Good addition!

There was an excellent suggestion made below about making connections for coachings, feedback, etc. with music staff, artistic or general directors of companies you are wanting to sing for - this is an excellent way to "help" them remember you - of course, make sure you are well prepared for it, so that the memory they have is a good one!

How to make the connection?

This is a topic I'm still formulating, so I will just put it out there right now, and then expand upon it as we move forward.

Here it is: How do you concretely make the connection between your studio lessons/coaching/practice and the actual audition?

Do you:

A. Hope that it happens "organically" - in other words - practice, take lessons, coaching, etc. and then go into the audition, and hope that it translates into the audition you want?

or

B. Do you take what you have gathered from the preliminary activities, and in fact, "dress rehearse" your audition? - and by this, I don't mean just the singing part, but also the walking into the room, staging, testing how you will introduce yourself, etc.....

I will be curious to hear what some of you are doing.....

Taking inventory

You may be right now doing one of the following things:

a: taking part in a summer vocal program/apprenticeship

b: getting ready to start an undergraduate/graduate/performer diploma program

c: taking lessons or coaching and contemplating what comes next

d: some combination of the above

While you are taking part in any of the above activities, I would suggest taking an inventory of all parts of that which will make up your "audition arsenal".

Some suggestions to consider:

a: head shot - is it up to date? enough copies?

b: music in your audition folder - marked correctly for accompanists? any worn pages need to be replaced?

c: wardrobe - do you have appropriate outfits ready for auditions that will be coming up this fall?

d: list of contacts - this is connected to my last post - do you have a plan and the contact information you will need for upcoming auditions?

e: is newer repertoire on the way to being ready in all phases? - technique, memorization, language, translation, and dramatic presentation (try finding a time to try out new rep on a small group of friends or family - this will help get it ready)

This is just a short list - you may have other ideas about an audition inventory that you would like to add here - please do!!

Get a Plan!

Something that I have been meaning to say here for a while has been driven to the front burner by a recent conversation - GET A PLAN!

As always, that may sound obvious and simplistic, but it is nonetheless true. Whether or not you have representation, you need to map out a strategy (in writing) for where you are headed, even if you don't think you have tangible results yet to support it.

What I mean is, if you have an idea of what roles, what operas, etc. you want to do (and you have that written down), that will allow you (and your agent) to think in ways that you may not now be thinking. In addition, make use of things like google alerts to keep you apprised of things that can be germane to your plan.

While part of this may seem like a futile exercise if you're not getting the auditions you want, the fact is every activity you commit to in support of your goal will give you a better shot at achieving it.

It has undoubtedly always been true, but in this environment, taking voice lessons, coaching, and hoping for the best is a recipe for no result!

And, the tools at your disposal, Classical Singer, NFCS, Yap Tracker, are so far beyond what we had in "my day", that there is no excuse for not thinking strategically every day!

What next?

Stop!! Think about where you are right this second in your career plan (hopefully you have a "plan" - if not, this is a good time to think about that).
Once you've assessed where you are, ask yourself if you have the next right audition for that timeline.
Two scenarios:
1. You've got some good Young Artist Program experience under your belt, a few regional roles, but no management - is this the time to contact or recontact a manager to hear you?
Perhaps so - if you don't have that audition lined up, look into it.

2. You've hit a bit of a wall with auditions, and you feel like some technical work out of the pressure of the professional audition circuit makes sense, and you've considered looking into an artist diploma program to help make that next step happen. Have you explored this? If not, now is the time to do it!

You see my point - don't let too much time elapse between taking "snapshots" of where you are, so that you can take the proactive steps that are needed.

Know when to say yes....

I know it's been a while, and I have a backlog of things to say purely audition related, but I've come across a couple of situations lately, that move me to write on this now.
I know that many people reading this will say, "gee, I'd love to have the possibility of knowing when to say yes".
But the scenario I've run into in a couple different contexts is, generally, this:

A singer is offered a contract, either YAP or main stage, that either on their own counsel or others, he or she turns down, because:
a. doesn't pay enough
b. keeps them out of the mainstream
c. something better might come along while he or she is doing the particular job being offered.

While I understand that sometimes money is absolutely the bottom line, I would encourage you to consider the following before turning down an offer that may, on the surface, look underpowered.

a. Will the offer give you main stage experience and a role for your resume that will be remembered long after the perceived paltry paycheck is forgotten?
b. Will performing the small part of chorus role create a connection with the company or director that will lead to more lucrative and satisfying employment in the future?
c. Is turning down this offer in effect a bridge burning?
d. Does the person offering you employment have connections with other companies that can open doors that you probably cannot open yourself?

Please answer the above questions for yourself before you make any decision on a job offer, whatever its attraction at first sight.

Back at last!

Well, Rigoletto is over, my masterclass at the Classical Singer Convention went very well, and added some ideas to my head, and now I'm headed out to LA in two days for the Opera America Convention!
However, by tomorrow, I will be adding some food for thought here!