The semifinals were over and the Finals Concert for the 2006 Classical Singer AudComps was about to begin. The finalists were backstage preparing for their performances, and I was reminded of what each of these 13 singers had done to get here.
As auditions coordinator and AudComps coordinator for Classical Singer magazine, I receive hundreds of website and mail-in applications every year, complete with headshots, résumés, and sound clips. Pre-screeners select qualified singers, which we invite to the Semifinals, set during the annual Classical Singer Convention. The audition committee gives each Semifinal singer 10 minutes. The singers select their own first aria, and the committee chooses the second—and sometimes third—aria from the singer’s presented list of five arias.
The first thing that strikes me when I receive each AudComps application is that every single one of these singers has something incredibly unique to offer. Can the AudComps give this soprano and that baritone an opportunity that will make a difference to the success of their careers? I want so much to have something for everyone—but even with $15,000 in cash prizes and numerous contract prizes to award, some singers will place, and some will not.
I thought about the Semifinal Round during the days before, as each semifinalist sat or paced outside the audition room, humming quietly, or taking deep, calming breaths. Our goal is to give them all a positive experience. I may not be able to control a sinus infection, a memory slip, or a nervous shaking hand, but I can make sure the papers are in order, the judges are pleasant and on board with our mission, and the accompanists are first rate. I can make sure that singers get valuable feedback, and that everything runs on time. In other words, we’ll keep everything smooth on our end and let the singers concentrate on their art.
As the time for the Finals Concert drew near, the audience seats for were nearly full, and the judges (Timm Rolek of Sacramento Opera, Robert Swedberg of Orlando Opera, and Classical Singer Publisher David Wood) had taken their places. Now here was an opportunity for our contestants to truly perform! The gowns and tuxedos looked magnificent. The hall was standing room only.
As before, each finalist had 10 minutes. After the audience heard some brief biographical information about each contestant, the finalist announced his or her first aria. Following that first aria, the judges selected a second or part of a second aria from the respective singer’s list of five, so as to hear as much as possible in the singer’s 10 minutes. Eric Trudel, the pianist for the concert, delivered a performance just as involved and enticing as that of the contestants.
Singing in the Finals Concert of the AudComps, in front of Classical Singer Convention attendees, can be a very intimidating experience. The singers must not only impress the judges, but deal with the unavoidable awareness that nearly everyone sitting behind the judges in that packed room is analyzing everything about them—their clothes, their hairstyles, their technique, their acting, their breath support, their larynx position, their hand gestures, their shoe selection, their movement, their musicality, etc. Many in the audience will know if they sing a wrong vowel, or a wrong note in their coloratura. (Let’s admit that in some performances, you can console yourself after a wrong Italian vowel. “Surely,” you think hopefully, “that classical music-loving, yet classically-untrained audience didn’t notice!”)
The Finals Concert took my breath away. I had a front-row seat to a showcase concert of some of the most promising talent in the country. Dana Beth Miller, first-place winner of the Professional Division, provided one particularly poignant moment, with her mesmerizing performance of “To This We’ve Come” from The Consul. I even saw mention of this particular performance on Internet blogs and heard Convention attendees talking about it the next day.
These were not just run-throughs of arias, these were true performances.
The audience remained for the whole concert. Some of the Semifinal judges were even in attendance, their interest perked by what they heard in the Semifinal Round. Following the concert, an electric buzz filled the air. I heard someone say to her friend upon exiting the room, “I didn’t even know about this competition; I’ve got to apply next year.”
After the concert, the judges informed me of their results and we collected the ballots for the “Audience Choice Awards.” (We had asked each audience member to vote for their favorite contestant in each division.)
When we announced the winners of the prizes the following day at the closing session of the Convention, the continued excitement among Convention attendees told me that they too were invested in the results of this competition—they had watched each performance, and had a chance to vote for their favorites. It was thrilling to shake the hands of these deserving singers as we handed each winner a large check. We asked the first-place winners from each division to sing for the Convention attendees one last time.
Following the closing session, we invited all finalists to audition in front of a number of attending opera companies we had invited for this purpose. (We hope to hook our singers up with a job or two!) Robert Driver from Opera Company of Philadephia, Brian Dickie from Chicago Opera Theatre, Timm Rolek from Sacramento Opera, Leland Kimball of Opera Delaware, Eric Dillner of Shreveport Opera, Jay Meetze from Opera Company of Brooklyn, and Dan Montez of Taconic Opera listened to the finalists. One or two directors approached singers on the spot regarding contracts.
“Any one of those singers I heard today is of the level I could hire,” one director told me. Another director had the portfolio of headshots and résumés in his hand, and said to me, “I’m hanging on to this!”
Take a minute to get to know the winners of the AudComps, pictured here and featured on the Classical Singer website. I’m sure you will see their names elsewhere in the coming years.
As the AudComps continue to grow in reputation and prize amounts, Classical Singer hopes to give as many opportunities as we can to the singers we meet, whether that opportunity is a prize or a valuable learning experience. You never know which upcoming events in your life will be the ones that lead to your continued inspiration as a singer, or to a successful career!
