Here`s - Classical Singer

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Summer 2014
Opera in
‘The City
Different’:
The Santa Fe Apprentice
Singer Program
Fired Up:
Jennifer Rowley
Perspectives on the
Adler Fellowship
The Dos and Don’ts
of YAP Auditioning
Weill Music Institute
2014–2015
Vocal Workshops and Master Classes
January 12–17, 2015
Marilyn Horne, Anne Sofie von Otter,
and Warren Jones: The Song Continues
Application Deadline: October 1, 2014
Marilyn Horne
February 21–23, 2015
Joyce DiDonato Master Classes
Application Deadline: October 15, 2014
April 13–17, 2015
Tallis Scholars: Renaissance Masterworks
Joyce DiDonato
Application Deadline: December 1, 2014
Apply now to participate in these tuition-free workshops for singers ages 18–35.
Visit carnegiehall.org/workshops or call 212-903-9741 to apply or for more information.
The Song Continues is supported, in part, by the Ann and Gordon Getty Foundation and The DuBose and Dorothy Heyward Memorial Fund.
The Song Continues is part of the Marilyn Horne legacy at Carnegie Hall.
Workshops and master classes are made possible, in part, by Mr. and Mrs. Nicola Bulgari and The Gladys Krieble Delmas Foundation.
Photos: Horne by Henry Grossman, DiDonato by Simon Pauly, Tallis Scholars by Eric Richmond.
Tallis Scholars
PRESENTS
LOS ANGELES, USA - AUGUST 25 to 30, 2014
FINALS CONCERT - AUGUST 30, 2014
THE DOROTHY CHANDLER PAVILION
LOS ANGELES OPERA ORCHESTRA
CONDUCTED BY PLÁCIDO DOMINGO
Finals Concert streamed live on
www.operaliacompetition.org
With the support of
NEW FROM
THE PRIVATE VOICE
STUDIO HANDBOOK
Revised edition
DRAMA QUEENS
13 selected ARiAs fRom eARly
BARoque to clAssicAl
by Joan Frey Boytim
mezzo-sopRAno/sopRAno And piAno
edited by Alan Curtis
00740185 $1899
The revised edition addresses many
of the changes in our lives and in the
profession of teaching voice in the last
decade. Most chapters have expanded
with added and updated information,
and with additional student case studies.
WILLIAM BOLCOM:
CONCERT SONGS
Edward B. Marks Music Company
Bote & Bock
48022807 $2495
This is the companion publication
to the Joyce DiDonato recording of
the same name, with music by Cesti,
Handel, Hasse, Haydn, Monteverdi
and others. Includes four first editions.
GASPARE SPONTINI:
SINGING METHOD
edited by Elisa Morelli
Includes all Bolcom’s art song cycles and
sets for voice and piano (excluding the
Cabaret Songs and material published
in Theatrical Songs), with some songs
published for the first time. With historical
notes and composer commentary.
Includes many first-time transpositions.
volume 1 1975-2000
00117083 High Voice $2999
00117085 Medium/Low Voice $2999
Ricordi
50497690 $1895
Spontini (1774-1851) was respected
in his time as both a composer and
a noted voice teacher in the Italian
bel canto tradition. This edition is a
modern rendering of the manuscript of
his vocal method, including exercises
in intonation, interval singing, vocal
flexibility and expression.
volume 2 2001-2012
00117084 High Voice $2999
BENJAMIN BRITTEN:
COLLECTED SONGS
Enter the eight digit item number in the
Search field at www.halleonard.com
for complete table of contents for any
of the books listed.
edited by Richard Walters
Boosey & Hawkes
48019418 High Voice$2999
Includes all art songs for voice and piano
originally published by Boosey & Hawkes,
with extensive historical introductory
notes, and many first-time transpositions.
ORDER FROM ANY MUSIC RETAILER OR AT
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ADVERTISER INDEX
We have listed our advertisers in this issue by what they’ll do for you. While we cannot vouch for any advertiser’s product or service,
we do not run ads from vendors with unresolved complaints. Please e-mail and tell us about your experiences with our advertisers.
Coach
Hastings, Elizabeth..................................65
Competitions
Operalia USA, Inc......................................3
Queen Elisabeth Competition....................71
Education
Arizona State University................................ 76
Auburn University........................................ 75
Bard College Conservatory of Music.............. 11
Binghamton University/Tri-Cities Opera........... 62
Brandon University...................................... 38
The Boston Conservatory............................. 50
The Catholic University of America................. 27
The Crane School of Music SUNY Potsdam... 33
Chapman University..................................... 74
Colorado State University................................9
Columbus State University............................ 36
Cornish College of the Arts........................... 19
Kennesaw State University........................... 35
Oklahoma City University.............................. 51
Pepperdine University.................................. 43
Shattuck-St. Mary’s School.......................... 20
Shorter University........................................ 17
Southern Methodist University....................... 44
Texas State University.................................. 54
University of Alabama.................................. 17
University of Colorado - Boulder................... 37
University of Miami...................................... 53
University of Minnesota................................ 74
University of Oklahoma................................ 13
Viterbo University........................................ 59
William Jewell College................................. 25
62
Masterclass/Workshop
Carnegie Hall.................................................2
Maestro Peter Mark..................................... 41
Musical Accessories
Opera Practice Perfect.............................30
Sing & See............................................68
Photography
Devon Cass Photography.........................25
Printed Music
Classical Vocal Reprints...........................22
Hal Leonard.............................................4
Leyerle Publications................................69
Publications
Aria Ready!............................................16
Christopher Arneson Professional
Voice Training Services..........................24
Hamilton Books......................................70
Marketing Singers...................................64
Pavane Publishing...................................73
Plural Publishing.....................................57
Romanser - 25 Swedish Songs with Guide
to Swedish Lyric Diction............................. 45
Sarah Sanvig’s Music Theory Series
for Singer............................................38
Recordings/Recording Studios
Music Minus One....................................39
Premiere Opera Inc.................................45
Studio 113 Productions...........................49
Summer Programs
AIMS......................................................... 70
Contemporary Commercial Music
Vocal Pedagogy Institute........................... 67
International Vocal Arts Institute..................... 63
Music Academy of the West......................... 23
V.O.I.C.Experience Foundation...................... 32
Voice Teachers
Carole Farley International Vocal Coaching...68
Davis, Osceola........................................69
Gordon, Marjorie....................................69
Greyland, Moira......................................72
Jacklin, Diana........................................65
Leech, Richard.......................................66
Love, Shirley..........................................59
Milena Kitic Vocal Studio..........................56
Neill, Bill................................................28
Peer, Michael.........................................22
Sheridan, Patricia....................................32
Weidinger, Christine.................................66
Wise, Patricia.........................................65
Websites
Singer Websites.....................................12
VoiceTeachers.com.................................65
Young Artist Program
Washington National Opera......................21
Vol. 27 No. 6
Publisher
David Wood
Editor in Chief
Sara Thomas
General Manager
Alex Stoddard
Design and Layout
Horizon Design
Advertising Manager
Dane Trimble
Auditions Plus Manager
Kimberlee Talbot
Subscriptions Manager
Jenny Jenson Fawcett
Accounting
Marianne Johnston
Office Manager
Katie Dunlap
Final Copy Editor
Deb Tokarewich
Marketing Consultant
Mark Stoddard
For inquiries: [email protected]
Classical Singer magazine (ISSN: 1534-276X)
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On the cover: The 2014 Santa Fe Opera
Apprentice Artists
Photo by: Robert Godwin
www.classicalsinger.com 5
Summer 2014
cover story
Volume 27 Issue 6
Opera in ‘The City Different’
The Santa Fe Apprentice Singer Program
Nestled in the mountains of New Mexico just an hour from Albuquerque in smalltown Santa Fe sits one of the most prestigious opera companies in the U.S. Each
summer Santa Fe Opera welcomes artists and patrons from around the world for
a first-class opera experience in its unique outdoor setting. In addition, the opera
company trains 43 young artists in its Apprentice Program, the first of its kind in
the U.S. Meet a few of the young artists participating in this summer’s program
and find out how their experiences are preparing them for life beyond Santa Fe.
by Jason Vest
14
features
34 The Psychological
Benefits of Singing
Audition season will soon be upon us,
and the roller coaster ride of rejection
can often leave you wondering why
in the world you ever chose to sing in
the first place. Reflecting on the vast
and varied benefits of singing will
help you keep a healthy perspective.
by Theresa Rodriguez
40 Application Innovations:
Carnegie Hall’s Musical
Exchange Seeks to Redeem a
Stressful Process
Read about a new and revolutionary
application process for a series of
masterclasses mezzo-soprano Joyce
DiDonato will present as part of her
Carnegie Hall Perspectives residency
in 2014-2015. Singers will have the
unique opportunity to get feedback
on all aspects of their application—
bio, headshot, repertoire choices,
and more—before they submit the
application.
by Claudia Friedlander
in every issue
7
8
62
72
Bulletin Board
From the Editor
Audition Listings
Competition Listings
6 Classical Singer / Summer 2014
42 The Audition Experience
Whether you love it or would rather
get a root canal, auditioning is simply
a singer’s reality. Find solace and
inspiration from other singers as they
share their experiences auditioning
and how they manage the uncertainty
of it all.
by Michelle Latour
monthly columns
10The Entrepreneurial Career:
Pep Talk for Entrepreneurs
46 The Dos and Don’ts of
YAP Auditioning
The director of Green Mountain Opera Festival’s Emerging Artist Program
shares his thoughts on what singers
should and should not do when applying to and auditioning for YAPs.
by Alan E. Hicks
48 Fired Up: Jennifer Rowley
After a surprising dismissal from
Covent Garden, soprano Jennifer
Rowley is blazing ahead.
by Brian Manternach
52 The Adler Fellowship:
Perspectives on a Top-Tier
Training Program
Almost every classical singer is familiar
with the renowned residency for young
singers known as the Adler Fellowship.
Find out what the fellowship is really
all about from the program’s director,
Sheri Greenawald, and Fellows past and
present.
by Lisa Houston
On the path to entrepreneurship,
you’re going to experience some
insecurities. Here’s how to fend
them off.
by Amanda Keil
58 The Doctor Is In: Posture
and Voice
Whether sitting or standing, singing
or silent, your body is always in some
sort of posture—good or bad. Your
body is your instrument. Learn how
to put it in a healthy posture that will
best serve that instrument.
by Dr. Anthony F. Jahn
60 The Tech-Savvy Singer: Five
Tech Skills to Keep You Afloat
in an Opera-Averse Economy
In years when the economy is
unfriendly to opera, tech skills can
help you keep a roof over your head
between gigs.
by Amanda White
26-33
Directories
Peruse the listings in our Teacher, Coach,
and Young Artist Directories. Find the basic
information printed here, and visit the
online directories for more.
Bulletin Board
N E W S ,
T I D B I T S ,
M U S I N G S ,
A N D
M O R E
.
.
.
B Y
Orchestra Iowa Succeeds
Where Others Flounder
Since the floods of 2008
that tore through its concert
hall, Orchestra Iowa has
grown to be the state’s largest
not-for-profit
performing
organization. Over the last
five years its budget has
doubled. The ensemble,
which gave its first concert
on April 13, 1923, is now
creating a more diverse
future than its founder could
have envisioned. The floods
forced the orchestra’s leaders to invent an effective business model that allows the
91-year-old organization to balance its $3 million budget.
Focusing on its artistic mission while maintaining its business identity, Orchestra
Iowa offers core programming of symphonic concerts as well as performances of
opera and ballet through collaborations with the Cedar Rapids Opera Theatre and
Ballet Quad Cities.
thegazette.com/bach-to-the-future-orchestra-iowa-composes-innovativesuccessful-business-model-20140504#ixzz31H9JIGSl
Huge Outpouring of Contributions
Saves San Diego Opera
Former San Diego Opera General
Manager Ian Campbell wished to close
the company in April 2014. Campbell
was placed on leave and instead of
closing down, a newly constituted board
of directors opted for a crowd funding
campaign in hopes of raising $1 million
by May 19. Within a little more than two
weeks, the original goal was met and the
company began working on a second
million, which was surpassed by May 18.
Donors came not only from all over the
U.S. but from Italy, Austria, and Mexico
as well.
Now there is no doubt that San Diego
Opera will have a 2015 season, although
it will be scaled down from four operas
to three. The company has cut its budget
by 40 percent and restructured its board.
“We are now very focused on reshaping
the San Diego Opera and following a
fiscally responsible path,” says newly
elected Board President Carol Lazier.
She noted that the new San Diego Opera
would not only depend on large gifts,
but would also need the community’s
engagement and support.
www.washingtonpost.com/news/style/
wp/2014/05/19/opera-today-san-diegorides-again-the-fat-lady-wont-go-away/
w w w. p l a y b i l l . c o m / n e w s /
article/191340-On-the-Brink-ofShuttering-San-Diego-Opera-Savedby-Crowd-Funding-2015-SeasonAnnounced
M A R I A
N O C K I N
Cannabis Industry Sponsors Concerts
by Colorado Symphony
The cultural revolution that has
made marijuana part of everyday life in
Colorado is becoming more evident. The
state’s symphony orchestra announced
that a series of its performances is being
underwritten by the cannabis industry.
Organized by pro-pot promoter
Edible Events, the concerts began in
late May with three Bring-Your-Own
Marijuana events at the Space Gallery in
Denver and will culminate with a large
outdoor performance at the Red Rocks
Amphitheatre in September. The events
are being billed as fundraisers for the
orchestra, which will play a carefully
chosen program for each show.
www.denverpost.com/entertainment/
ci_25656494/colorado-symphonyc a n n a b i s - i n d u s t r y- f i n d - h a r m o nyconcert-series#ixzz31HIiOVWk
Spain Charges Montserrat Caballé with
Tax Evasion
Veteran Spanish opera singer Montserrat
Caballé has been charged with failure
to declare €500,000, or approximately
$688,000, of taxable income. Prosecutors
claim the 81-year-old singer opened a bank
account in Andorra with earnings from a
series of concerts in 2010 to avoid paying
taxes on that money in Spain. During that
year she sang in Germany, Switzerland,
Italy, and Russia, as well as Spain. Caballé
says she was living in Andorra at that time,
but prosecutors dispute that fact.
Caballé allegedly signed all her concert
contracts through a dummy company
registered in Andorra and deposited the
income in an Andorran bank, according
to court documents. Spanish prosecutors
claim that she wanted to be sure that the
Spanish Treasury did not have knowledge
of her income or that her true address was
in Spain.
www.bbc.com/news/entertainmentarts-27218934
From the Editor
M A I N TA I N I N G Y O U R M U S I C A L M O J O
I don’t remember precisely when I first fell in love with opera, but I remember significant, seedplanting 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.
Sara Thomas, Editor
Cendrillonby Jules Massenet.
Colorado State University
Photography.
Opera.
Redefined.
Reimagined.
Visit/Audition Days: February 20, 21, and 28, 2015 » Registration required | music.colostate.edu
At Colorado State University, vocal creativity and growth are
supported, while high standards of scholarship and performance
are developed. Within the exquiste University Center for the
Arts, the Ralph Opera Center produces two fully staged productions with orchestra each year, while providing professional
development opportunities and a broad scholarship support
system for students studying vocal performance. The CSU
Choirs are nationally and internationally established through
high profile performances and travel.
•
•
Ampleperformingopportunitiesforundergraduatestudents.
Leadershiproles/OperaFortCollinsApprenticeArtistprogram
availabletograduatestudents.
Pep Talk for Entrepreneurs
THE
ENTREPRENEURIAL
CAREER
L
BY AMANDA KEIL
On the path to entrepreneurship, you’re going to experience
some insecurities. Here’s how to fend them off.
ike it or not, we are all entrepreneurs. No two musical paths are
alike, and we all need to forge our
own. With a little luck and a lot of hard
work, singers can create a career that is entirely based on their strengths and interests.
This is both liberating and terrifying. On
one hand, you can set your own rules. On
the other, you can’t follow a template. But
through trial and error, we figure out where
we find success and pursue more. After we
discover what we do well, we can throw
ourselves into it without looking back.
If only it were that simple. Even once
you’ve committed to a venture, you may
feel uncertain about it at first. You might
have been the belle of your graduate
program, only to have your knees wobble
all through your first New York City
audition season. Your innovative staged
recital might have generated lots of
encouragement from your friends, but you
will suddenly feel self-conscious asking an
experienced artist to partner with you on
the next project. The first time you make
a real mistake or offend someone, it can be
devastating.
