York auditions:

(Although many people travel to New York to audition, this list focuses on the institutions in New York and New England. I'll cover the mid-Atlantic and southeast later.)

Undergraduate Programs
Boston Conservatory
Boston University
Columbia University
Eastman School of Music*
Hofstra University
Hunter College
Ithaca College
Manhattan School of Music*
Mannes School of Music
New England Conservatory*
Oberlin College
Penn State University
Queens College
SUNY Binghamton
SUNY Purchase
The Juilliard School*
University of Connecticut
Westminster Choir College of Rider University
Yale University*

Graduate Programs
Bard College Conservatory of Music
Binghamton University
Boston University*
Columbia University
Eastman School of Music*
Juilliard Opera Center* (sometimes classified as a young artist program)
Manhattan School of Music*
Mannes School of Music
New England Conservatory*
The Juilliard School*
Yale University

Young Artist Programs
These aren't geographically limited to the northeast. This is a full list of the YAPs represented by this week's singers.

Connecticut Opera
Florida Grand Opera
Forth Worth Opera
Indianapolis Opera
Metropolitan Opera
Orlando Opera
Pittsburgh Opera
Sarasota Opera
Seattle Opera
Tri-Citis Opera
Virginia Opera

Sono stanca

Hoping to break through this wall of fatigue any minute now. I was counting on the 2-mile commute from the hotel to the audition site to energize me, but it hasn't exactly kicked in...

Back soon.

Back soon.

2008 Tour: Chicago

Our Chicago parting shot is the always-stunning Palmer House lobby.

This is a stream of consciousness post written while sitting at the Chicago airport, wishing for some variety of comfort food. But alas, there is no macaroni and cheese at O'Hare.

The further we get into the tour, the more there is to say and the fewer brain cells with which to articulate it. Forgive the rambling.

The Missing Pieces

We heard some really good singing during this Chicago weekend, but some frustrating moments, too. So often we hear folks who have so much going for them yet are missing some crucial piece of the puzzle. I'm going to generalize shamelessly (and with impunity, I hope) about some typical scenarios. Please indulge me, bring your sense of humour, and perhaps find some new resolve in these paragraphs.

Charmless Soubrettes

If you specialize in the “inas” and “ettas” of the opera world, you have possibly more of an extra-musical mandate than some of your colleagues. You must possess an indescribable thing that arguably cannot be taught: charm. Charisma, sparkle, magic. Often your music is not in itself particularly attention-getting. You must get and keep our attention with the sheer magnetism of your personality. Do we hear soubrettes that need a charm infusion? You bet. I’m sure that nerves and inexperience take the edge off the force of your personality. But we must be convinced that during the course of a 3-hour opera, we’d cheer every time Despina came onstage.

Topless Sopranos

If you aspire to singing more than soubrette roles (and for a career that has depth and staying power, this is advisable), then you must get the top of your voice in order. Duh. It’s not that we often hear light sopranos without high notes, it’s just that so very rarely does this top part of the range have the required expressive capability. It’s not enough to have a D. You have to have a D that can turn on a dime and be in turn exciting, sexy, impassioned and wistful. And this is where many ladies in this Fach don’t progress to the next level in their careers.

Trying On the Trousers

Many sopranos masquerade as mezzos. Some for good reasons, some out of fear, some in an ill-advised career move, and a few out of ignorance. What is a good reason? There are (rare, mind you) big force-of-nature soprano voices that are still maturing and aren’t ready to grapple with the spinto soprano rep right out of grad school. A smart teacher guiding you through some mezzo or Zwischenfach material will allow you to refine your linguistic, dramatic, and musical skills while getting some stage experience masquerading as a mezzo. But these ladies are, as I said, rare birds. It’s far more common for a lighter soprano with high note troubles or a soprano who doesn’t like all the competition in her natural Fach to take refuge in mezzo territory. And some get away with it. I’m not judging, really. Just saying that depending on the natural color of your voice, where the passaggio sits, and where the money notes are, you may not get hired as a mezzo. Many folks won’t be able to tell you what’s wrong, but they’ll know that something doesn’t sound quite right. It’s as if you’re a pleasant but out-of-focus picture.

Ham&Cheese

My colleague introduced me to Ham&Cheese, and now it seems ubiquitous. Faced with the dilemma of what to do with your body (read: arms), you might find yourself doing this: Phrase A, right hand out, palm up. Phrase B, left hand out, palm up. Phrases C and D, extend both arms toward the listener and raise. It’s freaky how often this gesture substitutes for real physical integration and communication. Variations on the above include Prosciutto&Brie (a particularly artsy variation) and Pork&Limburger (useful when your character is pissed off.)

