I don’t remember precisely when I first fell in love with opera, but I remember significant, seed-planting moments. It started with my mother. She had degrees in vocal performance and music education and definitely educated her six children in classical music. She played cassette tapes of her favorites as she shuttled us around in our Chrysler mini van. Somewhere along the pavement Pavarotti’s “Nessun dorma” became a personal favorite. I thought to my 12-year-old self that if I couldn’t be a tenor, I would settle for soprano. My young girl heart longed to sing the high notes.
When I was about 14, I asked my parents if we could go to an opera. They obliged with tickets for the local university’s (my parents’ alma mater, where my dad was a sociology professor) production of Copeland’s Tender Land. I loved it, even if they did sing everything, which seemed a little strange. For weeks afterward, my siblings and I followed suit, singing to each other about everything—doing the dishes, folding the laundry, or any emotion surging through our teenaged veins.
Those formative experiences fed my love affair and motivated me to seek the skills to do what I heard and watched others do. And in doing it myself, the feelings from singing became addictive. These feelings drove me through the challenges of perfecting my art.
Over time, the frequent rejection singers commonly face can injure those feelings and dampen the stirring memories that are the reason we sing. Perhaps no time of year can be more stifling than the fall audition season. The anticipation of it alone can kill your mojo. And yet, this is the time when you need to be inspired and completely on your game! What happens when the real challenge becomes maintaining the feelings that drive our passion?
As you’re prepping for your first or fiftieth audition, find inspiration in these pages to keep you on your game.
Teresa Rodriguez’s discussion of the many psychological benefits of singing will help you keep rejection in perspective and remember why you sing (p. 34). For me, it was learning why singing can, in a sense, be addictive. Scientific evidence shows that the energy it takes to produce a full, classical sound with the needed Hertz to carry over an orchestra and into a large hall, stimulates the body and the ear and provides the high-frequency harmonics that improve health, vitality, and energy.
Setting reachable goals also helps foster a healthy perspective. In Michelle Latour’s article (p. 42), one singer shares how goal setting helps her stay in control during audition season. Read her story for ideas on forming your own goals.
You can also find a host of detailed audition ideas on p. 46 in “Dos and Don’t of YAP Auditions.” Details like how to clean up your résumé, how to send out more organized materials before application deadlines, or how to be kind at auditions. Or maybe your audition season objective is simply have better posture (see Dr. Jahn, p. 58). These are all easily set and measurable goals.
Contingency plans can also help you keep your zeal through the audition season. Jennifer Rowley (p. 48) knows this well. Years after her planned Royal Opera House debut evaporated, she returns to the house for her actual, upcoming debut. She courageously speaks out about all she learned from a very public and difficult experience.
Remembering why you sing and your own formative experiences with classical music can be invaluable. Where do you get your mojo? What motivates you to sing? Take a moment as you read this issue to reflect on your own stirring memories that led you down the path of singing.
