You walk in to the competition wearing blue jeans and a T-shirt, and you check in. As you are escorted onto the stage, you see there is a screen between you and the auditioners.
The receptionist announces: “Tenor, number 39.” Your hearers are given no résumé, no photo, no notes, so they are not able to be prejudiced by anything they read such as your birthdate, the school you attended, the roles you’ve sung, your experience. They know that you were pre-screened, so you obviously belong in the competition—they don’t need to worry about that. They can’t see you so your race and weight and height are not a factor. They focus only on your sound and dramatic and musical ability.
As you begin your first aria, you don’t want to sing directly into the screen itself, so you stand back and angle your voice off a bit to the side so sound goes out into the hall.
Callbacks that afternoon, of course, are not behind a screen, and stage presence, your résumé, and looks do play a critical role in whether you win. Competitions all over the world are now being held this way…
… in my dream world only.
AGMA doesn’t, and can’t, regulate competitions but oh, how I wish they could. I am SO weary of hearing stories like the following:
“I was told by the judges that even though I was within the age limit of the competition, they didn’t choose me because I was too old.” (Why have age limits if the judges don’t pay attention to them?)
“No black (or Hispanic, or Asian winners) have been chosen since….” I wonder if opera companies could make use of the screen as well for the first cut in auditions. I wonder if it would help artistic directors regain their power over stage directors to bring back sound as the primary factor for hiring singers. Stage directors could still choose looks, but only from among the pool of pre-selected great sound. I wonder what we’d see onstage if ears always chose before eyes. AFTRA auditions orchestral musicians behind a screen and has for years. I wonder if there is some way to use at least some aspect of this at some stage of the audition process to help singers in our own field. I’m sure there are singers (probably white, age 25 and gorgeous) who would really detest this idea. But it is at least an interesting topic for discussion.
This issue begins with Erie Mills, a wonderful singer who is an inspiration to all singers who want a long career singing lead roles.
Several months ago we asked the Classical Singer community to share with us their experiences with surgical intubation. Voice teacher Melyssa Rice did a wonderful job researching and compiling the results for this issue. Dr. Jahn was kind enough to let us use an excerpt from his book to help you make informed decisions. Important reading BEFORE you need it.
Maria Nockin has written two great articles to help you with your recitals: using supertitles and finding translations.
Last month, we brought you Alison England on our cover and promised more stories of singers leading the way in careers other than opera. While it’s not our cover story, we are excited to tell you the story of Robert Sims, who like Alison has been touring under the auspices of Community Concerts. We love the way Mr. Sims has brought American music to concert audiences all over America using spirituals. We hope it will inspire you!
There’s also “How to be a Good Student” by Annette Nauraine and a few other assorted articles. I hope you enjoy the issue!
What do you think of the idea of round one of competitions and auditions behind a screen?
Ms. CJ Williamson, Editor
Write to me at cjw@classicalsinger.com or P.O. Box 95490, S. Jordan, UT 84095
