Some people thought it was a scam. Some thought it was the idea of the century. Some waited to see how the first attempt would turn out, and others are still waiting.
At press time, with approximately 25 contracts currently offered, five or more invitations for house auditions in Germany, and negotiations with more major international opera houses underway, it’s clear that the inaugural efforts of the New York International Opera Auditions (NYIOPs) were no scam. Held in April and May of this year, the NYIOPs brought major and medium-sized German opera houses to New York for a week of auditions.
Bremen, Landestheater Salzburg, Hannover, Karlsruhe, Mannheim, Monte Carlo, Dortmund, Hildesheim, Giessen, NŸrnberg, Bonn, and Freiburg were among the cities or theaters sending representatives to the auditions. Approximately 500 singers were heard. In April, auditions took place at Casa Italiana at NYU and at the New York Historical Society, with eleven houses in attendance and about 268 singers heard. In May, auditions were held at the German Consulate and the Goethe Institute. Representatives from sixteen houses were present, and nearly 250 singers auditioned. More auditions are scheduled for November 2nd through 21st, 2003. Applications are accepted via the website, www.nyiop.com. [See Auditions Section.]
“It’s been overwhelming,” says David Blackburn, vice president of BrunelliNeri Productions, “especially after the April auditions proved to be a success. We were inundated with applications, calls from agents, e-mails. The May auditions were magnificent, even better than April. I think we had ten contracts offered on the spot.”
THE BRAINSTORM
The brainstorm of singers/entrepreneurs Blackburn and Julien Uhlig, the NYIOP auditions were developed after their newly formed company, BrunelliNeri Productions, had been approached to produce an international opera competition in New York City. They weren’t interested. “There are only a few winners in a competition. By necessity, all but three or four people involved will receive no direct benefit and can receive no direct benefit,” said Blackburn. As a singer, that didn’t appeal to him. He slept on it. “It dawned on me that singers have always wanted to sing for the European houses, especially the German houses. If we were going to undertake a production, why not make it an audition where multiple people could benefit, and create a situation where a lot of people could possibly get gainful employment?”
Blackburn studied voice with Gerard Souzay at the University of Texas, and at Manhattan School of Music with Hilda Harris, Ted Puffer, and Trish McCaffrey. He worked with the late manager Joel Bloch and had a successful career as a character tenor, singing in regional houses in the US and Europe, including Germany. Then something changed.
“I checked out of the music world for a few years. I needed a kind of deep cleansing, because I’ve always loved singing, and it had become a job in a bad way,” Blackburn admitted. He went to work for Credit Suisse First Boston as a production coordinator and later spent several years as Dolora Zajick’s personal assistant. When he was ready, he came back to singing, musical theater this time. He has recently performed a recital and a workshop of a new musical called The Fabulists, as well as concerts in Germany, including a televised concert with a comedy group called Hudson Shad. “I sing for the fun of it and still consider myself a singer,” he says, “but frankly the production business is taking off, and I really enjoy it.”
Blackburn’s partner, Julien Uhlig, formerly of Bremen, Germany, is the son of a German attorney general and former cultural administrator. Uhlig worked as a recording engineer in Germany and studied music at Mannes School of Music. He and Blackburn met at Caffe Taci, a singers’ hangout on New York’s Upper West Side, and produced a CD together for the restaurant. As other projects such as CDs, tours, shows and an international opera festival began to present themselves, they decided to form a production company. To date their projects have included producing a concert tour in Germany and a concert series at the St. Gaudens Historical Site for five years running.
The NYIOP auditions were Blackburn and Uhlig’s biggest project to date. They contacted German opera houses, offering them the opportunity to hear American singers in New York all expenses paid. In return, the Germans had to sign contracts stipulating that they would attend all the auditions and send only senior administrators with immediate casting power. They also had to have positions available in the upcoming season.
There were some misgivings in the singing community. Several singers reported that their coaches and in some cases agents were claiming the NYIOPs were a scam, and Classical Singer received an e-mail from an American singing in Germany who said that his theater was sending not a high-level administrator, but “the equivalent of the janitor.” But then American agents began phoning the German houses directly and were assured that the Germans, at least, meant business. “Robert Koerner at Dortmund told me that they understood this was not a vacation; they were coming here to work,” says Blackburn. “The Germans are taking this very, very seriously.”
Managed singers were given preference. “No system is perfect,” said Blackburn. “However, it is generally understood among opera company professionals that the first barrier anyone crosses to being recognized and accepted in this field is to find representation. There are unmanaged people who are very talented and deserving of this opportunity, and there are people who are managed who are not perhaps as ready as they should be. But we told the opera house representatives that we would be presenting professional quality singers, and I am not willing to associate my name with a project unless I have know by recommendation, trust, or my own hearing that a singer is at the appropriate level to be heard by these houses.” Unmanaged singers could apply if they included a recommendation and demo.
