While the act of preparing for auditions is an organic process, there are in fact “building blocks” that you can use to make sure you are as prepared as possible. To give you an idea of what I look for in an audition, I offer my thoughts on everything from dress to résumé to exiting and entering the audition room.
The Voice
First and foremost, of course, is your vocal technique. If your technique is not where it needs to be, nothing that follows will mean much. This is not to say that you shouldn’t audition as a vocal “work in progress,” but it does mean that you should have the type of audition and repertoire you do match where you are in your development. An adjunct to technique is your command of the languages you will be using in those auditions. Not only is command of languages important on its own, but also fluency in pronunciation, enunciation, and diction can either hinder or support your technique.
Knowing where you are technically will lead you to choose the correct repertoire for auditions. An audition is not the place to be aspirational. It is the place to show that you know where you are as a singer right now. In your lessons and coachings, stretching yourself is perfectly fine. A saying I have is: You want the person hearing your audition to think that you could be singing bigger repertoire than you’re presenting in the audition. That will not produce a negative reaction. You do not want the person hearing your audition to think that you’re singing beyond where you are now. That will produce a negative reaction.
Musical accuracy and musicality are crucial to making all of your technical work mean something in an audition. While this may seem somewhat obvious, it is surprising how many singers are sloppy musically or are unmusical (I like to call it “clinical”) in an audition. So many of these issues are a chicken/egg proposition. Does good technique allow you to be more musical? Does being musical affect how easily your technique responds? Does ease of diction let the voice work more freely, or is it the other way around? It doesn’t matter! Address it all and you’ll be prepared.
The Body
Once issues with the voice have been resolved, an area that far too many singers leave to chance in auditions arises—how to use the body.
Simply put, you need to have a sense of your body when you audition. Your face, trunk, and limbs either will be your ally in selling the piece or they will be a liability. Make sure you spend the same amount of time working through how you will do this on each piece you prepare. Not only will it give you an edge as a “total package,” it will also allow you to be less nervous since you will know what you are going to do, as opposed to trusting it to on-the-spot inspiration.
An important part of this is having a sense of the room that you are in and knowing how to physically fill that particular space. This process of awareness begins the moment you enter the room, and doesn’t end until you leave it. Tackle these body issues with a dramatic coach or stage director, so that you have someone who can assess how you are executing.
Your Team
A big question many young singers have is “who can give me the best advice on my preparedness for auditioning.” There is no hard-and-fast answer, but they may be the following (in no particular order): a voice teacher, a coach (musical and/or dramatic), a director and/or conductor, and/or an administrator.
Each of these people can give you valuable advice about the specifics of auditioning—some (voice teachers, coaches) can give you the best advice about you. Others (administrators) can give you the best advice about the business, and how you may intersect with it. Finally, others (directors, conductors) will give you a good combination of advice because of how they are uniquely situated in the business. It will be your job to synthesize that advice into the best course for you.
Your Materials
I have been talking about the actual commodity—you—for the audition. But to get in the door to do that audition, you are going to have to supply some “hard goods” to the potential employer to get that audition. The quality of those goods can determine whether or not you get that first foot in the door.
First up is the résumé, and the good news is that with today’s technology there is no reason to not have the right, up-to-date résumé for each situation. Include only relevant information (in reverse chronological order) that will help give the best information about you. Oh, and by the way, be truthful about what you put down. If we are considering hiring you, we will check! There is no need to pad your résumé with filler that doesn’t help you get hired. If you are a young singer just graduating from college, I don’t expect to see a full résumé. I would rather see a half page of solid information than two pages filled with church solos and high school musical roles.
The companion piece to your résumé is your photo—and, again, there is no reason in today’s digital age to not have a quality, up-to-date photo. People use them in different ways today—right on the résumé, on the back of the résumé and, the old standby, separately. The important thing is that it is recent, professional, and looks like you now. I cannot overstate how often I use a photo to jog my memory if I am a bit foggy on remembering a specific audition.
Which now brings us to the recording, which many companies (and competitions) use as the screening tool for auditions—both MP3s and CDs (as well as, on occasion, DVDs). Here are a few things to keep in mind when making recordings:
1. If you burn a CD make sure that it works in all machines—a common problem are CDs that play only on a computer.
2. Make sure the acoustics on different pieces don’t drastically change the quality of your voice. It is surprising how often I hear recordings where, from piece to piece, it sounds like I am listening to different singers. When possible, all recordings should be done in the same space. When this isn’t the case, make sure that each recording presents your voice similarly.
3. There should not be large lapses in time between recordings, particularly early in your career, because the voice can change quickly. Make sure you are giving a snapshot of you now. This is a companion to the previous point.
4. When making a DVD, follow all of the visual rules that you follow for a live audition. You won’t get more of a pass for being visually unexpressive on a DVD than in a live audition.
