Wolf Trap Opera Company

We've Moved

2010-02-24T15:51:00.002-05:00

Blogging continues at www.wolftrapopera.org/blog.

See you there!

Migration in Progress

2010-02-23T14:53:00.000-05:00

I've been largely absent since the large blogorama season announce push a few weeks ago - my apologies. But fear not, it's all for a good cause. Not only are we pushing through mountains of paperwork to get the summer season fully prepared, contracted and documented, I am in the process of migrating this blog and the WTOC Hotspot to one location! (Oh, and I'm trying to unearth my piano chops and learn Bastianello & Lucrezia ...)

Check back here in March for directions to to our new location!

WTOC Announces its 2010 Season across the Blogosphere!

2010-02-08T23:03:00.013-05:00

Tickets go on sale to the general public on March 13.

For advance sales and priority handling, become a Wolf Trap member.

For show dates, casts, and other performance info, start here.

In celebration of the announcement of WTOC’s 2010 season, I am doing guest posts and interviews in various locations across the blogosphere. Find out more about us that you ever wanted to know by clicking through!

Participating blogs are listed below - links will become active throughout the day on February 9.

Overview is at Technology in the Arts.

Where and How We Do What We Do

The Barns at Wolf Trap via Clef Notes
Arts Management in Reverse at Adaptistration

Focus on Repertoire

Zaide at Roger Evans Online
Turk at Musical Perceptions
Dream at Dramma per musica

Marketing and Fundraising

Why Wolf Trap Needs Members at Katya’s Nonprofit Marketing Blog
Zaide Production Choice Becomes Marketing Hook at Butts in the Seats

Our Young Artists and their Careers

The YAP View via Houston Grand Opera
Overview of 2010 FYA Roster at Miss Music Nerd
The Career Pyramid at The Omniscient Mussel

Interview Fun

Operagasm (Instant Opera, Artist Profiles, Audition Advice and More)
The Mind of the Airstream Diva (Books, Music, Daily Life)
Does The Fat Lady Still Sing? at The Next Hundred Pounds

WTOC Colleagues

Whack-a-Mole at Rahree
Studio Artist Photo Gallery at the Melear-o-sphere

A Highly Subjective and Unapologetically Random Look Back at the GRAMMYs

2010-02-03T14:28:00.000-05:00

Thanks to our Best Opera Recording nomination for Volpone, we were in the slightly surreal and truly wonderful position of being able to attend last Sunday's GRAMMY festivities in LA, and I'd be remiss if I didn't file some sort of report. So...

Wolfie Goes to LA!

80% of Success...

Yes, the classical music industry is marginalized, along with over 90% of the rest of the GRAMMY categories. We joined our colleagues in jazz, R&B, country, world music and many other genres at the pre-telecast ceremony on Sunday afternoon. Some of the bigger pop music names who were prepping for the evening telecast were unavoidably absent in the afternoon, but some of them (Taylor Swift, most notably) managed to make an appearance.

And yes, it was Woody Allen who said that "80% of success is just showing up." In such a scenario, we probably would've taken home the statue, for almost none of the other classical music nominees were there. The winners sure weren't. It's no secret that our part of the industry has a complicated relationship with the GRAMMYs, though. We decided to attend because it really was an honor for us to be nominated, and we wanted to acknowledge that. (And we figured there was a once-in-a-lifetime kind of experience to be had in the process :)) But after seeing how alone we were, we figured that the whole thing should work on a "must-be-present-to-win" premise, kind of like a door prize. That way, if those folks from London and the Mariinsky and the Hague and the Netherlands couldn't show up, we'd get lucky!

And I Thought We Were a Niche Market...

It's amazing (even for someone like me who works for a presenting organization that covers many many genres) how many different kinds of music there are out there. Electronica, gospel, alternative, R&B, rap, country, new age, jazz, Latin, Americana, traditional folk, Hawaiian, Native American, children's music, reggae, zydeco and more. And the long tail is growing every day, even as the public face of the GRAMMYs (via the telecast) gets more and more mainstream.

Pink as Deus Ex Macchina

Speaking of the telecast, I thought that Pink's performance felt a lot like the early days of opera must have. The atmosphere at the Staples Center that night bore a lot of similarities to what we know of 18th-century opera. Lots of people socializing during the boring parts, only paying attention when the famous acts are on stage, watching highly sexualized performances by big name stars, some of which fly in from the sky and make the audience gasp. Sadly, the GRAMMY folks don't agree, because the two tips of the hat given to opera that night were in the form of a stereotype-reinforcing setup to the rap number and a weird presenting assignment to Placido.

The WT Contingent, Post-Ceremony

Behind... er... Above the Scenes
or
In the Gallery with No Peanuts

Attending as representatives of the record label (Wolf Trap Recordings), we were lowest of the low on the totem pole. We sat in the nosebleed section of the arena, which had its pros and cons.

On the plus side, we had a bird's-eye view of scene shifts and changeovers (during the commercial breaks), and it was comforting in a Schadenfreude sort of way to see that the big boys screw things up occasionally, too.

On the other hand, if you have to sit for 7.5 hours of ceremonies with only one 30-minute break (1:00-4:15 and 4:45-8:30), someone should at least be going up and down the aisles with peanuts and hot dogs...

While It Was Snowing Back Home...

...we enjoyed the always-generous hospitality of friends in Malibu, with long walks on the beach in sunny 70-degree skies.

And now that our 15 minutes of fame are over, we're back at our desks, getting ready to announce our summer season next week - see you then!

Congratulations!

2010-01-31T17:58:00.001-05:00

Quick post from my phone to congratulate the LSO and our Billy Budd colleagues on the Grammy win.

We were and are honored to be in such amazing company!

Now, on to the big evening ceremony. Let the fun begin!

An Honor to be Nominated. No, Really.

2010-01-27T20:29:00.001-05:00

We have the great privilege of going to LA for the GRAMMYs this weekend! The Volpone recording nomination (one of 5 in the category of Best Opera Recording) meant that Wolf Trap, as the record label, was able to get a few tickets for the ceremonies. (GRAMMYs are for artists on the recording, and even though we commissioned and premiered this work, then produced and distributed it on our label, we're sort of just hangers-on:)) So we're going to go and celebrate. We're not particularly good at strutting our stuff (we tend to fly under the radar and plug along), but we shall try!

I've always thought that the words "It was just an honor to be nominated" were 1) a way of being gracious when you won or 2) an attempt at not feeling bad because you lost. But I am here before you now to witness that it is possible to say it and mean it.

I am proud to bursting of our little company and our maiden voyage in the recording world. And I think that it's amazing - almost inconceivable, actually - that we did it so well on a wing, a prayer, and very little money. But at the same time, I don't think there's even a remote chance that we will win. (In case you don't already know, I am the Queen of Low Expectations. It's a way of life and a title I bear proudly.)

Yes, we did good. But to believe that we bested the LSO, or Ian Bostridge & Nathan Gunn, or Valery Gergiev, or the Hague Philharmonic etc etc, well, that's more hubris than I can typically muster.

But see, the thing is that it really doesn't matter. The recognition that comes from this nomination will pay off in so many ways, and I intend to celebrate that. I want to go to LA and be so proud that someone somewhere thought we belonged with the big boys. I want to celebrate that we didn't give up on the idiotically rocky road to completion of this project. There shall be people-watching and beach-walking and general jubilation.

So there.

January is WTOC Alumni Month

Oh, and just in case you were wondering, 2 of the other 4 nominees in our category feature Wolf Trap alumni (Nathan Gunn, Billy Budd; Charles Workman, Marco Polo)!

"Special"

2010-01-25T09:10:00.001-05:00

Special (Merriam-Webster): distinguished by some unusual quality.

Life's a Pitch just finished a week hosting a virtual panel on when and how artists, managers, journalists, presenters and publicists single out musicians for being "special" in their promotion and career-building efforts. Amanda's summary of the posts by her 4 guest bloggers is here.

I hesitate to spend most of an entire blog post regurgitating other writers' material, but this is worth it. Great food for thought for musicians, presenters, and music lovers of all stripes. If you need more motivation to click through, some highlights:

Jonathan Biss (our Wolf Trap Debut Artist from 1997!) writes that "Traditionalism is big in classical music, of course, meaning that there's a lot of knee-jerk "this is the way to do it because this is the way it's always been done." ("It" could be any number of things - from questions of musical style, to programming, to concert attire, and on and on.) But recently I've heard a lot of the marketing-driven opposite, which seems equally knee-jerk to me: "this has never been done before, and therefore it is relevant and interesting.""

Michael Kondziolka at University Musical Society in Ann Arbor, Michigan says that "yes, hooks are fine and human interest angles (sometimes) riveting...but, never a substitute for convincing music making that reveals some truth or provocation embedded within, some kind of technical accomplishment, or, maybe, some hint at a shared humanity... Actually, the more I think about it, if one can be certain that the players will hit the accomplishment quotient, then human interest hooks are actually welcome in my book. And we shouldn't be afraid of them or feel that they somehow cheapen the artist's integrity. (Please.) Any information sharing or story telling that aids, abets, or heightens a sense of empathy between performer and listener - whether artistic, human, spiritual - has to be a good thing. Right? Live concert performances must, after all, traffic in empathy."

Matthew Guerrieri of Soho the Dog weighs in: "On the other hand, I personally find assertions of specialness within the concert presentation itself--spoken explanations, multimedia elements, &c.--to be often more annoying and distracting than anything. I've seen it done well, but only rarely; it's harder than it looks, and it takes just as much (if not more) preparation as the music. If there's absolute commitment on the part of the performer(s), if they really believe in whatever high concept they've come up with, I can happily go along for the ride, even if, in the end, I don't quite buy it."

It all rings so true. But more than that, what makes me squirm is that it all seems born of desperation. Is it existential fear that something we all value might be lost in an era that values data and speed above all else? Is it actual panic because artists and those who promote them are slowing being pushed to the edge of extinction? Of course, it's both.

We can all tell the difference between an artist who makes connections to his audience (verbal and otherwise) because he is compelled to communicate with every fiber of his being and an artist who does so because a manager or a presenter dictates that it's now part of the required dog-and-pony show.

On the topic of "special" added-value elements, well, how about this comment at the bottom of Mr. Biss's post?

Comment:
Let's make this really, brutally simple.
The only things we need today to have a "life-altering" musical experience is a good surround sound system, a CD/mp3 player and a Blue Ray DVD system.
Constant concerts by 100s of symphony orchestras or other groups, 90% of which are repeats of trite, old repertoire or newly composed self-indulgent idiocy are economically and artistically unnecessary in a digital recording era. The average US concert hall monstrosity doesn't produce the sound quality in most seats that a car stereo would.
Innovation? Find an equivalent for classical music of what Cirque de soleil has been for the three-ring circus. Until that happens, good luck getting audiences into concert halls.

Chew on that a while. (And let's assume that the comment is legit, rather than satirical. I wouldn't be surprised to hear this from The Man on the Street, but I guess the fact that it appears as a comment on a blog that would appear to be primarily read by "believers" is a little stunning.)

Will we find the equivalent of which the writer speaks? Should we try? For if we succeed, the goal is going to shift significantly while we're at it.

Back to the definition at the top of this post (special: distinguished by some unusual quality): as we compete for our part of the pie, we are struggling with what "unusual" means. Clearly, we (opera, symphony, ballet, even jazz now...) are unusual. Always have been. Always will be. We want to be special, but now we desire that our "unusual" qualities are more and more palatable to the mainstream. I'm back to my take on Seth Godin's passion-pop gulf, hoping that our ministrations don't take us to the trough of the graph.

[P.S. The fact that I spent the weekend reading The Black Swan has set me up for a rocky Monday at the office. Sorry to bring you along for the ride!]

Blog Clog

2010-01-21T22:26:00.000-05:00

Brain Drain.

All sorts of things interfering with blogging. This week included a trip to New York for preparations for our upcoming workshop of Musto & Campbells Inspector opera. And the little remaining office time was clouded by fumbling attempts at writing marketing copy for our 2010 shows. (You'd think that struggling with Twitter would have given me some practice at being simultaneously clear, intriguing, detailed, and entertaining in 140 characters. But it seems to have just made me dumb and inarticulate.)

The other clog comes from struggling to write a post on the recent Pro-Am discussion that's been going on at various places on the interwebs. I'm fascinated by this subject, and I'm of at least three different minds on it. I have written and rewritten a blog post on it so many times that I could've filed a dissertation by now. Sadly, little of it is coherent.

So, if it intrigues you, here's the pertinent linkage. Take a few minutes to read and discuss, and I promise I'll be back shortly with some sort of take on it!

Newsweek's Welcome to Amateur Hour

The Mission Paradox on Creating Scarcity
On one hand it is easier then ever for work to be created and if you believe (like I do) that a world with more art is a good thing . . . then that's a good thing. On the other hand, this incredible increase in both the number of artistic producers and the amount of artistic content has made it much more difficult for any individual artist to make a living through their art.

Butts in the Seats on Outsourcing Creativity to the Rich
...as people acquire competence and are willing to perform a task for less money, or have the resources where they don’t care about their losses, starving artists ended up starving more.

Create Equity on Arts and Sustainability
If the only way to earn money is through exposure, and the only way to get exposure is to spend thousands of hours making (and marketing) art that you could otherwise spend earning money, the people who need to earn money now are at a major, perhaps definitive, disadvantage. As a result, over time, you would expect to see more and more people who were lucky enough to have a cushion early in their careers (if not on an ongoing basis) persist to become professional artists, and fewer and fewer who have had to do it completely on their own.

January is Alumni Month

I love productions that contain a critical mass of Trappers. Last summer's Huguenots at Bard Summerscape came up in a conversation yesterday. 7 alums, representing two decades of WTOC excellence :)

Marguerite de Valois: Erin Morley

Valentine: Alexandra Deshorties

Urbain: Marie Lenormand

Count de Nevers: Andrew Schroeder

Marcel: Peter Volpe

Count de Saint-Bris: John Marcus Bindel

Tavannes: Jason Ferrante

And, in the Canadian Opera Company's announcement of their 2010-2011 season, we discovered this fabulous pairing in Cenerentola!

Don Ramiro: Lawrence Brownlee

Angelina: Elizabeth DeShong

We'll stop only at total world domination.

What Were You Thinking?

2010-01-11T15:03:00.000-05:00

I just got back from hearing dozens of aspiring young singers in the North Carolina district auditions of the Metropolitan Opera National Council. As is typical, I am equal parts exhausted and energized.

And, as is typical, I had the following post-competition discussion with a number of audience members.

Patron: It must've been such a difficult job to decide how to pick the winners.
Kim: Indeed, it was - they were a talented bunch!
Patron: I made my own list of winners, and I only have one question.
Kim: Yes?
Patron: What were you thinking?

OK, paraphrased, but you get the idea. It happens again and again, and it never surprises me. And it's usually not confrontational but is born of true curiosity about the judging panel process.

Most of these MONC spectators are seasoned opera-goers and true lovers of the voice. And as such, they usually have pretty good taste. They know when something is out of kilter, and they know when they are truly engaged and excited by a voice. The kicker is that sometimes we don't choose some of the singers for whom the audience had the most enthusiasm. Why?

It's too complicated a question to answer in an exhaustive fashion, but in short, we're looking for singers whose profile (as demonstrated on this particular day at this particular moment) indicates that they possess the particular tools to distinguish themselves within their particular voice type. Being a compelling performer is part of it, to be sure. But having the vocal equipment and potential to rise above the norm as a coloratura soprano or lyric tenor or basso profondo or dramatic mezzo, etc. (random examples) is what matters. If you can't nail the exact requirements for whichever voice type you seem to be best suited (highest and lowest notes, ability to project in certain registers, flexibility and agility of the voice, etc), you will have a difficult time getting hired.

We have to take this into consideration, for the Met is looking for career potential. But singers in their 20's are so often (rightly so) in development and/or transition, and many of them don't yet know what they "are" - which box they best fit inside. (Of course, some of the best singers of all time didn't fit in a box at all, but you'll have a hard time selling that concept if you're a 20-something opera singer in America...) And every single person that comes into contact with young singers has a different opinion. It's a recipe for extreme confusion. Nevertheless, in order to figure out which singers should advance, panels have to grapple with the implications of it.

So, if you're in the audience for one of these events, and your scorecard doesn't line up with the panel's, don't despair.

First of all, you might be right and they might be wrong. We do our level best, on the basis of decades of experience, but we are not infallible.

Second, the judges may have had the same positive gut reaction as you, but were responding to details of the voice and its development that would indicate that it might not be optimal yet to send a particular singer on to the next level of the competition.

Fortunately, there are many opportunities for young singers to be heard - in various competitions, in auditions for young artist programs, in performance in conservatory and university. Even the most amazing singers don't always win, and everyone has off days. But over time, talent will out.

Creativity's Worst Enemy

2010-01-07T13:58:00.001-05:00

If you haven't yet read Byron Janis's recent article in the Wall Street Journal, go here.

I am at my happiest when sight-reading music, but never really bothered to articulate why. I suspected that it had a good deal to do with being too lazy to practice. So I felt completely understood (and vindicated!) when I read this paragraph:

Thinking is creativity's worst enemy. When I first sight-read a score, everything seems so right, so natural. The notes seem to be playing themselves and the music flows. Why? Because I am not thinking. Inspiration has been my guide—the adventure of a first time. Then comes familiarization, the learning process where, until the piece is well in hand, thinking is allowed. After that, interpretation—choices must be made, but you are finally free to feel and use your creative instincts. And, at last, creation—how do I make the music sound as it did when I didn't know it? The great poet Yeats spoke of this dilemma so beautifully in his poem "Adam's Curse":

Yet if it does not seem a moment's thought,

Our stitching and unstitching has been naught.

Before the heart can remember, the mind must forget. And, when I least expect to, I will suddenly start playing that piece, again without thinking, as I did in the beginning when I first sight-read it. That is when it happens—I have finally discovered my "moment's thought."

Actually, we are thinking when we are in this particular frame of mind. But it has so little to do with the way our minds usually churn that we don't recognize it.

What Mr. Janis has to say about the unscientific nature of tempi reminded me how much I adored fellow pianist Jeremy Denk's recent blog entry: Whose Brahms? (This link is longer and of a very different nature, but is particularly rewarding for the data geeks among us.)

He says that "tempo is more dangerous than an illusion, it is a kind of myth promulgated by all sorts of fascist types in order to destroy the natural and beautiful cycles of PDT [Perceived Desired Tempo] that are native to the human freedom instinct. The next time a conductor asks me “why are you moving so much faster here?,” referring to some passage X of a concerto, I will simply say “natural variability of sunspots,” and when the conductor says “that’s ridiculous,” I will say “you can’t prove to me it’s NOT sunspots.” I’m sure this will go over very well."

Tempo is so intertwined with heartbeat and breathing that to will it to be scientific is not only delusional, it's cruel. The tension between the hard cold data of music (frequency, amplitude, waveform) and how it emerges from our bodies and our minds is the essence of why we care about art at all.

Heading to North Carolina in the morning to judge Metropolitan Opera National Council auditions. Have a great weekend!

January: When the Music Goes into Hiding

2010-01-06T15:13:00.000-05:00

I wear my Marketing and Box Office hats a lot in January. (Good thing, too, for it's bloody freezing around here. I need all the clothing I can find.) All of the music that surrounded us during the audition and casting process has temporarily disappeared to make way for writing copy and selling tickets.

So, in thinking of ways to describe, promote and create enthusiasm about our upcoming season, I found this. And I'm of a million different minds about it.

And, as we address the thorny topic of ticket prices, it's serendipitous to find one of my favorite podcasts discussing the Psychology of Pricing. Unfortunately, our thinking has to go far beyond this discussion. We have obligations not only to our bottom line, but to our donors, our current and potential patrons, and to our art form. Raise prices to attempt to keep pace with expenses? Hold the line in sympathy with the economic challenges of patrons? Cut deep and low to eliminate obstacles in expanding the audience base? Yes, yes, and yes? Hmmm.

January is WTOC Alumni Month!

I was doing some surfing to see what our summer festival colleagues are offering for 2010, and I came across a performance of the suite from Candide with WTOC alums Anna Christy and Nick Phan. Ravinia also features former Trappers Nathan Gunn and Lauren McNeese in Figaro, and Tanglewood's roster includes Stephanie Blythe (Mahler #2), Dawn Upshaw, and Morris Robinson (Mozart's Abduction).

It Just Feels Like a New Decade

2010-01-04T14:28:00.000-05:00

The happiest of new years to one and all! Strictly speaking, I know it's not a new decade, but it feels like it is. And that's good.

I'm back at my desk after a miraculously restful 11 days away from work. (Thank, you Wolf Trap Foundation, for the immensely sane and merciful act of shutting down between Christmas and New Year's!) By last night, I was calm, centered, and full of hope and energy for a fresh start. This morning, just a few hours chipping away at the mountain of pre-season tasks has rendered me slightly panicked. (I completely forget to breathe when I'm at my desk. Does that happen to anyone else? What's that about?!?)

It didn't help that I spent my lunch break digging through the NEA's 2008 Survey of Public Participation in the Arts. (Go ahead, click through, but not on an empty stomach.) I don't believe that the sky is falling, but this news is complicated. We're embarking on a new business plan for 2011-2015, and I'm trying to spend more time than usual wrestling with these facts and figures.

As we move out of the audition season, I welcome back my casual readers whose eyes glazed over while reading endless aria lists and other technical jargon. Over these next few months, the focus will be slightly broader and more varied. There will be another Met audition trip (North Carolina) and a trip to LA (for the GRAMMYs!), and I keep posts short to give you more time to keep those New Year's resolutions. :)

January is WTOC Alumni Month!

A shout-out to WTOC alum Michael Maniaci and his new recording of Mozart Arias - releasing in a few weeks and available now for pre-order. (Do it - you won't be sorry!) Michael sang Nero in Poppea and the title role in Xerxes at Wolf Trap, and he is a truly amazing artist.

Holiday Hiatus

2009-12-23T11:11:00.005-05:00

We weren't terribly good about documenting this year's audition tour, but thanks to CameraMan, we have a few images from our travels. It was a terribly dense trip - due to extenuating schedule and budget parameters - and I think we only (barely) had enough brainpower and energy for the compulsories.

The blog silence in these midwinter months is largely due to the overwhelming task of establishing the summer calendar, choosing the artists, casting the operas, making offers to artistic teams and staff, and figuring out who does what when and how to pay for it. And, until the season is announced (on February 8, 2010!), none of this is bloggable. But I'll be back in January, and I'll look up from my desk a bit as we catch up with what's going on in the rest of the musical world, prepare for the big GRAMMY ceremony trip(!), check in on some of our WTOC alumni, and prepare for the next workshop of the next Musto/Campbell opera.

Till then, warm wishes for restful and joyous holidays with the ones you love - click here for our season's greetings (make sure your sound is on). I'll see you in 2010!

The Long View

2009-12-08T12:22:00.000-05:00

I sat for an interview last week, and a typical question came up: "What was the biggest challenge you've faced so far in your career?"

How coincidental that this interview came right after our recent oh-so-sweet GRAMMY news. For the fight for this Volpone recording was probably the biggest hurdle I've had to clear, at least in recent memory.

