As Music Director of the Oratorio Society, as well as the Westchester Choral Society, I hear many singers in the solo competition that we sponsor. Observing so many singers over the years has given me the opportunity to pass on some of my concerns, which I hope they would consider when they prepare for those occasions. Most of my observations will relate to oratorio, but really apply equally to opera.
First , I would ask that you sing that which you know you sing well and can count on in moments of stress. And please, don’t sing the hardest works in the repertoire thinking that the listener will be impressed with how far you have progressed in conquering these works. Remember that a performance that doesn’t work is just that. Your listeners will remember what and how you sang, and if our memories sometimes betray us, we also keep notes on those singers we have heard.
Another element I encounter too frequently is that the oratorio aria is too often so new to the singer that they really have nothing to say interpretively about what they are singing. I feel that it is ill-advised to simply offer correct rhythms and notes. Hand-in-hand with this is that I often encounter singers who have very little idea about the style of the work or the current performance practice. I cringe when a singer hands me a sadly outdated piano reduction of a Handel aria, one in which the bass is full of octaves and even with incorrect notes. People who know the repertoire can advise you about good editions.
I think that all of us should really try to watch a video of ourselves performing, preferably under stage lights. Remember that in oratorio there is the added difficulty of having no props, costumes or gestures. There is just you and the audience, and you have to find that magical way of making the individual listener feel that you are trying to communicate with him or her.
Another area I hope you will consider very seriously is what you wear for the audition, and how your hairstyle will look from a distance. The best guide, I think, is that last phrase. That lovely dress may be too busy or have too many details, which are not flattering from a distance. That suit may be too tight, or from a distance may look one size too large. There may be a hairstyle that obscures the face when under the lights. Many suits or dresses look just wonderful in the mirror, but when seen under stage light, the result can sometimes be just the opposite. We judges rarely would mention something like these elements in our comments or remarks, but you may believe me, we notice.
It seems so elementary, but remember that we begin forming an opinion of you from the first minute you walk through the door. Singers who walk in with an air of assurance and with poise have already drawn my interest. The way that you relate to your accompanist, whether they are someone you brought or the staff accompanist, we also notice. We are all aware of the necessity for performers who know how to work successfully with others. In these days of reduced budgets and rehearsal times, there is simply no time for dealing with problem personalities. Music made with friends is the best music of all. I must admit that there have been times that I have rejected a few very good singers, because they gave me the impression that there would be difficulties in working with them.
If there were any advice I would give in relatively few words it would be: Prepare thoroughly in every way, what you sing, how you sing, how you interpret, how you look when you sing (in both dress and expression), and how you present yourself.
