What Happened at the Southeast Auditions?
Classical Singer recently received a number of letters regarding the Southeast Auditions sponsored by
Joanne Corbett-Barnes of Arts Management Services. The auditions were scheduled for Atlanta this past November, postponed to December, and ultimately cancelled, just two days before the rescheduled auditions. Joanne Corbett-Barnes told singers she was forced to cancel the event because she was unable to find a suitable accompanist for the auditions. A similar scenario occurred earlier in 2005 for her Southwest Auditions in Texas. The opinions expressed below are entirely those of the letter writers. CS contacted Joanne Corbett-Barnes for her side of the story; she responded with a memo, posted on her website, explaining the cancellation, also printed below with her permission. We invite all singers to read these accounts along with Ms. Corbett-Barnes reply to form their own conclusions.