I tend to live a lot in the future, not so much in the past. (And not nearly enough in the present, but that's another st0ry.) So I took a walk down memory lane, breaking open the huge files that documented the road to this project. And it was amazing exactly how much of the trauma I had suppressed. :)

So very much of it was, as my social networking friends will say, unbloggable. But here's a little bit of it that wasn't (you can link to the posts or just read the excerpts):

Disappointment
Thursday, May 17, 2007

Mixed with the excitement of company arrivals are notes of frustration and regret.

Our much-anticipated upcoming recording of Volpone is not to be. This is not the place to spin out all of the confusing and irritating details, but... there's no nationally approved recording agreement whose conditions our company meets, and the local doesn't have the ability to negotiate individual agreements with organizations....

The bottom line is that we've run out of time. We had so wanted to get this terrific piece out there in circulation, and it's tough to walk away from it. For now, the goal is to sort all of this out after the season so that when our next new fabulous operatic comedy hits the stage, we'll be ready to capture and share it.

In the Can
Sunday, July 1, 2007

As of 4 hours ago, we now have the raw material for a commercial live recording of Volpone. And this has been possibly the most frustrating and confounding journey of my professional life thus far.

The recording project was launched and canceled more times than I can count. The path to today was littered with obstacles, aborted attempts, misinformation and misunderstandings. But it also included generous colleagues, helpful advice, supportive coworkers and bosses, and a learning curve that was so fierce that it demanded to be conquered.

I intend to articulate that process here in the blog. It's critical that other small organizations have the chance to learn from our mistakes and our successes. Very little of this journey is private or confidential, and there are no real villains.

Well, I never returned to "articulate that process," even though I knew I should've. The industry has changed so quickly over these last few years, but we still have a distance to go.

Since that time, we also worked through the difficult decision about whether to use a large label for distribution, or to release it ourselves. It took a lot of internal effort to get this opera out on the Wolf Trap Recordings label, but we're so glad we did. It was a labor of love, and as is usually the case in our industry, not one that anyone will ever make money on.

I'm normally not all about external validation. As a matter of fact, the same week that this recording was issued, we had some useful discussions about how artists must learn to handle criticism of all types. If you take this advice to heart, though, you must also learn not to immerse yourself too deeply in favorable reviews. Therefore, I usually blow off good notices as well as bad.

But this time, I'll take it. The fight was too hard, and the implications for the future are too positive. For these fifteen minutes of what passes for fame in the opera world, we're going to enjoy ourselves.

Scrappy & Outrageous

2009-12-07T13:20:00.005-05:00

It's been a bit of a wild ride over the last few days, as last week's GRAMMY news eclipsed much of business as usual. We are working overtime to choose and cast next summer's operas, and I haven't forgotten my promise to post the list of most-offered arias during November's audition tour. [UPDATE: These are up now - visit these links for Filene Young Artists and Studio Artists.]

However, there's been much to absorb in these last few days. Before you read on, take 1 min. 33 seconds to watch and listen to this.

Even if you don't think you like opera (or, for crying out loud, new opera...), do it.

Two adjectives I've heard recently:

Scrappy: our small opera company and tiny record label

Outrageous: the fact that we were nominated for a freakin' GRAMMY...

It's not as if I'm not proud of the WTOC. I have given it my blood, sweat and tears for the last 25 years. And I will hold us up against any arts organization in artistic integrity, work ethic, financial responsibility and innovative spirit. But our budget is small, our artists are at the beginnings of their careers, and we produce in a 375-seat theatre. We are in the presence of some amazing talent in our award category, and the whole thing seems a bit surreal.

Once the shock wore off (yes, John Musto called me on my cell phone at 10:45 pm Wednesday evening, and I thought he was punking me), a few things bubbled to the surface:

John is the only American composer nominated for this award. In the company of amazing composers, to be sure, but of British, French, Chinese and Russian heritage.

Volpone is the only 21st-century opera nominated. Others range from 1928 (The Nose) to 1996 (Marco Polo).

Wolf Trap is the only U.S. arts organization in this field, and Wolf Trap Recordings is the only American record label.

Oh, and Volpone is a truly awesome opera.

Audition Arias Offered: Filene Young Artists

2009-12-07T10:30:00.000-05:00

This list was culled from the first arias offered by singers auditioning for this year's Filene Young Artist Program. If you are looking for the comprehensive list of pieces in the 4-aria audition packages from this season, start here.

SOPRANO

You might remember that of the selections listed on the application forms, Pamina's aria was a run-away hit. Imagine my relief when Ach ich fühl's was only offered as a starter aria once. (I do love me some Mozart, mind you, but this aria is deceptively difficult.)

The runner-up on the application lists was Anne Trulove; also only offered first by one singer, probably because of the length of the scene.

4X
Caro nome
Deh vieni
Dove sono

3X
Come scoglio
Ernani, involami
Je veux vivre
Padre, germane, addio
Presentation of the Rose
Sul fil d’un soffio etesio
O zittre nicht
Quel guard oil cavaliere
Song to the Moon

TWICE
Ain’t It a Pretty Night
Be Kind and Courteous
Chacun le sait
Depuis le jour
Dich theure Halle
Donde lieta
Du gai soleil
Einsam in trüben Tagen
Emily’s Aria
Manon's Gavotte
Glitter and Be Gay
Je suis encor
Lisa’s Aria
Martern aller Arten
O luce di quest'anima
O mio babbino caro
O quante volte
Poison Aria
Quando m’en vo
Regnava
Tornami

ONCE
Ach ich fühl's
Ach ich liebte
Adele’s audition aria
Adieu, notre petite table
Batti batti
Bel raggio lusinghier
Che tua madre
Chi il bel sogno di Doretta
Durch Zärtlichkeit
Ebben
Ecco l’orrido campo
Es gibt ein Reich
Fire Aria
How Beautiful It Is
I Want Magic
Kommt ein schlanker Bursch gegangen
Mariettas Lied
No Word from Tom
Nun eilt herbei

Piangero
Qui la voce / Vien diletto
Scoglio d’immota fronte
Stridonò lassu
Tacea la notte placida
Volate amori

MEZZO

Salt of the earth, these mezzi. Always dependable. The runaway favorite on the application lists also turns up as one of the arias most frequently offered.

5X
Smanie implacabili
Wie du warst

3X
Cruda sorte
Que fais-tu
Va

TWICE
Composer's Aria
Must the Winter Come So Soon
Una voce poco fa
Voi che sapete

ONCE
Adalgisa’s Prayer
Card Aria
Che farò
Deh per questo istante
Faites-lui
Iris hence away
Lettres (Werther)
Lullaby from The Consul
Lyubasha’s Aria
Mon coeur
O mio Fernando
Oh la pitoyable aventure
Chaun à son goût
Parto
Pauline's Aria
Seguedilla
Sgombra è la sacra selva
Svegliatevi
Violin aria
What a Movie
Where Shall I Fly

TENOR

The most-listed aria on applications was Tamino's, but it was only actually offered twice. I expect the frequency on the application list is due to our requirement for an aria by Mozart, Rossini, or Handel.

3X
Here I Stand
Una furtiva lagrima

2X
De miei bollenti spiriti
Dies Bildnis
Fra poco
Frisch zum Kampfe
Il mio tesoro
New York Lights
Questa o quella

ONCE
Addio fiorito asil
Care pupille
Del destino (from Florenzia)
Ecco ridente
Heaven Helps Those
Il tuo sangue
La fleur
Mein Lieber Schwan
Pourquoi me reveiller
Recondita armonia
Se all’impero
Si, ritrovarla
The Worm
Un aura amorosa
Vedrommi intorno
Wie ein Rosenknospe
Winterstürme

BARITONE

Like their treble sisters, the baritones are more predictable. (Relax guys; it's not a bad thing.) Count's Aria took the field here, as it did on the application lists.

Pierrot's Tanzlied was also fairly popular, but beware, gentlemen; this isn't as easy to nail as you think it is.

6X
Count’s Aria

5X
Largo al factotum

4X
Lieben, Hassen
Rivolgete
Pierrot's Tanzlied

3X
Ah per sempre
Mab
Silvio

TWICE
Avant de quitter
Toreador
Within this Frail Crucible

ONCE
A quoi bon l’economie
Aleko's Aria
Bella siccome un angelo
Come Paride
Come une pale fleur
E fra quest’ansie
Ford’s Monologue
I Am John Proctor
Non piu andrai
Nulla, silenzio
O lêve-toi soleil
O vin
Onegin's Aria
Onegin's Act III Arioso
Questo amor
Se vuol ballare
Va, vecchio John
Zazà, piccola zingara

BASS & BASS-BARITONE

Figaro's aria edged out Sarastro's, but it's a little unscientific to lump bass-baritones and basses together, so don't draw too many conclusions. I don't separate them out because the self-labeling of these two voice types is all over the map. (As it has every right to be in a demographic with an average age in the mid-late 20's.)

4X
Su vuol ballare

3X
O Isis und Osiris
Quand la flame

TWICE
Come dal ciel
Vecchia zimarra

ONCE
Aleko's Aria
Count's Aria
Bottom's Dream
Hear Me O Lord
Ho capito
I miei rampolli
I’m a lonely man, Susannah
Il lacerato spirito
Infelice
La calunnia
Madamina
Non piu andrai
Piff paff
Schweig
Sorge infausta
Tambour major
Vieni, la mia vendetta
Wie schoen ist doch die Musik

That's it for this year. Please post comments with any corrections/additions!

Audition Arias Offered: Studio Artists

2009-12-07T09:30:00.000-05:00

Here's the list of starter arias offered this fall by singers auditioning for the Studio Artist program. (Younger demographic than the Filene Young Artists; average profile is college senior or first-year grad student.)

SOPRANO

4X
Du gai soleil

3X
Durch Zärtlichkeit
Padre, germani
Sul fil

TWICE
Come scoglio
Kommt ein schlanker Bursch gegangen
Quando m'en vo
Quel guardo

ONCE
Adele's Audition Aria
All that Gold
Bel raggio
Chacun le sait
Depuis le jour
Dich theure Halle
Douce enfant
Emily's Aria from Our Town
I Go To Him
I Have Dreamt
Je dis
Je veux vivre
Marietta
Non mi dir
O luce
O quante volte
Olympia’s Aria
Pamina’s Aria
Piangerò
Quickly, Quickly
(Rachmaninoff song)
Saper vorreste
Se pieta
Somehow I Never Could Believe
(Strauss song)
The Trees on the Mountain
Tu che di gel
Una voce
Willow

MEZZO

4X
Que fais-tu

TWICE
Smanie implacabili
Va

ONCE
Addio sospiri
Air des champetres
All'afflitto
I do not judge you
Iris Hence Away
Must the Winter Come So Soon
My Man's Gone Now
Non so piu
O ma lyre
Parto
Things Change, Jo
Una donna
Una voce
What a Movie
What a Wonderful Party

TENOR

TWICE
Ecco ridente
Il mio tesoro

ONCE
Ah mes amis
Albert the Good
Amor ti vieta
Che gelida manina
Ciel e terra
Dies Bildnis
Flower Song
Fuor del mar
Here I Stand
I'll Sail Upon the Dog Star
Lonely House
Prologue from Turn of the Screw
Quanto e bella
Questa o quella
Una furtiva lagrima
Vainement
Zarzuela aria from Amor vida

BARITONE

TWICE
Papageno's Suicide Scene

ONCE EACH
Ah per sempre
Avant de quitter
Count’s Aria
Die Ihr schwebet
Donne mie
Ho capito
Honor and Arms
Largo
Lieben, Hassen
Mab
Medaglie incomparabili
Pierrot
Questo amor
Sibillar
Silvio
Simple Song
Warm as the autumn light
When the air sings of summer

BASS & BASS-BARITONE

TWICE
Il lacerato spirito

ONCE
O Grim-look'd Night
Una voce mal colpito
Madamina

That's it! If you spot errors, comment below and I'll fix.

Congratulations!

2009-12-02T22:45:00.003-05:00

John Musto's & Mark Campbell's Volpone, recorded live at The Barns in 2007 and issued by Wolf Trap Recordings, has been nominated for a Grammy!

Buy it here, buy or download here; or download from iTunes!

Links to Fall 2009 Aria Frequency Lists

2009-11-24T22:20:00.000-05:00

The Aria Frequency Lists for this fall's audition tour are found in separate blog posts:

Soprano
Mezzo
Tenor
Baritone
Bass & Bass-baritone

These lists represent the frequency with which individual arias were listed in audition packages of singers in that voice type. Next week I'll compile and post the list of arias offered as first choices in each category.

Here, in the gratitude list tradition, is my Thanksgiving week five at the end of this audition tour:

8,000 miles of safe travel.
1,000 arias that made us laugh and cry.
Good health. For even though the last few weeks made me cranky, tired and fat(ter), I stayed healthy. :)
Colleagues who are smart, funny, flexible and forgiving.
Family. And mine is the best.

Happy Thanksgiving.

Aria Frequency List: Soprano

2009-11-24T21:56:00.001-05:00

The following list was compiled from the arias listed on audition applications of singers who were heard during this fall's WTOC audition tour. The number in bold refers to the number of singers in this voice type who listed each aria. (This does not refer to the arias actually heard in auditions; that list will follow in December.)

THE WINNER, AGAIN (31X)
Ach ich fühl's

RUNNER-UP (15X)
No word from Tom / I go to him

11X
Deh vieni
Je dis que reien ne m’épouvante

10X
Come scoglio
Je veux vivre
Song to the Moon (Rusalka)

9X
Be kind and courteous
Caro nome
Depuis le jour
Oh! quante volte

8X
Chi il bel sogno di Doretta
Du gai soleil
Embroidery aria
Je suis encor
Mir ist die Ehre (Presentation of the Rose)
Quel guardo / So anch'io
Sul fil d’un soffo etesio

7X
Du gai soleil
Durch Zärtlichkeit
Non mi dir
Piangerò
Prendi per me
Regnava nel silenzio
Sì mi chiamano Mimì
Tornami a vagghegiar

6X
Ah je ris (Jewel Song)
Dich teure Halle
Gold is a fine thing (Silver Aria)
Qui la voce

5X
Adieu notre petite table
Dove sono
Glitter and be gay
Gluck das mir verbliebt (Marietta's Lied)
Padre germani addio
Porgi Amor
Zerbinetta's aria

4X
Ah! fuggi il traditor
Amour ranime mon courage
Batti batti
Come now a roundel
Das war sehr gut
Der Hölle Rache
Donde lieta uscì
Emily's Aria from Our Town
Fire aria
Il est doux
Kommt ein schlanker Bursch' gegangen
Lia's recitative and aria (Azaël)
O luce di quest'anima
Quando m'en vo
Steal me

3X
Ah chi mi dice mai
Ah! non credea / Ah non giunge
Ain't it a pretty night
Chacun le sait
Come per me sereno
Da tempeste
Dearest Mama
Ebben ne andro lontana
Ernani involami
I want magic
Je marche / Obéissons (Gavotte)
Nun eilt herbei
O zittre nicht
Ou va la jeune Hindoue? (Bell song)
Presentation of the Rose
S'altro che lagrime
Stridono lassù
Willow song

2X
Bel raggio
Comme autrefois
Dis moi que je suis belle
Einsam in trüben Tagen
Endless pleasure
Es gibt ein Reich
Gothic cathedral
Have peace Jo
How beautiful it is
Je suis Titania
Joy beyond measure, mother!
Klänge der Heimat (Czàrdàs)
La maja y el ruiseñor
Lady with a Hand Mirror (Postcard from Morocco)
Les oiseaux dans la charmille
Martern aller Arten
O mio babbino caro
O wär' ich schon
Or sai
Par le rang / Salut à la France
Se il padre perdei
Steal me sweet thief
Tu che di gel
What good would the moon be

ONCE
Adele's Audition aria
Ah fors'è lui / Sempre libera
Aria Snegurochka (Snowmaiden's aria)
At night we dream of love (Heggie)
Bester Jüngling
Chanson du Rossignol
Che tua madre
Der kleine Taumann heiss'ich
Di cor mio
Do not utter a word
Du bist der Lenz
Ecco lorrido campo...Ma dallarido stelo divulsa
Elle a fui
Go to sleep, my dolly dear
I always carry a handmirror
I can smell the sea air
I have dreamt
I know you love me, Tom (Hotel Casablanca)
Il primo ardor
In uomini
Injurious Hermia
Io son l'umile ancella
L’altra notte
Ma quando tornerai
Marfa's Aria (The Tsar's Bride)
Mein Herr Marquis (Laughing song)
Meine Lippen, sie küssen so heiss
Merce, dilette amiche
Mi tradì
Myself I shall adore
Neghittosi or voi che fate
Non disperar
O Dieu Brahma
Ombre pallide
Partir, o ciel, desio
Pleurez mes yeux
Qual farfalletta
Ruhe sanft
Scoglio d'immota fronte
Son pochi fiori
Son vergin vezzosa
Tacea la notte / Di tale amor
Tatyana's Letter Aria
Ten lasky sen (Bartered Bride)
This is the face....
Trahir Vincent... Mon coeur ne paut changer (Mireille)
Trees on the mountain
Un bel dì vedremo
Vissi d’arte
Vivan los que rien
Volate, amori
Welche Wonne welche Lust
Zachem zhe eti slyozy (Lisa's First Act Aria)
Zeffiretti lusinghieri

Aria Frequency List: Mezzo-soprano

2009-11-24T21:53:00.001-05:00

Aria Frequency List: Tenor

2009-11-24T21:52:00.000-05:00

Aria Frequency List: Baritone

2009-11-24T21:50:00.002-05:00

Aria Frequency List: Bass & Bass-baritone

2009-11-24T21:38:00.000-05:00

National Opera Week on the Road

2009-11-21T09:50:00.003-05:00

The Saturday morning sunrise from my New York hotel room was some consolation for having to be up at 6am to catch the train to Philadelphia.

My personal tally at the end of this, National Opera Week 2009:

4 operas (Lohengrin, Esther, Stradella, & The House of the Dead)
188 auditions
393 arias
17 monologues
9 interviews
7.5 hours of research

Still working on the Aria Frequency List for this tour; look for it by midweek.

Philadelphia today, and Vienna VA for the next 3 days. Much sleep is needed, but the finish line is in sight!

The Tough Call

2009-11-18T12:24:00.001-05:00

A lunch hour post, for I'm feeling a bit guilty at my blogging track record this time around. Seems that I can either do things or write about them, but not both...

We implemented a callback audition procedure a couple of years ago, and it has served us well. We only have one trip around the country to sort out all of our casting, for we have no other system that allows us to do preliminaries and finals. We can't stay out on the road any longer than we do, and I don't believe it would be fair to ask people in whom we are interested to pay for a special trip to Wolf Trap. That means that we have to think fast and answer a lot of questions in a short audition.

Until a few years ago, we did it all within the standard 10-minute appointment, but now we have the option to ask singers to come back at the end of the day (or midday, if there's a cancellation) to sing again. Not only does it give us a chance to discuss amongst ourselves and then hear some new material, it also gives all of us a chance to push the reset button and see each other anew. (Sounds dopey, but perspective changes, and a second, slightly removed, hearing is often illuminating.)

Anyway, the mechanics involve recording a hotline voice mail message with the names and appointment times for the singers who, based on their initial audition, we are considering seriously for this year's roster. The flip side of that is that if your name is not on the recording, that means your resume didn't make it into the "finalist" pile for this year.

I'm enough of a sad sack bleeding heart that it nearly kills me to record the damn voice mail. Twice a day. (No sympathy requested; if I haven't figured this out by now, it's my own fault.)

If you're not on the callback list, it doesn't mean that you sang a bad audition, or that there is necessarily anything dramatically wrong. There are almost as many reasons for not getting on the finalist list as there are singers. Completely individual. It just means that on this particular day at this particular time we don't find you among the 8-10 most compelling singers in your Fach. (It's disturbing math, but there it is. We hire an average of 16 Filene Young Artists, and usually pull those from about 50 finalists. Those 50 came from the initial 1,000. This is not to make you despair, just to give some perspective. There are plenty other YAPs and companies out there.)

We were talking this morning about how astonishingly revealing it is to hear this many auditions every year. My colleagues who do this regularly understand the phenomenon, but it's so hard to explain it to others who don't have the benefit of this long view.

It's not that I have any supernatural ability to make sense of what we hear in auditions - it's just that the sheer quantity itself tells a compelling story. It's a messy story, to be sure, but its details are clear. You quickly begin to understand what's unimportant and what's critical. For Wolf Trap alone, I've heard an average of 350-400 singers each season for the last 17 years (more over the last few years because of our Studio), so I've clocked somewhere between 6,000-7,000 auditions. Easily 15,000+ arias. You don't have to be a rocket scientist to make deductions from that kind of volume.

I do want to stress that although I throw around numbers to make this sound scientific, it is decidedly not. It's quite subjective, in fact. There are commonalities in good singing, of course, but once the basic parameters are met, preferences are unavoidably individual. We do our best to try to be as objective as we can, but there's a place where art and science diverge. And many of our decisions have to be made beyond that point.

Although the WTOC is terribly proud of its record in participating in the developing careers of several generations of fabulous singers, there are terrific artists who we passed over during our auditions. If you didn't get called back, perhaps you'll be another one of those.

So there you have it - back to some more singing this afternoon. I will try to compile this year's Aria Frequency List tonight and get it on the blog shortly. And I hope to be back by week's end with a summary of how I spent National Opera Week :)

Midwest Musings

2009-11-13T11:12:00.000-05:00

This part of the tour is always too much of a whirlwind. Too many good singers, and too few hours in the day. It was a quick 8-hour turnaround from Wednesday night's arrival in Cincinnati to our morning departure from the hotel. And Thursday was dense, with only a half-hour for lunch, and a dash to the airport at the end of the day.

So, befitting our scattered state of mind, some random observations:

Chicken and Egg

I have a slight resistance to a certain Britten opera that shall remain nameless. (Normally I adore Britten, but I have a specific block about this one.) Anyway, an aria from said opera was offered the other day, and since I knew the singer very well, I allowed myself the atypical luxury of a groan. The end of the story? He sang the spots off the scene, and I was won over. I've thought a lot about it, and I have a theory.

So often this opera is sung by young singers whose technique and artistry are still developing, and as a result, I've gotten used to hearing it sung without a lot of legato, expressive flexibility, or finely tuned pitch center. And I've begun to equate those student performances with the piece itself. Sung with detail, accuracy and sensitivity, it took on a whole new aura.

The Delight is in the Details

Our Studio Artist candidates offer a brief contemporary monologue as part of their audition package. Some of them dread being asked for it, as their training and confidence as actors tends to lag behind their musical development. But I'm here to tell you that even though many of them aren't thrilled to perform their monologues, we find a lot more detail in those brief scenes than we do in the arias they've been working on for months or years.

The take-away here? Please please find as much detail, interest, and context in your singing as possible. A single generic emotion spread out over 5 minutes of music does not cut it, even if that emotion is extraordinarily strong and heartfelt.

It's Not About You

Don't sing for yourself.

Or to yourself.

It's not about you. It's about the audience, the music, and the characters that connect the two. I know that you feel it deeply, otherwise you probably wouldn't still be at this crazy game. But you have to get out of your head (and your heart) if you want us to come along with you. Don't be indulgent and selfish

I don't know if this makes sense, but this distinction is a big one.