Whether you are starting your own
artistic project or you are in the business
of building your solo career, you face a
learning curve when you begin. Speaking
from my own experience creating and
producing original staged productions,
here’s what you might expect.
Fear
It’s not easy to pick up the phone and
ask someone to be part of an artistic
project. You are asking them to commit to
something and even you don’t know how
it will turn out. And what if they say no?
What if you hold auditions and no one
shows up? As much as you can, embrace
every part of your endeavor as a learning
experience. Try your best, and if it doesn’t
go as expected, you’ll know how to do
better the next time. As for approaching
other artists, put your fears to rest. Even
high-flying performers will at least thank
you for thinking of them.
If the artistic opportunity is worthwhile
and you present yourself as an organized
and confident leader, good people will join
your production even if you can’t pay the
highest fees in town. You will be surprised.
Time and again I find myself anxious
about reaching out to musicians I admire,
and time and again my fears are proved
baseless. You’re creating an opportunity to
make art. What artist wouldn’t think that’s
a good idea?
Once you get your personnel on board,
don’t be surprised if you still have some
sleepless nights. Countless things can go
wrong or fall through at the last minute.
You will feel like you are flying by the seat
of your pants. In this way, producing a
show can feel a lot like performing in one.
But that’s the good news: you’ve done this
before. You’ve got this.
Be Honest
As you start to plan a new production,
you will discover very quickly what you
can and cannot offer people. That is, you
might not be able to pay people as much
as you’d like. But think about what you
can offer them and see if there is a way to
compromise. If you expect to draw some
press attention, a review might be just
as valuable as cash. Maybe they could
“If the artistic opportunity is worthwhile
and you present yourself as an organized
and confident leader, good people will
join your production even if you can’t pay
the highest fees in town.”
help choose the program, or maybe it will
simply be a rewarding artistic experience.
Be Humble
Be more invested in the artistic success
of your work than in your own selfpromotion. That is to say, for example,
put on a production of Rigoletto because
you have really great people to work with
or an innovative way to do it—not because
you have to get Gilda on your résumé. By
removing your own gains from the project,
you take away the emotional investment
that gets wrapped up with your own
performances. By all means, perform
in your own productions. But your
colleagues will find the experience more
rewarding if it is clear that the goal is high
artistic quality, not any one person’s gain.
This attitude begins with you.
Go out of your way to thank people.
This is crucial when it comes to building
the relationships that will lead to
fundraising. If someone ever praises your
performance, drops you a nice e-mail,
or shows the least bit of enthusiasm for
anything you do, say thank you. Don’t
just hit Reply with a breezy note and an
offer to add them to your mailing list. Ask
to thank them in person. Find out more
about their interests, their knowledge of
the music community you share, and their
perspectives on the good and bad about
the business.
This is the first step toward cultivating a
connection that could prove meaningful to
your enterprise. At worst, you will spend a
pleasant visit. At best, your new fan could
become your biggest fan, donor, advisor,
or ambassador. If someone takes the time
to attend your performance and praise
you, that person is likely a committed
music lover who wants to see good people
succeed. Help them fulfill that goal by
giving them the opportunity to get to know
you and invest in your success.
Don’t Set Unrealistic Expectations
If you’ve never raised money before, if
you’ve never put on a production before,
and if you don’t have a team of people
to help you, then keep it small. Do one
THE GRADUATE
VOCAL ARTS PROGRAM
THE BARD COLLEGE CONSERVATORY OF MUSIC
A unique two-year master of music program,
conceived, designed and led by renowned
American soprano Dawn Upshaw.
Dawn Upshaw, Artistic Director
Kayo Iwama, Associate Director
voice
Edith Bers
Patricia Misslin
Lorraine Nubar
diction and phonetics
Erica Switzer
acting workshop
Lynn Hawley
movement
Amii LeGendre
career workshop
Carol Yaple
alexander technique
Gwen Ellison
Alexander Farkas
WWW.BARD.EDU/CONSERVATORY/VAP/
[email protected]
845-758-7604
The Entrepreneurial Career: Pep Talk for Entrepreneurs
opera instead of three. Maybe your first
show is La voix humaine (with only one
performer) and not Aida. You might think
you need to go big or go home in order
to attract attention, but don’t go so big
that you set yourself up for failure. As an
independent agent, you can hold yourself
to your own standards and work only to
your capacity level.
But . . .
Once you decide on a project, believe
in what you do with every ounce of your
being. Somebody’s got to believe in it—
and if it’s not you, then who? As much as
it is beneficial to be humble, honest, and
realistic, once you’ve committed to making
an idea a reality, be bold, assertive, and
proactive. If you are producing a show,
people will look to you for leadership.
This is not the place for foot scuffling.
Make decisions and move on.
For the best artistic quality, invite
collaborators who are better than you and
who can raise the artistic bar of the whole
endeavor. Do this even if you have to look
well beyond your circle of friends and
acquaintances.
As singers, we don’t get that much
practice in calling the shots. In
masterclasses, we humble ourselves
before great artists; in voice lessons, we
work diligently to fix our flaws; and as
performers in opera productions, we are
of secondary importance to the lights,
sets, costumes and direction. Consider
your self-produced project to be your
chance to flex some underused muscles.
Enjoy every minute of it.
level or higher, you might start to feel
insecure about the whole process. It’s
like you are hosting a party for a group
of really cool potential friends, but you
don’t know if everyone is having a good
time.
Trust that no one twisted their arm
to get them to participate and that they
wouldn’t be doing it if they didn’t believe
in the work as well. And if you’ve been
honest about what the production would
be like and you try to create the best
conditions for everyone to do their best
work, you can rest assured that they are
happy enough to be on board.
. . . And
Be kind to yourself. It’s one thing to
worry about your own performances,
and another to be responsible for the
performance experience of an entire
group of people. If you have gathered
together a cast of great performers whom
you barely know and who are at your skill
Make Other People Superheroes
If you are bringing people together for
a performance, let them take ownership
of their own work. That is, for my own
productions, no one wants to work with
Amanda Keil because they want to do
what Amanda Keil tells them to do. They
do it because the music is good and
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The Entrepreneurial Career: Pep Talk for Entrepreneurs
because they feel empowered to make
their own unique artistic contribution.
It probably helps that I try my best to be
nice to people, to be up front about what
I can and can’t offer them, and to help
them get the job done. But mostly, my job
is to get out of their way so they can do
what they do best.
The Payoff . . .
It is immensely rewarding to bring
artists together for a meaningful creative
project. If you find a compelling piece
of music to work on, you are humble
and up front about the process from
the beginning, and you give people the
room to be artists, then accomplished
musicians will want to work with you.
And you will have the satisfaction of
working with wonderful artists, elevating
your own abilities in the process, and
creating art.
. . . Or Not
That all said, it doesn’t always work
out that way. You will make a great pitch
to a performer and never hear back. You
will make a decision that rubs someone
the wrong way. You will find yourself
agonizing over a budget, hauling costumes,
or otherwise doing work you don’t enjoy.
Consider these to be occupational hazards.
If someone can’t or won’t work with you,
there will always be someone else. And if
you hear pushback from a collaborator,
then take the time to hear them out
and consider a compromise. As for
unpleasant work, I’m afraid that comes
with any job. Even if you become an opera
superstar, there will be parts of it that you
won’t like.
You might also run into trouble if you
ask performers to collaborate for low fees
on your second or third production. They
might do it once as a favor but will expect
at least some increase the next time. To
help prepare for this, plan for your next
production before your first is finished,
reaching out to donors and keeping grant
deadlines in mind.
What’s This All for Again?
When you create a performance
opportunity, you are creating art where
there was none before. You are also giving
artists a chance to practice their craft. As
an added bonus, you elevate your own
musicianship by performing with the
colleagues you’re drawn to in a production
that you’ve chosen.
Sure, there will be times when it seems
like an awful lot of work. But after all,
because of you there is more music in the
world. It doesn’t get any better than that.
Amanda Keil writes for Classical Singer,
OPERA America, and BachTrack.com. She
also runs her Baroque company, Musica
Nuova. Find more entrepreneurial ideas on
her blog: thousandfoldecho.com.
photo by Robert Godwin
The Santa Fe Apprentice Singer Program
Top: 2014 Apprentice Artists
Left: 2014 participant Patrick Guetti in Carmen rehearsal
Right: Joyce El-Khoury and Jennifer Jakob as Marschallin
and Sophie in Der Rosenkavalier in Santa Fe Opera’s
Apprentice Showcase Scenes, 2008
Bottom: 2014 participants Amanda Opuszynski and Sarah
Larsen in Carmen rehearsal
OPERA IN ‘THE CITY DIFFERENT’
photo by Ken Howard
BY JASON VEST
Nestled in the mountains of New Mexico just an hour from Albuquerque in smalltown Santa Fe sits one of the most prestigious opera companies in the U.S. Each
summer Santa Fe Opera welcomes artists and patrons from around the world for
a first-class opera experience in its unique outdoor setting. In addition, the opera
company trains 43 Young Artists in its Apprentice Program, the first of its kind in
the U.S. Meet a few of the Young Artists participating in this summer’s program and
find out how their experiences are preparing them for life beyond Santa Fe.
I
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the historic Clines Corners truck
stop, a two-lane road begins its wind
up to Santa Fe, a blacktop ribbon
surrounded by sandstone-colored
dirt accented with scrub juniper and
sage. Occasional red rock formations
jut from the landscape as the road
gains altitude. Arriving in the Sangre
de Cristo Mountains, sandy, desert
landscape is topped with majestic
peaks to the east.
As the road continues north of town,
a large, white, steel-girded structure
rises on the left. The architecture,
the green seats, and the views of the
mountains from every angle create a
thoroughly New Mexican experience.
From its façade, the auditorium looks
more like a stadium, with its orientation
to the outdoor space. But when the
singing starts, it is clear that this is a
world-class opera house.
More than a thousand aspiring opera
singers send applications each year
in hopes of gaining an audition to the
Santa Fe Opera Apprentice Singer
Program, the oldest in existence.
Those thousands are narrowed down
to just 43 singers—the beneficiaries of
possibly the most integrated apprentice
program in the U.S. The apprentices
arrive on the opera’s campus a week
before the principal artists. “The
Ranch” offers a sharp contrast to the
surrounding desert landscape—green
lawns stretching between wooden,
adobe, and glass structures, from which
constantly ring gorgeous voices.
If you’re not used to mingling in the
company of well-known performers
and directors, the main campus can
be disarming. Walking downhill from
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“More than a thousand aspiring opera singers
send applications each year in hopes of gaining
an audition to the Santa Fe Opera Apprentice
Singer Program, the oldest in existence.”
the adobe and pergola administrative
offices, the large white tent of the
cantina sits next to the swimming
pool where performers, staff, and their
families relax during the summer.
Most eat lunch in the cantina,
which features locally sourced food
like creative salads and New Mexico
specialties. While enjoying lunch in
the cantina before meeting with young
artists to discuss Santa Fe’s Young
Artist Program, I suddenly find myself
telling famed director Laurent Pelly
about the history of Frito Pie with red
and green chilis—a Santa Fe original.
Then just moments later I shake hands
with tenor Alek Shrader, Santa Fe’s
Ernesto in this summer’s Don Pasquale.
This close and friendly association with
the principal artists, apprentice artists,
and staff is a persistent theme when
people rave about their experience in
Santa Fe.
The Apprentices
While audience members travel
from around the world to attend
performances at Santa Fe Opera, their
journeys pale in comparison to those
of many of the apprentices accepted
into the program each summer. Take
soprano Shelley Jackson, for example.
After growing up in the Washington
D.C. area and attending high school
in England, she went to the Peabody
Conservatory for her bachelor’s and
then spent two years in Italy studying
with Mirella Freni before returning to
Temple University for a master’s and
then attending the Academy of Vocal
Arts (AVA) for three years.
As we sit in the cantina next to the
pool, Jackson tells me that though
she had sung mainstage roles at other
companies and won prizes at multiple
competitions, she auditioned five
times before being accepted at Santa
Fe. “Santa Fe is one of those places
that you just kind of know about,” she
explains. “It’s probably good that I
wasn’t accepted five years ago when
I was auditioning for the program,
because I wouldn’t have been ready
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for the stamina and technique that the
program demands. You also have to be
put together yourself.”
In fact, most Santa Fe young artists
have participated in multiple Young
Artist Programs and have usually sung
roles with major companies before
arriving at Santa Fe. Sarah Larsen,
a returning mezzo-soprano from
Minnesota, has been a young artist
at Glimmerglass, Seattle Opera, and
Virginia—some of those more than
once. Other apprentices have sung with
Merola, Pittsburgh, Chautauqua, Des
Moines, Opera Saratoga, and Florida
Grand Opera, to name a few. Almost
all of the 2014 young artists have
completed master’s degrees and many
have gone on to further studies. “I had
heard before I ever came here that the
preparation level was so high,” Larsen
says, “so I was terrified that summer,
trying to practice as much as possible.”
Bass Patrick Guetti, recently
named a winner of the Metropolitan
Opera National Council Auditions,
is cognizant of how lucky he is to be
returning to Santa Fe for his second
summer. “This program was the first
thing I ever auditioned for,” Guetti
explains as we relax in a shady spot
near the Ranch offices. “It was my
second year at AVA, and they had very
strict guidelines about what I should
audition for and they agreed that Santa
Fe would be a great place. From that
point, I had a really great time working
with people like Susan Graham, Joyce
DiDonato, and David Daniels. It
was surreal to be next to people who
were working at that level and to have
them be not only encouraging but
supportive and continue to recognize
me throughout the year when I’ve
come across them. It’s a really special
environment for people to grow and
to learn, and I think that for me it was
a great first step into doing something
outside of school.”
The Audition
Months before the actual auditions,
singers submit materials by the
established deadline—usually late
August, one of the earliest YAP
deadlines. While 43 singers were
accepted this year, the percentage of
new applicants accepted is in reality
even lower, since more than half of the
singers are returning from previous
photo byRobert Godwin
2014 participants Hailey Clark and Joseph Dennis
years. David Holloway and Robert
Tweten are personally involved with the
selection of every singer and take great
care to nurture each apprentice that
passes through their program.
“Part of the challenge with
auditioning here is that there are so
many returning artists,” says soprano
Hailey Clark. “They also really like
to match the singers with the covers
available. So many people have
auditioned five or six years before it’s
the right time.”
“You never really know exactly what
they’re looking for, but they’re always
looking for something in particular
in your voice and your look,” agrees
Amanda Opuszynski, a returning
soprano. “I would say to just sing as
many auditions as possible and work
to represent yourself as accurately as
possible. Someone told me once to
bloom where you’re planted—and
maybe you don’t make it this year, but
you might next year, and you just try
again and make the best of who and
where you are. As long as you keep
getting green lights and you have
people encouraging you, keep going
and you will eventually find yourself in
the right place.”
Other young artists echo this theme
of persistence. “I auditioned four times,
the first three without a callback,” says
Larsen. “I auditioned for Seattle three
times. Our voice is inside, so we take
everything personally, even though we
try not to.”
Baritone Dan Kempson had a similar
journey. “I sang for this program
five times before I got in,” he says,
while sitting with me and Larsen in
the cantina. “I didn’t feel like I was
singing that much differently during the
season that I finally got in, so I asked
David Holloway what was different.
He told me that when they bring
someone to Santa Fe, they really want
to have something that’s right for them
and that can showcase them. I had
good auditions, but they didn’t have
something that was just right for me.
“The important thing is that you take
opportunities when they come and
that you’re ready for them,” Kempson
continues. “We’ve all seen people who
were given great opportunities and they
squandered them. There were people
here last year who came unprepared
and didn’t learn their music and those
people are not here this year.”
Chorus Work
On Friday afternoon, 43 singers, a
conductor, and one pianist gather in
a small adobe building for a chorus
rehearsal of Stravinsky’s Le Rossignol.
The room is outfitted with only doors
and fans to cool everyone, which is
CORNISH.
usually enough in the mild Santa Fe
summer. With all of the singers toiling
away on demanding Russian choral
parts, however, the air grows warm.
The singers work to conquer difficult
passages and challenging diction.
This chorus work is an integral part
of the Santa Fe experience because
apprentices make up the choruses
for each show. It’s a memorable
element of the program each year,
teaching valuable lessons about music
preparation. During this season alone,
the apprentices will sing in French,
Italian, Russian, and Mandarin.
“Here, the chorus is the exchange,
so that we’re able to do this,” Kempson
says. “Because we function as the
chorus, the company can give us all of
the other opportunities.”
