Auditions
I recently had an amazing evening listening to the final round for the ISU Symphony’s Concert of Soloists competition. It was a fantastic mix of singers, percussion, strings, pianists, woodwinds and brass players.
Amazingly, what was shown on my local PBS station the following night? The Audition – a fascinating documentary of the semi-final and final rounds of the National Council auditions for the Metropolitan Opera. This documentary is a MUST SEE for anyone who is interested in a career in classical music – opera or otherwise.
One of the most striking elements of the documentary is how UNLIKE American Idol the process was. It was intense, it was focused, it was competitive. But it was less sensational. There was no effort to embarrass or humiliate the finalists.
Having the two evenings in a row got me thinking about auditions and audition success which then got me thinking about all of the advice I have received over the years. During the documentary, I jotted down quotes that seemed significant. Some of these are from people like Renee Fleming or Thomas Hampson, and others are from people like Peter Gelb, the Executive Director of the Met, the singers and the vocal coaches that were featured in the documentary.
I still am finishing my list of 101 Do’s and Don’ts for Student Conductors, but I now have this new list inspired by the past two nights of audition experiences. It’s quick and dirty, nothing is attributed, it might not all make sense. My real goal is to expand it. Do you have a nice tidbit to share with your fellow conductors and musicians? Some sage advice, wisdom handed down through the ages, ace up your sleeve? Share it, add to the list.
Dress up.
Be on time. (actually be early, way early)
Do you have something to say?
Quite frankly, if you sing well and are as boring as batshit , we don’t care.
It’s about communication, not just about singing.
4 years of work for 10 minutes.
Immediacy
Tell a story, convey a character.
How good are you today?
The rep you perform matters.
Mean what you say, and say what you mean.
Know why you are singing what you are singing.
To thy own self be true.
Know who you are and what it is that makes you shine.
Stay in the moment.
Don’t get distracted by the past or the future.
Don’t apologize.
Don’t give excuses.
Go make music. The rest is a distraction.
Jacob Harrison
brianstjohn
When playing orchestral excerpts for a jury, I was left with a half hour discussion on how the part one is playing has to fit in with the rest of the orchestra.
Allen,
Thanks for commenting!
And what came about from that discussion? What did you get out of it?
It made me realize that there is more to playing in an orchestra than learning one part. I began to see the bigger picture and learned how all of the parts fit in to create a whole bigger than the sum. For example, in playing the bass trombone part from Ride of the Valkyries, I learned to hear the horn and string parts in my head as I played to create a style and a “groove,” as it were, for the piece. The same can be said of Hayden’s Achieved is the Glorious Work from The Creation. The bass trombone part has the same part as the cellos and often doubles the bass vocal line. By learning how my part fit in I felt better prepared. I believe that it can only increase the interpretation of the music because the reasoning comes from a studied approach and not just intuition, however good it may be.