LA: Epilogue

I said I'd post on Sunday after the MONC competition finals, and I failed. It was a marvelous weekend, and I thoroughly enjoyed being able to make a small contribution to the marvelous talent discovery machine that is the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions. But the process of adjudicating those auditions is necessarily very different than what we do in our casting for Wolf Trap, and I'm happy to be back in my comfort zone.

While I was in LA, I heard the LA Phil and Gustavo Dudamel in Verdi's Requiem, and it was an unforgettable experience. All forces were on the top of their game - newly engaged by, it seemed - this piece of standard repertoire. There's a lot of buzz around this new music director, and (is not always the case) it's so lovely to discover something behind it. And on top of that, I adored being in Disney Hall. Too many times one tolerates the physical space in order to hear a performance - in this case, it was completely comfortable and aesthetically pleasing to be there. What a refreshing change.

Chicago: The No Caffeine Zone

2009-11-10T18:32:00.002-05:00

We've settled into a new audition space in Chicago for 2 days. The management at Classical Symphony Hall is taking very good care of us, and we appreciate being able to listen to voices in a space that doesn't fight against us. The acoustic isn't luxuriously live, but the ceilings are high, and the sound is true. The singers don't seem to mind it, and it's easy to listen.

The only problem is that there's absolutely no food or drink (except water) allowed in the space. And listening to 40 auditions a day (as we did today) without access to coffee is a bit of a stretch. Yes, I'm chemically dependent on caffeine. But the best part was that when I posted the coffee-free-audition-room as my Facebook status update, I received a flurry of comments, the volume of which is normally reserved for announcements of the birth of children and landmark birthdays: 35 comments so far, including:

That just isn't right.
A crime against God and nature.
NOOO!
Gasp!
Maybe you can beam it in and use a Tarnhelm.
No coffee? Is that legal? NOT right!
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Oh, wow. Just imagine me trying to deal with this. I am getting worked up just thinking about it
NO COFFEE?!?! how is that legal?!
OMG somebody break in there and help that woman!
Clearly, I'm not the only one with an addiction.

Close Your Eyes, Change Your Brain

Now might be a good time to mention why I close my eyes. I'm not sleeping. (Go ahead, link through; it's a short article.)

Although I'm not a highly visual person, I seem to identify so closely with singers while I'm watching them that I have a hard time turning off my inner cheerleader/coach. ("Come on now... Breathe... Stick with the phrase... You can do it...") I've found that if I close my eyes, I can absorb what I hear far more clearly and thoroughly.

Of course, it's a technique to use sparingly, for part of the singer's allure is visual, and I certainly want to experience the visual nuances of the performance. But true to the research, the amygdala (of which I've nerdily written once before) is an amazingly strong barometer of emotional impact of an experience. My left brain is so busy shuffling resumes, looking at rep lists, and documenting the audition that I need a quick way to hook back into the non-clinical aspects of the moment. And closing my eyes is just the ticket.

Interlude: MONC Auditions

2009-11-07T17:06:00.000-05:00

I'm on a mid-audition-tour busman's holiday this weekend, judging the Metropolitan Opera National Council Western Region auditions in Los Angeles on the beautiful campus of USC. A high level of singing, enjoyable colleagues, and marvelously friendly and efficient MONC staff and volunteers make it a pleasure.

Today we were in the Newman Recital Hall of the Thornton School of Music for preliminaries, and tomorrow the finals take place in Bovard Auditorium. I'm taking advantage of a night off tonight to catch the LA Phil in Verdi's Requiem. More tomorrow.

Technology in the Audition Room

2009-11-06T23:55:00.000-05:00

We kicked off the fall audition tour with a strong start in Los Angeles, and as I was emptying my portable office of its seemingly endless gear, I was reminded of this NY Times article from last summer. I bookmarked it with a reminder to revisit this topic during the audition tour, and this seems like a good time. Clearly, sending casting updates and audition comments via Twitter crosses a line. But the location of that line is much harder to see when you're near it.

Full disclosure: this is how technology helps us in the audition room.

Computers

Yes, we use laptops. And no, we are not trying to be rude or ignore you. I've seen plenty of audition panels eat their lunches, do crossword puzzles, manicure their nails, and doze. Being rude does not require a computer, and typing on a laptop does not constitute an affront. Fact is, I can touch-type 10 times faster than I can write, and I can do it while I watch you perform.

Databases

I've kept the same auditions database for 16 years. The layouts are set up so that while we're listening to a singer, any previous years' audition comments are off the active screen. You can scroll to see them, but don't have to be influenced by them. And at the end of the day we can put all of our comments side-by-side so that we can see patterns.

Reference Media

We make video and audio recordings of each audition. They are saved onto hard drives. When we have our group of finalist candidates for the season, we review this media. It's always illuminating, and not in predictable ways.

Going back to the performances helps jog our memories of those auditions, and it gives us a chance to re-experience them (or a digital vestige of them) on a different day at a different time in different circumstances. They fill out the picture and help begin our deliberations. After casting is finished, the files are deleted. They've served their purpose, and the aggregate size is too large to archive anyway.

Printer

Yes, we travel with a printer. We print revised schedules for the day, keep track of possible repertoire as it emerges, and - most importantly - print boarding passes so we can sprint to the plane at the end of the day :)

Instant Messaging

And here is where I'm sure I'll get into trouble with someone. We use IM to decide on which aria to ask for next. It is way more efficient and thorough than hushed 3-way conversations while the singer is waiting at the other end of the hall. We can think through possible 2nd aria requests quickly and make sure we're choosing wisely.

I know that some of you think we're carrying on casual and unrelated IM correspondence during your audition. Although that might be tempting for the first few minutes or hours using this technology, in reality, it's far more boring than that. There's a lot to be done in documenting your audition - listening fiercely, writing comments that will help us make finalist and casting decisions, jotting down notes that may be helpful to singers when they request feedback, figuring out what the best 2nd choice will be - and there's really no time to chit-chat.

Social Networking

No, we're not going to tweet our audition comments. I think everyone realized that that was just plain stupid. But I am about to blog my 6th audition tour, and that's always a little scary. I started this blog because I believed that singers and fans alike deserved to know more about what really goes on behind the curtain and behind the audition table. Yet it's extremely difficult to do that without invading privacy. I hope that I have managed so far, and I will continue to do so. There are some things that are simply private. There are others that deserve to be openly acknowledged and discussed. Then there's a third list that includes important knowledge for aspiring singers but needs to be obfuscated in some way when the story is told.

The opera world and the arts in general have gotten way more transparent since I started writing in the fall of 2004, and that's a wonderful thing. Hurtful gossip and twisted storytelling will always spread like wildfire, and it's only fair that we now have news ways of counteracting that by keeping the real and important conversations open.

Happy Fifth Bloggiversary

2009-11-05T13:37:00.000-05:00

Well, it was on Wednesday, but I missed it.

Now We Are Five.

Sweating Small Stuff... Seeing Forests for Trees... Wholes Being Greater than Sums of Parts ...

2009-11-04T13:46:00.001-05:00

As we prepare for our California auditions, I thought this would be a great opportunity for a guest post. Joshua Winograde, Artistic Planning Manager for LA Opera, is a great friend and colleague of the WTOC, and he spent several chunks of his career so far with us - as a Filene Young Artist, as the originator of the title role in Volpone, and as the administrative engine behind the development of the Wolf Trap Opera Studio.

I keep telling Josh he should have his own blog, but he seems to prefer sending guest posts for mine... Hmmmm

Sweating Small Stuff... Seeing Forests for Trees... Wholes Being Greater than Sums of Parts ...

There are endless adages encouraging people to see the larger point, even at the expense of detail. They are wise sayings, and apply to many situations. But believing in these morsels of wisdom too much can be a downward spiral for singers. I'd like to propose that seeing too much of the bigger picture (or at least DWELLING on it) can be bad.

You know when you learn a word for the first time, and then over the course of the following week you hear it seemingly in every newscast, radio show, and conversation you have? Well, over the last two weeks I have come across 3 situations that involve the exact same theme: "DO

SWEAT THE SMALL STUFF" (AKA "PAY ATTENTION TO THE TREES", AKA "THE PARTS ARE GREAT, TOO"). So I saw it as a sign to get this information out there ...

I offer this important disclaimer first: Nothing applies to everything or everyone across the board. So don't take this too literally ...just some food for thought.

(By the way, all details have been adjusted ever so slightly without altering the point. So don't bother trying to guess who these are about ... you won't, and you'll end up spending 10 fruitless hours on google :))

Situation #1

A young and very talented conductor friend of mine was lamenting recently about his career not being quite as important (yet) as he had hoped it would be by his age. He used the wondrous, spectacular, unreal, phenomenal Gustavo Dudamel as an example of what he hoped he would have accomplished by HIS 30th birthday. The large picture was this: "Dudamel is my age, why am I not famous? What can he do that I could not, if given the same opportunity? Why don't I have MY own orchestra? Why are LA's streets not covered with posters of ME?"

First I want to just point out that my friend is NOT an egomaniac. He is just concerned that the WHOLE seems to be LESS than the sum of his parts. So I asked him the following questions: "Well, what about the time you guested with the XXXXX Symphony last year?" "Oh," he said, "that was kind of a bomb. The orchestra hated the piece and I had a cold so I wasn't very pleasant or charismatic or inspiring." My response? "When was the last time Dudamel was UN-inspiring, do you think, even with a cold and a horrible composition?" The answer, of course, is NEVER.

My advice was simple. Don't worry about the big picture. Just be excellent. Don't think about Dudamel's explosive career. Just conduct well. Don't worry about whether there might be a chance for you to catch up with someone your own age who is doing much better than you. JUST. BE. EXCELLENT. The next time you conduct, do it well. Someone will hear it and will tell someone else how amazing you were, but DON'T think about that. The next time you are in front of an orchestra, just be excellent. They'll love you because you were excellent, and you'll get another job from it, or an agent, or a poster on the street. But you'll have gotten those things because you were excellent, not because of a larger, abstract agenda to be famous, likable, charismatic, etc. And I am sorry to say that, very often but not always, if you didn't get good things as a result of your performances, it's because they weren't excellent. Got it?

Situation #2

One of today's most famous directors just told me this story about his first big break. He had been the assistant director for many years of another SUPER famous director, and was given the opportunity to finally direct his own show. It happened to star several of the most famous singers in the world, and he was FREAKED. "How do I make sure they like me? How are they going to react to some young, unknown punk telling them what to do? How will they take me

seriously? What if I bomb?" This young director took his concerns to his mentor (the SUPER famous one), who replied with this: "Start by fixing their mistakes."

It was a revelation to this young AD (who by the way had a HUGE success). In other words, don't worry about their perception of your expertise. Just fix mistakes. Don't get hysterical about whether this will get good reviews. Just direct well. You can't control whether they have already formed an unjust opinion of you since learning their director was an unknown punk. JUST. BE. EXCELLENT.

The famous singers will tell all their famous friends about how great you were. People will ask you for the DVD to see your work. You will be hired again by the same company. But it will be because you directed excellently, not because you somehow strategized to become loved, or successful, or to get good reviews.

Situation #3

I saw a video of a cello master class taught by the most successful cellist in recent history. The student he was working with was getting flustered by his critiques, not because the teacher was impatient or unclear, but because the young cellist student said she "couldn't quite get a complete picture of the appropriate Bach style" he was asking for. His response: "Start by playing beautifully. And in tune." There was dead silence for about 10 LONG seconds before they just continued. It was as if the statement was so simple that no one could understand it.

By this point in my ramblings, you get it ...

So in summary, how does this apply to singers? Are you anxious about your career? Do you want us to like you? Are you unclear about which managers to approach? Are you confused about which YAPs might want you? Do you want desperately to understand bel canto style? Mozart recits? Handel ornamentation? Do you want to make a good impression and be re-engaged by the company you are working at currently? Do you want to get on the good side of someone important? Blah blah blah ... forest for the ... whole is greater ... too big picture ... waste of time ... yuck.

Start by singing excellently. The next time I hear you, be excellent. Sing beautifully. And in tune. Pronounce your words excellently. Is your top short? Fix it. Do people tell you that you go flat sometimes? Fix it. Make it excellent. Are your runs sloppy? Fix them. Are your recits unnatural and "un-Italian"? Make them idiomatic. The next time you sing, and the time after that, too, just do a REALLY good job. Trust me, if you are excellent, we'll like you. You'll get re-engaged. You'll get a job like Dudamel's. Your Bach style will be wonderful.

YES ... I can hear the screams from here. "Do a good job? That is so abstract and more complicated than you think! This makes no sense! If I COULD just be excellent I wouldn't need to keep studying! You can't just WILL yourself to sing in tune, JOSH!!! Coloratura is hard!"

And you are absolutely right if you thought any of these things to yourself. I have completely over-simplified the process and I myself can hardly believe some of the idealistic and intangible things I've said. But if you REALLY don't think anything I have said applies to the coming audition season and to the rest of your career, then please allow me to tie this up cleverly in a sweet little bow: maybe you just can't see the forest for the trees.

IAD-LAX-ORD-CVG-IAH-JFK/NYP-PHI-WAS

2009-11-03T13:28:00.003-05:00

And we're off. 7 cities, 6 airports, 3 train stations, dozens of cabs and one car rental later, we'll end up back here at Thanksgiving - with any luck, ready to cast 3 operas for next summer.

I'll write as often as possible from the road - cities and dates below at right.

Tonight I try to stuff 3 weeks' worth of clothing, computer gear, audio/video archive equipment, and audition paperwork into one checked back and one carry-on. The travails of travel await, but this will make it all better this year.

See you from the left coast in a few days.

Expert Friday: Tips from Texas

2009-10-30T14:36:00.002-04:00

On our final expert Friday, some combined advice from Kathleen Kelly and Laura Canning of the Houston Grand Opera Studio:

Don't Second-Guess!

We like hearing you sing; we know auditioning is hard and we want you to do well. Don't try to second guess what I want you to sing, or wear, or say. Just be true to yourself. Every panel wants something different- every MEMBER of every panel wants something different!

Your Aria List

Make sure you choose your starting piece carefully. Don't choose something long just because you think you're only going get to sing one aria - that can be a self-fulfilling prophecy. Know how to get from your first piece to every other item on your list. Don't presume you know what the panel are going to ask for second. Do provide contrast, as otherwise why would we choose a second aria? If on the day you don't feel up to your stretch piece, take it off your list.

Pianists

Send music / repertoire info in advance if it's not standard, especially if you're planning to start with that aria. Take 20 seconds to talk to your pianist before you start. Make sure you sing at your tempo, not his or hers. Don't take your own pianist unless you're sure they're better than the one provided!

Venues

Don't presume there is somewhere to warm up / change at the venue without checking. If you're running late, phone!

Have an Opinion

Have an opinion; have many opinions, and bring them to the table. Nothing is deadlier than music managed rather than lived, performance designed not to offend. Avoid asking for permission in the moment of performance. Sometimes I feel like auditioners are painting themselves white, like apartments that could be rented by anyone. Believe that we truly want to know who you are.

In the service of the above - work religiously and scrupulously to inform yourself of everything, from how Italian vowels sound, to where the orchestra can and can't allow you to take time, to the areas in which your own voice and body are most and least capable. That work will last the rest of your life, so it won't be finished when you audition - but we can tell if you are doing it or not.

And finally, I just ran across this terrific audition advice blog from Bill Florescu of Florentine Opera Company: The Opera Audition.

Your Audition Partner at the Piano

2009-10-29T10:40:00.001-04:00

First, a list from a few seasons ago, when my colleague Thomas Lausmann sat on the audition panel with me:

What Makes a Fabulous Audition Pianist?

Listening. The ability to put the playing in subconscious mode and use most of the conscious mind to take in all of the details of the performance and become a split-second collaborator for singers the pianist has never met.
Flexibility. Turning on a dime to respond to the unexpected – a mis-timed entrance, a sudden change in tempo, an ill-marked cut in the printed music, a book (or, perish the thought, a stray piece of loose music) that won’t stay on the rack.
ESP. The ability to know sometimes a singer grinds to a halt not because he wants to, but because he can’t help himself. The pianist must gently prod the tempo. The ability to know that a singer’s desired tempo is predicated on the length of phrase she can sustain or the very specific speed that the coloratura must move in that particular voice.
Tolerance. Auditioners are a nervous lot. Normally sane, pleasant people can become pretty tightly wound in the audition room. Face it – the pianist is physically closer to the singer than any of us, and some of that wears off.
Musicality. We notice this and are thankful for it almost hourly. Singers feel it in their bones even if they don’t acknowledge it consciously. A well-shaped phrase, an interlude or prelude that actually encourages the singer to join in the music-making – that’s what it’s all about.

Your Responsibility

We realize that the audition pianist is a variable that changes from company to company, from day to day, from location to location. Safest to let go of whatever expectation you may have. Control the variables you can. The pianist is not one of them. So, best to think slightly conservatively.

If you're kind of new at this audition stuff, you don't need a lot of curves thrown at you. Bring a pianist (preferably a good one, please...) if some of your rep is non-standard. But be sure that your pianist can play your rep better than a typical company-provided pianist. I've seen too many singers undone by their own colleagues.

If you're getting a bit more experienced and comfortable, you can always take a chance, though. Here's the most important thing: Be able to sing your aria without getting rattled even if the piano isn't helping you. Give your aria to a pianist friend who isn't good at sight-reading. See if you can prevail while s/he accompanies you. It is possible. We recognize when there is a singer/pianist problem, and generally, unless you allow it to hamstring you, it doesn't end up being a huge liability. It's a sliding scale, to be sure.

Don’t snap your fingers at the pianist to indicate tempo. Aside from being slightly irritating (don't ask me why, it just is... I've been on the receiving end myself), it's rarely functional. I have yet to see a singer indicate a tempo (by clapping, snapping, conducting, etc) that bears a real resemblance to the actual speed of the aria.

Take a look back at this post in Week 3 for practical considerations when prepping your music for the audition pianist.

Audition Room Protocol

2009-10-28T15:01:00.004-04:00

Don't spend a lot of time obsessing about how to relate to the audition panel. Auditions aren't cocktail parties, and other than avoiding the appearance of being extraordinarily grumpy and crank, there's not a lot to worry about.

Greetings

First of all, there's no reason to walk to the opposite end of the room to shake hands. I know panel members who are firmly against this and others who are mildly irritated by it. Almost no one thinks it's a great idea, and it's almost never not awkward. I have no strong opinion, but these kinds of formalities do slow things down terribly. You get a limited amount of time allotted, and you want to use it to sing, not to work the room.

If the panel is paying attention when you enter, it's perfectly appropriate to greet us with "Good afternoon" etc. We try to greet everyone before they have a chance to wonder what to say/do, but sometimes we get caught up in paperwork. The niceties aren't compulsory, though - it's just fine to say nary a word, give your music to the pianist, position yourself by the piano, and then speak.

Paperwork

Most of the time, the panel has your materials. If you need to submit a rep list change (where allowed), often the monitor can handle it. If not, deliver it to the panel with a smile, then get right to the main event.

Introduction

It is always helpful for the panel to hear your name. If our system is working well, we'll know who you are; but sometimes things get out of sequence and we get confused. "Good afternoon. My name is Kim Witman" should do it.

If you know for sure that you are to choose your own first selection, announce it. But don't over-announce it. "I'd like to sing Aria Name" should be plenty. If it's a rare piece, then expand into "I'd like to sing Aria Name from Opera Name." But no need to turn it into an exercise in public speaking (as in "I'd like to sing Aria Name, Character's third act aria in Opera Name by Composer Name). We either have a rep list, and/or we're smart enough to fill in most of those blanks if we know the name of the aria. You'll probably just end up getting tongue-tied even if you've practiced it to within an inch of its life.

Summary?

Be efficient and pleasant. Then sing.

Audition Room Acoustics

2009-10-27T15:00:00.004-04:00

The annual search for decent audition spaces in various cities across the country is a huge challenge. Some of the spaces we use are typical opera house rehearsal halls, and we're all familiar with how they feel, look, and sound. But occasionally we end up in a space at one of the two extremes of the acoustic spectrum.

1. The Bathroom/Stairwell Acoustic

Singers initially love the fact that everyone sounds huge in such a space. But quickly, some grapple with the fact that once the sound gets rolling around, it's very difficult to zero in on pitch. Simply, hard to hear. What’s surprising is that a live acoustic actually picks up and magnifies certain troublesome aspects of certain kinds of voices.

For us, this kind of environment is the aural equivalent of squinting for 2 days, trying to zero in on the core of the sound and ignore the noise around it. All of the upper partials are exaggerated, and although this can flatter the occasional muted, dark voice, anyone with any natural squillo in the sound can peel the paper off the walls.

2. Singing Into a Sock

If forced into either end of the spectrum, this is what we often choose. And I'm here to try to convince you that you actually have a better chance in this kind of environment. For in a dry acoustic, we know that we have to mentally add a certain amount of bloom and resonance to everyone's sound, and that tends to make us charitable. (As opposed to the hyper-live acoustic, where the mental exercise is one of subtraction.) We actually tend to deliberately overlook (or minimize) some things because we know how naked the sound is.

But singers have to have the technical foundation and discipline to resist the urge to push and drive the voice because of a too-dry acoustic. The biggest mistake that inexperienced singers make is to react to dry acoustics by pushing for volume because they don’t hear much sound coming back at them.

Bottom line: Get experienced in and prepared for the entire range of possibilities. For this isn't just limited to audition spaces - there's a similar range of acoustics in the performance halls you'll experience. Work with your teacher to find ways to avoid focusing on the unreliable aural feedback and to depend on other, more technically secure ways to know that you're doing your best singing.

Outside the Room

2009-10-26T15:31:00.003-04:00

I'm easing back into work this week, feeling fairly disoriented for reasons good and bad. But today's topic is pretty straight-forward, so I'm in luck.

We get a lot of questions about protocol inside the audition room, and we'll take a look at this topic later this week. For now, though, spare a moment to think about what happens outside that audition room door.

Trash Talk

Singers don't overtly try to get inside each others' heads the way professional athletes do, but there are mind games outside the room. Most artists are fair-minded and collegial, but you will inevitably meet people in the waiting room who think it's in their best interest to undermine the confidence of the competition. Or perhaps it's not even that deliberate - it's possible that they're just trying desperately to boost their own confidence.

Whatever the reason, if a singer in the waiting area is spouting off in a way that intimidates or unnerves you, figure out a way to silence the noise immediately. If it's possible to leave his/her vicinity and wait in another area, do so. If you must stay there, tune into your iPod or your computer. Or engage yourself in quiet conversation of a positive or neutral nature with someone else. Do not let these strutting peacocks make you think any less of yourself.

Routine

Develop one. Don't leave any distracting details to chance.

Get the packing of your clothes and your music down to a science. Be sure you have worn your audition clothes (including shoes!) before and are supremely comfortable in them.

Don't be surprised to find no warm-up rooms. We all do our best, but in most cities, the spaces we rent simply don't have warm-up space available. Develop a strategy (singing in the car, humming in the elevator, whatever it takes), for although this scenario is unfortunate, it's not uncommon.

Give yourself as much time as possible to get there, and have a plan for what you will do with the extra waiting time you will have if you're lucky. (Don't use it to worry; be thoughtful about what will relax and prepare you, whether it's listening to music, reading, doing sudoku or stretching.)

And know what degree and kind of conversation you can indulge in without losing your focus. Chit-chatting calms some folks and enervates others.

