In my last Classical Singer installment (March 2007), I wrote the first of several segments about the key ideas to keep in mind when putting your best foot forward in the audition and competition circuit. These are based on my personal experiences. Here are some additional thoughts on this important subject.
Unless you must use the pianist the competition or company provides, choose someone who commands their craft and brings out the best in you. He or she must be in sync with you and vice versa. This will allow you to be at your most comfortable, which is invaluable when the adrenaline of nerves kicks in!
Once at the venue, stay focused on what you came to accomplish and keep to yourself until you have completed your presentation. OK, this may sound a bit much, but it will come in handy—really!
At a competition and audition, everyone is out for the same thing. Sometimes, without knowing it, some singers can psyche out fellow singers by being very chatty and loud. Being chatty is fine and fun, if you want to meet after you’ve sung and done your thing—but that sort of distraction beforehand can interfere with your focus and concentration, factors that are vital components of your energy and presence on stage. Just remember that you came to do one thing: your very best, regardless of the outcome. Once that is done, you can party the night away!
Taking part in competitions and auditions is a great goal and focal point as well as being vital to networking and entering the circuit. Sure, some include prizes and we all would love to win them—and the financial gains and prestige that come with the prize. Again, I emphasize the networking factor in all of this. Most competitions are judged by the same group of judges. You will come across each other time and again. They will take notice of you, your growth and development, and that alone will be a great help to your networking.
A personal example: While finishing my master’s degree at Juilliard and doing countless competitions, I noticed that the same people judged many of those competitions. I won some and not others—part of the process. Shortly after one competition in which I did not win a prize, I received a call from one of the judges, Erica Gastelli. It was early May and the Spoleto Festival, USA, was still looking to cast the female lead in the world premiere of The Singing Child, by the late, great Gian Carlo Menotti. She contacted the music director, Steven Mercurio, and I auditioned for him. Well, to make a long story slightly longer, I was hired for the role—and I didn’t even have a manager at the time!
The experience was extraordinarily positive. I learned so much from being in the presence of Maestro Menotti, who also staged the production. Since it was a world premiere, the press exposure was wonderful—and I got management following the run of performances. All of this is to say that you should never underestimate the power of being connected with people through the exposure these competitions provide. Winning them is great in that moment, but not always necessary for you to move ahead.
Impressions, especially first ones, are lasting, but it is also important to remember that we are all works in progress. All the great singers still coach and take lessons. A singer shouldn’t reach a point and say: “Great! I made it! That’s it, I no longer need to be working on perfecting my craft, nor do I have the time to do so.” If that thought ever crosses your mind, just imagine the loud sound of the “wrong!” buzzer when someone messes up on a game show.
When you first present yourself to the competition circuit, prepare your “best self” at that moment in time. You will be another “best self” at the next moment in time, and so on. Be patient with yourself; always have a vision for where you want to go while being aware of where you are.
Although it’s not necessary, if the Young Artist Program of an opera house or summer festival offers you a position, take it! Besides being an unmatched learning experience, it is part of paying your dues, establishing a strong relationship with companies, and investing in your future. A relationship like this with an opera company may take on different forms and nurtures loyalty from the company’s end, as well as your own.
The experience, polish, and refinement you undergo during your time in a Young Artist Program sets you at a much higher level for when you enter the professional field fully. You may not have accrued many professional engagements with other opera companies yet, but the “stamp” and prestige from a Young Artist Program will place you in high esteem in the eyes of those for whom you audition.
