In the Summer 2012 issue of Classical Singer, Amanda Keil pointed out in her Entrepreneurial Career column entitled “You, Inc.” that being a singing artist means being a self-employed entrepreneur, along with all of the implications of keeping a business successful. For singers seeking to take the next step into a professional career through young artist auditions, your consumers get their first impression well before you sing an audition. Three prominent Young Artist Program directors share here the dos and don’ts of audition recordings as well as some things you should consider before sending out some of your most important advertising.
Who’s listening?
When sending out 20 neatly packed priority mail envelopes complete with résumé, headshot, and CD/DVD, a thought might have crossed your mind: “Who will actually hear this CD? Will they take one look at my résumé and throw out my materials?”
The young artist directors I spoke with want to assure you that they are listening. “I listen to everyone’s recordings,” Jay Lesenger assures. Lesenger is the general and artistic director of Chautauqua Opera, and even with his many other responsibilities, he remains involved in screening the recordings of applicants.
David Holloway, director of the Apprentice Program for Singers at Santa Fe Opera, agrees. “I screen all of the recordings,” he says. “The only recordings I don’t have to listen to are singers who I already know are great.”
To add an exclamation point, General Director of Utah Festival Opera Michael Ballam states unequivocally, “I am the only person who deals with the audition process.”
Knowing the involvement of program directors even in the initial stages highlights the importance of sending a good recording. A great CD, however, does not ensure entry to a program. “I never make a final decision from a CD,” Lesenger says. “People who send good recordings can sound average in person and average CDs can sound magnificent in person. With a recording, you can’t tell the size of the voice. In person, special vocal colors can stand out. It’s really just to know if we want to hear them. It’s a preliminary tool to eliminate those who aren’t ready for an audition.”
Ballam also strongly believes that an in-person audition is much more important. “Having made my living exclusively for 43 years now on the stage, it doesn’t take me long to recognize vocal skill,” he asserts. “I sang next to Sutherland, Domingo, Pavarotti, Nilsson, Rysanek, Sills, you name them. . . I’m not just looking for vocal skill (that takes moments). What I want to know is, ‘Who is this artist and how can I help them fulfill their aspirations and destiny?’ I want to look into their eyes. I want to talk to them and relax them. I can’t really tell their capabilities until I can calm them down. Having been tyrannized by the artificially ruthless audition process, I will do anything I can to make it pleasant for the auditionees.
“I want to understand the gamut of their abilities so that I can plan means of showcasing them during the season, such as in recitals, concerts, orchestra appearances, scenes, and supporting roles,” continues Ballan. “I want to introduce them to intendants and agents. How can I get that from a recording? I have never put anyone on our stage in 20 years without hearing them myself personally.” That personal connection has helped launch the careers of Nathan Gunn, Charles Taylor, Tammy Mumford, and Ginger Costa-Jackson, all graduates of UFOC’s Festival Artist Program.
With an apprentice program like Santa Fe, one of the most renowned in the world, high standards must be set early in the audition process. “The recording is for screening purposes to make sure applicants are really prepared,” says Holloway. “Our audition numbers lower with the prescreening process, but the overall level is higher in our auditions as a result.”
Faux Pas
These three directors insist that only a small minority of applications was rejected based upon the audition recording. They do point out certain things, however, that usually eliminate someone from receiving an audition invitation, some of which are easily avoidable.
“It’s amazing how many blank CDs we get,” says Lesenger. “Or when we listen, the volume is so low that we can’t hear them. Make sure your copy works well.” This can be a trap for singers, especially when they are sending so many applications at once. Lesenger emphasizes that even if you are making multiple copies of a CD, you should check each one to make sure there aren’t problems.
“A recording should be of a good quality, or we turn it off pretty quickly,” agrees Holloway. He adds that singers should really think about how they represent themselves, even in the quality of the recording. “Be very careful about what you put on that recording and have someone else listen to it to give you feedback.” This should, of course, be someone who will be blatantly honest with you. In other words, your mother is probably not the best choice.