“You have to be smart about how
you use your voice,” adds Jackson.
“It teaches you a lot, though, as far as
versatility and how to use your voice.”
“Coming back here is a reminder
to get back to basics after the ‘glory
and glamour’ of the Met competition,”
Guetti says. “I’m almost embarrassed
about it because I walked off the stage
of the Met and I thought, ‘I wish I
could have that note and that note back.
I should have taken a better breath and
done that spot better.’ To come back
to Santa Fe [where] you are meant
to deal with chorus music and being
somewhere else than the spotlight is a
reality check after all of that, which is
really good.
“I don’t do this for money or glory,
but because it’s an art form that I love
and appreciate, and I want to focus on
how I can be better today than I was
yesterday,” he continues. “Everything
else that comes is just the cherry on
top. The hype can be a distraction from
what’s really important, to be an artist
and singer. That’s why programs like
this are great. We’re pushed to the max
in almost every single way. I have never
had to sing in Mandarin in my life. Will
I ever again? I have no idea, but here I
am spending hours and hours learning
chorus music in Mandarin. It stretches
you as a musician and takes you out of
your comfort zone.”
Learning from the Best
On Saturday afternoon, apprentices
Larsen and Opuszynski sing, “Melons!
Coupons!” behind a chain link fence
on the mainstage during a staging
rehearsal for Carmen. As the characters
Mercedes and Frasquita, they climb
atop a 1950s-era military truck as
Kempson, acting the part of Dancaïro,
watches them from a paneled wooden
walkway to the side. Their polished,
ringing voices resonate easily through
the open-air auditorium, navigating
with ease the leaping passages of the
trio. Opuszynski displays beautiful
legato as she introduces the themes,
When you know there’s
SOMETHING GREATER
out there and aren’t afraid to
WORK HARD
TO GET IT,
YOU’RE
SHATTUCK ST. MARY’S
Vocal Performance Program
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[email protected]
and Larsen’s round, lustrous tone
follows her lines effortlessly. They
both blend easily with Daniela Mack,
who is singing Carmen this summer in
Santa Fe after a stunning and critically
acclaimed Rosina in San Francisco.
Singing alongside these world-class
voices 10 times in a summer for each
show is a great benefit of the Santa Fe
Apprentice Singer Program. All of the
returning apprentices still talk about
singing with Susan Graham and Joyce
DiDonato last season in La GrandeDuchesse de Gérolstein and La donna
del lago.
“Getting to observe and be
around these artists in rehearsal
and performance, to be held to that
standard, is really instrumental to
this place,” Jackson says about her
opportunity to work so closely with
Graham and DiDonato. “I have found
that here the apprentice artists are
treated more as equals than in other
places. I think the cantina is a big
facilitator in that. You sit down at
lunchtime with the principals of Don
Pasquale, which I did yesterday, and I
think as an apprentice you have to have
a little more get up and go. You also
learn about mingling and schmoozing
because you go to a lot of parties here.
You have to be able to go up to Susan
Graham at a cocktail party and not
sound like an idiot. You develop a
certain level of confidence and learn to
be comfortable with yourself in those
situations.”
“You get that opportunity to stand
on stage and watch people,” adds
Kempson. “Last summer in La
donna del lago, Joyce DiDonato sang
‘Tanti affetti’ near the end of every
performance, three hours into it, and it
was always beautiful and breathtaking.
We would sometimes forget to come
in because we were standing there
listening to it. To stand 10 or 15 feet
away from someone on stage who is at
the top of their craft is as important as
any voice lesson or coaching you can
get.
“There’s no sense of separation of
the students and the artists,” Kempson
continues. “Last season, with Joyce, she
was very open with us. She saw that I
was at the Met last year (covering in
Two Boys) and she came and sat down
with me one day at lunch and talked
to me about what to do to not go crazy
there. She just gave me a little pep talk
which I hadn’t even asked for, which
was so beautiful. Because of the level
of singers, the principals maybe feel
that they can talk to us. Some of us are
just out of school, but many of us have
already sung a lot professionally and we
have sung with some of the principal
artists in shows outside of Santa Fe.
Opera is definitely a small world.”
AT THE JOHN F. KENNEDY CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS
Francesca Zambello, Artistic Director
Michael Mael, Executive Director
DOMINGO-CAFRITZ
YOUNG ARTIST PROGRAM
Young Artist Performance
The Magic Flute
Photo by Scott Suchman
Michael Heaston, Director
Ken Weiss, Principal Coach
Deborah Voigt, Artist in Residence
Diana Soviero, William Stone, Voice Teachers
Louis Salemno, Resident Vocal Coach
Bénédicte Jourdois, Kathleen Kelly, Danielle Orlando, Guest Vocal Coaches
Karma Camp, Peter Kazaras, Nick Olcott, Alan Paul, Drama and Movement
Ken Benson, Matthew Epstein, Career Consultants
APPLICATIONS NOW OPEN: YAPTRACKER.COM
AUDITIONS FALL 2014: Washington, DC (October 9, 2014) | New York City (October 17-19, 2014)
Chicago (October 31, 2014) | Cincinnati (November 22-23, 2014) | San Francisco (October 11, 2014)
Information: [email protected] | (202) 416-7873
Major support for WNO is provided by
Jacqueline Badger Mars.
David and Alice Rubenstein
are the Presenting Underwriters of WNO.
The Domingo-Cafritz Young Artist Program is made possible through
the generous support of The Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation.
“Santa Fe really feels like coming home because
this program was so nurturing to me, and I can
talk about that for hours . . . I feel like I have come
back into this family and they’re like, ‘You’re all
grown up, and it’s so good to have you back!’”
AGMA House
Though the workload for the
apprentices can be overwhelming,
the number of rehearsal hours is
gratefully regulated through their
AGMA contracts, another benefit of the
program. “Being an AGMA contract,
it’s much different,” says Clark. “It feels
like a real job since you aren’t working
14 hours in a row.”
“There’s nothing worse than feeling
like you’re being taken advantage of at
some programs,” Kempson agrees.
Larsen offers a different perspective.
“Those times, though, really help you
value programs like these where your
time really is carefully used,” she says.
“You definitely don’t feel entitled after
those experiences.”
The House Audition
Each summer during the first week
of August, general directors from the
major U.S. opera houses; agents from
Columbia, IMG, and other agencies;
and casting directors converge on the
Santa Fe opera house with the express
purpose of hearing each apprentice
artist sing one aria. From that one
audition, apprentices often receive offers
for future roles, other apprenticeships,
representation, or even just the
opportunity to be heard by people they
will audition for later in the year.
Singers prepare for this audition all
summer long with teachers, coaches,
and other artists. This year alone, the
singers will work with voice teachers
Marlena Malas, Vinson Cole, and Julia
Faulkner. Isabel Leonard, Neil Shicoff,
James Morris, and Maestro Harry Bicket
will teach masterclasses. Robert Tweten,
Carol Anderson, Steven Blier, and others
will coach the singers. In addition,
Matthew Epstein comes each summer
to coach and prepare each singer
specifically for his or her house audition.
Many singers refer to this particular fiveminute audition as one of the pivotal
opportunities of their summer.
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2014 participant Shelley Jackson
photos by Robert Godwin/Santa Fe Opera
2014 participant Dan Kempson during a Carmen rehearsal
“The connections for me here really happened with
the house audition,” says Jackson. “I actually got my
management from Columbia Artists through the audition,
which was very fortunate and was directly from that audition.
I don’t know many other places during the summer where
you have that caliber of people coming to see you.”
Guetti says that preparing for the house audition gave him
what he needed to successfully approach the Met auditions.
“Having people hear me at the house audition, where you’re
basically singing for every major house in the country, was
a huge jumping-off point for the year and, actually, for a few
years down the line,” he says. “Santa Fe was the domino that
started everything else falling down the line. I remember
getting ready for my house audition last year, and that was
the most nervous I had ever been for something. For the Met
competition, when you’re singing for a practically sold-out
opera house and there’s just enough light that you can see
everyone sitting out there, that definitely beat this one out—
but the preparation here to deal with stress, pressure, and
expectation, that really helped me grow. The Met auditions
would have been a much more jarring experience without my
time in Santa Fe.”
Homecomings
Talk to administrators or staff at Santa Fe Opera and you
will eventually hear about their former apprentices who are
returning to sing principal roles that season. This sense
of family and the entire company’s investment in each
Summer
Festival
2015
®
Marilyn Horne vocal program director
JUNE 15 – AUGUST 8
Visit musicacademy.org for audition information
Application deadline: October 2014
photo by Ken Howard/Santa Fe Opera
Joyce El-Khoury as the title role in Arabella in Santa
Fe Opera’s Apprentice Showcase Scenes, 2006
apprentice’s success is obvious. I
caught up with apprentice alumnus
Joyce El-Khoury, returning to Santa Fe
this summer to sing Micaëla after being
nominated for an international award as
the best “young singer.” We sat down
in the outdoor Opera Club pavilion
perched above and to the side of the
mainstage.
“Santa Fe really feels like coming
home because this program was so
nurturing to me, and I can talk about
that for hours,” she shares. “I feel
like I have come back into this family
and they’re like, ‘You’re all grown up,
and it’s so good to have you back!’
My first show I did here singing in
the chorus was Carmen in 2006, and
now I’m returning singing Micaëla,
so it really feels like I’m coming full
circle. I remember hearing Jennifer
Black singing Micaëla at the time and
thinking, ‘I really want to do that!’ I
really benefited, actually, from being in
the chorus. It was a really good way for
me to work on my stagecraft without
being in the spotlight. I was also bullied
a lot when I was younger by peers
and teachers, so I had issues with selfesteem. When I came here, what it did
for my confidence was huge.
“I’ll never forget the production of
The Tempest . . . there was this huge
water tank along the pit that we had to
swim in,” El-Khoury continues. “They
had some of the chorus members and
some supers swim under the water
from the wings, pulling ourselves on
a cord until we reached the center and
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then we rose up out of the water. The
water was freezing, and it was so cold
that most of the female singers dropped
out. They were singing other things
and they were, of course, worried that
the cold would affect them. For me,
this was my assignment, and I would
not quit. I told myself that I had to do
it. Because of that, now I’m not afraid
and I never say ‘no’ to stage directors
because I believe that I can do it
through that experience.
“An apprentice program like this
made a huge difference for me and
gave me an awareness of what I needed
to do to get where I wanted to be,”
she concludes. “They nurture their
apprentices here so that they can
come back as principal artists. They
want us to do well, and I’m one of
many who have come back after being
apprentices.”
One of the most successful alumni
from the program, tenor William
Burden, also speaks glowingly of his
time as an apprentice in Santa Fe. He
echoes the current apprentices about
the level of work that is required for
the program, but says there was no
better place to learn your craft as an
opera singer. “When I was there, I was
influenced by so many artists,” Burden
says. “I can think of Tatiana Troyanos,
James Bowman, Marilyn Horne, and
Frederica von Stade right away. There
was also Sheri Greenawald and Ben
Heppner. They were just the best
singers in the world, and everyone
auditioned here if they wanted to take
that next step. To make opera in that
place is so incredible, and there is
nowhere on the planet like Santa Fe.”
With endless stretches of blue
wrapped around the sky and small
patches of cloud floating over the
mountains, there is truly no place like
Santa Fe to sing and hear opera. “Even
though I was memorizing Mandarin
this morning,” says Larsen, “I was
sitting on a grassy hill with flowers and
mountains around. This is really nice!”
The
nurturing
and
friendly
environment and beautiful surroundings,
together with rigorous standards, have
combined to maintain the reputation
of Santa Fe’s apprentice program as a
springboard to major opera careers.
Jason Vest is a tenor and assistant
professor of voice at Eastern New Mexico
University. He graduated from schools
both large and small and has since been
singing and teaching in the Southwest,
most recently performing Kaspar in
Amahl and the Night Visitors with
Amarillo Opera and recording an
album with USAF Academy Band
Principal Horn, Gerald Welker.
The Jewell Journey: LIVE WHAT YOU LEARN
William Jewell provides
opportunities to learn
from master teachers
in an intimate,
undergraduate liberal
arts environment.
• Master classes
with worldrenowned artists
• Free tickets to all
events on the
acclaimed HarrimanJewell Series
• Opera performance
opportunities in
original languages,
with orchestra
• Choral performance
experiences
• Regular study with
full-time faculty
• Access to stellar
performances at
new world-class
Kauffman Center for
the Performing Arts
Dan Belcher, class of ’92; Grammy for Best Opera Recording, 2010
For more information, go to www.jewell.edu/music
To view the list of free performances for Jewell students on the
Harriman-Jewell Series, go to www.hjseries.org
Liberty, Missouri
www.jewell.edu
The Classical Singer Young Artist Program Directory
The Classical Singer Young Artist Program Directory includes a host of valuable information on YAPs both in the U.S. and abroad, including
stipends young artists receive; if the program pays for travel, housing, and transportation; as well as application and program dates. Printed here is
basic information for programs in the directory. Although some programs
Budget Categories
Level C=$1,000,000-$2,999,999
did not update their information with future dates, we have included
Level
A=$10,
000,000
and
above
Level D=less than $1,000,000
past dates to give an idea of when programs are held. To view complete
Level B=$3,000,000-$9,999,999
Level U=Unknown
profiles, go to www.auditionplus.com/yap.
Name
Website
Location
Budget Dates
App
Fee
App
Deadline
R/P
U.S. Programs
Academy of Vocal Arts (AVA) Vocal and Opera Training Program
Anchorage Opera Apprentice Program
Arcady Young Artist Program
Ash Lawn Opera Festival Young Artist Program
The Atlantic Coast Opera Festival Young Artist Program
www.avaopera.org/training/
www.anchorageopera.org/UAAapprentices.html
www.arcady.ca/
www.ashlawnopera.org
www.AtlanticCoastOperaFestival.org
Philadelphia, PA
Anchorage, AK
Simcoe, ON
Charlottesville, VA
Greater Philadelphia
Area, PA
New York, NY
B
C
U
D
D
$100
3/1/2015
P
6/13/14-8/7/14
8/1/14-8/31/14
None
$25
$36
2/15/2015
12/15/2014 R
6/23/2014 P
U
7/7/14-8/3/14
12/1/2014
R
St Louis, MO
Sheffield, MA
C
U
8/18/14-5/10/15
7/11/15-8/9/15
$75$100
None
5/27/2014
3/1/2015
P
Boston, MA
Boston, MA
Boston, MA
A
5/12/14-6/25/14
10/1/14-5/15/15
6/19/14-8/18/14
Boston, MA
Atlanta, GA
Katonah, NY
U
U
U
Atlantic Music Festival Institute (AMF) Resident Artist Fellowship
Bach Society of St Louis Young Artist Award
Berkshire Choral Festival Apprentice Program
Boston Early Music Festival Young Artists Training Program
Boston Metro Opera Resident Artist Program
Boston Symphony Orchestra Tanglewood Music Center Residency Program
Boston University Opera Institute
Capitol City Opera Company
Caramoor Bel Canto Young Artists Mentoring Program
Carmel Bach Festival Adams Vocal Master Class
Cedar Rapids Opera Theatre Young Artists
Center City Opera Theater Young Artist Program
Central City Opera Bonfils-Stanton Artists Training Program
Central Florida Lyric Opera Resident Artist Training Program
Chautauqua Opera Young Artist Program
Chicago Opera Theater Young Artist Program
Cimarron Opera Summer Operetta
Cincinnati Opera Opera-tunities Residency Program
Connecticut Lyric Opera Young Artist Program
The Continuo Arts Foundation - The Milton Cross Young Artist
Showcase
Crane School of Music Fall Island Vocal Arts Seminar
Crested Butte Music Festival (CBMF) Marcello Giordani Young
Artist Program
Crested Butte Music Festival (CBMF) The Opera Children’s
Chorus
Da Camera Young Artist Program Da Camera Young Artist
Program
Dayton Opera Artist-In-Residence Program
Dell’Arte Opera Ensemble Standard Repertoire Project
Des Moines Metro Opera Apprentice Artist Program
Dicapo Opera Theatre Resident Artists Program
Fargo-Moorhead Opera Young Artist Program
FBN Productions Opera For Kids
Florentine Opera Studio
Florida Grand Opera Young Artist Program
Fort Worth Opera Studio
Fresco Opera Theatre Madison Area Opera Singers Workshop
Glimmerglass Festival Young Artists Program
Glow Lyric Theatre Young Artist Program
atlanticmusicfestival.org/the-institute/programs/
fellowship-program
www.bachsociety.org/performers/young_artists
choralfest.org/sing-with-us/young-adult-programs/apprentice-program
www.bemf.org
www.bostonmetroopera.com/news.html
www.bso.org/micro-sites/tanglewood-musiccenter/fellowships.aspx
www.bu.edu/cfa/music/opera/
www.ccityopera.com/
www.caramoor.org/education/bel-canto-youngartists
www.bachfestival.org/index.cfm/Virginia_Best_
Adams_Vocal_Master_Class.htm
www.cr-opera.org/Content/Young-Artists.aspx
www.operatheater.org/wp4/young-artist-program/
www.centralcityopera.org/artiststraining
www.centralfloridalyricopera.org/RATP.html
opera.ciweb.org/young-artists/
www.chicagooperatheater.org/young-artistsprogram/
www.cimarronopera.org/auditions/
www.cincinnatiopera.org/
ctlyricopera.org/education/young-artist-program/
www.continuoarts.com/minuettomusicfestival.html
Carmel, CA
9/4/14-5/15/15
1/9/13-4/12/13
9/1/13-5/15/15
6/9/14-7/24/14
$15
$70
$70
$10
None
7/6/15-8/1/15
2/13/2014
2/20/2015 R
10/15/2014 R
1/1/2014
R
11/15/2014
1/31/2015
R
10/19/2014
10/19/2014
6/30/2014
10/1/2014
12/1/2013
R
R
P
P
R
Cedar Rapids, IA
Philadelphia, PA
Central City, CO
Orlando, FL
Chautauqua, NY
Chicago, IL
D
D
B
D
D
C
12/26/13-6/30/14
10/1/14-6/30/15
5/26/14-8/10/14
9/6/14-5/30/15
6/14/15-8/8/15
3/15/14-3/31/16
None
$39
$30
None
$20
None
Norman, OK
Cincinnati, OH
New London, CT
Summit, NJ
D
B
6/10/13-7/14/13
5/14/14-7/27/14
$25
U
6/22/14-6/28/14
$75
2/28/2015
10/1/2014
6/17/2014
5/15/2014
R
P
www.fallisland.org/about/
www.crestedbuttemusicfestival.com/index.