Singers also had to pay approximately $400 for the privilege of being heard. Blackburn insists that the opportunity justifies the cost. “You would spend thousands of dollars traveling in Germany to get these auditions-if you could get them. I know a couple of singers who live in Europe-Tom Allen, and also Kip Wilborn, another fabulous tenor-who said that if it weren’t for these auditions they would have to spend five times the money to sing for half as many houses. Every time they go to a house they spend 100-200 Euros. If it’s worth it even for singers living in Europe, it’s more than worth it for singers in the US.”
“It really shocked me. The German houses told me that they don’t really hear auditions anymore,” says Uhlig. “There are no more auditions unless it’s for a specific agent that they know in Germany for a specific role at a specific time. Unmanaged singers will not get an audition-it’s simply impossible. They get thirty or forty unsolicited audition requests every week, and sad to say, they all go directly into the garbage.”
“If you don’t happen to be with the agent that they deal with, you’re not even a blip on their radar screen,” Blackburn agrees.
Do singers think it’s worth it? There were many complaints and much discussion about the audition fee on the Classical Singer forums, but it was unclear how many of the forum participants had actually applied or auditioned. “Having now done both an audition tour of Germany and this audition, this one was by far the more cost effective,” writes Isolde2004, posting on the New Forum for Classical Singers (NFCS).
“[In the] 90 minutes I was there, a basso received an offer, and the NYIOP staff scurried around trying to find Broadway tickets for the visiting throng! I will do these again in the fall.”
NOT WITHOUT GLITCHES
Not every singer was as satisfied. Some singers whose application fees were processed were not granted auditions, and they felt that it took far too long for their fees to be refunded. (Fees were refunded in full for those not accepted). “I paid through PayPal and never heard a word from BrunelliNeri, not even the e-mail rejection that went around. The charge has shown up on my credit card bill, and now I hope that they will refund the money before the interest eats me alive,” said one singer, who preferred to remain anonymous. Blackburn expressed regret for the inconvenience, citing his small staff and the overwhelming response to the first round of auditions. He said he doesn’t feel the waiting period was excessive. “I feel that if they did not anticipate such a response and were overwhelmed, they should have hired temporary help to manage the database and see that everyone received some sort of correspondence. I had all my work and teaching plans on hold, waiting for some sort of e-mail,” responded the singer. She did receive her refund.
Two singers were also assigned audition times, only to have them cancelled later. One, tenor Luis Galvez, received an e-mail from his manager, Elizabeth Galagarza of Ramon Alsina Artists Management, with a scheduled date and time. One week before the auditions, Galvez was told that he had not, in fact, been accepted. He had already purchased a plane ticket and made hotel arrangements. Galagarza attempted several contacts, but her calls went unreturned. Blackburn is unsure where in the process the mix-up took place. “I can’t tell you why Luis didn’t sing. There were mistakes made,” he says. “He never told me that he bought a plane ticket. I would have made sure that he sang if I’d known he had gotten a plane ticket. This was a hard and fast rule-anyone who bought a plane ticket sang or got the money back.”
“I would like people to give us the benefit of the doubt that we worked very hard to create something good for everyone and to make sure that every single person felt unique and received attention, but the reality is that sometimes people fell through the cracks,” says Blackburn. “We are trying very hard to make sure it doesn’t happen next time. One of the things we’re doing right now is arranging for singers to register and pay online on the new website. We are using a scheduling program where we can enter in people’s conflicts and ideally once they are in the database, they can call a number, say a name, and the computer will tell them their audition time. I will tell you this-there was not one single person who was scheduled at a time they couldn’t be there, and if they requested a day, they sang on that day.”
FRIENDLY AUDITIONS
The auditions themselves did appear to run very smoothly. This writer sang in May and was warmly greeted by Blackburn, Uhlig, and their assistant Rubin Casas as well as other friends and colleagues. There were a number of well-known coach/ accompanists waiting to offer their services; mine whispered that there was someone present who could play my Wagner aria better than she, and that she would go and get him if that aria were requested. I was very early and observed every arriving singer receiving a greeting similar to mine. Inside the hall, a grand piano sat on a slightly elevated platform, well illuminated from above. The back of the room was packed with the Germans. One, who had been elected spokesman for the day by the group, greeted me kindly in English, took my materials, and asked what I would like to sing. The large group was generally quiet and attentive while I sang, although afterwards they whispered among themselves in German. After singing, I was thanked by the auditioners and congratulated in the hallway by colleagues and strangers alike.
“It was really well run. There was no scurrying around; the piano was being tuned, and that’s always good to know. David and staff were charming and helpful, even though they were still setting up. The Germans were charming as they arrived and bid us early singers good morning,” says Paula Roediger, an unmanaged singer who was granted an audition. “I sometimes get the feeling at auditions or competitions that I can drop dead for all they care. David made a point of introducing himself to everyone and wishing everyone good luck. I also felt the the caliber of singers was top notch, and I was excited to see that I was actually one of the younger folks (as a 30-something I often am the granny at auditions).”
“Everyone, judges and organizers, was very charming,” writes Drama-Rama, posting on NFCS. “It was nice to sing for a panel that wasn’t acting like you should rejoice for a chance to be in their presence. Even though the cost was high, I would do it again.”