Where to Apply
Once you have all of these pieces put together, you need to make the right decision on where to apply. The biggest question you will wrestle with as a young singer is: To pay to sing or not? You will have to balance the higher probability of being accepted into a pay-to-sing program against the varying value of different pay-to-sings.
The answer here is to do your research first. The reality is that some of these programs are purely money gatherers for the people running them, while others can certainly help you move forward. By the way, that directly correlates to whether or not a pay-to-sing should go on your résumé.
When it comes to programs that pay, some of the things you will want to consider are whether the program is year-round, seasonal, or summer only and is it AGMA or non-AGMA?
In most instances, you will want to delay looking at year-round programs until you complete your academic training—unless, of course, you have a special circumstance (e.g. you’re an older student) and you want to take a hiatus so that you can get a Young Artist experience.
With summer programs, some are tiered for different level singers, so these are often good choices while still in school. The better pay-to-sings can often be good during the latter part of undergraduate education, while the paid programs are often directed more toward graduate- and diploma-level students.
Many singers ask what age limits are for Young Artist Programs, and it varies. You can reasonably expect that 35 will be the upper limit for most programs, though you will find many companies deal with age on a case-by-case basis (e.g., a singer having a later start).
Today, there are a variety of ways to deliver your audition package to its source and to find out about auditions. More and more companies are using YAP Tracker for applications. There are wonderful resources out there for finding out about auditions—Classical Singer, Opera America Career Guide, etc. In short, leave no stone unturned!
At the Audition
When you get to the actual audition, here are some things to consider.
Dress
Please give this one thoughtful consideration! You should dress classy, but don’t draw attention to the outfit—it’s you that should be remembered! Think neutral and you won’t go wrong. And remember, you don’t need jodhpurs and a riding crop to sell a pants role if you’re a mezzo. You want to be able to sell a variety of characters through the strength of your singing, acting, and presentation, no matter what outfit you are in. All of this being said, how you dress should show respect for the audition in which you are taking part. Obviously for competitions, this will be a different ball game. But you will often get specific instructions for those situations.
Hair
Keep your hair out of your face! This goes for men and women. Next to your voice, your face and your eyes are the most expressive tool you have—don’t take that advantage away from yourself.
Music
Have your music accompanist ready, with the music easy for page turns and cuts clearly marked. This is a problem often! Having your pieces ready to go (even to the point of having different copies of the same aria with different cuts) will save valuable time for your singing, perhaps giving you a chance at a second piece.
Entering and Exiting
Be confident and friendly, and make eye contact. Before you even begin singing, are you aware that the audition has already begun? And it doesn’t end until you leave the room. Be friendly, confident, and professional as you leave. You may think you sang an awful audition, but we don’t need to know you think that. (And often, you are wrong about that anyway!)
Song Introductions
Pronounce the titles of your pieces correctly. Again, this is an issue far more often than you might imagine. It may sound silly, but practice introducing each of your pieces, saying the title, so that when you are in your audition (and nervous), you won’t trip up. Auditions have been won or lost on such small things!
First Song Selection
Assume you will get to sing only one piece and pick the one that gives the most complete snapshot of you as a performer. This, of course, assumes that you will get to choose (which actually is often the case).
Getting Feedback
You have done the audition and you would like some feedback. Is this possible? It is, but you need to find out the company’s policy before asking. Some companies—and here I really mean the artistic or general director—are positive or negative about this, so do your homework. While one can ask at the audition, or by calling the company, a singer might get the best results by checking with colleagues through Facebook or other various online forums.
Begin any written request for feedback by thanking the auditioner in advance for taking the time to respond.
Once you receive feedback, don’t overweigh any advice you receive. Rather, add it to other advice you receive and then try to find commonalities that can help you in your development. I describe this process like this: If you hear something once, ponder it, but don’t lose sleep over it. If you hear it multiple times from multiple sources, then it could be worth heeding.
Remember, though, feedback doesn’t just teach you how to take advice, it also teaches you to have confidence in what you think as well.
In Conclusion
What am I looking for in an audition? Simply the complete package! Yes, first and front and center, I want a fine voice. In addition, I want to see a command of linguistics—diction, pronunciation, inflection. I also look for a sense of preparedness and professionalism in performance, dress, speaking, and the quality of your résumé and photo. These are all harbingers of whether or not you will be a good colleague.
But we also want to hear and see a confident delivery that is dramatically true, an “individual” artistry and not a sense of mimicry, and a desire to communicate and not a “defensive” audition. This is less about not making mistakes and more about really saying something through your performance. It is not important whether I agree with your interpretation, but that I see that you are taking a risk and using your own creative voice.
So after careful preparation and attention to the details outlined here, go and take some risks this audition season!