php?option=com_content&view=article&id=82&
Itemid=144
www.crestedbuttemusicfestival.com/index.
php?option=com_content&view=article&id=51:di
vine-family-young-peoples-concerts&catid=15:ed
ucation&Itemid=164
www.dacamera.com/young_artists_general
Potsdam, NY
Crested Butte, CO
5/18/15-5/23/15
6/15/14-7/28/14
$40
$35
11/16/2014 R
11/3/2014 R
Crested Butte, CO
7/7/14-7/27/14
$35
1/15/2015
Houston, TX
9/5/15-5/31/16
www.daytonopera.org/learn-more-about-opera/
artist-in-residence-training-program/
www.dellarteopera.org
www.desmoinesmetroopera.org/jobs
www.dicapo.com/html/artists.html
www.fmopera.org/web/page.aspx?title=Young
Artist Program
www.operaforkids.org/default.htm
www.florentineopera.org/florentine-opera-studio.
html
www.fgo.org/young-artists/
www.fwopera.org/About-Us/FWO-Studio/
www.frescooperatheatre.com/madison-areaopera-singers-workshop.html
glimmerglass.org/company/young-artistsprogram/
www.glowlyric.com/artists/auditions/
Dayton, OH
C
1/2/15-4/3/15
New York City, NY
Indianola, IA
New York, NY
Fargo, ND
D
C
C
D
Chapin, SC
Milwaukee, WI
9/2/2014
R
None
4/15/2014
P
4/15/14-8/31/14
6/27/14-7/20/14
9/1/14-9/1/15
1/1/15-3/31/15
$35
$25
None
$35
1/14/2015
12/14/2013 P
8/1/2014
10/14/2014 R
D
B
2/23/15-4/30/15
9/1/14-5/31/16
$30
9/15/2014
1/31/2015
R
R
Miami, FL
Fort Worth, TX
Madison, WI
A
B
D
9/15/14-5/10/15 $40
9/1/15-5/9/16
None
10/11/13-4/11/14
10/1/2014
9/15/2014
R
R
P
Cooperstown, NY
B
5/27/14-8/24/14
Greenville, SC
D
$55
R
2/14/2015
R
Young Artist Program Directory
Name
Website
Location
Budget Dates
Green Mountain Opera Festival Emerging Artist Program for
Singers and Pianists
Hawaii Opera Theatre Mae Z. Orvis Opera Studio HOT training
www.greenmountainoperafestival.com
Warren, VT
D
5/26/14-6/22/14
App
Fee
$35
Honolulu, HI
B
6/1/14-5/31/15
None
Houston, TX
Cambridge, NY
A
D
7/19/14-8/24/14
$30
$35
0214-09-26 R
2/28/2015 P
5/27/15-6/30/15
None
12/1/2014
R
10/10/2014
12/15/2014
3/10/2014
9/14/2015
P
R
R
R
P
www.hawaiiopera.org/education_and_outreach/
hot_training/
Houston Grand Opera Studio (HGO) Young Artists Vocal Academy www.houstongrandopera.org/YAVA
Hubbard Hall Opera Theater Conservatory HHOT Training
hubbardhall.org/opera-spotlight/opera-conserProgram
vatory/
Il Cuore Canta When the Heart Sings Singing Workshop
www.ilcuorecanta.com
Indianapolis Opera Ensemble
Kentucky Opera Studio Artists Program
Knoxville Opera/University of Tennessee Young Artist Program
Long Wharf Theatre Resident Artist Program
Los Angeles Opera (LA Opera) Domingo-Colburn-Stein Young
Artist Program
Lyric Opera of Chicago Patrick G. and Shirley W. Ryan Opera
Center
Lyric Opera Virginia Edythe C. Harrison Young Artist Program
www.indyopera.org/young-artists.html
kyopera.org/auditions/
www.music.utk.edu
www.longwharf.org/next-stage-program
www.laopera.org/company/yap/
Mabou Mines Resident Artist Program
Mannes College Institute & Festival for Contemporary Performance (IFCP)
Marion Roose Pullin Arizona Opera Studio Studio Artist Program
The Martina Arroyo Foundation Inc. Prelude to Performance
Metropolitan Opera Lindemann Young Artist Development
Program
Minnesota Opera Resident Artists Program
Music Academy of the West Summer School
Nashville Opera Fellows Program
Nashville Opera Mary Ragland Young Artist Program
Natchez Festival of Music Natchez Festival of Music
New York Lyric Opera Theatre Artist-in-Residence (AIR)
www.lyricopera.org/about/ryanopera.
aspx#audition
www.lyricoperavirginia.org/youngartistsauditions.
php
www.maboumines.org/guidelines
ifcpny.com/events
azopera.org/about/studio-artists/
www.martinaarroyofdn.org/prelude/programoutline.html
www.metoperafamily.org/metopera/auditions/
young_artists/index.aspx
www.mnopera.org/about/resident-artists-program/
www.musicacademy.org
nashvilleopera.org/Training_Programs.html
nashvilleopera.org/Training_Programs.html
www.natchezfestivalofmusic.com/index.html
www.newyorklyricopera.org/auditions.html
App
Deadline
11/4/2013
R/P
R
Manhattan and Cold
Spring, NY
Indianapolis, IN
Louisville, KY
Knoxville, TN
New Haven, CT
Los Angeles, CA
C
C
C
1/5/15-5/9/15
8/25/14-3/1/15
8/1/15-5/31/17
A
8/1/15-6/30/16
$35
$30
$60
None
$35
Chicago, IL
A
5/1/14-4/30/15
$25
2/1/2015
Norfolk, VA
C
$40
11/1/2014
9/1/14-4/30/15
6/9/14-6/18/14
$60
6/15/2014
4/10/2014
9/7/15-5/9/16
6/2/14-7/14/14
$35
$35
10/14/2014 R
1/31/2015 R
None
2/1/2015
$35
$75
$25
$25
$25
$35
10/13/2014 R
10/1/2014 R
2/13/2015
3/28/2014
10/7/2013 R
New York, NY
New York, NY
Phoenix, AZ
New York City, NY
U
New York, NY
A
Minneapolis, MN
Santa Barbara, CA
Nashville, TN
Nashville, TN
Natchez, MS
New York City, NY
B
8/25/14-4/1/15
6/14/14-8/9/14
8/1/14-4/30/15
1/22/15-4/12/15
4/6/14-5/24/14
C
C
D
U
P
R
Benjamin T. Rome School of Music
Celebrating 50 Years of Excellence
B.M. in Voice
M.M. in Vocal Performance or Vocal Pedagogy
D.M.A. in Vocal Performance or Vocal Pedagogy
Artist Diploma in Vocal Performance
Auditions:
Dec. 6, 2014
Jan. 17, 2015
Feb. 7, 2015
Feb. 21, 2015*
Alumnus Patrick Carfizzi
Bass-baritone
Celebrating his 300th performance at
the Metropolitan Opera
photo credit: Ken Howard
Alumnus Patrick Guetti
Bass
Winner of Metropolitan Opera
National Council Audition
*Graduates and Transfers only
Sharon Christman
Rick Christman
Head of CUA Voice Division
Tenor
Soprano
Metropolitan Opera
Metropolitan Opera
voice.cua.edu
music.cua.edu
202-319-5414
James Hampton
Opera Director
Dallas Opera
Austin Lyric Opera
Gustavo Ahualli
Baritone
Teatro Argentino de La Plata
Central City Opera
THE CATHOLIC UNIVERSITY OF AMERICA
Washington, D.C.
The Catholic University of America admits students of any race, color, national or ethnic origin, sex, age, or disability.
For disability accommodations, contact us at the number above.
Name
The Ohio Light Opera YAP & Resident Artist Program
Opera Carolina Opera Express
Website
ohiolightopera.org/auditions.php
www.operacarolina.org/education-center#navopera-express
Opera Carolina Touring Accompanist/Coach
www.operacarolina.org/education-center#navopera-academy
Opera Colorado Young Artist Program
operacolorado.org/?page_id=226
Opera Company of Brooklyn Resident Artist Program
operabrooklyn.org/?page_id=35
Opera Experience Southeast Young Artist Program
www.operaexperiencesoutheast.org/emergingartists/
Opera Louisiane Young Artist Program
operalouisiane.com/get-involved#1
Opera Memphis Artists-In-Residence
www.operamemphis.org/opera-memphis/artistsin-residence
Opera Naples Student Apprentice Program
www.operanaples.org/welcome-to-operanaples/o-n-e-community-opera-naples-education/#apprentice
Opera Naples Young Artist Program
www.operanaples.org/welcome-to-operanaples/o-n-e-community-opera-naples-education/#youngartists
Opera North Young Artist Program
www.operanorth.org/YoungArtists.html
Opera on the James Tyler Young Artist Program
www.operaonthejames.org/young-artist-program/
Opera Orchestra of New York (OONY) Young Artists Program
www.oony.org/learn/yap.html
Opera Santa Barbara Studio Artist Program
www.operasb.org/young_artists.php
Opera Saratoga Young Artist Program
operasaratoga.org
Opera Theater Pittsburgh Resident Artist Training Progam
otsummerfest.org
Opera Theater Pittsburgh Young Artist Program
otsummerfest.org/
Opera Theatre of Saint Louis Gerdine Young Artist Program
www.opera-stl.org/about/audition-information/
Opera Theatre of the Rockies Young Artists & Outreach Ensemble www.operatheatreoftherockies.org/young-artistsoutreach-ensemble/
OperaOggiNY Young Artist Program
www.operaogginy.info/youngartists.php
Palm Beach Opera Young Artist Program
pbopera.org/about-us-2/young-artists/
Pensacola Opera Artist in Residence Program
https://pensacolaopera.com/artists.html
Pine Mountain Music Festival Resident Opera Artists
pmmf.org/education/resident_opera_artists
Portland Opera Resident Artist Program
www.portlandopera.org/resident-artist-program
Ravinia Festival Steans Music Institute Program for Singers
www.ravinia.org/steans_singers.aspx
Riverside Lyric Opera
www.riversidelyricopera.org
Riverside Opera Institute
www.musicstarts.org/riverside_opera_institute
San Francisco Opera Center Merola Opera Program
sfopera.com/Merola-Opera-Program.aspx
Santa Fe Opera Apprentice Program for Singers
www.santafeopera.org/apprenticeprograms/singers/index.aspx
Sarasota Opera Apprentice Artists Program
www.sarasotaopera.org/about/apprentice.aspx
Seattle Opera Young Artists Program
www.seattleopera.org
St. Petersburg Opera Company Emerging Artists Program
www.stpeteopera.org/
Sugar Creek Symphony & Song The Danis Wilson Apprentice
www.sugarcreekfestival.org/yaps.html
Artist Program
Syracuse Opera Resident Artist Program
www.syracuseopera.com/community.cfm
Tacoma Opera Young Artist Program
www.tacomaopera.com/page.php?id=167
Toledo Opera Resident Artists
www.toledoopera.org/learn/resident-artists/
Tri-Cities Opera Resident Artist Training Program
www.tricitiesopera.com/resident-artists.aspx
Tulsa Opera Studio Artist Program
tulsaopera.com/education-community-programs/
studio-artist-program/
Location
Budget Dates
Wooster, OH
Charlotte, NC
D
C
Charlotte/Triad/
SC, NC
Denver, CO
New York, NY
Rock Hill, SC
Baton Rouge, LA
Memphis, TN
5/30/14-8/10/14
9/1/14-5/1/15
App
Fee
$35
R/P
R
10/21/13-2/28/14 None
10/18/2013 P
B
D
10/1/14-5/31/15
9/1/14-5/31/15
5/25/14-6/17/14
$25
$35
$35
4/1/2015
7/20/2014
2/21/2015
R
D
C
8/1/14-5/31/15
$25
4/17/2015
P
$40
$15
12/5/2014
10/1/2014
R
P
$65
$65
None
9/30/2014
10/15/2014
10/17/2014
10/17/2014
8/10/2014
R
R
R
P
P
12/31/2014
2/14/2015
4/18/2014
10/9/2014
9/21/2014
10/24/2014
6/30/2014
R
R
Naples, FL
None
Naples, FL
None
Lebanon, NH
Lynchburg, VA
New York, NY
Santa Barbara, CA
Saratoga Springs, NY
Pittsburgh, PA
Pittsburgh, PA
St. Louis, MO
Colorado Springs, CO
App
Deadline
11/1/2014
D
D
C
C
D
B
B
B
D
6/22/14-8/18/14
3/1/15-3/28/15
4/1/14-5/10/14
5/18/15-7/5/15
9/15/14-5/15/15
6/16/14-7/17/14
4/27/15-6/28/15
New York, NY
West Palm Beach, FL
Pensacola, FL
Hancock, MI
Portland, OR
Highland Park, IL
Riverside, CA
Riverside, CA
San Francisco, CA
Santa Fe, NM
C
A
Sarasota, FL
Seattle, WA
St. Petersburg, FL
Watseka, IL
B
A
D
U
10/10/14-6/4/15
7/17/13-8/5/13
Syracuse, NY
Tacoma, WA
Toledo, OH
Binghamton, NY
Tulsa, OK
C
D
D
D
C
9/3/13-10/1/13
10/1/14-4/30/15
3/20/14-5/21/14
8/20/13-5/19/14
9/1/14-5/8/15
B
C
B
C
1/1/15-5/31/15
11/1/14-3/31/15
1/1/15-4/30/15
6/6/13-7/14/13
$25
$40
$30
$25
$70
R
R
7/27/15-8/15/15
7/9/14-7/19/14
7/7/14-7/13/14
None
None
9/16/2014
8/23/2014
R
6/4/15-8/29/15
8/19/2013
10/1/2014
3/13/2014
11/1/2014
R
$40
$30
$30
$20
4/1/2014
4/1/2015
$35
$25
10/10/2014 P
R
1/8/14-3/23/14
R
Name
Website
UMKC Conservatory/Lyric Opera of Kansas City Young Artist
Program
University of North Carolina School of the Arts A.J. Fletcher
Opera Institute
Utah Festival Opera & Musical Theatre Festival Artist Program
conservatory.umkc.edu/special-requirements.cfm Kansas City, MO
Utah Opera Ensemble Program for Singers and Pianists
Virginia Opera Association Emerging Artist Program
Virginia Opera Emerging Artist Apprentice Coach Program
V.O.I.C.Experience Festival Apprentice Program
Wagner Society of Washington D.C. Evelyn Lear & Thomas
Stewart Emerging Singers Program
Washington National Opera Domingo-Cafritz Young Artist
Program
The Weill Music Institute at Carnegie Hall The Song Continues
Workshop
Wichita Grand Opera Resident Artist Program
Wichita Grand Opera Young Artist Program
Winter Opera St. Louis Resident Artist Program
Wolf Trap Opera Company Filene Young Artists
Wolf Trap Opera Company Opera Studio Artists
International
Bavarian State Opera The Opera Studio Young Artist Program
Bolshoi Theatre Young Artist Opera Program
Britten-Pears Young Artist Programme Britten-Pears Young Artist
Programme
Bundanon Trust Artist in Residence
Calgary Opera Emerging Artist Development Program
Canadian Opera Company Ensemble Studio
Escales Lyriques Opera Workshop
French National Center for Lyric Artists (CNIPAL) Professional
Placement Training Course
Internationale Meistersinger Akademie (IMA) Emerging Artist
Program
iSING! International Young Artist Festival
Jeunes Ambassadeurs Lyriques Young Artist Program
Mahler Philharmoniker Wien Vienna Opera Studio
National Opera Studio Young Artists’ Programme
New York Opera Society Jeunes Solistes
NI Opera Young Artist Program
Oper Frankfurt Opernstudio Vorsingen Resident Artist Program
Opera de Montreal Atelier Lyrique
Opera Lyra Ottawa Young Opera Studio
Opera national de Paris Atelier Lyrique
Opera national du Rhin Young Artist Program
Location
Budget Dates
B
8/8/15-8/15/17
App
Fee
$35
App
Deadline
12/1/2014
8/15/14-4/30/15
None
12/2/2013
R/P
R
www.fletcheropera.com/
Winston-Salem, NC
www.utahfestival.org/index.php?p_
resource=about_auditions_artist
www.utahopera.org/the-company/utah-operaresident-artists-program
vaopera.org/education-training/emerging-artistprogram.html
vaopera.org/education-training/emerging-artistprogram.html
voicexperiencefoundation.com/
Logan, UT
B
5/27/15-8/8/15
None
Salt Lake City, UT
A
9/1/15-5/31/16
$25
10/31/2014 R
Norfolk, VA
B
8/25/14-4/12/15
$40
10/31/2014 R
Norfolk, VA
B
8/25/14-4/12/15
None
10/31/2014 R
7/20/14-8/17/14
$50
4/30/2015
R
www.wagner-dc.org/?q=node/2
www.kennedy-center.org/wno/edu/dcyap/howtoapply.cfm
www.carnegiehall.org/The_Song_Continues_
Workshop_2012_2013/
www.wichitagrandopera.org/residentartists.html
www.wichitagrandopera.org/youngartists.html
www.winteroperastl.org/
www.wolftrap.org/Opera/About/Filene_Young_Artists.aspx
www.wolftrap.org/Opera/About/Wolf_Trap_Opera_Studio
www.staatsoper.de/opera-studio
www.bolshoi.ru/en/about/youth/
www.aldeburgh.co.uk/bpp
www.bundanon.com.au/content/residencies
Tampa Bay and
Savannah, GA
areas, FL
Washington, DC
U
5/1/15-8/31/16
Washington, DC
A
9/1/15-9/1/16
$30
9/12/2014
R
1/14/13-1/19/13
$30
10/4/2013
P
$25
$25
$15
$30
1/24/2014
1/24/2014
5/2/2014
9/15/2014
R
P
New York, NY
Wichita, KS
Wichita, KS
St. Louis, MO
Vienna, VA
C
1/19/13-5/18/13
1/19/13-5/18/13
9/15/14-3/9/15
5/15/15-8/20/15
Vienna, VA
C
5/15/15-8/20/15
$20
9/15/2014
9/15/15-7/31/16
None
11/15/2014 R
1/1/15-1/1/15
€ 25
11/15/2014 R
Munich, Germany
Moscow, Russia
Snape (near Aldeburgh), UK
Shoalhaven River,
NSW, Australia
Calgary, AB, CAN
Toronto, ON, CAN
www.calgaryopera.com/emerging-artists
www.coc.ca/AboutTheCOC/CompanyMembers/
EnsembleStudio.aspx
www.escales-lyriques.fr/
Ile d’Yeu, France
www.cnipal.fr/index.php?option=com_flexicontent Marseilles, France
&view=items&cid=2&id=16&Itemid=11〈=en
meistersingerakademie.com/course
Neumakt, Germany
www.isingfestival.org
lyrichoregra20.wifeo.com/jeunes-ambassadeurslyriques.php
www.mahlerphil.org/opera_studio.html
www.nationaloperastudio.org.uk/
newyorkoperasociety.com/programs/
www.niopera.com/news
www.oper-frankfurt.de/en/page259.cfm?