Lesenger adds that singing out of tune is another surprisingly common problem with recordings and one that will eliminate an application fairly quickly. He also emphasizes, however, that it is just as important not to doctor a recording to tune the voice, add reverb, or make the voice sound bigger. These artificial adjustments are usually obvious to an experienced listener who hears a thousand audition recordings every year.
“Take the time and effort to have the recording represent who you are in your natural state,” says Holloway. “I want to see your personality in that recording and I want to hear honest, straightforward singing.”
Are You Ready?
Now that we have established what not to do when submitting a recording, what do directors really want to hear? “I want to hear the basics, like singing in tune, good breath control, and good color of the voice,” says Lesenger. He adds that they will often be looking for specific kinds of voices to fill roles, but this is usually only a concern later in the audition process.
Utah Festival Opera’s season includes musical theatre, which Ballam feels helps him in the audition process. “I like to hear an aria that they feel most confident singing as well as a piece of musical theatre, even if I have no intention of putting them in a musical,” he says. “I can tell how they communicate if they show me that repertoire. I can tell that if there is a veneer in the way they sing ‘No Business Like Show Business,’ there will be veneer in ‘Tu che di gel.’”
Clearly, it is important to consider each program for which you apply and your preparedness to compete and participate in that company. “Vocal development should be pretty advanced for our program,” warns Holloway. “I am looking for a certain level of development in language as well. Your Italian, German, and French should be really good. Oh, and your English. That should be especially good. Singers should have something very special vocally and artistically that make us want to hear them.”
Holloway says that the average age of apprentice singers at Santa Fe is 26½, and those singers who make up the younger portion of that spectrum are the cream of the crop. In other words, it’s not always wise to send an application to a program for which you are not yet ready. “Sing things in your voice and don’t try an aria that is clearly beyond you,” he says. “Have a good sense of who you are.”
The Nuts and Bolts
When making your recording, be sure to represent yourself in the best possible light. It makes sense to properly hydrate, be completely healthy, and warm up the voice. One of the most challenging aspects of sending out a good CD, however, is the actual recording process itself. Even if you are not a sound engineer with your own equipment, a little knowledge can go a long way to get the quality you want in a recording. Here are a few tips for those of you who may not have your own home recording studio.
#1 Sing the Room
Singers spend years developing just the right resonance space to amplify their sounds in the most beautiful way. If only that much care were put into selecting the resonating space that is the hall where the singer records. A bad venue can make a beautifully resonant voice sound muted and dull, so be sure to record in a hall that makes you sound great. A classroom will not do and neither will a cathedral. In larger cities, that might mean you have to pay for a space, but the room is vital to showing the directors your true voice.
#2 Use Good Equipment
While most of us do not have Decca’s budget for the best microphones money can buy, there is a vast difference in sound between a recording setup that costs $100 and one that costs $500, and again that much more for $1,000. If you are not ready to invest that sort of money, it is best to hire a professional. Yes, there are now good portable recording systems with stereo microphones available. These are probably best reserved for practice. The good news is that with a laptop, a quality audio input, and a pair of good microphones, it doesn’t take a computer genius to record their own sessions. There is even free software, such as Audacity (audacity.sourceforge.net) and GarageBand for Apple that makes it easy to record.
#3 Microphone Placement
It may be tempting to say, “I’ll let the professionals take care of it.” However, many audio professionals have never recorded a solo voice with piano in a hall, and the dynamics of that setup are very different from a recording studio. A tried-and-true method for recording in these situations is called ORTF (Office de Radiodiffusion-Télévision Française). This involves two identical cardioid microphones set up on a stand with the front of the microphones at a 110 degree angle and about 17 cm apart. This mimics the stereo field as it is heard by the human ear. It is usually best to place the mics back from the singer about 15 feet but this should be adjusted according to the singer and the room.
Most important of all, make sure to listen to what you have recorded. Have the audio engineer play back the tracks for you and be specific about what you want. If you are paying for the hall, the pianist, and the recording, be sure to get your money’s worth.
As the oft-repeated saying reminds us, there is no second chance for first impressions.