You Never Know Who's Listening

Please, whatever you do or say should play itself out as if the panel themselves were out there in the waiting room with you. Because very often, the innocuous-looking person who checks you in is closely affiliated with the company for which you're about to sing.

If you distinguish yourself in a negative way in that environment, don't be surprised if your shenanigans become part of the break-time conversation with the panel. We're not needlessly gossiping, nor are we putting you through some sort of test. But if we're considering working with you for a production or a season, it's reasonable that we would be interested in your general level of integrity and professionalism - even when you think no one is looking.

Hiatus

2009-10-16T21:11:00.000-04:00

It's a good thing I'm not getting graded on the audition season mini-course, for I've fallen off the wagon in a big way this week. It was delusional to believe that we could process and review 1,000 audition applications and keep up with the blog at the same time.

In spite of (and somewhat because of) this, I am taking time off next week. I will be off the email/phone grid for the first time in several years, taking my first vacation since 2006 that isn't combined with a playing gig. (Just imagine the extra room in the suitcase without the music notebook and the black dress!) I will be back the week of October 26 to finish up the audition series posts, then on the road for just under 500 auditions starting the week of November. See you soon!

Counting Down

2009-10-09T15:50:00.004-04:00

Just a reminder that if you're interested in applying for an audition in New York, Philadelphia, or Vienna, you have until 12midnight tonight (10/9/09) to do so.

Enjoy your weekend!

Expert Friday: Chicago

2009-10-09T15:06:00.005-04:00

It's a good thing it's Expert Friday, because I have been rendered completely inarticulate by the last 50 hours of application processing. Can't even hold a simple phone conversation. Have no English.

David Holloway is the Director of the Apprentice Singers Program for Santa Fe Opera and Head of the Voice Department at the Chicago College of Performing Arts at Roosevelt University. He offers this description of how the Santa Fe Opera Apprentice Programs helps its singers prepare for auditions:

I work with the Santa Fe Opera apprentices on the MainStage Auditions that they all do every summer for representatives of opera companies and managements, helping them find their unique “voice” that will hopefully give each of them an edge, but at the same time, help make the entire group look “special.” This past August so many people told me afterward how wonderful the singers did in their auditions and talked about how much that auditions situation has improved over the last few years. But that improvement hasn’t happened without a large measure of intention on our parts.

The coaches play an important role, of course, and we asked stage director Kristine McIntyre to work with each of them individually, helping them express the character of the person who sings the aria. We didn’t want them “staged,” but just to express the essence of that unique situation in the opera in their 5 minutes on stage. In some cases it involved minimal movement, in most cases it could be handled within that magic circle near the crook of the piano. Most of the time we are not trying to create stage animals, but rather, performers who seem to be able to find that still, small center, be themselves, stay simple, and show the intention of a character.

We also do mock auditions the week before these auditions where they can show what they have been practicing, and we ask them to dress as if they were doing it so that we can get a sense of what they will do. We took long enough after each audition to speak briefly with the singers, mostly acknowledging anything positive we saw, and in a few cases suggesting what we thought they might do even better. In a few cases we suggested that a change in aria might be in order. Our intention is to help them differentiate themselves one from another. At the same time, we encourage them to support their colleagues in any way they can, to help them deal with their own nervousness and anxiety.

I recently had a brief discussion with Gianna Rolandi, Director of the Ryan Opera Center at the Lyric Opera of Chicago. On the topic of audition attire and appearance, she noted that hair obscuring a singer's face is a huge liability. We also agree that forcing a too-familiar and hyper-friendly approach to the panel is a bad idea. It comes of nervousness, I know, but it's probably best to adopt a relaxed professional demeanor. And Gianna reminds us that it's not a great idea to shake hands with the panel before or after the audition. (Especially during flu and cold season!)

And finally, for thoughts on auditions from Chicago Opera Theater's General Director Brian Dickie, check out this entry on his terrific blog.

Week 5 will start on Tuesday, for I'll be spending Columbus Day at home cranking through the New York audition site applications that are coming in today. Have a great weekend!

Audition Props?

2009-10-08T16:55:00.003-04:00

Now that that's settled...

FINAL DEADLINE for audition applications for summer 2010 is this Friday, October 9 at midnight.
Start here.

Don't Pace & Don't Land the Plane

2009-10-07T15:58:00.005-04:00

What does your audition aria look like from behind the table? Singers worry endlessly about the extent to which they can move in an audition situation.

Should You "Block" Your Aria?

Well strictly speaking, no. You shouldn't perform your audition in the same way you would approach a staged performance. But the exercise of staging your scene has potential to teach you things about it from which you will benefit even when you're standing in one place. So go ahead and play with it - work with a directing coach, explore some options yourself. Then figure out how to make it seem as vivid without traveling all over the room, without furniture, and without props.

One Step Left, One Step Right...

Please don't pace. I know how hard it is. I don't sing, but when I give lectures, I have an extremely hard time keeping the pacing down to a low roar. It's extraordinarily difficult to turn off the auto-pilot and stand in one place. But learning how to do it is worth its weight in gold.

That doesn't mean you can never take a step. If your gestures and movements are purposeful (as opposed to random and/or nervous) and completely integrated with the music and the character in both in quantity and quality, then by all means, take a few steps now and then. Change your focus. But don't pace. If you have any doubt, ask any unbiased observer to tell you whether or not you are pacing. Or make a video and watch it with the sound off and the action speeded up.

Thre's absolutely nothing wrong with operating within a small area if it's done well, But until you can skillfully incorporate purposeful changes of location into your audition, best to stay put.

(Corollaries: Whatever you do, don't stray so far that your pianist loses contact with you. And don't get closer and closer to the audition table - it's a little creepy and it's dysfunctional, for we need to hear what you sound like from at least a few feet away.)

Gestures

It's very difficult to talk about this out of context, but I think I can best contribute by describing the three types of movement that don't work.

1. Technical. Don't conduct yourself. Don't remind yourself about what you need to do in the passaggio by miming through it with your hands.

2. Random. If your arms look as if they belong to someone else, and their movements are not integrated in any way with what you're communicating, we have a problem. So often we see singers whose bodies seem to be completely disconnected from their voices. This is a larger issue, and one that should concern almost everyone. Take every opportunity to work with movement specialists, dancers, and anyone who can help you own your physical space and be comfortable in your own skin. This skill is difficult and surprisingly uncommon.

3. Semaphoric. In which you look as if you're landing an airplane, performing ASL for the hearing impaired, or playing charades. Relax. We don't want to straight-jacket you, but showing what the aria is about in your voice and face is always preferrable to having it mimed for us, and being simple and still can be extremely powerful.

The Spectrum

It's a sliding scale. I've seen plenty of kick-a** auditions that go much further in physicality than I would have advised, and I've seen other unsuccessful auditions that fall well within what we would consider normal limits. Just about the time I figure out where I stand, I change my mind because someone will give a totally successful audition by doing something I didn’t advocate.

Just be aware that if you make a bold choice, it will invariably be intriguing and exciting to some panels and off-putting to others. Believe in it, and be ready to take the credit and the blame.

Tomorrow:

Three Soapboxes

2009-10-06T16:45:00.004-04:00

When I crafted the outline for this set of audition posts, I threw in a day called "Musical Preparation." Well, duh. That's sort of what you do most days every day. I know that, but I just want to call attention to a few specific vocal/musical issues, to make sure they are never overlooked or given short shrift.

First, and foremost:

Intonation

I know that this is a difficult topic, and that it's never something that is scientifically conquerable. It's not as if we need everyone to sound as if they've been put through auto-tune. But get some really honest and reliable feedback from coaches, teachers, colleagues as to whether you are approaching your singing in a way that 1) allows you to center on a pitch and 2) allows that center to be in the right place.

I don't like haranguing, but this is a big deal. A teacher or a school can hear a developing voice with pitch issues, hear the many positives surrounding the problem, and put themselves behind that singer. Pitch problems are not a death sentence, just another challenging component of a technique. But we and many other YAPs and companies are listening to you for the purpose of putting you on a stage. That's what you want after all, right? And we can't put you there if you are a quarter tone flat all the time. Or sharp. Or a little of both. Or with a vibrato with amplitude so large that we don't know where the bullseye is.

Developing a technique is a process, and occasionally you may be in transition, or working through something that wreaks temporary havoc with tuning. But singers must realize that even if we appreciate everything else about your artistry - dramatic depth, musical instincts, exquisite phrasing, impeccable language - if you can't sing on pitch, we can't hire you. Frustrating for both of us.

Next:

Coloratura

Your coaches and teachers have told you. It has to mean something. It must be motivated, have intention, color, detail. We know that you know this. But we very rarely see it put into practice. It’s astonishing how easy it is to see the eyes glaze over, the face go blank, the arms and hands begin to clench. Don’t disappear on us. Trust me, I know how difficult it is. But most of these composers knew what they were doing. We’re not asking you to treat these challenging passages as if they were easy. They exist for musical and dramatic reasons. 1) Figure out exactly what those reasons are, 2) Merge the composer's intentions with your technique and approach to the coloratura, and (this is the hardest one) 3) Make it more than an intellectual exercise. It must, as they say, “read” all the way to the back row.

This isn't an irrelevant task that your coach is giving you; it's for real.

As is the next one:

Text

Please be sure we can understand you, and even more importantly, know what you're singing about. Translate, paraphrase, reinvent, improvise - singers are given the tool of words for a reason. They need to seem as if they come from the very center of your being - from the same place the music lives. While you're singing them, they are yours and only yours. Own them.

We are in the claws of the database this week, with the goal of 60-80 applications and resumes a day. We're working through all of the paperwork for LA, Chicago, Cincinnati, and Houston. If you intend to apply for an audition in one of the remaining cities (New York, Philadelphia, Vienna) the deadline is this Friday, October 9 at midnight.

I'll see you tomorrow with a brief discussion on what your audition arias look like from the other end of the room.

Could We Hear the [Insert Name of Aria Here], Please?

2009-10-05T13:55:00.006-04:00

Coming up this week in our Fall 2009 Audition Mini-Course:

Monday - The Second Aria
Tuesday - Musical Preparation
Wednesday - Physicalization
Thursday - Props
Expert Friday - Chicago-based colleagues weigh in

Do You Have Any Mozart?

Much of the time, you'll get to choose your first audition aria. Sometimes it'll be your only aria, but occasionally, you'll be lucky enough to get to sing two. Or three!

You've gotta love that brief yet amazingly angst-filled moment after you finish your first audition aria. Waiting for the panel to say "Thank you" (translated: "We don't need to hear another aria") or to ask for another selection.

We try to minimize the awkwardness by being ready to ask for your second piece in fairly short order after you finish your opener. (Often, we do this by conferring with each other about the 2nd aria choice via instant message on our computers. Look for a discussion of technology in the audition room next week.) Frankly, I'd rather you take the 15-30 seconds in between to gather your thoughts and prepare yourself, rather than spend it discussing amongst ourselves while you hang out in the front of the room trying not to appear as if you're listening to us argue.

It's one thing to be ready to fully invest yourself, dramatically and vocally, in the first aria of your choice upon which you can focus even before you enter the room. But giving up control and allowing the panel to choose the second piece from among your list of 4 or 5 requires a different skill set.

I only have one main piece of advice: Don't second-guess.

Given the chance, singers grill me endlessly about how we pick second arias. Yes, there is something of a system to it. If your first aria doesn't address very specific issues like coloratura, or legato, or specific language fluency, or extremes of range, we'll often gravitate toward a second aria that answers those questions. But often there are multiple ways to address those questions, and the choice is often less than scientific - sometimes even based on instinct.

No amount of deduction will reveal what you'll be asked for. So stay loose and find a way to look forward to singing whatever it is that gets picked.

I do have one more suggestion: Don't be visibly disappointed in the panel's pick (even if you are), and don't put anything on your list that you aren't completely willing and able to sing. You might be surprised to know that at least a dozen times a season, our request for the second piece is met with shaking of the head, muttering under the breath, exasperated sighing, and actual expressions of disbelief. ("I can't believe you picked that...")

And as I mentioned before, just be glad you won't be judged solely on your best 16 bars in a Broadway cattle call!

Expert Friday: Enjoy Yourself!

2009-10-02T15:55:00.003-04:00

A few choice words of audition advice from Darren Keith Woods, General Director, Fort Worth Opera & Artistic Director, Seagle Music Colony. (And, it just so happens, an alumnus of the WTOC!)

The main piece of advice I would give to a young singer is to sing what they sing best and do not play to the repertoire. Learning an aria for an audition that you haven’t lived with for awhile can be treacherous. You will never sing it as well as something you have coached and worked out – musically and dramatically.

I also like the artist to give me a sense of the dramatic arch of the aria. Don’t just stand and sing – this is not a concert we are hiring you for, we need to see what you bring to the aria dramatically so that we can adequately judge the artist’s ability to put a character across on stage.

Lastly – enjoy yourself. Opera is an amazing, wonderful thing and we are all fortunate to make our livings this way. Perform, enjoy and show us your gifts! That’s all we want.

Enjoy your weekend! If you're applying for an audition spot in LA, Chicago, Cincinnati, or Houston, the deadline is midnight tonight!

What (Not) To Wear

2009-10-01T15:56:00.001-04:00

Today's opera blog episode, in which KPW and Rahree channel Clinton Kelly and Stacy London. (Yeah, I had to ask who they were, too.)

Before we get to the fashion advice...

DEADLINE WARNING!

Tomorrow (Friday October 2) at midnight is the application deadline for an audition in LA, Chicago, Cincinnati or Houston. Please don't overwhelm the internet server at 11:59pm.

If you do apply and you have any doubt about whether or not your payment went through, send us an email before you hit "submit" multiple times. We'll write back and let you know if everything's OK. We don't want to have to process reimbursements for multiple payments. (Some folks believe that paying once is more than enough; paying twice is certainly not a good idea.)

Just like Tuesday's post about headshots, today's entry is highly unscientific. But it comes out of discussions with colleagues, conventional wisdom about audition attire, and from observing over 6,ooo singers in the audition room over the last 15 years.

(Demographic description of contributors: Rahree is a hip 30-something with fabulous taste in clothes. KPW is, uh, well, older than that, and tends to retreat into nondescript black things.)

General Guidelines

Be professional. Wear something that is the singer equivalent of what a 9-5 person would wear to a job interview. Or think about it as Sitzprobe clothes. Within the industry, there's a fairly widespread custom of wearing something polished for a Sitz rehearsal. That's the general category of clothing we're aiming for.

No formal wear. Leave the tuxes and the full-length evening gowns in their dry-cleaning bags. Same with sequins and other über-glitzy options.

Color. Solid, vibrant colors are always welcome. Busy prints add a level of visual white noise that is somehow distracting. Few people make strong statements in washed-out pastels. And, although black is an always defensible choice, it's rarely memorable.

Confidence. Feel like a million bucks in your audition clothes. Don't wear something that someone else prescribes if you feel you're apologizing for your appearance in any way. You and your friends/teacher/circle should agree that you look terrific - there is an intersection, and you can find it.

Comfort. Be able to move. Nothing should constrict your freedom of movement, for both vocal/technical reasons, and for general ease and fluidity of motion.

Familiarity. Don't wear your new stuff for the first time in front of an important panel. Get to know it, so it isn't another variable on a stressful day.

Guys Only

You get to go first because you're easier.

Tie. Probably, but if you can look fabulously turned out with an open collar and jacket, we can be convinced. If you wear a tie, bold colors can work wonders. No cravats, please.

Jacket. Probably, but if you can look irresistible in a crisp shirt and tie, we won't complain.

Neither? You really shouldn't abandon both jacket and tie. Let's just say it's risky.

Hair. Out of your eyes. Usually more of a problem for the ladies, but if you sport some serious locks, make sure they're not obscuring your face.

Accent. Bold tie. Fun socks. An amazing suit. Colorful pocket square if you can bring it off. Helps us remember you.

OK, Ladies...

Foundation. It all starts here. Undergarments. If you have less than 10% body fat and we won't be distracted by jiggling lumps and bumps, then you're safe. Otherwise, be conservative. I don't really want to know that much about what's under your stretchy tight wrap dress, and I don't want to spend the aria wondering if your girls are going to fall out. And if you haven't watched your torso in a mirror during coloratura lately, perhaps it's time to see what we see. There are athletic aspects to your chosen craft, and you should dress for them.

Shoes. Be sure you can walk easily in them and support your singing. We don't really care about open vs. closed toes, but I guess some people do. And character shoes almost never come off well.

Pants are fine. Mezzos or sopranos. They should look classy, and they should fit you well.

Length. Above the knee is dicey, but not impossible. Just be sure you're not going to be singing on a stage well above the panel. (If you're not sure, don't chance it.) And don't delude yourself about whether or not you look good in a short(er) skirt.

Hair. Not in your face. Not overwhelming. Doesn't have to be "pulled back," it just has to not be the mane [sic:)] event.

Accessories. Be careful about shawls and scarves and other things that are not stabilized or otherwise affixed to your person. I don't want to be distracted by wondering how you're going to catch it next. But an accessory that sets you apart is a marvelous thing... an unusual cut to a dress, a vibrant touch of color, an interesting piece (pin, necklace) that doesn't overwhelm. It helps us remember you visually, and it adds energy and detail to your presence.

Come As You Are Tour 2009 !
[WARNING: THIS IS A JOKE. GOT IT. RIGHT? DO NOT TAKE US SERIOUSLY. SERIOUSLY.]

Don’t worry about dressing up – you sing better in grubbies anyway, right?

If we hire you, chances are that we’ll make you wear something fairly crazy anyway, so looking your prettiest/most handsome isn’t really a selling point for us. (This will also keep Rahree from paying too much attention to your cute shoes and not enough to la voce.) Come as you are, and blow us out of the water with your amazing musical talents! And don’t forget to say “hi” on your way in. We’ll be the folks sitting behind the table…

…in our sweats.

The Notebook

2009-09-30T16:04:00.004-04:00

Let's talk about the printed music that comes in the audition room with you. Just a few guidelines - no rocket science here, but you'd be surprised how many folks create stumbling blocks for themselves by ignoring this basic advice.

Music That Stays Open
If you bring actual scores (anthologies or piano/vocal scores), please be sure that they stay open easily. My library science friends cringe when I break the spines of my scores, but that's one of the things they made us do in Piano School to toughen us up. If the book won't stay open, the pianist can barely play, let alone collaborate with you on a higher musical/artistic level.

Hide & Seek
Regardless of whether you bring a book or a notebook, please mark all of the pages carefully - with easy-to-read and clearly marked tabs. If the panel asks for the Donizetti aria, you don't want to have to retreat to the rack to thumb through the book for the pianist. You want to use those precious seconds to prepare yourself for the next aria.

Page Turns
All copied music should be double-sided.

Sheet Protectors
Generally, avoid sheet-protectors. Strictly, if they are non-reflective, they should work, and some pianists don't mind them. But it's always dicey to know which plastic is going to be reflective in which light situations.

Cuts
Mark your cuts extremely carefully. There can be no ambiguity about where a cut begins or ends. Cover cut material with white paper. (Then don't change your mind about wanting to sing what's covered up.)

Cadenzas
Please write in your cadenzas (or at least an approximation of how they end) so the pianist doesn't have to guess about when to meet you at the finish line.

TMI
Don't use a copy of the music that has every single note that you or your teacher has ever written in it. It's hard to read past all of that stuff, and some of it is downright misleading.

Missing Music
At least once every season, someone offers an aria that's not in his/her book. Or sings something that's missing a page (usually the last page.) It sounds so basic, but it's alarmingly easy to do. The notebook does a lot of work for you during the audition season, and it requires careful, thoughtful attention. It's the most basic stuff that'll get you every time.

Short and sweet today. We'll talk about the pianist him/herself in week 5.

Tomorrow, another highly subjective discussion: audition attire.

"There are no rules for good photographs, there are only good photographs."

2009-09-29T16:11:00.006-04:00

Ansel Adams offers consolation as I try to figure out what guidance we could possibly give about headshots. In preparation, my colleague and I surfed through all of the photos that have been submitted to date (about 420), trying to get some sense of current trends and articulate some caveats that we could share. It was surprisingly difficult to draw global conclusions, for the range of acceptable shots was quite wide. We share these observations - take them or leave them, as you wish. (Most of the good stuff is Rahree's. This is not an area in which I have any expertise - the fact that I have opinions about this at all is scary...)

Highly Subjective Random Headshot Advice

Your headshot should bear some resemblance to what you actually look like. Simple. We're not always as well put-together in person as we are in our headshots, but you shouldn't make yourself over so completely that we don't recognize you at all.

Makeup should accentuate, not overpower. The first impression should not be all about the makeup.

Solid color tops, no patterns. Or very gentle ones. They overwhelm facial features so easily.

Here's a weird one: It's actually somewhat useful to have your facial expression telegraph something about your Fach - in a general sense. I find it reassuring to know that the soubrette looking out at me from the computer screen can radiate energy in her headshot. Or that the dramatic soprano or bass-baritone can throw out some intensity. But not too much intensity... see next...

A level of "pleasantness" (yeah, I know, that's probably not a legit word, but I can't come up with anything better) is appreciated. If when asked to write a caption for your headshot, the first things that occur to me are unprintable, this is a problem. And truly, a few photos look like they would spit nails if they could. Angry, pissy, people. Some look as if they were caught in the split second after they smelled something really bad. You don't have to show all your teeth or look as if you're ready to start a clown act, but it's helpful if you look like someone of whom I shouldn't be afraid.

Technical photographic things:

Shoot for sufficient contrast to reveal your facial features. You don't want to look like you've had some unfortunate plastic surgery.
Shadows shouldn't obscure your features.
No need to do extensive artsy post-production. I'm not sure that sepia or an extreme soft focus gradient is helpful.

We want to hire you, not be seduced by you. Yes, your headshot can be too sexy.

Completely subjective on our part, but photos shot looking into the camera seem more communicative. I guess aloof has its place, but as a default headshot, I get far less of a feeling for you than I do when I can see your eyes.

Environmental settings and extra context are great, but be sure that you - and not the gak around you - are the primary focus of the shot.

Above all, please try not to radiate craziness. When you have a satellite headshot taken to use in the Playbill when you sing Elettra, you can trot it out. But for a general audition, it just makes me scared.

The quality of the headshots we see these days is exponentially better than it was just five years ago. There are two sides to this scenario, though.

The good news is that due to digitals formats and the availability of good equipment, even dedicated amateurs are doing some fabulous work. And it costs far less to get yourself a good shot - easily down into the mid-3-figures, where it used to be well over $1,000 just to start.

The tough thing is that the bar is being raised for everyone. I used to see an unfortunate shot and shake my head, suspecting that the aspiring singer probably simply didn't have the money to get a decent one. Now that's not necessarily the case. It's still not terribly cheap, but it's within most people's reach. And you tend to be judged a bit more harshly if your shot isn't competitive.

Eat.Sweat.Blog

Since my own most recent headshot session was not a rousing success due to the 30 extra pounds that have crept back on my frame, I am forcing the entire fall fulltime staff of the WTOC (well, that's Rahree and me...) to take the October Eat.Sweat.Blog challenge. 20 days of workouts, 10 Feats of Healthy Eating, and opportunity to whine about it online! (Not here, of course.) Looking for a kick start for a healthier you? Join us. We'll be the ones on the audition tour with stinky luggage reeking of gym clothes.