www.operademontreal.com/en/atelier_lyrique/
learning-the-trade.html
www.operalyra.ca/studio/the-artists.php
www.operadeparis.fr/en/L_Opera/l_Atelier_Lyrique/
www.operanationaldurhin.eu/en--the-training-auditions-os.html
www.opernhaus.ch/
www.pov.bc.ca/training.html
www.lesarts.com
www.roh.org.uk
www.semperoper.de
www.staatstheater-nuernberg.de/
www.saopera.sa.gov.au/about-us/auditions
Opernhaus Zurich International Opera Studio (IOS)
Pacific Opera Victoria Young Artist Program
Palau de les Arts Reina Sofia Resident Artist Program
Royal Opera House Jette Parker Young Artists Programme
Semperoper Dresden Junges Ensemble
Staatstheater Nurnberg International Opera Studio of Nurnberg
State Opera of South Australia - The James & Diana Ramsay
Foundation Young & Emerging Artist Program
Teatro Alla Scala Academy of Lyric Opera
www.accademialascala.it
Ticino Musica International Opera Studio
www.ticinomusica.com/opera-studio/
Toronto Summer Music Festival & Academy Fellows TCM Fellows www.torontosummermusic.com/index.php/academy/apply-now-for-tsm-academy-2014/
Vadstena Akademien Lieder Artists in Residence
www.vadstena-akademien.org/english/
Vancouver Opera Yulanda M. Faris Young Artists Program
www.vancouveropera.ca/yap.html
P
D
D
6/1/14-12/19/14
B
A
Suzhou, China
Quebec, CAN
Vienna, Austria
London, UK
Tucuman, Argentina
Belfast, Ireland
Frankfurt, Germany
Montreal, QC, CAN
D
D
A
B
7/28/2014
10/1/15-5/31/16
8/17/15-5/30/16
$30
None
10/19/2014 P
9/30/2014
7/26/14-8/12/14
9/1/14-6/30/15
€ 20
$45
1/5/2015
4/1/2014
R
R
6/30/15-8/9/15
$50
12/1/2014
R
6/27/14-7/27/14
4/10/14-4/24/14
None
$85
3/20/2015
4/7/2015
R
P
3/17/14-8/23/14
9/1/15-6/30/16
7/1/15-7/31/15
9/1/14-8/31/15
-
None
£75
6/1/2014
4/1/2014
3/31/2015
5/1/2014
2/28/2015
10/3/2014
None
$50
Ottawa, ON, CAN
Paris, France
C
9/22/14-11/16/14
10/1/14-6/30/15
Strasbourg, France
A
9/1/14-7/8/15
Zurich, Switzerland
Victoria, BC
Valencia, Spain
London, UK
Dresden, Germany
Nuremberg, Germany
Marleston, Australia
A
C
A
9/1/14-7/12/15
None
10/3/13-11/11/13
9/2/13-6/30/14
9/1/14-7/31/16
None
8/25/14-7/11/15
U
1/1/15-12/31/15
A
10/1/14-6/25/16
6/25/14-7/27/14
7/22/14-8/12/14
Milan, Italy
Lugano, Switzerland
Toronto, ON, CAN
Stockholm, Sweden
Vancouver, BC, CAN
R
6/15/15-8/8/15
9/15/14-5/15/15
R
R
R
P
11/30/2014 R
1/3/2014
R
None
None
None
$75$100
None
12/13/2013 P
9/30/2014
10/14/2014
6/10/2014
10/31/2014
12/31/2014
7/15/2014
11/30/2014
9/9/2014
2/28/2015
2/13/2015
R
R
R
R
R
R
11/1/2014 R
10/27/2014 P
The Classical Singer Coach and Accompanist Directory
In the Classical Singer Coach and Accompanist Directory available online singers can find a coach by geography, language ability,
cost, and even by the musical works the coach has coached with singers or production companies. Coaches that have a “complete
listing” which provides extensive information about their studios and experience are printed below. More information about each
coach is available in the online directory. Please visit the online directory to view additional “basic listings,” featuring contact information for over 474 additional coaches in the U.S. and abroad. Both basic and complete listings are available online at
www.classicalsinger.com/directories/coach/search.php.
State
Name
E-mail/Website
Location
Primary Role
CA
Kuttner, Philip
Philip Kuttner Vocal Studio
[email protected]
San Francisco, CA
Coach
CA
Levina, Elena
[email protected]
www.elenalevina.com
Mountain View, CA
Accompanist
Aud, Reh, Les, Rec, Tour
DC
Crabill, Michael
Michael Crabill Vocal Studio
[email protected]
Washington, DC
Coach
NJ
Getty, Tom
[email protected]
Metuchen, NJ
Coach
NY
Arner, Lucy
[email protected]
www.lucyarner.com
New York, NY
Conductor
Rec, Tour
E, F, I, G, S
NY
Farley, Carole
Carole Farley International Vocal
Coaching
[email protected]
www.carolefarley.com
New York, NY
Coach
Reh, Les, Tour
E, F, I, G, Cz, R, S
NY
Hallak, Mikhail
[email protected]
www.mikhailhallak.com
New York, NY
Coach
Aud, Rec, Tour
E, F, I, G, S
NY
Hastings, Elizabeth
[email protected]
New York, NY
Coach
Aud, Rec
NY
Lewin, Ann
[email protected]
New York, NY
Coach
Aud, Reh, Rec, Tour
E, F, I, G, He
NY
Malouf, Roger
[email protected]
New York, NY
Coach
Aud, Les, Rec, Tour
E, F, I, G, Cz, R
NY
Saltzman, Harry
New York Baroque Studio
[email protected]
New York, NY
Conductor
OH
Hurd, Donald
[email protected]
Cincinnati, OH
Accompanist
E, F, I, G, S
TX
Roach, Kristin
[email protected]
San Antonio, TX
WA
Kline, Rhonda
[email protected]
Seattle, WA
Coach
E, F, G, S
Key:
Aud
Les
Rec
Reh
Tour
Play Auditions
Accompany Lessons
Play Recitals
Play Rehearsals
Travel/tour
E
English
F
French
I
Italian
G
German
Cz Czech
S
Spanish
HeHebrew
R
Russian
Services
Languages
E, F, I, G
E, F, I, G
E, F, I, G
The Classical Singer Voice Teacher Directory
In the Classical Singer Voice Teacher Directory singers can find a teacher by geography, language ability, cost, and much more.
Teachers that have a “complete listing”—which provides extensive information about their studios and experience—are printed
below. More information about each teacher is available in the online directory. Please visit the online directory to view additional
“basic listings,” featuring contact information for 1,733 teachers in the U.S. and abroad. Both basic and complete listings are available online at www.classicalsinger.com/directories/teacher/search_form.php.
State Name
Studio Name
AZ
AZ
CA
CA
CA
CA
CA
CA
CA
CA
CA
Crawford, Stephen
Keshner, Joyce
Cameron, James
Erbelding, Dietrich
Howe, Eric
Humphrey, Kyra
Kasdorf, Kathleen
Maleitzke, Peter
Martin, Kathleen
McMasters, Christine
Panush, Rena
The Studio
Joyce Keshner Music Studio
CA
CA
Location
E-mail
Website
Availability
Maricopa, AZ
Tucson, AZ
Encino, CA
Pocket Coach Publications
Hayward, CA
Eric Howe Music Studio
Oakland, CA
Pasadena, CA
Kathleen Kasdorf Voice Studio Scotts Valley, CA
Peter Maleitzke Voice Studio San Francisco, CA
Voice Classics Studio
Laguna Niguel, CA
McMasters Vocal Studio
San Rafael, CA
Rena Panush Voice Studio
Culver City, CA
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
www.thespiritedheart.com
MTuWThF
MTuWThFSa
MTuWThFSaSu
MTuWThFSa
MTuWThF
The Voice Studio
[email protected]
[email protected]
CA
CA
CA
Roemer, Katya
Roland-Silverstein,
Kathleen
Shanks, Patricia
Stidham, Lisa
Zubovic, Dubravka
Patricia Shanks Voice Studio Newport Beach, CA
Stretch and Sing Vocal Studio Glendale, CA
Dubravka Zubovic Voice Studio Laguna Hills, CA
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
CO
CO
CT
Davis Eaton, Sarah
Patterson, Karen Tucker
Bard, Rochelle
Thornton, CO
Lafayette, CO
West Hartford, CT
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
CT
FL
FL
GA
IA
McTyre, George
LaVoy, Jeanette
Walters, Diana
Howard, Bradley
McTyre, George
Woodbridge, CT
Sarasota, FL
Sarasota, FL
Atlanta, GA
Iowa City, IA
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
www.alexandermusicstudio.com
www.jeanettelavoy.com
www.voiceteacher1.com
IL
Bickel, Jan
Serenade Studio
The Sing For Life! Voice Studio
Voice Teacher and accomplished pianist
Alexander Music Studio
LaVoix
Sing It Productions
Emory University
Kirkwood Community College
Iowa City
Saint Xavier University Music
Dept.
Chicago, IL
[email protected]
www.janbickel.com
IL
IL
IL
Bulgrin, Deborah
Faulkner, Julia
Pantazelos, Janice
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
www.deborahbulgrin.com
IL
IL
KS
LA
MA
Ramirez, Alvaro
Varis, Jina
Copley, Rebecca
Howe, Martha
Pope, Jerrold
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
dacorneto.org
MD
Bolling-May, Joan
MD
MI
Gori, Grace
Ratner, Carl
MN
Hassan, Sahar
St. Paul, MN
[email protected]
NC
Longman-Berkowitz,
Elizabeth
Chapel Hill, NC
[email protected]
San Jose, CA
Studio City, CA
Chicago, IL
Chicago, IL
Chicago Studio of Professional Chicago, IL
Singing
da Corneto Opera Studio
Skokie, IL
Glenview, IL
Lindsborg, KS
Grounded Vocal Freedom
Baton Rouge, LA
Boston University, School of
Brookline, MA
Music, CFA
American U. Music Dept. &
Silver Spring, MD
Bolling-May Voice Studio
Gori Voice Studios, LLC
Kensington, MD
of Carl Ratner, Baritone
Kalamazoo, MI
www.PocketCoach.com
www.kathleenkasdorf.com
www.petermaleitzke.com
voiceclassicsstudio.com
www.christinemcmasters.com
www.classicalsinger.net/rena
panush
www.KatyaRoemer.com
www.kathleenroland.com
MTuWF
TuWThFSa
MTuWThFSa
MTuWThFSu
MTuWTh
www.studioshanks.com
www.natsla.org
WThFSaSu
www.dubravkazubovicvoicestudio.
com
www.serenadestudio.com
MTuWThF
www.singforlife.com
MTuWTh
www.RochelleBard.com
MTuWThFSaSu
MTuWThFSa
TuWSa
MTuWThFSa
MTuWTh
www.professionalsinging.com
MTuWThFSaSu
MTuWThF
MTuWThFSaSu
TuWThFSa
MTuWThFSaSu
www.rebeccacopley.com
Marthahowe.com
BU School of Music website
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
www.gorivoicestudios.com
www.wmich.edu/music/faculty/
som_fac_ratner-carl.html
saharhassan.com; ladyslipperensemble.org
MTuWThFSu
MThFSa
MTuWThFSaSu
Voice Teacher Directory
State Name
Studio Name
NJ
Bayard, Carol
NJ
NJ
NJ
Hagerman, Karen
Harris, Katherine
King, Deborah Simpkin
Carol Bayard - Soprano/Voice Maplewood, NJ
Teacher
Karen Hagerman Voice Studio Haddonfield, NJ
Basking Ridge/Liberty Corner, NJ
East Orange, NJ
NJ
Perry, Melissa
Melssa Perry Vocal Studio
Collingswood, NJ
[email protected]
[email protected]
DeborahKing@DeborahSKing.
com
[email protected]
NJ
Saunders, Elizabeth
NYC Online and Maplewood, NJ
[email protected]
NJ
NJ
Clifton, NJ
JERSEY CITY, NJ
[email protected]
[email protected]
NY
NY
NY
Schoch, Clarissa
Thompson-Galecki,
Rebecca
Andrade, Andres
Ascher, Christina
Boozer, Brenda
Elizabeth Saunders Voice
Studio
Clarissa Anthony Schoch
New York, NY
New York, NY
Bedford, NY
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
NY
Byrne, Richard
New York, NY
NY
Fanelli, Helen
Tarrytown, NY
[email protected]
[email protected]
NY
Farley, Carole
New York, NY
[email protected]
NY
NY
NY
Frye, Robin Lynne
Giammanco, Leslie
Girard, Valerie
New Rochelle, NY
New York, NY
Ardsley, NY
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
NY
NY
Gordon, David
Haddock, Marcus
New York, NY
Skaneateles, NY
[email protected]
[email protected]
The Voice Studio
Voice Studio Christina Ascher
Brenda Boozer Vocal StudioNYC
Mozartina Musical Arts Conservatory of Music
Carole Farley International
Vocal Coaching
Giammanco Vocal Studios
The Vocal Studio of Valerie
Girard
Bel Canto
Location
E-mail
Website
Availability
[email protected]
MTuWThF
HagermanVoice.com
melodiastudionj.com
DeborahSKing.com
WThFSa
www.MelissaPerryVocalStudio.
com
www.youtube.com/user/elizabethmezzo
MTuWThFSaSu
MTuWThFSa
MTuWThFSa
www.classicalsinger.net/rebecca_ MTuWThFSaSu
thompson-galecki
WThFSa
www.VoiceStudioCA.com
www.brendaboozer.com
www.RichardByrneVoiceTeacher.
com
www.classicalsinger.net/hellenfanelli
www.robinlynnefrye.com
www.lesliegiammanco.com
www.valeriegirard.com, www.
valeriegirard.com/masterclass
MTuWThFSaSu
MTuWThFSa
TuWThFSa
MTuWThFSaSu
MTuWThFSaSu
www.marcus Haddock.com
a
Patricia
Sheridan
• Addressing all aspects of
efficient vocal production
• Developing a commanding
sound, total control, and
maximum beauty
• Detailed audition and
performance preparation
From young singer to seasoned
professional, VOICExperience is a
program that grows with you,
every step of the way.