Screaming Mimis

Or Barking Baritones. The monikers sound flip and/or mean, but if this is you, please please see yourself and do something about it. We hear singers with absolutely drop-dead-beautiful substantial instruments who never sing below forte. OK, never below mezzo-forte. It’s as if it takes us 10 minutes to get the idea that you could fill a 4,000 seat house if you wanted to. That’s useful, for sure – we certainly aren’t interested in voices that would never get past the footlights. But even the biggest voices in our business aren’t one dynamic and one color all the time. If you can only sing loud, roll up your sleeves and figure out what’s wrong. If you can shape a phrase that contains multiple dynamics and inflections, then for the love of god, do it.

Domo Arigato Mr. Roboto

(I’m not hip enough to know the Styx song, but my traveling companions are.) The vast majority of the singers in the young artist demographic still haven’t made friends with how to use their bodies onstage. It’s an awfully hard thing to do, and a very common thing to assume (wrongly) that you’ve mastered. Singer after singer comes into the room and spends the entire audition with the brain not connected with the throat not connected to the torso. I have no idea how to tell you to attack this, for I think it’s such an individual thing. Dance class, martial arts, yoga, theatre arts, whatever it takes. Some (very rare) actors and singers are naturals. Watching them is an inspiration, and their physical presence onstage is often as vivid as their voices. If you’re not one of them, don’t despair. You too can inhabit both your body and your character at the same time. But it’s going to take sustained unflinching work, and the job is never going to be done. Yes, there are successful singers who haven’t conquered this obstacle. And maybe you’ll join their ranks if your instrument is world-class and your musicianship is breath-taking. But today’s world is not just about the voice. (Arguably the opera world never was, but misconceptions die hard.) You do not want to saddle yourself with this liability.

Kodachrome

Remember Paul Simon and his “nice bright colors?” We are hungry for detail, for vividness. I find myself reverting too often to calling an audition “monochromatic.” I depend on the description too much, but I haven’t found a better way of describing it. Even the most celestial shade of blue is not enough for a palette. And even I wouldn’t want to eat tiramisu every day. (Well, homemade macaroni and cheese, maybe…) We ask for contrasting arias, and that doesn’t mean that you need to do everything well. Go ahead and specialize. But even within a subdivision of your Fach, there is variety to be found. Humor is not mutually exclusive with solemnity, and rage doesn’t preclude wit. Above all, don’t try to play pity. It doesn’t read. It’s our job to read the emotion; it’s yours to find the action and the arc. Pity does not read across the footlights. "Gloom, despair, and agony on me. If it weren’t for bad luck, I’d have no luck at all.” (Thank you, Hee Haw. Those evenings in front of my grandma’s TV set were not wasted.)



Well, I've ranted my way from Ililinois to New York. Finishing this on the Upper West Side, where at 11:30pm I did score some mac 'n cheese. :)

So happy to be in New York!

Seattle to Chicago

No opera today, just traveling. Thanks to Rahree and her Audition Tour 2008 iPod playlist, Woody Guthrie's Seattle to Chicago took us back to the familiar side of the Mississippi.

Getting ready for the unbroken 8-day stretch of auditions that lies ahead. Todays agenda: to Empty Out the Inside of My Head. The blog is correspondingly content-free. Just pictures. Enjoy.





Sunrise in Seattle




Outside the First Starbucks (with Tully's coffee cups :)




Evening on Lake Michigan - the Pritzker Pavilion

The singing resumes at 10am tomorrow.

2008 Tour: Seattle

Aria Trends

We've only been in three cities so far, but there's been a surprisingly lack of trends in first aria offered. Only 4 arias have been offered by more than one singer, and they are not the ones you'd expect (even though they are all soprano arias): Fire Aria, I Want Magic, Norina's Aria, and Manon's Gavotte. No repeats at all in other voice types.

The repeat items in the list of our follow-up second arias requests are a bit more traditional: Deh vieni (Susanna), Come scoglio, Composer's Aria, the Count's Aria, and oddly enough, Cleopatra's Non disperar.

If you've followed aria frequency lists in previous years, you'll recognize that so far we're not conforming to previous trends. I'm curious to see if this turns around, or if this will be an unconventional year.

Audition Season is Flu/Cold Season

Sad, but true. This is of the worst times of the year for singers, with the possible exception of spring allergy season. We escaped it while we were south, but today, in our first day up north, we had 5 cancellations. I know how tough it is to get and arrange auditions, so I know that people don't cancel lightly. And since everyone in the business advises singers (wisely) not to perform sick and apologize for themselves, cancelling is often the only sane choice.

Monster Mash

I did the old fart thing and stayed at the hotel working last evening while Rahree and CameraMan explored Halloween in Seattle. Today's photo credits, as will often be the case throughout this tour, belong to CameraMan.