Get Your Left Brain Ready

2009-09-28T14:40:00.004-04:00

Inspirational pep talks and creative problem-solving on the shelf for the next few days. Get your left brain in gear, and let's tackle:

The Preparation of Things (Audition Mini-Course Week 3)

Monday - Résumé
Tuesday - Headshot
Wednesday - Aria Notebook
Thursday - Clothes
Expert Friday - We hear from Darren Keith Woods of Fort Worth Opera and Seagle Music Colony.

Your Résumé

We care about this on two levels - one functional (format), and the other less tangible (professionalism/accuracy).

Format

We need to be able to find information fast. If something is buried or not represented cleanly, I may miss it entirely or misinterpret it.

Color: Dark/black only. If your résumé gets printed or photocopied, the sexy light lavender text disappears.
Font: I don't really care about sans serif etc, but don't get too creative. Save the faux cursive fonts for personal correspondence.
Columns: Please please use columns! In addition to reading the information horizontally, it's extraordinarily useful to scan vertically for companies, roles, etc. Putting the role/opera/company/date in an unbroken line of text is most emphatically not a good idea.
Abbreviations: When you list the venue/organization for a role you've performed, please don't write "Opera Theatre." It may be apparent to you which Opera Theatre you mean, but it's terribly confusing for us until we match it up with the name of your conservatory, etc. Find a better way to abbreviate so that it fits in the column.
Order: Most recent things first within categories. Put performances, degrees, etc in reverse chronological order.
Photo: The presence of a thumbnail photo on the résumé itself is fairly new - we've only been seeing it a lot recently, since it has become easier to include a small sharp-resolution image. Personally, I like it. Not enough to urge everyone to do it, but enough to appreciate it when it's there. I'm sure someone out there disagrees, but I haven't heard from any detractors yet.
Length: Resist the urge to tell us everything you've ever done. One page please. A 3-page resumé is hardly ever to your advantage. If you desire to be inclusive, get a website and put everything there. (Oh, and while we're on the topic, get a website as soon as you can. Manage your online identity. This isn't really an audition-specific topic, but an increasingly important one. Will try to remember to discuss on the blog this winter.)

Accuracy

Roles/Operas/Arias: We want you to sing well, first and foremost. You’re not applying to be a writer, editor, or any other sort of wordsmith. If you don’t know how to spell the name of the role you performed or the opera it occurred in, it’s not unreasonable for us to wonder about the level of care with which you prepared the important details of that role. So please please please ask a handful of people – professors, teachers, coaches, highly literate friends – to proofread your paperwork. Spelling may not be your thing, and if you sing well enough, eventually I won't care. Indeed, if a company hires you to sing, they won’t ask you to edit copy. But you don't want your first impression to be diluted by messiness.
People: Look up the names of coaches, directors, conductors, institutions. My name ends up misspelled on résumés with alarming frequency. If your contact with me wasn't long or detailed enough for you to figure out how to spell my name, it begs the question as to how much impact I could've had on your development.
References: When you list mentors and colleagues who might be able to attest to your work, please be sure that those folks will remember you. If you worked once with someone in a master class, chances are s/he might not be able to speak eloquently on your behalf.

On the Other Hand...

Some singers are so busy being their own publicists that they forget that their main task is to learn to sing. When you're just too tired or frustrated to deal with one more practice session, I know it's far easier to tweak the fonts on your résumé, write glowing prose for your bio, or photoshop your latest production shots for your website. These things are important and useful, but they don't take the place of those long hours in the practice room or with a score. Don't spend an inordinate amount of time polishing your image instead of your singing.

Back tomorrow, with a brief discussion of headshots.

Expert Friday: East & West Coast

2009-09-25T15:58:00.004-04:00

Part of a weekly series, in which my colleagues responsed to an email request for anything (or 2 or 3 things…) in the way of advice they would like to give to auditionees.

First, Don Marrazzo, Director of Casting & Artistic Operations at Glimmerglass Opera.

I have always felt that audition “do’s and don’ts” can be somewhat tricky, as one person’s ‘do’ is very often another person’s ‘don’t’ and vice versa. Even when listening to auditions with my Glimmerglass colleagues, while we often agree as to how we feel about a singer, there are also definitely times when we strongly disagree!

While there are several universal truths with regard to audition ‘do’s’ (do make sure that your music is legible for your audition pianist), as well as audition ‘don’ts’ (don’t be late for your audition) any adjudicator's response to the entirety of a singer’s audition (their singing, stage deportment, attire, personal interaction with the audition panelists, etc) will be every bit as subjective as how an adjudicator may feel about someone’s voice and artistry.

I really want singers to be themselves in an audition. I would much rather be given an honest impression of the person standing in front of me singing, than get an ‘ironed out’ version of that individual because they are trying to employ someone else’s list of audition ‘do’s,’ which might be, in actuality, audition ‘don’ts’ for me. An individual’s idiosyncrasies fascinate me the most, as they often help determine whether or not the singer in question might be a fit for our program – not only vocally and artistically, but personally as well.

Rather than focus too much on audition ‘do’s’ and ‘don’ts,’ it would be wonderful for young singers to focus on what is perhaps the most important audition ‘do.’ Do give a committed, intelligent, well-sung audition which makes the listener sit up, take notice, and offer you a contract!

Today's double-header also brings comments from Joshua Winograde, Artistic Planning Manager at LA Opera. Josh is also a Wolf Trap alum, and he spent the summers of 2007 and 2008 with us as an administrator, developing the Wolf Trap Opera Studio. His observations come largely out of the over 400 auditions he just heard this past summer, and they focus on the topic of this past Monday's post: versatility.

Versatility is overrated.

Before you freak out, let me explain.

I would like to create two hypothetical, admittedly extreme audition packages, although I must say these are more common than you would think.

Singer #1 offers Pinkerton, Boheme, Cavaradossi Act 1, Cavaradossi Act 3, and Forse la soglia attinse (Ballo)

Singer #2 offers Chi il bel sogno, Mein Herr Marquis, Piangero' la sorte mia, Manon's gavotte, and I Want Magic.

Singer #1's package is obviously of a very narrow focus. All in the same language, only two composers represented, two arias from the same opera, etc. This singer could be possibly the most successful audition of the day, however, if he shows that he knows EXACTLY what his marketability is, what his voice is good for, how his temperament and vocalism are ideal for his rep, etc. However, in the event that he sees himself differently than we do, this will be a major problem. If he is a light lyric tenor or character tenor stuck in the mindset that Verdi and Puccini are the only "real" opera composers, and the only exciting tenor roles are the impassioned romantic lead, he could set himself up for failure.

Singer #2's package is extremely diverse. 5 composers, 4 languages, 4 centuries (technically 3, but Previn is still composing, of course), some fast, some slow, some high, some low, and very diverse character types. First of all, anyone that could make it through the whole role of Magda (not just the song) has no business singing some of these other roles. Chances are, however, that the singer has never really looked at the rest of Rondine or they would realize it is a BEAST of a sing. That possibility is not something you want us to speculate on. Also, if you look at the professional singers who are making these roles successful at major companies around the world today, they generally don't overlap on lots of rep. If the singer in question really can represent themselves flawlessly across this broad board, that is a major accomplishment. But more likely than not, it simply reads as trying too hard to show us you can do ANYTHING. Versatility, in this case, verges on schizophrenic.

So the questions I pose are:

How can versatility be demonstrated (if that is in fact something you wish to demonstrate) while staying more true to what you do best, or in what genres you would be most convincing? Especially at the YAP level, you may be told very specifically how many languages, centuries, and styles to represent. But I would suspect the average singer can be more successful choosing repertoire that fits the application's requirements while still appearing more authentic and appropriate. For example, if you really ARE a Magda, you are probably a more convincing Rosalinde than Adele. If the character of Adele fits your youthful, bubbly personality, you are probably NOT a convincing Blanche DuBois. Cleopatra is cast all over the map these days, so this one COULD fit, I guess. Still, she is a young girl, right? If you give off a serious Blanche DuBois vibe both in terms of personality and vocalism, and are required to sing Handel, consider an aria from Alcina, who is equally, um, nuts, and also of nebulous age.

Some advice: follow the careers of historic singers and current singers whose voices resemble yours. Also consider the historic and local trends... Liu in Europe is cast much heavier than here, for instance, and tweety-bird Gildas are common today although in the past they were cast with very much the same singers as, say, Violetta. And remember, when you are Angela Gheorghiu, you can start singing Traviata and Carmen and Rondine wherever you want. But if you aren't, consider that her repertoire is more allowably varied while backed with major star power than yours will be in the early stages of a career. Ask your coaches and teachers to recommend some singers to you if you can't think of any. See what they sang when they were 25, 35, 45 ... also, where did they sing them? Did those roles become signatures, or were they disasters? Do YOU like them in those roles? Obviously every voice and singer is different, so don't be too literal with this. I do suspect, however, this search will provide food for thought about expanding or contracting your own versatility.

Something to chew on over the weekend. And...

DEADLINES!

One week from today (October 2) for LA, Chicago, Cincinnati & Houston.

Two weeks from today (October 9) for New York, Philadelphia, & Vienna.

Don't wait until the last minute! I sure hope our internet servers can handle it, but I don't want to find out...

Cutting Corners

2009-09-24T16:26:00.006-04:00

There are some really tremendous (and useful!) potential audition arias that share one huge disadvantage: They're too long to be really functional in the typical audition situation. We schedule our appointments in 1o-minute intervals, and I know some companies who are forced to schedule shorter blocks. If you want any hope of singing a second piece - heck, even if you want to be able to finish the first one - please don't start with a 7-minute scene.

Lest you feel deprived, consider that you could be working in musical theatre, searching for your best 16 bars. Pity party over.

I wish that the audition were an artistically satisfying, purity-driven experience, in which nothing but the composer's true and complete intentions were acceptable. But it's not. We are so lucky to work in the arts, where the stuff of our regular days has the potential to fill our souls. But we can't get all hung up in what will happen to the architectual structure of a scene if we hack a big chunk out of it in audition.

My colleagues in symphonic, chamber, and choral music are far less barbaric. They usually gasp when I take out my scissors. (Real or metaphorical.) And perhaps I am too willing to sacrifice for the sake of practicality. But I still think it's best to think of it in cost-benefit terms. If you sing this cabaletta/aria/scene better than almost anything else in your rep, and it can be brought into play by trimming it to a "highlights only" version, you'd be foolish to walk away from it entirely.

Warnings

Mark the cuts in your music so that they can't possibly be misinterpreted. Cover over the parts you don't want with white paper. (Then make sure you don't change your mind and want what's covered up...) Check out the standard cuts for a scene before you get too creative. If the standard works for you, consider using it. (It got to be traditional for a reason.) It makes life easier for everyone.

Be clear in the list you offer to the panel. If you are offering the cavatina only (or the cabaletta only, for that matter), be clear in the way you list it. If you really feel good about the whole scene, list its components and indicate the ways that you are willing to excerpt. ("Ah non creadea / Ah non giunge: aria only, cabaletta only, or entire scene") Singers are often willing to be cut short in a long scene, but very often, what we really need to hear is the second half. So find a logical starting midpoint, practice starting there, and mark the optional starting point for the pianist.

If you list a long scene in toto, you take your chances. Be prepared for the panel to ask for it to be sampled in chunks, even if you don't offer it. If it throws you off to have to start in the middle or to be stopped before the ornamented repeat in the cabaletta, then don't set yourself up for heartache.

The weekend looms. Tomorrow is Expert Friday, bringing tips and observations from Glimmerglass and LA Opera!

Putting Yourself in the Fach Box

2009-09-23T14:45:00.006-04:00

This week, I've been warming up with posts about simple, childish things like rare arias and versatility. Now we get to the really adult stuff.

Fach

Such a difficult subject for so many singers. Kind of ranks right up there with sex and money in its untouchability. A very personal, complicated decision - really best left to you and your teacher. We as an audition panel really try to keep our second-guessing about Fach to a minimum. We can have our opinions during an audition, but we'd be fools to believe that we have the definitive answers based on a 10-minute hearing once a year. Nevertheless, it's an unavoidable part of the landscape.

A brief sidebar in case you're lost. Fach is just another word for vocal category: what type voice you have, and therefore which roles you should be singing. In a choir, you have 4 basic choices - soprano, alto, tenor, bass. In musical theatre, a few more options - ingenue, character, baritenor, etc. In opera, it's out of control. Dozens of subcategories, and the various authorities and sources don't even agree exactly what those categories all are, let alone what they contain. And the whole thing is a sliding scale. (I was going to link you somewhere on the interwebs for a definition, but I can't even find a source that makes complete sense to me. So you're on your own.)

I developed a checklist for a course I taught last year, and it may be helpful to you. It's just a list of vocal characteristics that come into play when we're trying to slap on some sort of label:

Range – actual singable notes at the extreme top and bottom
Tessitura – most common/comfortable range
Timbre – color, quality
Weight – loudness or thickness
Agility – scales, trills
Flexibility – ability to change dynamics and colors
Registration – strongest area of the range
Passaggio – location of the transitions between registers
Character types – buffo, Kavalier, Spiel

Don't Try This at Home

Like any good organizational device, the Fach system has its limitations, and if either taken to extreme or ignored wholesale, it can be dangerous. You must strive to find its middle ground and not be too intimidated by the fact that it seems to be made up just to alienate you. (There's a silly semantic thing that I do to keep it from having too much power: use Fach to describe a selection of roles/characters, then describe yourself as singing roles within that category. Somehow it's less extreme than putting yourself and your voice in the Fach box.)

I feel a bit like I'm practicing medicine without a license by discussing this stuff in general terms, but indulge me.

Usually, within a vocal category, some of the distinctions are clear. If your voice moves extremely well, you can traffic in coloratura territory. If your large instrument can sail through a huge orchestra to the back of the hall, you may grow up to be a true dramatic, spinto, or even Helden- person.

It gets really tricky, though, when it crosses over the basic large categories. It's one thing not to know if you're pointed toward light lyric or soubrette roles. But it's far more disorienting to not know if you're a soprano or a mezzo. (Ladies, how did we let the guys get ahead of us on this? Face it, that's how bass-baritones came to be. They didn't want to pigeonhole themselves in either camp, so they made up a whole new name. And now it's legitimate. Damn. Let's make up a new Zwischensoprano category and move on with our lives.)

(I'm just kidding. Don't get me in trouble here.)

The Soprano/Mezzo Debate

Let's talk about it. (And guys, you don't need to tune out. In many cases you can substitute tenor/baritone for soprano/mezzo in the paragraphs below.)

There are plenty of successful mezzos out there who are considered by some to be sopranos-in-disguise. It's a combination of the relative size and projection of the voice in its various registers, where the natural breaks lie, the subjective "color" of the sound, and the way in which it handles the extremes of the mezzo tessitura. And, to an extent, it's about your chronological age and whether or not the voice is close to its mature profile.

The sopranos that I believe are legitimately passing for mezzos during the young artist phase of their careers are those who will ultimately mature into bona fide dramatic or spinto voices. There's a certain heft, depth, and color of sound in the midvoice that is easily mistaken for mezzo color. And once the voice develops and the top is opened up, there's still an undeniable vocal footprint in the midvoice that has more to do with traditional mezzo "color" than it does with a soprano timbre.

This isn't the most common scenario, though. More often we hear sopranos whose vocal color and weight are light lyric (or even lighter) singing mezzo material. Remember, this is still rather subjective, but these folks don't have the kind of midvoice that will carry through any orchestral texture designed to surround a mezzo role. They often have to dip into full raw chest for anything at or below the lower break. And where a traditional mezzo voice begins to gather excitement at the top of the mezzo range, this faux mezzo voice will do nothing but begin to thin. Everything just feels out of focus.

When we hear Filene Young Artist auditions, and the roles/arias don't really seem to match up with the profile of the voice, there's a bit of concern. Again, we don't necessarily know better than the singer and her teacher, but if someone singing mezzo rep doesn't have the heft and color in the midvoice to be heard above an orchestra, or if someone singing soprano rep doesn't have enough control and nuance in the top third of the range to be reliable up there, it's confusing.

During Studio Artists auditions we try not to get too bound up in this. But because our Studio does sing chorus roles in our operas, we need women to sing the mezzo line. All we care is that these ladies are self-described mezzos who are singing comfortably, effectively and healthily in that register at this moment. What they will become, and whether or not they are emergent lyric or dramatic sopranos doesn't matter. While they are at Wolf Trap, they will work on their own rep with our coaches and staff, and can continue to explore an entire range of options.

FAQs
(Well, actual questions from previous seasons)

How can you tell in an audition if mezzos are shirking soprano competition or insecure about high notes, or if we truly are working through it with our teachers?

Actually, we can't really tell if you're shirking the competition or in the process of working it out with your teacher. And (sorry, but this is coarse and blunt), on a certain level we don't care. If you're putting yourself out there to sing roles (and although we work with emerging artists, we only do it in the context of full roles), you need to have those problems solved.

Is it ever acceptable to put "zwischenfach" on an application? I personally am teetering on the lyric mezzo-lyric soprano line, but i'm not ready to audition for things as a soprano.

It's a little odd to put Zwischenfach on a piece of paper. But there's nothing wrong with explaining that you're in transition from A to B. Many people do it. Knowing that is very useful, and it really helps fill in some puzzling blanks.

I know that I'm in transition. Does that mean i shouldn't be auditioning for things at all?

As for whether one should audition during a transition, well, it depends on what you're auditioning for. There are plenty of programs that can easily handle such a scenario. It's really between you and the program in question. As I said, it's a little wonky for us because we assume that the work you're going to do at Wolf Trap is in the context of a particular role. While there are roles that will accommodate this, they are not plentiful. And it's a huge risk to take because we have to assume that you're in relatively stable technical shape, at least enough to sustain a month-long rehearsal and performance period.

Wow. Thanks for staying on the train. I hope this gave you some food for thought. Things get much lighter for the rest of the week :)

Something Old, Something New

2009-09-22T16:16:00.003-04:00

I often refer to the "standard" audition repertoire as having a useful analogy in gymnastics compulsories. There's a checklist of things that the panel needs to know that you can nail, and the most efficient way to do that is to attack the warhorses. Yes, I know everyone sings them. And because of that, you have to work harder to distinguish yourself from the pack. And they're so hallowed that you can't possibly sing them as well as the generations of phenomenal artists we've heard on recordings. Still, they are the best way for us to get a glimpse into your basic command of the craft and the depth of your musicality.

More on the athletic analogy: Think of it this way. Each aria has its profile – lowest notes, highest notes, difficult phrases, linguistic challenges, important articulations and dynamics – the singer must dispatch all of those “compulsory” requirements and make music at the same time. Just like the best floor routines aren't just a checklist of tools, but examples of how to impose your own artistic stamp on standard territory.

But we are always happy to have the chance to hear something different, and we love to see artists immersing themselves in new and different music. We don't always have the time to hear these rare gems, given the exigencies of the audition tour schedule, but sometimes just seeing something uncommon on the list makes me smile. Occasionally we'll get to hear a bit of it. Its presence is an indication of a healthy artistic curiosity.

So yet again, it's all about proportion.

Let's assume you're shooting for your optimal 5-aria package. Allow one of these to be quirky - maybe 2oth/21st-century music, maybe a rare aria in an historic idiom. (Just be sure the accompaniment isn't impossible to play - and if it is moderately difficult to play, be sure that you can sing the spots off it even if the pianist struggles.)

The remaining 4 arias are probably going to have to be dedicated to fulfilling requirements. We need to know that you can sing in Italian and at least one other language, that your voice is capable of both lyricism and agility (on a sliding scale, as appropriate for your Fach), and that your characterizations aren't all monochromatic. (No, I'm not really asking you to be all things to all people, just to show enough differentiation that I don't get bored in 10 minutes.)

So go ahead and stretch your artistic boundaries a little. Try to make the offbeat arias short ones, so they have a fighting chance to ever be heard. And revel in the chance to make them truly yours, in a way that's intimidatingly difficult to do with Caro nome. :)

Just How Versatile Can You Be?

2009-09-21T16:22:00.001-04:00

Getting down to some brass tacks this week. The outline:

Monday - Depth vs. breadth
Tuesday - Standards vs. fresh fare
Wednesday - Cuts and alternate versions
Thursday - Stretching
Expert Friday - Don Marrazzo, Glimmerglass Opera; & Joshua Winograde, LA Opera

So...

Jack of all Trades? Master of One?

Depending on when you ask me to address the issue of versatility vs. specialty / breadth vs. depth, I'll give you a slightly different answer. If I've just been treated to a series of superficial and glib performances by artists who know a little bit about everything and really not much about any one thing, I'll rail against spreading oneself too thin. If I've spent time with a young singer who refuses to show any interest in anything except the one genre/composer that speaks most easily to him, then I'll go on and on about how important it is to immerse oneself in all of opera history and styles.

Here's the good news: American singers are the best-trained, most versatile singing actors out there. Having wide-ranging interests and a smattering of training in a broad range of styles is a wonderful thing. You avoid the trap of specializing too soon, possibly before you have a chance to discover your unique strengths. And to an extent, everything you learn - no matter how far afield from your core knowledge - has the potential to make you a more vivid performer and a more interesting artist. This acquisitive spirit is the essence of liberal arts education, and it has its place in the development of a performing artist.

But, at the age of 25 or so, when you hope to move beyond the classroom, can you really be good at everything the YAP industry expects you to demonstrate? Italian, French, German & English at a minimum. Maybe Russian, Czech or Spanish, too. Baroque improvisation, Mozartean elegance, bel canto fireworks, lush Romantic lyricism, and contemporary 20th- and 21st-century musicality and stagecraft. And on and on.

We on the other side of the table demand versatility. The specific requirements vary across different companies, but we invariably ask for multiple languages and styles. And face it, you're going to be better at some of it than the rest. So let's think about it critically and do some triage.

In my brief stint in the mental health field, we would think in triage terms on a daily basis. It seems cold and clinical, and it probably is. (It's of medical origin, and Wikipedia tells it pretty straight if you're interested in learning more. Not strictly necessary, so feel free not to link.) Triage helps any time you have to face what seems to be an overwhelming task.

Divide what's in front of you into 3 categories:

1) Your undeniable strengths. What speaks to you. What you're intrinsically good at. The music that will continue to grow and improve because the pursuit of it is intrinsically rewarding. This is probably where your bread and butter will lie once you get past the point in your development where you have to be all things to all people.
2) The challenges within reach. A step removed from #1, these roles and styles will form the periphery of your career. If you open yourself up and work honestly, this music can become a part of you. But it won't be as comfortable as the first category, and it will take longer to find a level of familiarity. You ignore it at your peril, though, for stretching in this way keeps you sharp, and it just may give you enough diversity to make a living.
3) Music that makes no sense at all to you. Don't bother. Really. For every singer there is a subset of the repertoire that is a bad fit. There is no shame in this.

Now, the dangers of this approach are not insignificant. This exercise is not static, nor is it ever really over. You will grow and change, and these three lists should be allowed to fluctuate. Something that makes absolutely no sense to you right now may smack you upside the face in amazing clarity in two years, and you should be open to it when it does.

What's important is that at almost any point in time, you should have a decent instinct for which music lies at which point in this spectrum. At this moment. Then craft your aria list accordingly.