July 21 - August 30, 2014 - Tampa Bay Area, Florida
for the serious young singer 15 years and older that is
preparing for college life
b
August 1 - 17, 2014 - Savannah, Georgia
a program for singers 21 and older that focuses
on personal training designed to take you to the
next level of your career
!VOICEXPERIENCE
2014 Summer Faculty & Presenters include*:
Sherrill Milnes
Maria Zouves
Andrew Bisantz
Christopher Cano
Mignon Dunn
Fabrizio Melano
Gerald Martin Moore
Jorge Parodi
Maria Spacagna
William Woodruff
Stella Zambalis
q
• Great ease of expression
!Florida VOICE Program
!
VOICEXPERIENCE
!
Sherrill
Milnes VOICE Studio
!
q
VOICEBUILDER
q q
VOICE
XPERIENCE
2014 Programs
VOICEXPERIENCE
!
!
*not a complete list
NEW YORK CITY
212-864-4200
member NATS NYSTA
[email protected]
SHERRILL MILNES, ARTISTIC DIRECTOR
MARIA ZOUVES, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
a 501 (c) 3 non-proﬁt organization
dedicated to the excellence of the vocal arts
for more information visit www.voicexperiencefoundation.com [email protected] | 855.76.OPERA (855.766.7372)
Voice Teacher Directory
State Name
Studio Name
Location
E-mail
Website
Availability
NY
Member of Anonymous 4
New York, NY
[email protected]
jacquelinehorner.com
MTuWThF
New York City, NY
[email protected]
MTuThF
New York City, NY
New York, NY
NYC, NY
New York, NY
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
Adam@AdamRoebuckStudios.
com
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
www.janekennedyvoiceteacher.
com
phillauirat.com
www.richardleech.com
danmarekbelcanto.com
www.AdamRoebuckStudios.com
NY
Horner-Kwiatek, Jacqueline
Kennedy, Jane
NY
NY
NY
NY
Lauriat, Phil
Leech, Richard
Marek, Dan H.
Roebuck, Adam
NY
NY
NY
NY
OH
OH
PA
PA
Thomas, Pamela
Trovato, Michelle
Vento, Rosa
Zallas, Katia
Haus, Sara
Kroeger, Paul
Baroody, Margaret
Chilcote, Kathryn
PA
PA
TN
TX
TX
UT
Hall, David
Martin-Moberley, Emily
Dismukes, Andrea
Estes, Richard
K. Clark, Damon
Modesitt, Carol Ann
VA
VA
WA
WA
Hussey, Patricia
Palmieri, Marje
Johnson, Susan K.
Kruse, Dennis
Richard Leech Studios
Marek Voice Studio
Adam Roebuck Pop/Rock/
Musical Theater Studios
Pamela Thomas Vocal Studio
Studio Bel Trovato
Rosa Vento
New York, NY
New York, NY
New York, NY
East Elmhurst, NY
Voice Haus
Beachwood, OH
Rocky River, OH
Margaret Baroody Voice Studio Philadelphia, PA
The Kathryn Chilcote Voice
West Chester, PA
Studio
Philadelphia, PA
Bucknell University
Lewisburg, PA
Lee University School of Music Cleveland, TN
Fort Worth, TX
Damon K Clark Vocal Studio
Dallas, TX
Head of Voice and Opera,
Cedar City, UT
Southern Utah U.
SingerPath Voice Studio
Fairfax, VA
Falls Church, VA
Susan Johnson Studio of Voice Bellingham, WA
Evolutions - A Voice Studio
Woodinville, WA
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
www.divapamela.com
www.michelletrovato.com
rosavento.com
www.KatiaZallas.com
TuWThF
MTuWThFSaSu
TuThF
MTuWThFSaSu
margaretbaroodyvoicestudio.com
www.kathrynchilcote.com
TuWThFSa
MTuWThFSaSu
MWFSa
www.emilycmartin.com
www.richardestes.net
www.damonkclark.com
www.suu.edu/faculty/Modesitt
www.singerpath.com
www.cantobella.org
www.susanjohnsonvoice.com
www.evolutionsavoicestudio.com
MTuWThF
MTuWThFSaSu
Degree OptiOns
Bachelor of Music
A tr a d it io n o f
innovation
128 yeards
n
of artistic a
ellence
xc
e
l
educationa
Degrees in
Music Education,
Performance,
Composition, Music
Theory/History, and
with an emphasis in
Music Business,
Bachelor of Arts
Degree in Music, and
Master of Music
Degrees in Music
Education and
Performance
www.potsdam.edu/crane
1-877-Potsdam
The Psychological
Benefits of Singing
BY THERESA RODRIGUEZ
Audition season will soon be upon us, and the roller
coaster ride of rejection can often leave you wondering
why in the world you ever chose to sing in the first place.
Reflecting on the vast and varied benefits of singing will
help you keep a healthy perspective.
I
t was the Renaissance composer
William Byrd who said, “Since
singing is so good a thing, I wish
all men would learn to sing.” In thinking
about the “good” in singing, I have
contemplated what is “so good” about
it and why all men should “learn” to do
it. As a singer, I know it is good—and if I
could not sing, I would surely perish. But
what are some of the benefits of singing
that make it truly “so good a thing”?
It is often difficult to separate out the
physical, emotional/psychological, and
spiritual when discussing singing or
its “goodness” or benefits. Is not our
body really the vehicle for what is on
our hearts and minds when we sing?
Can we sing without using our very
body? Will the actions of the body not
be connected with the mind and heart
and spirit? A writer may be able to
produce his art purely from his mind,
but a singer must use his body, every
time. So when we discuss the benefits of
singing from a psychological perspective,
it is neither possible nor reasonable to
completely separate out the physical
from the spiritual from the emotional or
psychological.
What are some of the psychological
benefits of singing? Consider these ideas.
Artistry
We sing because we need to make
beauty, we love to hear beauty, and the
ears are a primary window to and from
the soul and spirit. At the highest level,
the psychological benefit of singing is to
create and appreciate art and beauty.
Spirituality and Religion
Every religion or spiritual practice
(with the exception of some studied
movements, such as the Quakers or
certain cloistered clerics) use singing
in worship. If the eyes are the window
to the soul, the voice is its incarnation,
the soul made flesh in sound. Within
our singing we mourn the dead, tell our
stories, rejoice in our God, disseminate
religious doctrine, and even become a
vehicle for spiritual energy and healing.
The Making and Keeping of History
Singers have been prophets and
storytellers—mirrors of the times. Ballads
and odes have been used to maintain
historical record. Great ancient epic
poems such as Beowulf were originally
sung. We are purveyors of truth-telling,
myths, stories, and even propaganda.
In a sense we become part of what the
great psychologist Carl Jung called “the
collective
unconscious”—expressing
in an individual manner what is most
common and basic to the human
experience. This expression is often
found in dreams and in the archetypes
of the visual arts and literature—but
as singers we also contribute to these
manifestations through our singing of
stories and histories and mythologies
and hymns and prayers.
Mothering and Bonding
The lullabies a mother sings to her
baby become the unconscious building
blocks of music and emotional memory.
Singing lullabies, nursery rhymes,
hymns, or folk songs promotes solid
maternal-child bonding and heightens
musical sense and awareness in the child.
And the mother will never see the day
when her child, now aged and stricken
with dementia, will recall the lullaby his
mother sang to him when he was a baby
when he can remember little else.
Emotions and Emoting
Even the singing voice alone is a
purveyor of emotion and truth as well
as a direct means of communication
that is separate from and independent
of the words that may accompany it. I
did a study in 2005 which showed that
various emotions are discernible purely
based on the singer’s intent without
the employment of any accompanying
words.1 Surely the ability to
communicate emotion is a psychological
benefit of singing that should not be
underestimated.
Singing Together
There used to be a commonality of
experience shared in group singing that
has disappeared in many segments of
American society. Choral singing has
been shown to improve mood, increase
concentration and cognition levels, and
“counteract anxiety and stress” through
Kennesaw State University
We are singing!
Adam Kirkpatrick
Photo: Forrest Starr
High-Frequency Harmonics
The work of Alfred Tomatis and his
disciple Paul Madaule has demonstrated
a link between high-frequency harmonics
and psychological and physical health
benefits. High-frequency harmonics
are such as those found in the classical
“singer’s formant”—overtones in the
sung voice in the peak range of 2400–
3200 Hertz.3 Madaule recognizes that
sounds “rich in high harmonics” are
produced by default by “opera” (and
thus all forms of classical) singers
through use of the singer’s formant and
that, as such, singers are “renowned for
their vitality and dynamism.”4 He also
notes that people who tend to be tired
or depressed often have “dull, toneless
voices with very little high-frequency
content.”5
When we sing, we not only stimulate
the body but the ear itself, and we need
to both make and hear high-frequency
harmonics for health and vitality and
energy. Lower-frequency sounds “not
only supply inefficient energy to the
[cerebral] cortex, but many even tire the
person by producing motor responses
which absorb more energy than the ear
can provide.”6 Most modern popular
singing lacks the vitality of highfrequency harmonics as found in the
singer’s formant—something I sensed
years before I actually understood
anything about it. Horst Günter calls
modern rock and pop music “mostly
very loud and often brutal sound”7 with
“vocally destructive tendencies,”8 and
that before its ascent in modern times it
was understood that “singing in every
form had to please and not hurt the ear.”9
Classical singing is the surest gateway
to the production and hearing of highfrequency harmonics and receiving their
resonating health benefits. It is for these
reasons among many that I advocate
Voice Faculty
the “controlled deep breathing” used in
classical breathing technique. Probably
most important of all is the socialization
element which serves to “ameliorate
feelings of isolation and loneliness.”2
Eileen Moremen
Oral Moses
Leah Partridge
Valerie Walters
Study voice with dynamic artists in state-of-the-art
facilities only 20 minutes from Atlanta and receive
training in opera, chorus, and studio settings. Get
ahead of the curve in becoming a 21st century
musician and have opportunities to learn from
singers like Jennifer Larmore, Kelly O’Connor, and
Jessica Rivera who have all given guest master
classes and performances at KSU.
AUDITION DATES
November 14, 2014
January 23, 2015
February 7, 2015
March 21, 2015
April 18, 2015
Jana Young
MusicKSU.com
The Psychological Benefits of Singing
Columbus State University
classical vocal technique and the listening to classical music
above all other musics without apology.
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school of music
Voice Studies
Alumni
Maureen McKay, soprano
Metropolitan Opera, Komische Oper Berlin
Michael Sumuel, baritone
Finalist, 2012 Metropolitan Opera National Council
Auditions; San Francisco Opera; Houston Grand Opera;
Glyndebourne Festival (England)
Paula Sides, soprano
English Opera Company
Gwendolyn Reid, mezzo soprano
Universität der Künste, Berlin, Germany
Kimberli Render, soprano
First Place Winner, Denver Lyric Opera Guild
Competition
Faculty
Earl Coleman
William and Isabelle Curry Eminent Scholar Chair in Voice
Kimberly Cone
Michelle Murphy DeBruyn
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choral | studio | opera
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Depression
Tomatis found particular value in the singing of chant,
specifically Gregorian chant, “itself a naturally filtered form of
music” which “seems to be the translation of the physiological
rhythms of the human being.”10 Madaule notes how “Gregorian
chant is very rich in high-frequency harmonics, which are
energizing” and his treatment modality includes both chanting
as well as listening to high-frequency “filtered” classical
music.11
Madaule relates the famous story of the monks that Tomatis
visited at a certain French abbey in the mid-1960s after the
changes in Roman Catholic practices with Vatican II. These
monks had spent their lives singing, and now they were not
singing! They had decided to “move with the times” and gave
up the ancient practice of singing chant as part of their daily
life and worship. Tomatis described a “collective nervous
breakdown” among the monks with a “loss of energy” and
a state wherein their “batteries were flat and needed to be
recharged.”12
Madaule notes how “difficult” it was for Tomatis to get the
monks singing again, as “singing is the last thing you feel like
doing when you are depressed.” But Tomatis treated their
depression with the restoration of daily chanting and the
listening to his filtered music recordings, and in time “the
great majority of them regained their physical and spiritual
health.”13 The Tomatis method has been an agent of healing for
Alzheimer’s, autism, learning disabilities, and developmental
delays as well as for sufferers of depression.14
The great castrati Farinelli (1705–1782), considered by
many to be the greatest singer who ever lived, was hired by the
wife of King Philip V of Spain to use his voice in an attempt “to
cure Philip V of his melancholy madness.”15 Farinelli faithfully
served as a kind of in-house music therapist to the deeply
depressed and dysfunctional king, helping to ameliorate his
suffering by singing the same songs to him every night for 10
years until the king’s death.16
The effect of singing related to depression cannot be
underestimated. The revitalizing of the body, the making of
beautiful sound, the release of creative energy—these will
often pull a person out of the mire of despair in ways that no
therapy or medication ever can. I feel that singing—and what
I mean by singing is singing with attention to the production
of high-frequency harmonics such as found in classical singing
and espoused by Tomatis and Madaule—should be a primary
tool in the treatment arsenal for every therapist, psychologist,
counselor, or pastor. It irks me that singing is not a first line
of defense in treating such a debilitating and potentially fatal
mental illness such as depression.
Resources
• American Music Therapy Association
musictherapy.org
• The Tomatis Method
tomatis.com
• The Listening Centre
listeningcentre.com
• National Association of Teachers of Singing
nats.org
Performance Anxiety
Curious it is indeed that singing can cause performance
anxiety and that breathing for singing can help cure it! Any
singer who has ever performed knows the sensation of
heightened awareness, sensitivity, increased heart rate, and
perhaps sweating and dry throat that can accompany the
singer to his performance. For many singers, this reaches to the
level of true “performance anxiety,” which can be debilitating
and render some singers unable to perform. I advise deep,
controlled breathing akin to the Yogi breathing techniques
I describe in “The Tao of Breathing” (June 2014) for the
alleviation of anxiety for any reason.17 Pearl Shinn Wormhoudt,
in her excellent writings on performance anxiety, suggests
a deep “breathe 4—hold 4—exhale 4” exercise, combined
with “easy walking back and forth” and calming visualization
imagery before a performance in order to reduce the anxiety.18
Memory and Cognition
It has been shown that the brain centers of memory are
stimulated by singing.19 Singing is being employed as a specific
therapy to regain speech ability in stroke patients.20 In the
years that I spent as a therapeutic musician, I had the privilege
of being the vehicle for healing and life-affirmation for the sick
and elderly in ways that few are ever privy to.