WHAT GERMANS WANT
According to Blackburn and Uhlig, the German auditioners are as eager to repeat their experience as the singers. “Overall, they were very impressed with the level of experience and vocalism,” says Uhlig.
Blackburn and Uhlig held a roundtable discussion with the German auditioners once the hearings were over. They asked what the Germans would like to hear when they returned. “The number one comment they wanted us to pass on is that everyone is singing one Fach too heavy. Everyone is pushing,” says Blackburn. “There was a tenor who sang in April, and one of the comments of one of the houses was that he was a very good singer but he forces just a little bit. The auditioner said, ‘Suppose this singer is doing Don Jose all over the United States. He’s going to do five a month four times a year, which you can do if you force a little because of the rest. However, when I hire a Don Jose, he has to do twenty in two months. And I know when I hear that forcing that by the seventh one I’m going to have to look for a new Don Jose.’ There is a total misconception by singers here that because the houses are smaller they cast a Fach higher or a Fach heavier.”
“It’s completely the opposite,” Uhlig agreed. “They have people walking in singing Siegmund and they say, ‘Do you also have Tamino?'”
Blackburn described a beautiful young mezzo who sang Eboli when she should have offered Dorabella. One of the auditioners told Blackburn, “I know no more about her now than I knew before she walked in the door, because what she sang showed me nothing except that she didnÕt know what she should be singing. I would have liked to hear another piece, but on her list she offered me nothing that I thought would be suitable for her, and I think that knowing what to sing is just as important as knowing how to sing.”
On the second day of auditions, the Germans joked that “the next person who sings a piano phrase, we’re going to give a contract, no matter what,” added Uhlig.
“From personal experience, having gone to a few operas in these big European houses and having sat through the Belevedere Competition, Europeans are looking for a different type of singer,” says Blackburn. “Volume is not important to them at all. Power is nothing they care about. The name of the game is nuance, culture, artistry. The best American can open every door in Europe. Europeans don’t have facility in language-Americans are the only ones who can blend into other languages easily. However, they refer to us as ‘plastic American singers.’ Americans tend toward generic singing, and Europeans are much more elegant. That’s what they look for.”
Blackburn cited the example of soprano Joanna Mongiardo, who auditioned with Adele’s “Laughing Song” from Die Fledermaus . “She was exquisite. She was funny. In five measures, everyone put their pens down and started clapping and laughing and having a wonderful time, because they were seeing a performance. Before she walked out of the room she was offered Cunning Little Vixen in Bremen and a contract in Dortmund. Three other houses are interested in her. It wasn’t just vocalism-it was all around theater. And she sang with her own voice.”
And how did appearance enter the equation?
“The appearance is something that matters. It’s a small house; you’re not going to be hundreds of feet away from the audience. It also depends on what you sing-if you sing Susanna it’s a different story than if you sing Amneris. Young singers don’t seem to take that seriously enough in this country. It’s a huge deal,” says Uhlig.
Audition attire was an issue; apparently the Germans felt that some of the outfits were distracting. “They don’t want anything that takes away from the performance,” says Uhlig. “We have seen everything. Sometimes it was overbearing, not well put together. A simple dress, one color at a time is best.”
Regardless of dress, appearance, or vocalism, there does seem to be one overriding factor in determining audition success. Menno Feenstra, formerly general director at Glyndebourne, and now artistic adviser of the Royal Opera Stockholm, told Blackburn, “We don’t care if they’re old or young, fat or skinny. I want them to move me. I can give up some perfect vocalism if they will sing to me with their heart.”
THE FUTURE
In the future, Blackburn expects the NYIOPs to last four to six weeks per year, and he says that most of the houses are planning to make it an annual event and an integral part of their casting process. He is also planning a similar auditioning event for domestic opera houses, in which singers will pay $25-50 to be heard by 20-30 domestic companies-more of a preview than an actual audition setting, he claims, but worthwhile because it gives a greater cross-section of singers the chance to be heard.
The November auditions will be expanded from two to three weeks and will include a cross-section of houses with varying needs: smaller German houses which primarily cast for Fest contracts and might be interested in singers at the beginning of their careers, as well as midlevel and an increased number of A-level houses seeking top-level singers. Negotiations are currently underway to expand the experience to include theaters from Spain, France, Italy, and South America. Demand for spaces is high, and acceptance criteria will be stricter.
BrunelliNeri is considering screening some applicants through preliminary auditions, and Uhlig is traveling to Young Artists programs around the country to familiarize himself with potential auditioners. Because they heard so many singers recently, Blackburn says the company is frequently asked for specific recommendations and referrals.
“There is no such thing as first come, first served this time,” says Blackburn. “We have to present the best talent, and the only way to determine that is trusted opinion, trusted recommendation, and personal experience. Résumés and demo tapes don’t show it. Singers should be happy with the future auditions, because I couldn’t care less if they’re fat, skinny, young, old, managed or not. We’re not agents. We don’t want 10 percent of their income; we just want them to sing well.”
Classical singers have been asking for mass auditions for decades. They got them. Some didn’t like them. Here’s a report on how they went-and how they might go in the future.