Expert Friday: Audition as Strip Tease

2009-09-18T16:05:00.003-04:00

Today, a few words from Sheri Greenawald, Director of the San Francisco Opera Center, in response to my email asking for anything (or 2 or 3 things…) in the way of advice SFOC would like to give to the folks who will sing for them this fall. (Merola's audition application info is here. They're heading out early this year, and one deadline has already passed.)

Attire
Be sure to dress appropriately, and by that, I don’t mean ball gowns. How would you dress for a formal master class with Marilyn Horne, for example? That’s the standard that you should set, in my opinion.

Music
Have your music organized well for the pianist. Nothing is more boring than to have to wait as you scramble to find music for the pianist in your own binder, or if your scores aren’t well marked as to cuts and cadenzas.

Aria Selection Strategy
For the first aria, sing what you sing BEST, not what you think you should sing because you’re worried that we might not ask for a second aria. If you sing “Deh vieni, non tardar” fantastically, more than likely I’ll want to hear more, but if you come in singing “Regnava nel silenzio” only half-baked, that is not a good strategy. I’m often asked about this, and I always say that during my whole career, I basically had the same audition rep. I knew what sold me well, so that’s what I sang.

Enjoy Yourself
Have fun!!! If you’re not enjoying it, neither are we, probably!

And...
Keep in mind Matthew Epstein’s theory of the audition: It’s like a classy strip tease! Don’t start with the most complicated and hardest aria, but start with a sure thing….the first glove to come off. If they don’t ask for a second, at least you haven’t the embarrassment of having taken off too much!

Have a great weekend - see you Monday for the beginning of Week 2: The Aria List. Depth vs. breadth. Standards vs. fresh fare. Fach. And more!

S = (R + T) x LF

2009-09-17T15:40:00.000-04:00

Yes, it's the equation. Again. A recycled post from 2005, but still one of the organizing features of my approach to the audition season.

My son is the mathematician in the family. But even though my fling with math is decades in the past, I can still appreciate the eloquence of a beautiful formula. Yes, it’s dangerous to reduce difficult and messy things to a simple equation. But the clarity it brings is worth the risk.

S [Success] = (R [Raw Materials] + T [Tools]) x LF [Life Force]

Success. I'm not happy with the product side of this formula, but “Success” is the best I can do for now. Use whatever word works for you. Or define success wisely.

Raw Materials. The stuff you were born with. That gift from God. Good pipes, strong constitution, a body that is tooled for singing.

Tools. The things you learn. Your craft. Vocal technique, language mastery, musical acumen, dramatic chops.

Life Force. [With apologies to Martha Graham] That essential energy without which the first two factors are brought to their knees. Soul. Guts. Sheer force of personality. Determination. Desire. Notice that the effect of this element is exponential, not additive.

Every artist exhibits his/her own variation on this equation. And for each person, the strength of each element is different. Some singers with breathtaking raw talent somehow manage to skate by with basic tools. Others whose natural gift is more modest make fabulous careers by fanatically developing their ‘tool kits’, becoming consummate linguists, compelling actors, and innovative musicians. It's wise to know how these two elements balance out in your own professional life, but not useful to obsess about it.

What’s critical is that the sum of these first two – raw talent and refinement of craft – are dangerously susceptible to the strength of the third. The “Life Force” either brilliantly magnifies everything else, or brings it all to a halt. Worse, it registers on the negative side of the ledger. And it doesn’t take higher calculus to figure out what that does to the equation.

Can a singer have a superhuman degree of this life force/dedication/enthusiasm/magnetism and overcome a lack of raw material or tools? Highly unlikely. And we see quite a few aspiring singers who fall in this category. It’s heartbreaking, actually. Desire is critical, but it’s not capable of standing alone.

Conversely, can a successful performer have excellent raw materials and a high level of craftsmanship yet lack drive? Just as unlikely. This scenario will get you through school… maybe… if you’re coddled…. But it won’t sustain a career.

Tomorrow, the first Expert Friday, when my colleagues in other YAPs weigh in with their advice!

Are You Ready?

2009-09-16T14:22:00.004-04:00

A blog question and answer from last season:

Q: I had a teacher recently tell me not to apply to studio programs at larger companies (such as Wolf Trap) because, in her belief, if a young singer is heard by a large company before they are ready to be considered a full-fledged professional, then the singer will be "blacklisted" in a way and remembered always by the company as having a "young" technique.

A. I guess I may be kidding myself (possible), and I could be naive (likely). But companies like ours are in the business of monitoring singer growth, and we are pretty well acquainted with the general state of a young voice. We're unlikely to forever saddle a developing singer with the characteristic rough edges of a developing technique. Do I believe that this approach is common to all panels for whom a young singer might audition? Well, I guess not. So I suppose a bit of caution is prudent.

So, are you ready to audition?

If you have been studying seriously for several years and are making progress, then the answer is a qualified yes. Unless you are going through a particularly rough technique re-building patch, it's almost always wise to get out of the studio occasionally. There are times when we need to retreat into the safety of the practice room, but don't let that become your default mode. "Ready" doesn't mean "finished." It's all about choosing your opportunities wisely.

The resources I mentioned on Monday are helpful, for training programs and YAPs often describe their ideal artist profile in a way that will help you determine if you are at an appropriate level. But don't let it stop at that. Ask your friends and colleagues, check with coaches and teachers, and do a little sleuthing yourself.

If a program/company in which you are interested posts former or current young artist names and bios on their website, spend some time taking their profiles apart. Have they finished grad school? What kinds of training programs (if any) have they already participated in? Are they active yet on the competition circuit? These kinds of questions will keep you from prematurely applying for a program or company for which you aren't yet ready.

Tomorrow: S = (R + T) x LF

Audition Season: Forms & Fees

2009-09-15T12:48:00.003-04:00

I'm supposed to talk about paperwork (audition applications) today, and I will. But before we shut down our right brains, I want to call your attention to this blog post by Seth Godin. One of the great things about Seth's posts is that they are rarely long, typically under 500 words. So visit the link. You have time.

Welcome back. Think about Seth's hierarchy of success as you approach this audition season, and focus on the top two as he suggests:

1. Attitude. This permeates everything, in surprising ways. More of it than you think is telegraphed to others, and it has unavoidable implications for your staying power and the quality of your work. Yes, working your way up in any business is tough, and the entry level in almost any field has its peculiar challenges. But if you find yourself bitter already, this doesn't bode well.

2. Approach. No amount of careful attention at the 11th hour will save you if your beginnings are thoughtless and haphazard. Care about the details. Which brings us to....

Paperwork!

Look at it this way. If you were pounding the pavement looking for a "real" job* right now, you'd be writing dozens and dozens of customized cover letters and tweaking multiple versions of your resume. So cranking your way through a modest number of YAP applications is not hardship duty.

Pay attention to the instructions. If it requires you to regurgitate things already on your resume, just do it. Do not say "refer to resume" if the instructions say not to. It sounds petty, but if I'm looking at 700-800 forms, I need to be able to compare apples-to-apples, not sift through resume columns.

Don't send materials that aren't requested. If you already have a press kit with audio, review clippings, professionally written bio, etc, then good for you. We just can't pay any attention to them right now, though. Although it makes me cringe to toss them, I will. For years I would set those things asidebecause I couldn't bear to trash them, then still have to toss them months or years later. Don't waste your time and money sending them to us. (More discussion of résumés and headshots in a couple of weeks.)

And finally, reconcile yourself to paying the fee if that's what's required. You don't have to like it. I don't like spending money either. And I know how little money you have. (A few years ago I found the ledger in which I kept a record of our expenses while my husband and I were in grad school. 25 cents entries for every newspaper or Diet Coke, meticulously accounted for.)

So if there were ways for us to avoid charging, we would. We've been looking for audition tour underwriters for decades and will continue to do so. We could hold court here in our own theatre and make everyone come to us, but that would be neither fair nor fruitful. So until we find a way to pay for the travel, lodging, space rental, pianists, monitors, staff time and server space, we'll have to charge a fee.

As to application fees vs. audition fees, well, that's a bit more volatile a subject. There are regular rants on this topic in singer forums and chat rooms. Every so often we discuss upping the amount and returning fees for those who don't get scheduled for an audition. So far we've not moved in that direction, and this is why.

First, we know (anecdotally) and believe (based on other models) that we would get many more irrelevant applications from folks who aren't really in our target demographic if application were free. And we'd get a lot more incompletely and inaccurately submitted materials. But I don't want to overstate this, for it isn't the big reason.

The real reason? It takes time (and therefore money) for us to seriously consider every application. Data entry isn't a big problem now because most of our stuff is digitally submitted and goes directly into the database. But we do have to pay for server space to receive and manipuate the data. We track submissions and match them up to materials (resumes and headshots) and recommendation letters (Studio only). Then at least two of us look at every single resume and form. In detail. We make remarks about our decisions. So that, if we turn you down (and yes, take your money), and next year you apply again with some significant progress being made in the meantime, we'll know that we should really consider your application in a new light. This process consumes most of our work hours for over a month.

So go ahead and flame if you like. We can take it, and we know you mean it in the best of all possible ways. :)

* Just kidding. Find yourself a sense of humour. It will be more useful than you can ever imagine.

Young Artist Programs: Where to Start

2009-09-14T13:32:00.005-04:00

If you've figured out your way around the landscape of YAP opportunities, you may want to skip this post. But if you're looking for a place to start, read on.

We're finding that more and more singers are using YAP Tracker: https://www.yaptracker.com/. There is a $50 annual fee for the service, but as far as I can tell, it's worth it for the couple of years during which young artist opportunities may consume you. If you're handy with your email inbox and a spreadsheet, you may not need its audition tracking features. But at least for the first year, this is a straight-forward way to orient yourself to the range of programs out there.

If you're a singer who uses YAP Tracker regularly, and you'd like to help your colleagues by weighing in on its benefits and caveats, please do so by submitting a comment.

By all means, become an Opera America Member ($75) and subscribe to the Opera Source (an additional $25 for students; this is where all of the YAP info resides on their website.) I know that this all adds up, but if you're serious about your career, you can find a way to pay for it. http://www.operaamerica.org/content/about/membership/index.aspx

In addition to having access to Opera America's website resources, you can also participate in events like this one coming up in a few weeks (particularly useful if you're New York-based): Making Connections: Audition Advice for Singers

http://www.operaamerica.org/content/learningLab/artistic/makingConnections/index.aspx

And if you're not in New York, Opera America has begun archiving audio from such sessions so that you can listen to it online. Check out this podcast: Choosing a Training Program

http://www.operaamerica.org/applications/content/article.aspx?id=123

By subscribing to Classical Singer, you get the monthly magazine and access to premium content on their website. They have listings of summer training and pay-to-sing programs (http://www.classicalsinger.com/directories/summer_program/list.php) and a young artist program database (http://www.classicalsinger.com/directories/young_artists/show1.php?id=171)

I will say that in checking out these resources, I discovered that our WTOC information on the Classical Singer website is woefully out of date and incomplete. No mention at all of our Studio program, and some basic factual errors in what information is there. From the company perspective, I'm not sure if it's incumbent on us to submit new info to Classical Singer, or if they are culling info from companies. If it's the former, then we're lax. (Although I can't imagine that this wouldn't be the norm for most companies.) Either way, I'm not sure I'd trust all of the details, but rather use the URLs to go to the home web pages for the programs themselves.

That's a start. If you're an experience YAPper, feel free to amend/embellish via commenting below.

Tomorrow, a discussion of application fees. Get the flame throwers ready.

The Forest before the Trees

2009-09-11T16:49:00.000-04:00

Some food for thought this weekend before we get into the nitty-gritty.

A few seasons ago on the blog I tried to quantify what we listen for in auditions. I ended up with a list modeled on one in Joanna Merlin’s book “Auditioning.” (It’s intended for actors, but its wisdom easily extends to the singing actor. Find it here online or at a book store.)

Concentration/Focus

We want performers who can create a potent and palpable space for themselves onstage. Stay with the character! Communicate. If you lapse, even for a moment, we hear and see it. And if you can't stay in the moment for the duration of a 5-minute aria, that doesn't bode well for your ability to hold the stage for an evening.

Truth/Authenticity

If you’re mimicking someone else’s performance (either vocally or dramatically or both), it won’t ring true. Your decisions should be yours, and they should be personal. Yes, traditions establish themselves for good reasons, and there's no good reason not to learn from the generations of fabulous artists who went before you. So listen to tons of recordings, study the cadenzas and interpretations of the icons of the business; but when you make your interpretive choices, really stand behind them in an organic and personal way.

Spontaneity

It’s all about discovery. We care about what happens moment-to-moment, and you have to sing it that way. Don’t telegraph the whole aria/scene/character at once. Life isn’t like that, and art rarely is, either.

Specificity

Detail. Variety. Monochromaticism is one of my own personal bugaboos. If every phrase sounds the same, and Aria #1 sounds just like Aria #2, you're being far too generic. Sometimes this happens in the well-intentioned but misguided pursuit of safe ground.

Energy

Never underestimate how much it takes or to what degree it needs to be focused and honed. Project the voice and the personality to the back of the hall and beyond. It will keep you from becoming self-indulgent.

Humor

Yes, there is always humor. And it’s the most important in the most unexpected places.

Courage

Performing is not an easy thing to do. All singers know that. Take it one step farther. Take chances. Base them on experience and skill, but don’t play it safe.

Skill

Ah, you wondered when we’d get to that. Technique. Simply put (and here I travel back to my pianist days), it’s the ability to put all of the tools at your disposal in the service of creating art. More easily said than done, but it’s always important to work at it until you drop, then value that work by acknowledging that it’s a means, not an end.

Have a wonderful weekend - see you Monday!

You Never Really Enjoy It; You Just Get Better at It

2009-09-10T14:48:00.003-04:00

I was watching TV the other night and saw an ad for an upcoming fall series. One of the characters was talking about coming to terms with something distasteful. (How's that for specificity? I can't remember the show or the subject material...) Anyway, she said, "You never really enjoy it; you just get better at it." That, my friends, is coming to terms with auditioning.

I'm not sure that I ever met anyone who truly enjoyed it. For if you've slain these demons, it probably means that you really know who you are as an artist and as a person. That you no longer live in fear of what the person at the other end of the room thinks. And if that's the case, you're probably beyond the audition-heavy phase of your career.

A quote from the late Richard Pearlman, who ran one of the great year-round young artist training programs in the country: “Every would-be opera singer, no matter how talented… soon discovers that it’s a long, often painful road from having a beautiful instrument in your throat to being able to compete in one of the world’s most demanding and difficult professions." Auditioning is just one of the forks in that road.

Here's an outline of these next 6 weeks on the blog; your mini-course in auditioning for young artist programs this fall. Content depends partly on you, and I'll answer your questions posted below or sent to wtocauditions@wolftrap.org.

WEEK 1 -The Mind Game

Making Sense of It: Where to apply? How to keep track? And what about those fees?
The Way We See It: The view from the other side of the table
Mental Preparation: Playing the game.
For Sopranos Only

WEEK 2 - The Aria List

Depth vs. breadth. Standards vs. fresh fare.
Fach: Zwischenfach? Pushing boundaries. Transitioning. Reaching.
Aria Order: Leading with your strengths
Cuts

WEEK 3 - The Preparation of Things

Recommendations & forms
Résumé
Headshot
Aria Notebook
Clothes

WEEK 4 - The Strategy

The Second Aria
Musical Preparation: Technique. Coloratura. Intonation. Language. Articulation.
Blocking?
The Forest and the Trees

WEEK 5 - The Main Event

Protocol: Small talk. Introductions. To shake or not to shake.
Logistics: Where to stand. What to say. Where to look. How to move. Props?
Acoustics
The people: The panel. The pianist. The monitor. Your colleagues.

WEEK 6 - The Big Picture

How to Get Good at It
Feedback
Looking Back

Tomorrow, some basic book and website recommendations, and a little more food for thought. Week 1 starts on September 14. Welcome back!

The Fall 2009 Audition Mini-Course

2009-09-09T16:41:00.004-04:00

A few weeks off from the examined life has restored a little clarity. I'm resisting getting back on the blogging horse because I know how intense this next part of the cycle is, and each year brings a bit more ambivalence about documenting and engaging in dialogue about the audition process. Yet, it's unavoidable that the autumn brings the biggest blog readership of our entire annual cycle, and I know that there are lots of you out there looking for advice and conversation. So I hereby commit. And probably should be committed.

The next 6 weeks will constitute a mini-course on the audition process, leavened occasionally by corollary postings on other topics in this fall's arts news. I will try to post every week day and attack the following topics, both in new posts and in links back to previous entries:

Audition Protocol
What (Not) To Wear
Application Fees: The Controversy
Materials (resumes, headshots)
Application Screening
Choosing the "Package" - Your 5 Arias
Audition Pianists
Room Acoustics
The Audition Panel
Staging Your Aria?
Aria Frequency Lists: Who's Singing What

I'm sure there's more. And it will emerge in response to your questions. Submit them as comments here, and I will answer in subsequent posts.

See you tomorrow.

2010 Audition Applications Available

2009-08-31T13:54:00.005-04:00

I'm staying off the interwebs as much as I can for another week. Am still completely blog/tweet/facebook/ninged out, and I need to find my center before I can be of much use here.

In the meantime, this is your first reminder that all application materials are available for the 2010 season! Start here for complete instructions, PDFs, and the ever-glorious-even-better-for-2010 interactive audition application courtesy of Bob Fincheimer.

Audition tour dates are also above on the right column of the blog. First deadline is October 2!

Operascape, and Over & Out

2009-08-08T15:35:00.011-04:00

The perfect positive storm for the end of our season - Puccini's Boheme, Operascape production, NSO, Wolf Trap Opera, and some of the best weather of the summer. Resulted in standing ovation from just under 6,000 folks - a huge number of them new opera-goers (just under 4,000 in the house, and almost 2,000 on the lawn).

I'm hoping to dig myself out of a personal and professional backlog for the next week or two, without the adrenaline that has shepherded me through the last weeks. Wish me luck. I plan to be back by the end of August with a clear mind, posting some wrap-up thoughts on the season and the upcoming fall auditions. (Audition applications and web pages should be ready within a week.)

In the meantime, enjoy these Boheme performance photos by Carol Pratt.

Stephen Lord, conductor
Kevin Newbury, director
S. Katy Tucker, video projection design
Cameron Anderson, scenic design
Jessica Jahn, costume design
Mark Stanley, lighting design
Elsen Associates, hair/makeup design

Diego Torre, Rodolfo
Hana Park, Mimi
Ava Pine, Musetta
Daniel Billings, Marcello
Matthew Hanscom, Schaunard
Carlos Monzón, Colline
Nicholas Masters, Benoit/Alcindoro

Creatures of the Night

2009-08-06T01:10:00.000-04:00

Focusing S. Katy Tucker's projections

Opera requires an intensive "tech" period, part of which is devoted to hanging, focusing and cueing the lighting that serves functional and expressive purposes. And, in the case of our Boheme, this same period encompasses everything that's required to get projected images and video onto a hanging screen. Under "normal" circumstances, hard-working, pale-faced designers, running crew, and stage managers sit in a dark theatre all day doing this detailed work before the cast shows up at night. But in an outdoor theatre? Well, daylight isn't so easily avoidable.

The view from upstage right

That's why tech started this afternoon, kicked into high lighting/video gear at sunset, and will continue until sunrise. The theatre belongs to about 15 of us, and the overnight hours are spent in quiet productivity, to the gentle voice of the lighting designer on the intercom. The stage managers "walk lights," standing and sitting in various locations on the stage while the designer and crew write cues. It requires stamina, patience, and a good book.

Singers were at the Kennedy Center tonight with the National Symphony Orchestra, and from all reports, there was some serious music-making. Everyone ends up here tomorrow night, and we really see what we've got!

As of this morning, we were sold out in front and rear orchestra, but some held seats were released this afternoon. You should be able to find good seats on the orchestra level, at least for the first part of Thursday.

Shhhhh

2009-08-05T08:42:00.004-04:00

So, I don't want to be cocky or anything. Because I'm almost never even optimistic, let alone cocky. And I don't want to offend the weather gods. We all know what Neptune and Jupiter did to Ulysses. But...

See Friday, August 7.

Yessssss.

I'm just sayin'...

Catching Up

2009-08-04T21:50:00.000-04:00

There's a point each summer when folks - patrons, colleagues, friends - say, "What's wrong? You haven't updated the blog in OVER A WEEK!"

It's like the crazy Christmas season years ago when my husband and I decided we didn't have time to put the requisite tens of thousands of lights on the house. A worried stranger knocked on the door and asked if we were all OK - thought that because we hadn't decorated the house, someone must be sick.

We are all fine here at WTOC, but this last week was a struggle. No surprise - we saw it coming. Ulysses performances, Instant Opera week at Theatre-in-the-Woods, Steve Blier's residency and Pursuit of Love recital, and the approach of Boheme tech week. It was all marvelous, but it consumed all available waking hours, with no time to tell about it!

This is our day away from the theatre, ceding the stage to Pat Benatar and Blondie. We reoccupy tonight at 12midnight, and it's nonstop from there till Saturday. I offer in these few quiet minutes a catch-up posting.

SpongeBob, Princesses, Scooby-Doo, Captain Hook, and Harry Potter...

If our singers ever doubt that they've come to work in a National Park, those thoughts are erased by their first trip out to the Children's Theatre-in-the-Woods. They hiked along the stream every morning last week, and presented 5 world premiere operas written by the children of the Theatre-in-the-Woods and brought to life by the Wolf Trap Opera Studio. These amazing singers were armed for improv battle by Your Friend and Mine Jim Doyle, joined by Pianists Grant and Jeremy, supported by Super Judy and Super Amra, and cheered on by coach Eric.

Pursuit

Steve worked his magic (and no, that's not a euphemism) last week, and brought a slightly atypical program to The Barns. The Pursuit of Love wasn't structured like most of Steve's recitals - rather, it gave each of its four singers a chance to sing a complete set/cycle of songs (by Villa Lobos, Grieg, Granados, and Gabriel Kanahane), and then featured all of the singers in quartets. In the midst of an intense rehearsal week he also found time to chat with our donors and lead a master class with some of the Studio Artists. And, of course, the journey home (a needlessly epic 12-hour trip from Vienna to New York) yielded the annual brainstorming document with ideas for next year's recitals. Six of them. (Six ideas, not six recitals. Even though I tried:))

Joining the Bohemians

We are now exclusively on the Boheme train. A few shots from the last room rehearsal and this link to the promo will have to do for now! More tomorrow. I promise.

July 26 - In All Its Infinite Variety!

2009-07-26T21:40:00.000-04:00

11:30 am Lifting Weights
A lovely late start, affording a long night's sleep after a 90-hour week. (Yes, I did the math. Not to qualify for martyrdom, but to justify feeling like I'd been run over by a truck.) The day started with a touch of weights and aerobics, setting up 150 chairs in the rehearsal hall!

Why the chairs? Well, we've been terribly fortunate to have an audience that loves its preshow lectures. We've been holding the preshow talks in our small 99-seat space, but lately we've been turning away dozens of patrons due to the capacity of the hall. So I decided to give today's talk in the Boheme rehearsal space, and setup was required!

2:00 pm Inside the Opera Preshow Talk
Being in the rehearsal hall meant that I was without my fancy-pants powerpoint presentation, but it was a good call. We had 151 patrons in attendance, and we were pleased to not have to turn anyone away.