I saw nonresponsive and comatose patients open their eyes
and sing along with me. I saw Alzheimer’s patients who could
not remember their own names suddenly come alive and start
singing the complete text of a hymn or song they knew from
their youth. I was able to bring tears to the eyes of someone
who could not speak and who grasped my hand in gratitude for
giving them a song’s worth of beauty, truth, and memory—even
if it was for only a few minutes. So good a thing, indeed.
It is for these among many reasons that I advocate singing—
high-frequency, full-of-singer’s-formant classical singing—for
its myriad psychological benefits.
Be passionate. Be brilliant. Be memorable.
www.colorado.edu/music
Application Deadline: December 1
ClassicalSinger5-2014.indd 1
www.classicalsinger.com
5/28/14 3:18 PM 37
Theresa Rodriguez holds a master of music with distinction in
voice pedagogy and performance from Westminster Choir College
of Rider University and wishes to thank Professor Marvin
Keenze for introducing her to the Tomatis method.
Endnotes
1 Rodriguez, Theresa. “Spectral Analysis, Vibrato Rates, and
Listening Perceptions of Three Emotions in Classical Singers.” Graduate
Pedagogy Project, Westminster Choir College, 2005.
2 Clift, Stephen and Grenville Hancox. “The Significance of Choral
Singing for Sustaining Psychological Well Being: Findings of Survey of
Choristers in England, Australia, and Germany.” Music Performance
Research, 3:1, 2010, p. 79-96.
3 McCoy, Scott. Your Voice: An Inside View, Version 1.0, p. 41.
4 Madaule, Paul. “About the Tomatis Method for Singers and
Musicians.” Excerpt from About the Tomatis Method. The Listening
Centre, Toronto, Second Edition, 1988. www.listeningcentre.com/
pdf/11tomathis04.pdf, p. 4, accessed 3/26/2014.
5 Ibid., p.5.
6 Madaule. “About The Tomatis Method,” p. 5.
7 Günter, Horst. “Mental Concepts in Singing: A Psychological
Approach.” NATS Journal, Part II, May/June 1992, p. 4.
8Madaule. When Listening Comes Alive, p. 61.
9 Günter, Horst. “Mental Concepts in Singing: A Psychological
Approach” NATS Journal, Part I, May/June 1992, p. 46.
10 Ibid., p. 7.
11Maduale, When Listening Comes Alive, p. 63.
12 Ibid., p. 62-63.
13 Ibid., p. 63.
14 Ibid., p. 55-56, 63-73, 152-153, 178.
15 www.theodora.com/encyclopedia/f/farinelli.html, accessed
4/19/2014.
16 Pleasants, Henry. The Great Singers: From the Dawn of Opera to
Our Own Time, p.75
17 Rodriguez. “The Tao of Breathing,” Classical Singer, June 2014,
www.classicalsinger.com/magazine/article.php?id=2733.
18 Wormhoudt, Pearl Shinn. With a Song in My Psyche, p. 122-129.
19 Mutch, Peter. “Dementia and Music Therapy: Memory Stimulation.”
From www.room217.ca/article/dementia-and-music-therapy-memorystimulation, accessed 4/5/14.
20Knox, Richard. “Singing Therapy Helps Stroke Patients
Speak
Again.” NPR
Morning
Edition,
www.npr.org/blogs/
health/2011/12/26/144152193/singing-therapy-helps-stroke-patientsspeak-again, accessed 3/26/14.
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Application
Innovations:
Carnegie Hall’s Musical Exchange
Seeks to Redeem a Stressful Process
BY CLAUDIA FRIEDLANDER
Read about a new and revolutionary application process for a series of
masterclasses mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato will present as part of her
Carnegie Hall Perspectives residency in 2014-2015. Singers will have the
unique opportunity to get feedback on all aspects of their application—bio,
headshot, repertoire choices, and more—before they submit the application.
Joyce DiDonato
O
ne of the most distracting,
irritating, and time-consuming
processes
young
singers
engage in is the act of applying for
the opportunities that will move their
careers forward. Whether it is for a
training program, a masterclass, or a
mainstage audition, the work involved
can be dizzying. Some companies accept
MP3 files, others physical CDs, and
still others insist on videos. Repertoire
requirements can be highly specific
and seldom overlap in an advantageous
way. It’s entirely possible that applying
for four opportunities that require two
audio selections each may necessitate
recording eight pieces! Résumé tweaking
is stress inducing, and everyone has a
different opinion. Depending on whom
you ask, serif fonts are essential, sans
serif fonts are much cleaner, education
should always feature prominently at the
top, education should be relegated to the
bottom, etc. Worst of all, this process has a binary
result: yes, we will hear you or advance
you to the next round or no, we won’t.
When have you ever received feedback
specifically about the quality of your
application materials from a company
that refused to hear you? Even if there
is a problem with the way you are
presenting yourself that could be solved
with ease, a rejection is more likely to
result in the assumption that they didn’t
like your singing, whether or not that is
actually the case. In connection with the series of
masterclasses that Joyce DiDonato
will present during her Carnegie Hall
Perspectives residency in the 2014–
2015 season, Carnegie Hall will offer an
online workshop on audition preparation
throughout the summer and early fall in
the hope of improving the application
experience. The workshop will give
potential applicants the opportunity to
work through all the steps of the audition
process with professional guidance, ask
questions, and receive feedback on their
materials before they are even submitted
into consideration. The aim is to turn
the audition process into a learning
opportunity by providing resources to
support young singers as they evaluate
and apply for DiDonato’s masterclasses
or other educational and performance
opportunities.
Carnegie Hall’s interactive educational
website, Musical Exchange, will serve
as a hub for these activities. Conceived
as a global online community for young
musicians to connect with one another,
share their musical performances, and
participate in groups and projects led by
professional artists, Musical Exchange
provides an ideal infrastructure for
this extended application preparation
workshop.
According to Christopher Amos,
director of education media and
technology for Carnegie Hall’s Weill
Music Institute (WMI), the goal is
“to create a set of educational, careerdevelopment resources that align with
the opportunity to apply for Joyce’s
masterclasses next season. For each
topic related to the audition process,
we will also follow up with blog posts,
multimedia resources, and online
discussions that draw on the perspectives
of professionals in the field and allow
young artists to explore the topics in
greater depth while connecting with
a supportive community of peers and
mentors.” Application Innovations
Topics
will
include
choosing
appropriate educational and performance
opportunities; creating a timeline for the
application process; selecting audition
repertoire; and preparing headshots,
demos, bios, and other materials. Singers
will be encouraged to participate in
discussions and share the audition
materials they’re developing. DiDonato
and members of the WMI staff will
provide commentary and advice.
Membership in Musical Exchange and
advice on the preparation of materials
will be free, but there will be a $10 fee
to submit a completed application for
DiDonato’s masterclasses, which is due
by Oct. 15. It will be fascinating to see
how this interactive process evolves on
Musical Exchange and the impact it
will have on the quality and number of
application submissions.
DiDonato has been a passionate
advocate of arts education throughout
her career and personally insisted on
offering masterclasses in addition to
her other activities with Carnegie Hall,
which will include a series of concerts
showcasing her prodigious skills with
Baroque, Bel Canto, and Contemporary
concert music. Over the past few
seasons, she has offered masterclasses
at the Royal Opera House, the Juilliard
School, and Northwestern University.
During her Perspectives residency, she
will also participate in Carnegie Hall’s
Lullaby Project, which helps young
expectant mothers and mothers of infants
in teen clinics at hospitals, justice settings,
and homeless shelters to collaborate with
professional musicians to write personal
lullabies for their babies.
“One of the things that was so
important to me was to include an
educational aspect,” DiDonato shared
in a video produced by Carnegie Hall
about the planning of the series. “[As]
an educator and a teacher, I always want
to feel like there’s a higher purpose and
that I am a part of something bigger than
myself. Here at Carnegie Hall, you have
the Weill Music Institute . . . [which] does
so many things in terms of reaching out to
young musicians.”
Nowhere is DiDonato’s commitment
to mentoring young singers in greater
evidence than in her blog post of June 18,
2012, titled “A letter from the heart, to
you wonderful, aspiring young artists out
there!” Written in response to a message
from an 18-year-old blonde mezzosoprano plagued by pressure to change
her hair color, the post challenges readers
to strive for personal excellence while
remaining absolutely true to themselves
and to keep the superficial judgments of
others in perspective.
“We need originals,” DiDonato
wrote. “We need originals desperately,
and the only way that will happen is
if the business fosters and encourages
individuality. We want it, we crave it,
and we need it. But the aspiring artists of
today also have a responsibility to learn
about themselves, to strongly address
why they need to perform and what they
have to say . . . here’s hoping you all find
your own, unique, beautiful, artistic, and
soulful way to impact the world around
you!”
Join the action on Carnegie
Hall’s Musical Exchange at musicalexchange.carnegiehall.org/page/auditionhandbook. Find Joyce DiDonato online
at www.joycedidonato.com, on Twitter
at @JoyceDiDonato, and on Facebook
at www.facebook.com/pages/JoyceDiDonato/207466962440.
Disclosure: Claudia Friedlander is an
employee of Carnegie Hall’s Weill Music
Institute and leads the Voice Studio group
on Musical Exchange.
Claudia Friedlander is a voice teacher
and certified personal trainer with a
studio in New York. Find her on the Web
at www.claudiafriedlander.com or contact
her at [email protected].
From the Conductor’s Perspective
Masterclasses with Maestro Peter Mark
Artistic Director Emeritus-Virginia Opera
“How Singers Get Hired”
Los Angeles
New York
July 20th
August 17th
September 21st
October 4-5 & 25-26
November 15-16
December 6-7
Peter’s masterful musical direction, knowledge and experience, and inspiring
spirit were instrumental in leading me quickly to an international career.
--Barbara Dever, Mezzo-Soprano, Metropolitan Opera
Contact: [email protected]
www.petermarkmasterclass.com
The Audition
Experience
BY MICHELLE LATOUR
Whether you love it or would rather get a root canal,
auditioning is simply a singer’s reality. Find solace and
inspiration from other singers as they share their experiences
auditioning and how they manage the uncertainty of it all.
I
recently was an adjudicator for
a NATSAA Competition at the
regional level. My fellow judges
were highly accomplished professionals.
After each singer finished a selection,
the room was silent. This felt strange
to me, and I really wanted to say thank
you to the singer or at least smile, but
I felt uncomfortable attempting to be
personable. I am sure the participants
were nervous, and I wanted to do
something to put them at ease. But I
maintained my silence.
This experience piqued my curiosity.
How often do singers feel unwelcome
or uncomfortable when singing for a
panel of experts? In asking singers about
their experiences applying for YAPs or
participating in competitions, I found
that most singers had a positive outlook,
although a few came away extremely
discouraged.
Soprano Allison Jones, currently
earning her DMA from the University of
Kentucky, describes her YAP audition
experiences as mostly positive, despite
the normal stresses of traveling to new
places. “One audition was in Boston,”
Jones says. “I remember worrying about
whether I would make it in time to the
audition, because I didn’t know my way
around. There were a ton of singers, and
the practice rooms were few. The only
place to warm up was in a room adjacent
to the audition room, so you could hear
everything!”
Another
memorable
experience
happened during an audition for a
program in North Carolina. “After I sang
my first aria, the director actually worked
with me,” Jones says. “He asked me to
sing my aria again, but breathing deeper
before each phrase, really allowing the air
to do the work. I don’t think I succeeded,
but I admired how genuine he was. To
receive direct feedback like that was very
unique, and I would gladly audition for
that company again.”
Chicago-based soprano Sarah Diller,
who is singing with Ohio Light Opera’s
Young Artist Program this summer,
describes auditioning as mostly positive.
“Overall, most everyone has been very
friendly,” she says. “It tends to be the
same pool of singers at each audition, so
it’s definitely been a great way to network.
On occasion, I have been made to feel
like I’m wasting everyone’s time—but
what really taints the experience is not
hearing back from the company.”
Baritone Brian Myer, a Young Artist
at Chautauqua this summer, also speaks
positively about auditioning. “Of course,
I’ve regularly dealt with rejection,
but I have rarely had disrespectful
or unpleasant interactions,” he says.
“Sometimes directors are very curt, but
I understand that they are dealing with
time constraints.”
Not all singers, however, had
encouraging auditions. One singer, who
wished to remain anonymous, describes
her first year of YAP auditions. “It was
not a glowing experience. The first one
of the season, which was not held in
New York City, was the most successful.
I enjoyed that process, and it was my
best one. In New York, I was treated
very rudely by two proctors and coldly
by one panel. I cannot fathom the power
trips some people have. Why does there
have to be this toxicity present? There’s
no need for it. Although, I did gain a
lot of knowledge from this process. I
know what adjustments to make so that
next year’s round of auditions are more
successful.”
A New York-based soprano, who
also wished to remain anonymous,
spoke candidly about her experience
auditioning. “[It was] horrible! The
first time I was right out of grad school.
I was granted quite a few auditions,
but I was competing with people who
were far more experienced and for only
a few coveted slots. The second time, I
spent over $350 in fees and got only one
audition.
“I don’t really know how else to start
a career other than this path, but I think
we are undervaluing ourselves,” she
continues. “In what other job do you
pay for an interview? Charging the very
people who will be performing in their
productions to audition does not seem
like a viable way to run a business. I have
serious doubts about the ethics of YAPs.
I would much rather create small projects
with people I like working with, doing
musical theatre, or singing with bands.
“I love the art form,” she admits, “but
I disapprove of the methods one must
follow in order to launch a career. If
that means I will not have a career in
opera, then I am at peace with that—but
I do wish singers would stand up for
themselves instead of just accepting the
The Audition Experience
status quo. Regional opera companies
need to take a hard look at their business
practices. It is ironic that we are playing
their game when many companies seem
to be poorly run, as evidenced by how
many companies have closed their doors
since the recession. We as young singers
need to be far more creative if we want
successful singing careers.”
In the meantime, how do you survive
the cutthroat competition, constant
stress, and financial burden without
becoming cynical? “I make goals for
myself each year,” says award-winning
soprano and Texas native, Natalie
Cummings. “Yes, it stinks every time you
don’t get heard, get an ornery pianist, or
get an early morning audition time. But
for the majority of companies, I get a
sense of interest and engagement, and the
desire for me to sing my best.”
When setting goals, Cummings
chooses to focus on the things she can
control, rather than the things she can’t.
“Of course, every singer needs to keep
working on their voice, but I try diligently
not to hang all my insecurities for every
rejection on my voice,” she says. “That
negativity makes me a less effective and
less engaging performer. There are
dozens of factors that can contribute to
getting hired or not—maybe it was my
dress; maybe they didn’t need a bigvoiced, big-boned, big-haired soprano;
maybe the director’s ex-wife’s name
is Natalie; maybe the tenor is short;
or maybe they have an alum coming
back. The list is endless. I try to resist
the temptation to think that my voice
is the reason, renew my commitment
to improving and working hard, and
concentrate on other aspects of the
audition.
“Last year, my goal was to learn
something non-vocal from each
audition,” she continues. “It forced me to
sit down and reflect, ‘Could I have made
a stronger introduction of my piece? How
many times did I get asked for this or that
second aria? How often do I feel I am
fighting the pianist over a tempo?’ This
year, my primary goal was to have fun. If
I have fun, the people sitting at the table
have fun, the pianist has fun and, overall,
it is a better experience, regardless of the
final outcome. I have fun when I perform
on a stage, so why shouldn’t I duplicate
this in an audition? This way, my postaudition evaluation—instead of being ‘I
suck, I cracked on that note, or I should
have engaged my breath’—turned into
‘Was that fun and, if not, what can I do to
have more fun next time?’”
I also asked singers about their
experiences with scheduling auditions.
I was particularly interested in this as
one of my graduate students was granted
three YAP auditions this year. I was
amazed at how closely the auditions
were scheduled, how little notification
she was given before an audition, and
how little feedback she received. Her
travel schedule in one month practically
made my head spin, especially since she
was also juggling rehearsals for her role
in UNLV’s production of Suor Angelica,
was preparing her final master’s recital,
was competing in several competitions,
and was auditioning for numerous payto-sing summer programs. Although we
were both thrilled at how many auditions
she was granted, I was slightly appalled
at how many red-eye and back-to-back
flights she had in order to make all her
auditions.
