Every year thousands of singers enter competitions. Some enter for the experience of performing. Others enter hoping to win money; hoping for that sparkling “FIRST PLACE” on their resume that will set them apart; hoping someone will hear them so that those career doors will finally open and coveted lead roles will be theirs.
Did you know that Classical Singer magazine has listed 131 different competitions for singers in the last four years? Some of them are now defunct but new ones quickly take their place. That means in the last four years, 393 singers have taken home awards as first-, second- or third-place winners. (It would be interesting to do a study to find out how many singers applied and then how many were actually accepted for those 131 competitions!)
It would also be enlightening, although impossible, to count the number of hours volunteers put in to make these competitions work. We all know that there are wonderful people behind the scenes at many of these competitions. It is clear that singers have a lot of people to be grateful to! (If Classical Singer could ask for one thing from these wonderful people, it would be that they continue to consider pursuing their main goal of finding and promoting new talent. We believe they can do this without imposing age restrictions.)
New competitions spring up every year. Caution is in order because a new competition has no track record. Singers jump at new competitions, assuming that glossy ads and brochures contain accurate information
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Singers will want to check out competitions as much as possible, especially if it means that participation will be expensive. You will want to know as much as you can prior to the event.
We hope you will continue to enter competitions and express great appreciation to the people who volunteer their time and effort. Nearly all these individuals are wonderful, giving, honest people who deserve every ounce of praise you can give them—whether you win or not. Competitions are great learning experiences … as long as you are very clear about your expectations.
Where can you find answers to the questions below? The CS forum is a good place to start asking questions. Go to www.classicalsinger.com and use the pull down menu. Use the search function to check the archives. Contact the competition and ask questions. Use the Internet to search. Check with the Better Business Bureau where the competition is located. Also, CS magazine lists only those competitions which are either new or for which we have no unresolved complaints on file. And after you compete, would you be so kind as to go to the CS forum and write about your experiences so others can research the competition for next year? It would be a great help to the whole CS Community.
• How many contestants were in the competition last year?
• What are the application fees? What if you aren’t accepted? Is that fee refunded?
• Where is the prize money coming from?
• Judging rooms should be conducive to the voice. Where will you be singing? Hopefully it is in an auditorium. (Singers shouldn’t be expected to sing in a carpeted/draped small-sized room!)
• When will the prize money be awarded? If the competition is not new, see if you can talk to past winners to find out if they’ve been paid. Don’t assume!
• Who will your judges be?
• Will singers be using their names when competing or will they be assigned numbers? (One teacher told CS about a singer who was not awarded a prize at one of the biggest competitions. The singer was later told by a judge that she was not chosen because of her name, which was misspelled in the program and thus looked like that of a very wealthy family in the area. “You obviously didn’t need the money,” she was told!) The practice of assigning numbers would avoid the charge of “fixing” a competition, which is one of the most recurring rumors in the competition circuit. Assigning numbers would avoid the appearance of impropriety.
• What happens if a teacher’s student is in the competition? (The teacher should not judge that student, obviously. It would be even more appropriate if the teacher were not judging that competition at all. There could be pressure on the other judges to give that singer good marks.)
• Find out about the accompanist situation. Will you be expected to provide your own? Will you have a rehearsal? Any accompanist fees should be announced in the competition’s application brochure. Too often, singers arrive at a competition and are unexpectedly required to pay additional money for an accompanist.
• Find out if the competition is being sponsored by a truly non-profit organization. You can check on this at www.guidestar.com.
• Weigh the costs against the pros and cons of participating. How much will it cost you to travel to the competition destination? How much will your housing cost you? Does the competition pay any of this at any level of the competition? How much does transportation to the event cost? Are any of your meals provided?