3:00 pm Ulysses Performance #2
Packed to the gills, no house seats, no givebacks. Yikes. Nice to have a hot ticket! Fabulous performance. YouTube moments to come, I promise. As soon as I have the time.

6:10 pm Steve!
Mr. Blier himself is in the house, rehearsal with the cast for this Saturday's Pursuit of Love. Grieg, Villa Lobos, Granados, Sondheim, Kahane, and Robinson (Smokey, that is).

7:30 pm Instant Opera Dress Rehearsal
Darth Vader and Kermit steal prom dresses from Hannah Montana. To the strains of Mozart, Verdi, Donizetti and others. The real deal begins Tuesday at 11:15am!

9:30 pm At the Desk
Catching up on email, writing Boheme supertitles, and checking my RSS feed. Which is where I found that according to the blog metrics flavor of the day, we rank surprisingly high :)

Being Selfish

2009-07-23T20:32:00.008-04:00

It's difficult but necessary to distance myself from the music I love - to be fair and impartial when approaching possible rep for the company, and not to steer us exclusively toward things that speak to me. For no one's taste is truly catholic, and there are plenty of operas that I can barely abide (and no, I won't tell you what they are:)) that other folks adore.

But once a piece is up and running and my contribution is reduced to that of taking the blame or credit for what other folks lay at my feet, I can be selfish. In this case, that means taking in every moment - elegant, gutsy, wrenching, and bawdy. Because Monteverdi is in my top ten. Hell, top five. I'd give up a lot just to be able to hear this stuff the rest of my life. Gary Wedow has worked miracles, concocting an approach that honors both the letter and the spirit of the law and the music.

And, we've waded into doing scenic design with projections. A scary thing in a small venue with a smaller budget. But the design team (Eric Allgeier, S. Katy Tucker, Andrea Huelse & Bob Grimes) and director James Marvel have created a visually arresting and wonderfully integrated environment for this story.

Three more times in the next 5 days. It doesn't get any better than this :)

Why I Got Nothing Done Today

2009-07-21T17:37:00.006-04:00

Prepare the Ulysses preshow talk... proof the Bohème program... no, digitize the Smokey Robinson arrangement... oops, finish writing the code for the fall audition tour application... er, put the final push on the Bohème marketing plan... first, solve the impossible Instant Opera scheduling puzzle... kick off the singer YAP roundtable discussion... no, finalize the Twitter plan for the NSO concert next week... but first, finish the Bohème supertitles... gotta find some chocolate... now, tweet about something... submit the website request forms for updating the chamber music series pages... wonder why I am so cranky... uh, proof the Ulysses dress rehearsal program... try to figure out how to see visiting colleagues... but first, confirm audition tour cities and dates... oops, forgot to blog about anything...

Coming Full Circle

2009-07-20T21:30:00.005-04:00

Over the weekend, the Studio Artists had the great privilege of coaching with Nathan and Julie Gunn.

Nathan was here as a Filene Young Artist in the mid-1990's, and Julie did a brief stint on our music staff, preparing the Genii for the 1994 production of Magic Flute. (She reminded us this weekend that the boys broke out into a fist fight on her watch:) It was wonderful to welcome them back and to see the enthusiasm with which they approached their time with these young artists.

Nathan and Julie are now on the faculty at the University of Illinois, and they truly seem to be enjoying this new aspect of their careers. They were gracious and generous, sharing all manner of advice on things vocal, professional, and personal. What it's like to survive those first few years, how everyone gets discouraged, and how children can mix with a career. Oh, and what it was like to be on the Colbert Report.

Pre-Tech Ulysses

2009-07-18T18:35:00.000-04:00

Ulysses finishes up its time in the rehearsal room.

At left, a composite from this week's artist panel.

Costume shop supervisor Sue Chiang shared sketches and fabrics for this show's amazing range of everything from leather to gauze. (Can't wait to share production photos with you...)

Conductor Gary Wedow talked about the quasi-democracy that is working with a terrifically talented and independent group of early music specialists.

Cast members Chad Sloan (Ulysses' son Telemaco), Rena Harms (the old nurse Ericlea) and Jamie Barton (Ulysses' wife Penelope) filled us in on everything from ornamentation to barbeque.

Final Designer Run - Photos

Cast Brings Ulysses to Lunch Music

Luxury Casting

2009-07-13T22:23:00.005-04:00

My first time through Ulysses tonight, in the rehearsal room, 5 days before we move into the theatre.

An embarrassment of riches. The entire roster - 15 superbly gifted singers - throw themselves into roles big and small. Studio singers make brief finely-etched appearances, and the core orchestra of keyboards, lutes, viol and cello coaxes an amazing range of music out of their instruments.

This is the beauty of an ensemble company. Mimi sings Cupid, Marcello plays Jupiter, Musetta is Minerva, and Rodolfo chews scenery (and everything else) as the comic tenor. Alcindoro is Neptune, and stars of Steve Blier's upcoming recital who will sing Grieg and the Craigslistlieder appear as a shepherd and a son. Fiordiligi is the old nurse, Dorabella the young maidservant, Despina the goddess Fortuna. And, in a wonderful but inadvertent casting touch, Ferrando, Guglielmo and Alfonso are Penelope's three unsuccessful suitors. And they all do so with commitment and collegiality.

This all made reasonably good sense when we were putting the puzzle together back in December, but when it rolled by me tonight, I was simultaneously surprised by and thankful for the good fortune to work with these people and play a part in their careers.

A snapshot of Ulysses, frozen in time on 7/13/09:

"If a heart burns, it burns in flames of joy.

And whoever plays the game of love never loses."

"Man is arrogant, and heaven’s willingness to forgive him causes his downfall.

Neptune will not dishonor himself by tolerating man's transgressions."

"Who has changed my peaceful sleep into torment?

Who changed my rest into misfortune?

What deity watches over those who sleep?

O god of slumber, you are also the brother of death."

"You slept for a long time, and you still speak of dreams.

You are shrewd, Ulysses, but Minerva is wiser."

"It was noble of generous Ulysses to punish the Trojans,

but perhaps heaven is angered by the fall of Troy.

Perhaps heaven demanded his life in exchange."

"Lovely Helen of Troy received me.

I gazed into her eyes, wondering if the world were full of men like Paris.

For such a woman, a single man is little prey."

"This imminent danger must spur you to daring deeds.

Telemaco returns, and perhaps Ulysses as well."

"Jupiter cries for vengeance!

This is how the bow shoots!"

"Because of you, I bless all of my past sorrow.

We no longer remember the pain of the past, for all is pleasure."

Interlude: Country, Video Games & Marvin

2009-07-11T19:45:00.004-04:00

This is an "NSO Triple" weekend, and because of the Ampersand Part of my Job, I'm surrounded by music of the nonoperatic type. And even though it's tough to multitask during the busy summer season, there are always new perspectives gained by taking a step away across the toll road.

Country Hospitality

Thursday night was LeAnn Rimes. Symphonic pops of the country music variety. She's a pretty fabulous singer, and I learned a lot from watching her touring "machine."

I don't spend a lot of time around country music, so I didn't really understand the fan culture. Suffice it to say that country singers and their entourages could teach us classical folk a few things about respecting the hands that feed us. Their approach to the fans and the care that was taken during their Meet & Greet was refreshing. Most artists do it, but often begrudgingly and randomly. And fans sense that. But Ms. Rimes and her handlers were like a well-oiled machine - warm, welcoming, and appreciative to the fans who were invited backstage.

Face it folks - if people didn't leave their houses, brave traffic and pay for tickets to see us perform, we'd be doing something else for a living.

Castlemania and Mario

Friday night was Video Games Live. I didn't work this show (my colleague and I take turns handling opera & symphony during these weekends, and VGL was hers), but I was embroiled in it up to the day of the show. I also did a USA Today interview yesterday, so we'll see if I didn't manage to get quoted as saying something stupid... Even though I don't believe that symphonic pops will serve (or ever has served) to create more "legit" music patrons, it's clear that video game soundtracks can be a significant stream of whatever the next generation of pops might be.

I spent all Friday evening on the new @NSO@WolfTrap twitter account, tracking and following everyone who was tweeting about the show. My favorite shout-out tweet of the evening went something like this: "Good social networking managment - not even in my seat and the NSO/Wolftrap twitter account is following me due to my couple of posts."

A Life in Music

Tonight's audience skews toward the grandparents of last night's. But what's happening onstage is no less compelling.

It's easy to take someone as iconic as Marvin Hamlisch for granted. But tonight Marvin is giving us an entertaining and self-effacing tour through his career - the highs and the lows - from his surprisingly recognizable score to The Swimmer (which, according to the quick poll he took of the audience, predictably few people ever saw...) to the movie scores from the '80s that are part of our DNA now, to the magic that is Chorus Line.

Coda

And since I'm in an orchestral mood, some food for thought about Ravinia's new screen installation here and here.

One Acts!

2009-07-09T21:52:00.006-04:00

The WTOS in Charge

2009-07-05T16:10:00.006-04:00

It's all about the Studio for the next few days as we head into their spotlight performance on Wednesday evening. In previous seasons the WTOS presented scenes from full-length operas; this year they serve up four 1-act operas in their entirety!

Rehearsal photos by Eric Melear

GALLANTRY
by Douglas Moore
featuring: Rebecca Nathanson, Carla Jablonski, Daniel Maimone, Timothy Beenken & Matthew Thompson

AGAIN
by Jake Heggie
featuring: Amanda Opuszynski, Hilary Ginther, Daniel Anderson, Douglas Yocum & Douglas Sumi

HIN UND ZURÜCK
by Paul Hindemith
featuring: Amanda Opuszynski, Daniel Anderson, Timothy McDevitt, Douglas Yocum, Hilary Ginther & Matthew Thompson

A HAND OF BRIDGE
by Samuel Barber
featuring: Amanda Opuszynski, Hilary Ginther, Daniel Anderson, Timothy McDevitt & Douglas Sumi

LA DIVINA
by Thomas Pasatieri
featuring: Andrea Shokery, Sishel Claverie, Sean Arnold, Tim McDevitt & Douglas Sumi

All scenes are directed by Richard Gammon and stage managed by Sam Rabinovitz.

Wednesday's performance is an invitation-only event, and it's a wonderful chance for these junior members of the company to own the stage!

We began the Studio just three years ago, and already it's hard to imagine what life was like without them! (Well, I'm sure it was calmer, but far less interesting.) If you're new to us, or are simply confused about the two different tiers of the Company, here's the short take-away:

The Filene Young Artists have typically finished or are about to finish their graduate or artist diploma decrees. They have usually done some other young artist program work. They sing all leading, featured and supporting roles, and the average age this year is 28* (range is 25-36.)

The Studio Artists are either finishing their undergraduate degrees or just starting graduate work. (We don't accept anyone for an audition if they've already finished a year in a grad program.) They sing small roles and chorus assignments, and the average age this year is 23* (range is 21-27.)

(*Our programs are not age-based;
rather, they are keyed to current level of training.)

More photos and reports from the Studio to come in the next few days!

Ingredients for July

2009-07-01T21:22:00.004-04:00

5 One-Act Operas
27 Ulysses singers
2 Artist Panels
1 week of Instant Opera!
8 National Symphony Shows
7 Days with Steven Blier
6,400 Boheme tickets
3 Ulysses performances
1 Everybody-Off-At-the-Same-Time Company Free Day...

= The Busiest Month of the Year.

Bring it on.

The Fox and the Critics

2009-06-29T19:37:00.006-04:00

First, the Fox. Big Daddy Fox Volpone.

Exactly two years ago tomorrow, our recording of Volpone was In the Can. As of last weekend, it is finally on my desk, available in the lobby at The Barns and on its way to CDBaby and iTunes! (Should be available online in a little under 2 weeks.)

It was a much thornier and confusing process than it had any right to be, and it almost foiled us multiple times. But we persevered and prevailed, and we are thrilled to get this marvelous comic opera out there where more people can hear it!

Good Things about Bad Reviews

Second, the critics.

In recent seasons we've generally escaped the disapproving glances of the media. Didn't get off so easily this time, so today was an interesting day. I've written before about the challenge of handling reviews within a young artist company. One of the biggest hurdles is getting folks to ignore the coverage when it's approving. It's so seductive to read that a knowledgeable person loved your performance. But once you succumb to identifying with the critic's assessment, you're doomed to the same buy-in when (not if, but when) it turns south.

So, in the spirit of gratitude journals and other various list-making exercises, my five good things about bad reviews:

1. You don't have to tear them down repeatedly from the dressing room corridor. Good reviews tend to get posted on walls and doors throughout the theatre by folks who want to share their pride in their production. But not everyone reads these things, and most people shouldn't. So we search and destroy, even though they're flattering. Bad notices don't tend to get posted as frequently :)

2. Colleagues feel you need respectful silence. (To mourn or something...) These days tend to be quiet. Folks who would normally be hammering at us for information are giving us a wide berth. It's weird, but I love it. Got a lot done today:)

3. Fans and supporters are galvanized! Emails and phone calls come in from folks who loved the show and are determined to let us (and, generally, the media) know about it. God love 'em. I'm just happy to know that they had an enjoyable night in the theatre. That, and our continued efforts to serve the music and do our best work, are the most important things.

4. It has the potential to free you for the next performance. My worst work onstage (and in life, to tell the truth) comes when I am paralyzed by fear about what will happen if someone doesn't like what I'm doing. Because it's inevitable, you know. Once the worst happens, though, and the world continues to turn, an incredible sense of freedom can set in. And the next performance feels like flying.

5. They get you one step closer to embracing the only critics you should have. (Yourself, and those in the business you trust.) Not everything we do is flawless. Not every mistake we make is detected. And not everything we obsess about is wrong. The only way to continue to grow and to enjoy your journey as an artist is to be honest to yourself, to continue to seek out feedback from people who have your best interest at stake. Experience has shown me that many of the cringe-worthy things I've done have been soundly endorsed. And some of the most wonderful things I've been involved with have been savaged.

Let's keep the conversation going. It's part of the art form, and differences of opinion and perspective keep us all from getting too complacent. We'll talk more about this some other day, but in the meantime, there's more Mozart to enjoy. One more terrific performance tomorrow night!

In the Name of Love

2009-06-24T23:22:00.004-04:00

Così is sold out. Has been for weeks. A donor gave back a pair of tickets, though, and we're holding a contest to give them away. The tickets are for closing night, Tuesday, 6/30. If you want them, all you have to do is go to the Hotspot and tell us about the craziest thing you ever did in the name of love.

(Click to play slideshow.)

Me? Well, I'm far too boring to have ever done anything even remotely crazy for love. But it's been an interesting week with my Mozartean friends, and I gave my all to try to understand what all the fuss is about.

The real singers protraying the six people onstage have been amazing - going from strength to strength as they work through this most thorny of singing and acting assignments. (Don't let anyone tell you Mozart OR comedy is easy.) I've enjoyed their company immensely and have been amazed at their energy, talent, humor, and generosity.

It's those other people with whom I've had an "interesting" time. Fiordiligi, Dorabella, Ferrando, Guglielmo, Despina & Alfonso. Depending on what kind of day I'm having, they either amuse, intrigue, bumfuzzle or infuriate me. (The latter being my reaction when I'm cranky and just want them to grow up.) The first act is always fun, but the second half's adolescent overreactions wear thin when my mood is dicey to begin with.

Get a grip, ladies. Man up, guys.

This is not my typical reaction to these folks, and I'm afraid that it probably comes from getting older. (Yes, folks, I had a birthday this week, and I'm feelin' it:)) It's also about trying to reconcile the depth and strength of these young people's musical and dramatic actions with the actual subject material. No one died, nothing tragic happens, yet these folks go at it like it's the end of the world. And I guess that's the point. It is, for them.

I don't know what your long term memory is like, but mine is nonexistent. I retain nothing of what it must've been like to be a teenager in love. So empathy is hard to come by. I watched my own teenagers suffer, and I love them, so I tried to sympathize. But I don't truly understand.

Mozart was 34 when he wrote this opera. Young, for us, but more than middle-aged for the time. Certainly not an hysterical teenager. But while he wrote Così, his 25-year-old wife (pregnant for the fifth time...) was away from him. And he wrote her letters that repeatedly implored her not to cheat on him.

For me, in the middle of my stable, unremarkable middle class American existence, the potency of the emotion lavished on wondering whether or not Fiordiligi and Dorabella will fool around with other guys is over the top. But I guess for Mozart (and most certainly for the colorful Da Ponte, a Jew who became a priest then took a mistress and opened a brothel, and eventually became a grocer and a professor at Columbia University...), these things were life and death. Mozart wasn't stretching. Or amplifying or exaggerating. He just got it.

The 19th century had huge issues with this piece, and although we don't have the identical ferocious opposition (and we do have an even deeper appreciation for the genius that was Mozart), we still have our own distorted lens through which we sometimes see Così. A casualty of the age of irony, I guess. Alfonso excepted, these characters don't do irony. And God bless 'em, they do get hurt. And when they sing about it, Mozart tears our heart out.

There's a slight twist near the end of our production - one that I accepted but didn't really understand until tonight. I spend most rehearsals multi-tasking - answering email, taking notes, taking photos, doing paperwork. So I never really developed good traction it until tonight. But now I have to say that I don't ever want to do it any other way :) Not all of you will agree, but it certainly is great good for thought.

So.... what's the craziest thing you ever did in the name of love?

Così Final Room Run, Vocal Colors v.2 & Backstage Buzz

2009-06-18T17:47:00.005-04:00

June 16-19, 2009:

The Così cast conquered two room runs in a row. What fabulous musicians, fascinating actors and special people these 6 are.

One day off, then into the theatre for sets, lights, costumes, makeup, magic... opera!

On Thursday, Daniel Billings, Michael Baitzer and The Phillips Collection filled our small auditorium with music and art on Thursday in Vocal Colors. What a wonderful new project this turned into!

And on Tuesday, artists and staff from Così joined me for a panel discussion in this week's Backstage Buzz.

The next 3 days? Così tech, the start of Ulysses rehearsals, and our official welcome reception for artists and donors.

Vocal Colors II: Billings & Baitzer

2009-06-17T21:13:00.004-04:00

For the second (and final!) time this summer, our artists engage in a musical dialogue with paintings from The Phillips Collection. Tomorrow (Thursday 6/18) at 1:00pm, baritone Daniel Billings and pianist Michael Baitzer treat Wolf Trap staff and guests to a mini-recital inspired by the likes of Renoir, Hartley, Manet, Degas, and Hopper. Songs of Tchaikovsky, Copland and Barber take the stage along with traditional spirituals and a dose of Sinatra.

This weekend, it's onto the stage for the beginning of tech week for Cosi fan tutte. We'll integrate sets, costumes, hair & makeup, lights, and orchestra in a dizzying 72 hours. I'll report from the trenches.

Così at the Backstage Buzz 6/16

2009-06-14T21:02:00.004-04:00

As I attempt to channel James Lipton, I'll chat with with members of the cast and creative team this Tuesday afternoon, and we'll get to the heart of this Così fan tutte thing.

Why should I care about these people in this opera? What challenges have Dorabella and Ferrando (the roles played by the two singers on the panel) posed to their creators? And seriously, what's up with this "disguise" plot device? How did this Così end up in a laboratory? Are Mozart's music and da Ponte's libretto at odds with each other? And who does end up with whom in the end?

We'll tackle all this and more. Got a question for the panel? Post it in the comments or email it to me, and I'll try to squeeze it in! And if you're in the area and would like to attend, write us at wtoc@wolftrap.org. Seating is limited.

We go into technical rehearsals in a few days, but until then I'll relish a few stolen hours on my porch. It's perfect early summer weather in Virginia, but it's good that the low humidity and cool breezes only last so long. Otherwise I'd have to figure out a way to run an opera company from a wicker chair. Or run an opera company that rehearses and performs here. (Since I posted this idea on Facebook a few minutes ago, friends have begun suggesting a repertoire... Porch Song Trilogy... Porchy & Bess... and my own contribution, Porchis Godunov.)

06.11.09

2009-06-11T16:43:00.007-04:00

Today is StageMan's birthday, and we started the day in style with bagels and a prop cake at the scene shop. Fabulous crew this year!

The Vocal Colors mini-recital charmed the socks off a capacity audience of Wolf Trap Foundation staff, WTOC members, donors, housing hosts, and representatives from our partner The Phillips Collection. (Above, Jamie Barton and Jeremy Frank introduce Daumier's The Strong Man to Big Sister Says ("Beauty Hurts!") by Libby Larsen and Kathryn Daniels.)

A glimpse into the rehearsal hall shows that we are well into the "garden" scene of Così.

And... our 2009 newsletter is now available for viewing and download! Go here.

That's it for now. Scene shop is already counting down the days!

Apple and Chagall

2009-06-10T10:38:00.006-04:00

I've blogged before about my visual incompetency. I yearn to see with the detail and texture with which I hear. It's a lifelong quest.

Tomorrow I will sit in awe of two of our performing artists (mezzo-soprano Jamie Barton and pianist Jeremy Frank) as they revel in a challenge to respond to paintings by Cézanne, Chagall, Daumier, Bonnard, Monet, Lawrence and Degas. They've chosen songs by Libby Larsen, Henri Duparc, Fiona Apple, Claude Debussy, Charles Ives, and Elton John; and they'll perform the music in front of projections of the artwork (courtesy of the Phillips Collection in Washington, DC.)

If you're a fan of ours in the Vienna, VA area, and you're interested in coming to this mini-recital at 1:00 pm tomorrow (Thursday, June 11), drop us an email at wtoc@wolftrap.org, and we'll reserve you a seat! (Reservations required)

(A fly-by visit to my office a few minutes ago reported that the Mark Chagall / Fiona Apple pairing is a marvelous thing:)

In the Rear-View Mirror

2009-06-07T16:10:00.009-04:00

Last night's Road Trip! concert left me speechless.

The paradox of blogging is that the stories that defy description are the very ones that demand to be told. Tweets and posts don't feel like strong enough vessels to contain an evening filled with such beauty, humor, talent, and generosity of spirit.

The full house at The Barns was treated to twenty-two songs ranging from the batty (At the Mardi Gras)...

...to the heartbreaking (Haunted Heart)...

... the witty (A Summer in Ohio)...

... the jazzy (Sugar in the Cane)...

... and the... well... uh... indescribable (courtesy of Arizona Lady).

And of course, none of it would be thinkable without Steve Blier at the helm. Bravi, amici.

72 Hours Till the Rubber Meets the Road

2009-06-03T19:12:00.004-04:00

Only about 20 tickets left for a witty, touching, and thoroughly entertaining Saturday night with Steve, Ava, Dominic, Jamie and Daniel.

To tide you over, sample some lyrics that await you at The Barns...

Ol' whiskey comes from ol' Kentucky,
Ain't the country lucky?
New Jersey gives us glue,
And you - you come from Rhode Island,
And little ol' Rhode Island is famous for you.

(Dietz & Schwartz)

All New York’s a stage,
And all its men and women are very bad actors.
How they rant and rage, for food and drink and money,
For those are the factors.
Out of the Bronx and Yonkers
Rushing to earn a wage –
He must be strong who conquers
On the Manhattan stage.

