Auditions

We've just had our Studio Artist Auditions this week, and it was great to hear some very promising young artists again.
If I was going to pick out a couple of things that people might want to think about (and these are not new points), they would be:

1.  Having a resume that completely and clearly lays out what you have done.  I saw examples of not enough being listed, and too much being listed that didn't really mean very much.  Always keep in mind that you want to impress someone with your resume, even if they are only taking a cursory look.  If you can imagine someone taking a fifteen second look at your resume, that might give you some clarity in putting your resume together.

2.  Headshots.  Make sure your headshot looks like you do now, so that whoever you are auditioning for, will have a good visual reference to remember you by!

Thought for the day

The temptation is to think of your auditions as a means to an end, and there is no denying that this is true.
However, another way of viewing auditions is to think of them as another performance.  You never know how many times you will get to sing in your life, and every opportunity you get to sing is a part of that finite number.  The audition is indeed a means to an end, but it is also another opportunity to perform - looking at it that way can take some pressure off!

Upcoming auditions

We will be having our live auditions for our Studio Artist Program next week, and as always, I am excited to hear young singers at the start of their journeys.
This puts me in mind of a point that I try to make when I present master classes - those of us who hear you want you to do well.
This may seem like an overly obvious point, but the reality is, when I talk to young singers, or if I think back to my own audition experiences, I find that there is a fear in auditions, that the people hearing the auditions are a negative force. 
I am not being naive, and I know that there are negative auditioning experiences, but the reality is, that in the vast majority of cases, your auditoners are pulling for you to do well.  Many of us have been in your shoes, and know what you're going through.
A recognition of this on your part, can take away at least one stress factor in your audition!

For those of you auditioning for us, and for those auditioning elsewhere,  I send you all good wishes for an audition that you will feel great about.

Albert Herring....and auditions!

We are now about to have our third performance of Albert Herring, which has been exciting for many reasons, not least of which is the fact that all four of our Studio Artists are singing leading principal roles in this production!
Right on the heels of that we will be holding our live auditions for next year's program.  We had a wonderful response this year - over 180 applicants from 29 states and Canada!!
I look forward to hearing these auditions, which never fail to get me excited about the next generation of singers.....