(Rodgers & Hart)

Yippi-yi, away out west in Jersey,
I declare these are the thoughts I thunk,
Yippi-Yi, if Jersey looks like this to me,
Either Jersey or me is drunk.

(Kurt Weill / Ogden Nash)

Nightmare, daymare,
Feelin’ older than the gray mare.
Lost my lover in the blue, blue grass.

(Dietz & Schwartz)

Can't get Indiana off my mind,
Anywhere I chance to roam;
The music on the Wabash that I left behind
Calls me back home.

(Hoagy Carmichael & Robert DeLeon)

I could have a mansion on the hill,
I could lease a villa in Seville,
But it wouldn't be as nice as a summer in Ohio
With a gay midget named Karl, playing Tevye and Porgy.

(Jason Robert Brown)

Song der Prärie...Lied der Prärie..
Horst du es klingen, ein Rauschen und Singen?
Ja, das ist der Ruf der Prärie!

(Uh..... "Song of the Prairie" from Kálmán's priceless Arizona Lady)

From east coast to west... in two hours. Ride along.

"On with the dance! Let joy be unconfined."

2009-06-02T10:49:00.002-04:00

Studio Artists in their first day of dance with Susan Shields.

A magical morning in the woods.

Photo by Lee Anne Myslewski with her trusty (yes-I-am-jealous) iPhone.

Alfonso's Laboratory

2009-06-01T18:01:00.005-04:00

Photos of scenic designer Erhard Rom's set model.

Costume Designer Mattie Ullrich presents sketches to the cast.

Little time to write today - dozens of new artists and staff, and lots to manage. Cosi cast is in the house, Steve Blier and his cast are making some seriously amazing music in preparation for Saturday's Road Trip recital, and the staff is already working overtime. We'll gain a little equilibrium in day or two, and I'll be back with a preview of Road Trip.

The Return of Lunch Music!

2009-05-28T15:18:00.006-04:00

"I Can Cook, Too"

Jamie Barton, mezzo-soprano

"Roses and Lilies"

Dominic Armstrong, tenor

"Somewhere over the Rainbow"

Ava Pine, soprano

"Black Max"

Daniel Billings, baritone

Jeremy Frank at the mighty Yamaha

Part of the peanut gallery (photo by Beth Krynicki)

A Little Lunch Music is a weekly series of mini-concerts for the employees of the Wolf Trap Foundation, graciously given by artists of the Wolf Trap Opera Company. Look for Lunch Music photos on Thursdays throughout the season!

Dysprosium, Technitium & Palladium

2009-05-22T13:13:00.006-04:00

I've historically been a bit frustrated about our inability to tap into the wealth of knowledge, ideas, questions, and enthusiasm that lies within all of the artists and staff who spend a summer at Wild Times Opera Camp. This summer we've decided to be proactive, and we've established a weekly discussion forum - a series of "table" talks. Earlier this week, we had some fun with the Naming of Things. The first noun that came to mind was "Symposium," but that sounded so helplessly stuffy that I don't even want to attend. We ended up with:

Wolf Trap Opera Company’s

Periodic Table

Elements of our Craft

Although a few of these sessions will include guest faculty and artists, and they will be open to Wolf Trap interns, staff, and all members of the WTOC, the intention is not to do a dog-and-pony show type of panel discussion for the audience. It takes very little to put me on the Master Class expert struts his stuff for the benefit of the assembled unwashed soapbox... Remember this? (Ignore the font color disasters if you follow the link.)

We want to create an environment where our artists can brainstorm and share their own knowledge about all manner of things related to our profession and art form. So, to that end, and thanks to the ever-creative RT, here's the first draft of our Tuesday series:

June 2
Es 99 – Einsteinium
(Be smart about stuff)
Cautionary tales, ideas, and strategies about the business of singing. What's working for you, and what isn't? Where are the smoke screens? Where's the line between professional and personal?

June 9
Ca 20 – Calcium
(Strong bones make for a healthy body)
With guest artist Susan Shields
Most of us will never be dancers, but there are ways that we can honor our bodies and bring an enhanced awareness of our physical selves to our work as musicians. How can we get over our inhibitions to embrace this? And let's stop pretending that we can get by without doing so.

June 16
Dy 66 – Dysprosium
(True love is hard to come by… look it up)
A Così fan tutte Panel Discussion
The sky's the limit. Often said to be an opera more for the performers than for the audience… Who belongs to whom?

June 23
Ac 89 – Actium
(becoming someone else on stage)
with guest artist Leon Major
How is acting for singers different than for theatre actors? Where do you find your point of departure? Do you recognize your own process?

June 30
Au 79 – Gold
(He who makes the gold has some of it taken away)
with guest Aaron Urbanek
You can't spell arias without an I, R, or S: Tax Tips for the Working Musician.

July 7
Tc 43 – Technitium
(All the geek you can handle)
A discussion about Web 2.0, led by yours truly. What it's like to be on the bleeding edge of living in the cloud. (Got any more geeky metaphors?)

July 14
Pd 46 – Palladium
(And other ancient artifacts)
Ulisse Panel Discussion
Digging into a baroque opera. Is it for the faint of heart?

July 21
No 102 – Nobelium
(Altruism is a good thing)
FYA/WTOS Round Table
This year's Filene Young Artists speak candidly with our Studio Artists about their experiences with young artist programs, summer programs, grad school, etc.

July 28
Cm 96 – Curium
(Too little too late)
A Bohème Panel Discussion
What it’s like to update a classic. And what's with this new concert staging hybrid? Is it a trend, and does it require a different skill set from the performers?

I'll file reports this summer from the brain trust:)

Fun with the God of Thunder

2009-05-21T12:09:00.003-04:00

From: Conductor Thor
To: Ulisse Director, Administrators, Orchestra Contractor, Technical Director
Subject: Thor wants thunder!

Dear Ulisses colleagues,

As the score specifies thunder several times, and since the love of thunder is in my genes, I've been researching authentic thunder makers for Baroque theaters. The thunder 'sheet' is a later invention (all of that metal in a big sheet) but thunder boxes and bowling logs, etc seem to be more authentic. I know they have a thunder drum/box at the Met filled with tennis balls, etc. Evidently it makes quite a racket. Do you think our percussionist and the prop dept could put their minds to this and see if we could come up with something effective? Not a big deal, but it might be fun if we could find something noisey and authentic.

From: Kim Witman
Subject: RE: Thor wants thunder!

We'll work on this.
And I think that Thor needs to be in the opera.

From: Technical Director
Subject: RE: Thor wants thunder!

Hey all,Have we discussed getting the actual god of thunder onstage? Are we concerned that the creation of lighting bolts backstage by a deity poses a possible fire hazard?Also, traditionally Thor wears a loin cloth onstage. Since the production seems to be heading in a more post modern industrial direction do we need to consider a thong or 'banana hammock'?

From: Conductor Thor
Love all the ideas, kind of a post modern, all gods baroque ring cycle and Thor must appear on stage. I've often thought professionally of just going as 'Thor', like Cher or Bono or the Artist formerly known as Prince. But for your own comfort and safety I was thinking more of a helmet with horns and animal pelts, ----lots of them. Banana thongs? Seems distracting, and talk about danger! Sparks!

Chapter 5 - Let Me Tell You a Story

2009-05-13T11:32:00.000-04:00

For context on this post, go here.

Eleven years since I last spent time with Fiordiligi, Dorabella, Despina, Ferrando, Guglielmo, and Alfonso. I actually didn't think I missed them, but I'm glad to have them back. The thing is, they've changed. Or perhaps it's not they who have changed.

This is the Così of words, of linguistic intelligence. I'm writing my first set of supertitle translations and uncovering things I never noticed before. And I'm recently hyper-focused on telling stories to opera audiences in a new way.

My own kids are now the prototypes for the couples in Così. I don't feel like Fiordiligi or Dorabella any more, perhaps sadly. Rather, I feel like their poor benighted mother. Get a grip, girls!

Having had teenage boys in and out of my house since my last experience with Così, I can no longer get exorcised about Ferrando and Guglielmo. They're just immature. And any teenage girl worth her salt understands that.

And I'm kind of newly pissed-off at Alfonso. Really, he should know better. I don't care if he's developed this warped world-view of love. He should be grown up enough to keep it to himself. Finally, I feel kind of sorry for Despina this time around. She's kind of happy with her single-minded focus, but it's still evil of Alfonso to use her and not clue her in to the whole scheme.

As I tweak the translation, I listen to these people talk to and about one another. For the first time, it doesn't just feel like "opera world," it feels like the real world. And I'm determined to use language to flesh out that feeling as far as I can.

Now it's time to stop talking about Così and to start to find out what this chapter really holds. See you at The Barns at the end of June!

Fortunate is the man who always looks on the bright side
and lets reason guide him through the pitfalls of life.
That which makes others weep will bring him laughter.
And he will find lovely calm in the chaos of the world!

Chapter 4 - Imposter Syndrome

2009-05-11T11:15:00.000-04:00

For context on this post, go here.

I took over as General Director of Wolf Trap Opera in 1997. When my predecessor was planning to leave to run the young artist program at the Met, he mentioned that I might want to look into taking this job. I said, "What are you, nuts?" (Well, actually I used another adjective, but this is a professional blog:)

A few months later, the job wasn't filled yet, so I applied. My kids were both in school, and the itinerant musician hours were (as many of you no doubt know) a spectacularly bad fit with my children's school hours. I actually got passed over for the job the first time, but was offered it after the first choice applicant decided not to take it.

Nice set-up for Imposter Syndrome. I've had it all my life - as a musician, as an administrator, as a parent. But the summer of 1998, it was in full bloom.

The fall 1997 audition store unearthed some nice Mozart and Rossini talent, and my first WTOC season behind a desk was fairly conservative: Così, Abduction, and Barber. (I still my first irate patron letter, entitled "Lack of Imagination.") In retrospect, there was much to be proud of in my maiden outing as an administrator, but at the time I was convinced I'd be exposed as a complete imposter and dragged out of the theatre by my hair.

This was my visual Così. As a coach, I had been more involved in the dramaturgical and character-based aspects of opera than a lot of my musician colleagues. But design? Talk about culture shock. The first few years of my administrative life were spent educating myself on the side of the business that I had largely avoided as a coach - the visual side. Costumes, sets, lights. Damn.

I think I got into the whole multiple intelligence thing because I was frustrated with the way so much of our culture is visually-based. Voice teachers, coaches, even my therapist colleagues back in the day - they were all so fond of using visual imagination as a springboard to relaxation, imagination, and discovery. But here's the rub. I never really learned how to see.

Somehow I see with my subconscious. I must notice things, for I rely on so many cues that can only be gleaned by seeing. But I have a serious lack of ability to call on my visual intelligence in any predictable or helpful way. Wanna see me break into a sweat? Open a ground plan on my desk. Just the thought of it makes me need to breathe deeply.

Over time, I've convinced myself that this flaw isn't fatal. Complete knowledge and disclosure goes a long way. And I continue to educate my eye. I try to hire people I trust to make the technical theatre decisions. And lately, I'm learning that my instincts are really not all that bad. It's just that I have trouble articulating them.

Up next, the final chapter (for now): Let Me Tell You a Story.

Chapter 3 - Recitative Whiplash

2009-05-08T10:58:00.000-04:00

For context on this post, go here.

First, a definition: The recitative is the portion of an opera that's sung without full orchestral accompaniment - in this case, with just a harpsichord. Strictly, the recitative (or recit) is meant to be accompanied by a "continuo" group that often includes various keyboard, plucked, and/or string instruments like harpsichord, lute, organ, cello, etc. But in the case of this production, and in many Mozart opera productions, the accompanying instrument is a solo harpsichord.

1995 was my aural Così. (Gardner more commonly called this intelligence by the name "musical," but I find that too encompassing.) I had recently begun accompanying my boss Peter Russell (then General Director of Wolf Trap Opera) on the annual audition tour, and I was listening to voices in a quantity and a fashion that I hadn't done before. So I spent a lot of time thinking about Mozart's writing for the voice, how he differentiates these six voices in Così, and what it takes to nail these roles.

Anecdotally, there was a pivotal moment in one of the performances that demonstrated how completely I had internalized Mozart's recits.

Recitative is essentially dialogue that's sung on pitch. It goes by pretty quickly, in the rhythm and speed of conversation. But it's not strictly improvisatory - the composer has written it down, and the harpsichordist is given a predetermined series of accompaniment chords that guide the recit through the correct keys so that everyone arrives at the next "number" (aria, ensemble, chorus, etc) intact.

But, like speech, much of recitative sounds alike. So it's kind of easy to get lost. And that's what happened. We were cranking along in a recit scene when someone jumped way ahead. I heard it happen, and somehow I followed. At this point, we were in the wrong key, but I was transposing and trying to keep the melodic structure of the recit intact. Just about the time I was wondering how to modulate to the key we were supposed to be in, someone else decided to back up and sing the part that we inadvertently skipped over. OK, fine. But then, when we finished the omitted part, we came up to the part we had already done. What to do? Repeat or skip? We skipped, and I realized that we had about 5 seconds to get into the right key before we crashed into the upcoming ensemble.

Confused? No need to make sense of it. It all lasted maybe 40 seconds (and several lifetimes). And really, no one else ever knew. (We didn't have supertitles at the time... that could've been awkward...) The point here is that not only was the dialogue/recit of Così completed embedded in my aural memory, so was the general sound of Mozart's recitative. The fact that I could make it up on the spot was a revelation. (One that bore fruit ten years later in Instant Opera, but that's another story.)

I was listening in a way, possibly with an intensity that I hadn't been aware of before. This third one was the Così of the musical ear.

Up next, Chapter 4 - Imposter Syndrome.

Chapter 2 - Guns? Really?

2009-05-06T10:44:00.000-04:00

For context on this post, go here.

My 1991 Così was my first at Wolf Trap, and it was a watershed in the beginnings of my grappling with the extra-musical aspects of our business. I entered the world of opera as a pianist, and I entered it quite late. I got my first opera job at the age of 30, and I had some serious catch-up to do. So I developed a healthy dose of tunnel vision for a while, for I simply had to get my own house in order and stay one step ahead of the singers. I had paid scant attention to some of the theatrical aspects of our art form. And a Christopher Alden production was just what the doctor ordered to get my attention.

I don't know why I remember guns. But the Albanians had them. And it wasn't a big deal, particularly in retrospect. Fairly mild. Yet it fascinated me. For the first time, I found myself lost in these characters and the crazy world they made onstage. The music was still there, still integrated, but I had gotten to the point where I could stop paying full attention to it all the time.

Gardner talks about interpersonal (between individuals) and intrapersonal (self-knowledge) intelligences. The shock of some of the production choices helped me begin to examine the people in Così, how they related to one another, and how well they actually knew themselves. I was a little preoccupied with Dorabella, probably because I wanted to be her. (Personally, I think I had the convictions of Fiordiligi without her coglioni, and that was boring. Much more fun to imagine living free and easy like Dorabella.)

In retrospect, I hadn't even begun to figure out how Mozart's masterful musical characterizations defined these characters' personalities and world views. I was looking at them through a very specific, rather distorted lens; yet it was just the one I needed to give me a new gateway into the world of Così.

Chapter 1 - I'm Playing As Fast as I Can

2009-05-04T10:16:00.000-04:00

For context on this post, go here.

My first full Così was at Washington National Opera in 1989 (then The Washington Opera, a.k.a. TWO, when I was a proud member of the TWOTWO's - The Women of The Washington Opera). I was the only pianist/coach assigned to the show, and the conductor was one of the best Mozart pianists of our time. I was terrified.

I had recently survived a confusing and misguided struggle with carpal tunnel syndrome, and it had left me with a lingering lack of confidence in my keyboard technique. (Misguided because I spent two years deconstructing and reconstructing my technique, only to find out that the whole thing was hormonally induced, then undergoing carpal tunnel surgery.) Playing Mozart for this conductor had me so intimidated that I retreated inside my physical technique in a way I nevber had before.

I had never trained to be a solo pianist, and I had developed curious ways of approaching things that had more to do with recreating an orchestral sound at the piano than they did with building a pristine keyboard technique. The conductor used to come around behind my shoulder, watch my "nervous repetition" and alternately shake his head in wonder and cluck his disapproval. ("Nervous" in this case not having anything to do with my terror; it just means banging out a single note or chord in quick succession by kind of hammering at it, instead of using finger-substitution. Sorry - no more pianist jargon, I promise.)

In that way, this was my kinesthetic Così. I was so preoccupied with my own body and its relationship to the piano that I missed many other things. But it was still an important gateway to the piece. I still remember the hours of trying to make what was on the printed page for "Soave sia il vento" (which kind of looks like a Hanon exercise in E Major) reconcile with the shimmering sound the orchestra made when it played it. And, this being my first big experience with playing technical rehearsals on both the piano and the harpsichord (for recits), I was finding my sea legs on how to move my hands to the harpsichord in a split second and have it not sound like I was playing it with oven mitts on.

I had also retreated inside my body because I was in the first trimester of my second pregnancy, and I spent long 4-hour staging sessions wondering if I could wait until the next break to throw up.)

This Così also was a mathematical one. Gardner calls this intelligence "mathematical/logical." In music, it has everything to do with architecture and structure. Understanding Mozart as a pianist is a challenging and rewarding thing, but it barely prepares you for wrapping your mind around what it takes to create an overall structure for a 3.5-hour Mozart opera. The pacing, the way that the small moments need to stack up as building blocks for the entire evening - that's a left-brain task in the extreme. 20 years later I am still in awe of conductors who can do it, and I first became aware of its terrifying significance in my first Così at the Kennedy Center.

Next: Chapter 2 - Guns? Really?

Journeys with Così: An Overture and Five Chapters

2009-05-01T09:44:00.007-04:00

Overture

In a previous life, I worked for several years in the mental health field. Shortly after I transitioned to the opera business (yes, as I'm often told, not a change of career, just a change of venue...), Howard Gardner's theory of Multiple Intelligences became all the rage. I bought all of his books and immersed myself in what seemed to be a concept that was so fundamentally sound and obvious that it seemed impossible that no one had explored it before. Of course, it didn't spring from nowhere - there were plenty of antecedents, and there have been countless new and similar theories since. But to me, it was rocket science. Exciting and world-changing.

Had the internet existed at the time, I mightn't have tunneled so deeply inside this theory. But I was alone with my books, and I spent several years applying the multiple intelligences approach to my musical life. It completely changed the way I approached learning and performing music, and it fundamentally altered the way I coached and taught. For a time I even had pipe dreams about writing a book on the application of multiple intelligences in the performing arts, but I was sort of interrupted by child-bearing and child-rearing. :)

So what does this have to do with Così?

I'm approaching my 5th Così. And it feels (in a good way) like completely new territory. Familiar, yes, but not the least bit predictable. (Unlike my eight Flutes, which always seem like Groundhog Day. But that's another story.) As I stewed on this a few weeks ago, it occurred to me that each one of my Così experiences was approached in a very different way. There was a distinctly different agenda for each one, and yes, they align in a curious way with Gardner's Multiple Intelligences (visual, aural, kinesthetic, linguistic, mathematical, interpersonal, and intrapersonal).

So, here's the table of contents:

Chapter 1 - I'm Playing as Fast as I Can
1989, The Washington Opera (kinesthetic, mathematical)

Chapter 2 - Guns? Really?
1991, Wolf Trap Opera (intrapersonal, interpersonal)

Chapter 3 - Recitative Whiplash
1995, Wolf Trap Opera (aural)

Chapter 4 - Imposter Syndrome
1998, Wolf Trap Opera (visual)

Chapter 5 - Let Me Tell You a Story
2009, Wolf Trap Opera (linguistic)

This tale, serialized and posted in installments. See you next week in 1989.

#operaplot

2009-04-27T10:01:00.004-04:00

The Twitterverse is holding an opera plot contest - a re-run of last month's informal contest, this time with official judging and prizes! To join the fun, start here. If you want to join the fun but you don't tweet, start here.

The gist of it? Reduce an opera synopsis to 130 characters. Amazing to see what can be done. It may help me swear off deadly dull detailed program synopses forever! And of course, we're particularly watching for entries for our 2009 trilogy...

Così

You can't tell those are your BFs? Seriously? Oh no! Don't do it with the other one! Wait. Maybe you want it like this? Huh?

In the words of the immortal Crosby, Stills and Nash: "Love the One You're With."

Ulysses

Mortals, gods and allegory - oh my! Why coming home sometimes makes us wish we traveled more.

Home after 20 years to find a houseful of men after your wife, drunkards & horny teenagers in the yard. Grab that bow and arrow.

Bohème

Entourage, a la Bohemia. Consumed girl shows up. Momus! I love you! She left. Let's eat. She coughs. Muff? She croaks.

Seamstress pals around with bohemians in a December-May affair. Receives muff as parting gift.

Wolf Trap Opera Company

We've Moved

Migration in Progress

WTOC Announces its 2010 Season across the Blogosphere!

A Highly Subjective and Unapologetically Random Look Back at the GRAMMYs

Congratulations!

An Honor to be Nominated. No, Really.

"Special"

Blog Clog

What *Were* You Thinking?

Creativity's Worst Enemy

January: When the Music Goes into Hiding

It Just Feels Like a New Decade

Holiday Hiatus

The Long View

Scrappy & Outrageous

Audition Arias Offered: Filene Young Artists

Audition Arias Offered: Studio Artists

Congratulations!

Links to Fall 2009 Aria Frequency Lists

Aria Frequency List: Soprano

Aria Frequency List: Mezzo-soprano

Aria Frequency List: Tenor

Aria Frequency List: Baritone

Aria Frequency List: Bass & Bass-baritone

National Opera Week on the Road

The Tough Call

Midwest Musings

Chicago: The No Caffeine Zone

Interlude: MONC Auditions

Technology in the Audition Room

Happy Fifth Bloggiversary

Sweating Small Stuff... Seeing Forests for Trees... Wholes Being Greater than Sums of Parts ...

IAD-LAX-ORD-CVG-IAH-JFK/NYP-PHI-WAS

Expert Friday: Tips from Texas

Your Audition Partner at the Piano

Audition Room Protocol

Audition Room Acoustics

Outside the Room

Hiatus

Counting Down

Expert Friday: Chicago

Audition Props?

Don't Pace & Don't Land the Plane

Three Soapboxes

Could We Hear the [Insert Name of Aria Here], Please?

Expert Friday: Enjoy Yourself!

What (Not) To Wear

The Notebook

"There are no rules for good photographs, there are only good photographs."

Get Your Left Brain Ready

Expert Friday: East & West Coast

Cutting Corners

Putting Yourself in the Fach Box

Something Old, Something New

Just How Versatile Can You Be?

Expert Friday: Audition as Strip Tease

S = (R + T) x LF

Are You Ready?

Audition Season: Forms & Fees

Young Artist Programs: Where to Start

The Forest before the Trees

You Never Really Enjoy It; You Just Get Better at It

The Fall 2009 Audition Mini-Course

2010 Audition Applications Available

Operascape, and Over & Out

Creatures of the Night

Shhhhh

Catching Up

July 26 - In All Its Infinite Variety!

Being Selfish

Why I Got Nothing Done Today

Coming Full Circle

Pre-Tech Ulysses

Luxury Casting

Interlude: Country, Video Games & Marvin

One Acts!

The WTOS in Charge

Ingredients for July

The Fox and the Critics

What Were You Thinking?