In the end, although she was not
accepted into a YAP program, she
did win several competitions and was
accepted into numerous pay-to-sing
programs. The overall cost? For a sixmonth period, my student applied to 30
programs and competitions. She spent
$2,700 on application fees, flights, and
travel-related expenses. She also had to
quit her job when her employer stopped
allowing her to request days off in order
to attend auditions.
Many singers reported similar
experiences. Audition times were
scheduled at the last minute, application
fees were expensive, and there were
often additional costs for the use of a
practice room or staff accompanist.
“I was told outright that I would not
know if I was assigned an audition until
possibly hours before,” Cummings
says, who was granted several auditions
and waitlisted for three programs. “My
other auditions were scheduled closer
together than I would have liked, but not
too inconveniently. I did have one that
was just too far away and last minute to
purchase a flight, but they completely
understood when I said that I would
love to sing for them next year. It is the
price I pay for being responsible with my
budget and for not living in New York.”
Another singer, who wished to
remain anonymous, described a
similar situation. “I was waitlisted
for an audition at the end of October.
Two weeks later I was notified that I
had received an audition, but it was
scheduled for only five days after my
notification. I had already booked
my flight to New York as I had other
auditions. I rebooked the flight and paid
$100 extra to get there on time. The
day I arrived in New York, I received
yet another notification for a different
company. I had to rebook my flight again!
This time it cost me $375 in rebooking
fees, all because companies wait until the
last minute to schedule auditions.”
Some singers decide to forgo the
last-minute audition rather than going
into debt. “I did have one experience
where I was waitlisted and then a week
before was told I could fly out,” says
San Diego-based tenor Alexis Alfaro.
“It wasn’t economically viable, so I
politely informed them that I could not do it this year but that
I looked forward to auditioning next year with more advanced
notification. The administrative coordinator thanked me for
my polite response and said she would keep an eye out for my
application next year.”
For baritone Michael Orlinsky, his solution was based upon
geography. “I moved to Chicago for graduate school, but
also to save money on traveling expenses for auditions,” he
says. “It’s important to think outside the box in order to save
yourself from overindulging in the expensive singing habit.”
Not all singers had issues with the audition process. “I never
had an audition time scheduled that I could not meet,” one
singer admits. “Yes, some of the application fees were pricey—
and when I paid for the use of a practice room, it was because
I chose to do so. I don’t know anyone having auditions in New
York who could provide a practice room to 100 auditionees.”
Not all singers agree. “Being notified for an audition at the
last minute is super irritating,” said one soprano. “There has to
be a way to fix that. Although, thank goodness for Southwest.
They have been my saving grace on more than one occasion.
But paying for the use of a practice room? Ridiculous!”
However, sometimes major inconveniences pay off. It did for
soprano Melissa Rivera, who is enjoying a career in both opera
and musical theatre. She currently is a cast member for the
world premiere of the musical theatre production Moses with
Sight & Sound Theatre.
“Last year I was put on the waiting list for the Unified
Professional Theatre Auditions (UPTAs),” she says. “I did not
find out until a week before the audition that I had been given
a slot. I was singing Despina in Così fan tutte that weekend
and had to ask my double to cover the last performance. Not
only that—there were no longer any rooms available at the
hotel where the auditions were being held, so I had to book
a room for two nights at a very high-end hotel. Plane tickets
were too expensive, so I had to drive. There were no practice
rooms available, so I warmed up in my car. On the bright side,
I received 10 callbacks and several job offers. I guess it was
worth it.”
Soprano Michelle Latour is active as a singer, teacher,
writer, adjudicator, and workshop presenter throughout
California, Nevada, and the Midwest. Visit her online at
www.michellelatour.com.
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The Dos and Don’ts of
YAP Auditioning
BY ALAN E. HICKS
The director of Green Mountain Opera Festival’s Emerging Artist Program shares his thoughts on what
singers should and should not do when applying to and auditioning for YAPs.
I
am a former singer. During my short
singing career, I auditioned for 10 to
15 Young Artist Programs every year,
and I was hired more than once. A few
years ago I moved into stage direction,
and I am the recently appointed
director of a professional Young Artist
Program. I have now been on both sides
of the auditioning table. Having sung
auditions myself puts me in a unique
position of empathy for singers in the
audition process—I have been there. It
also, however, puts me in a position of
disbelief at how ill prepared many singers
are for the requirements of auditioning.
Singers, mostly between the ages of 21
and 32 (and at all experience levels)
do questionable things before, during,
and after auditioning. Most of these
transgressions have nothing to do with
the notes or words on the page.
Auditioning is selling yourself.
Auditioners can tell much about a singer
before he or she sings a note (or even
introduces themselves). The voice may
be the most important of the singer’s
assets on display in an audition, but there
are many pieces to the casting puzzle that
singers may not be aware of.
During the course of our prescreening
auditions, media auditions, and live
auditions for this season, I found myself
making a list of the dos and (mostly)
don’ts of auditioning for Young Artist
Programs. This is by no means a
comprehensive list, and it is not meant
to be. It is meant only to address some of
the items that I feel are not covered in our
universities and conservatories and may
not be considered as important as they
actually are.
The Recording
Before we get to the actual audition, I
would like to discuss the audition before
the audition—prescreening audio and
video recordings. During our application
process, many good singers made bad
choices when it came to the quality of the
materials they submitted, most of which
had nothing to do with the quality of
their singing and yet still had an impact
on our choices. Remember, you must get
through prescreening before you sing a
live audition. Prescreening recordings
cannot be simply “thrown together.”
Here are suggestions to address some
of the more egregious errors made by
young singers:
1. First and foremost, send a goodquality recording. Either invest in a good
recording device or borrow one. If your
recording is barely audible or it sounds
like it was recorded on wax cylinder, I
move on and you don’t get to sing live.
2. Don’t send old recordings, no
matter how great you think they are.
Make new recordings every year.
3. Don’t try to learn something new
and record it based on the company’s
season. Just as in live auditions, sing (and
record) what you do best.
4. Record in a semi-dry room with the
recording device about 15 feet away.
5. Check your sound levels to find the
sweet spot between easily audible and
distortion. The auditioner should have to
turn the volume up only to 3 or 4 out of
10 to hear you easily and clearly.
6. Links to YouTube recordings are
perfectly acceptable and, for my money,
preferable. Sending links to preexisting
recordings (if the company allows
it) means you will never run into the
problem of a sound file that is too large
to send via e-mail or upload on YAP
Tracker. However, there are many free
audio conversion tools on the Internet
that will reduce the size of your recording
while maintaining the quality (within
acceptable parameters).
7. I personally like live recordings as
long as they meet the above criteria and
are not prohibited by the application. I
think they show a singer’s command of an
audience and ability to perform under the
kind of pressure they will experience in
my program.
Your Résumé (Note: I Did Not Say
“Your CV”)
There is one (and only one) accepted
format for a singing résumé. A sample
can be found on the OPERA America
website. Find it and use it.
When you find the sample résumé, you
may notice that there is no “Masterclass”
section. This is because no one cares
what masterclasses you have attended
or even in which masterclasses you have
sung. Save that information for your
teaching résumé or curriculum vitae
where it might actually matter.
The Dos and Don’ts of YAP Auditioning
Proofread your résumé. Actual
mistakes I have seen on résumés
include misspelled directors’ names,
misspelled composers’ names or show
titles, misspelled languages (e.g., “I
speak French and Check ”—seriously,
this happened!). If you are auditioning
for a company in a country in which
the primary language is not your first
language, have a native speaker proofread
your résumé. Never rely on translation
software or websites.
Learn to use tabs. Things on your
résumé should line up. There are “left,”
“center,” and “right” tabs. Use them all.
Lastly, if you have symbols on your
résumé, you must also have a legend
or key. When I see an asterisk next to a
role on your résumé and no footnote or
key explaining that symbol’s meaning, I
wonder why.
Your Photo
My biggest problem with photos is not
with the photos themselves, but with the
people standing in front of me who do
not look like their photos—at all. Many
singers take a lovely photo, having put on
makeup and used product in their hair,
but then come to an audition looking
homeless from the shoulders up. If
you don’t bother to do something with
your hair or makeup, you literally look
like a different person than the one in
the photo—and later, when I am going
through those photos, I can’t remember
you. I have, in the past, spent hours
looking at someone’s photo thinking, I
don’t know who this girl is!
Though I am speaking specifically
about makeup and hair, it should not
be assumed that this is a women’s only
issue. Though it happens less with male
applicants, there have been photos that
have come across my desk of men with
long or short hair or a mustache, but
when I see them, they have completely
changed their look. If you change your
look, get a new picture.
Your Repertoire List
I cannot count the number of times I
was handed a rep list with the following
header: “Repertoire List for Opera
Company ‘A’ Opera Company ‘B’” (the
change written in pen, of course). You
can’t find a printer and reprint your list
with the actual name of the company for
which you are auditioning? There is a
simple solution: don’t put the company
name on your rep list at all. We know
who we are.
Don’t give us a rep list and then not
have the music for something on the list.
Many times we have asked for things on
rep lists only to be told, “Oh, I didn’t
bring that; I brought this instead.” This
is pretty self-explanatory.
The reason rep lists exist is to update
us on changes made to your original aria
package. Things should not be struck
through. It is better to just tell us what
you brought as opposed to giving us a
record of what you won’t sing for us.
Attitude
Trust me, no matter how long your day
has been, our day has been longer. Leave
your attitude at the door—we are looking
for more than just the voice.
You never know who is opening the
door for you or playing your audition,
so don’t be rude. Many artistic directors
or music directors will play auditions if
the pianist has to leave the room or take
a break (or sometimes, just because they
like doing it). It is important that you
treat everyone in the room (and outside
the room) with respect.
An anecdote in furtherance of
this point: A few years before I was
appointed to my current position, I
was asked by an artistic director to sit
in on auditions for a young artist show
that I was to direct. As we did not have
an audition monitor that day and I was
sitting closest to the door, I volunteered
to open the door and bring the singers’
materials to the table. Assuming I was
just the monitor, one soprano was
particularly rude to me. I could see the
panic on her face when I sat down at
the table, was introduced as the stage
director, and started taking notes. She
was not hired—not entirely because of
that incident, but it certainly didn’t help.
There are many companies that have a
reputation of being rude to young singers
and, no matter how nice you are or how
well you sing, some auditioners will
appear disinterested (e.g., while you sing
your audition, they don’t look up from
their lunch, will talk loudly to each other,
or will pack up their bags and put on
their coats, etc.). As hard as it is to stay
positive in the face of what seems like
disinterest, you must forge forward and
be pleasant. Their perceived disinterest
does not warrant a reaction. Focus on
why you are there, if nothing else, use the
experience to better your own audition
prowess.
There are two simple truths about
auditioning: (1) You are asking a
company for a job and presenting
your credentials, and (2) you must get
over that hurdle before you can prove
yourself on stage. Crossing your t’s
and dotting your i’s will not change
how you sing in an audition—but
maximizing your chances before, during,
and after auditioning does help (and
certainly can’t hurt). Auditioners are
the gatekeepers, and you must convince
them to open the door.
There are many good singers who
have never been offered a young artist
contract. The dos and don’ts listed
above are an important starting point in
assessing why.
Alan E. Hicks is a professional stage
director, director of the Emerging Artist
Program at Green Mountain Opera
Festival, and author of Singer and Actor:
Acting Technique and the Operatic
Performer (Amadeus Press, 2011). In
addition to teaching acting and stagecraft,
he has taught auditioning and business
classes in universities across the country.
Fired Up:
Jennifer
Rowley
BY BRIAN MANTERNACH
photo by Mathew Holler
After a surprising dismissal from Covent Garden,
soprano Jennifer Rowley is blazing ahead.
I
magine being fired. An unfortunate
reality of our fluctuating marketplace
is that every year many people endure
the hardship of losing a job. Whether due
to a round of layoffs, incompatibility, or
employers simply moving in a new direction, it never feels good to be let go.
Now imagine losing your job and then
reading about it in the London Evening
Standard. Jennifer Rowley can relate.
In 2012, Rowley was preparing to make
her Royal Opera debut at Covent Garden
as Princess Isabelle in Meyerbeer’s Robert
le diable. As a young soprano, Rowley’s
voice had begun growing into a more dramatic sound, something she and the Royal
Opera directors couldn’t help but notice.
Given that Isabelle is often cast with light
coloratura sopranos, Rowley’s oncoming
vocal heft was not what everyone felt was
right for the production. Despite positive
comments from her castmates during rehearsals, Rowley was dismissed three days
before opening night. In an official statement, the Royal Opera acknowledged her
maturing, emerging sound and explained,
“Voices do develop, and we have to recognize that this role is not ideally suited for
her now more dramatic voice.”
Given the same company’s inauspicious
removal of Deborah Voigt in 2004 over
the “little black dress” incident, the media was quick to pick up the story, writing
that Rowley had been “dropped” and “effectively fired” in what were described as
“highly unusual” circumstances.
Though discouraged and dejected,
Rowley was far from done. The 33-yearold soprano is already a winner of a Richard Tucker Career Grant and is a critically
acclaimed international performer, having
appeared with the Norwegian National
Opera, the Savonlinna Opera Festival
in Finland, and on Den Norske Opera’s
DVD of La bohème. Rediscovering her
confidence and determination, this past
March marked her Metropolitan Opera
debut which, by all accounts, was a great
success. The New York Times noted the
achievement saying, “The rich-voiced
soprano Jennifer Rowley made a splash
in her house debut as Musetta, maneuvering flirtatiously through the crowds
and singing with a vibrant, agile voice in
‘Quando me’n vo’.’”
Engagements continue to pour in as
Rowley is looking forward to upcoming debuts with Semperoper Dresden,
Opéra de Lille, Théâtre de Caen, and
West Australian Opera in increasingly
dramatic roles, including Leonora in Il
trovatore and Tosca. While enthusiastically charging ahead to a bright future,
Fired Up: Jennifer Rowley
Rowley can now identify the lessons learned from her painful
past episode.
In a recent article for the Wall Street Journal, Rowley talked
about the incident publicly for the first time. “I really did think
that was it for me,” she says. “I really thought, ‘Everyone’s going
to think I’m broken.’”
Knowing that her voice is different from those who have recorded and performed the role in the past, she was proud of the
work she had done in preparation for the London run and was
looking forward to lending her unique sound to Meyerbeer’s
character. “I was really excited for people to hear my Isabelle,”
she says.
Upon reflection, she recognizes that much of the dilemma was
merely a matter of artistic preference. “I understand what they
wanted and what I couldn’t give,” she said. “That was a massive lesson to learn from a situation that wasn’t so great to go
through. You can’t always give what someone else may want, and
in that instance it might be better for someone else to serve the
work.”
Throughout the ordeal, she felt the unwavering support of her
colleagues. “[Tenor] Bryan Hymel was just a huge cheerleader
for me, and for someone of that caliber to be on your team cheering you on the whole time . . . I was so happy with my cast.”
Though implementing her burgeoning sound, Rowley always felt she could sing the role and handle all of its technical
demands. “It wasn’t that I wasn’t capable,” she says, “it was just
that I sang it with my voice, and my voice is a Verdi voice and
that’s not what they wanted. I suppose aesthetically when you
think of French grand opera, you probably don’t think of a big,
verismo sound. You think of a more luxurious, round, sort of
ethereal kind of sound. I guess I have too much oomph for that!”
Originally a replacement herself when Diana Damrau’s pregnancy made her unable to fulfill the contract, the role was eventually given to Italian soprano Patrizia Ciofi on short notice, with
Russian soprano Sofia Romina completing the last two performances.
The casting of these women confirms in Rowley’s mind that
she was frankly the wrong fit for the way the role was envi-
sioned, noting that her physical and vocal makeup is quite different from the two who would ultimately join the production.
“Should the same voice that sings Tosca also sing Isabelle? I
don’t know. I think it’s just a matter of I could do it and it was
good! It just wasn’t what they wanted,” she says. “That’s hard
to swallow, but it was their piece and that’s how they wanted it
presented.”
Despite her disappointment, she didn’t have much time to
indulge her sorrows. Within two months, she was called into a
music rehearsal at the Met as Krassimira Stoyanova’s cover for
Desdemona. Still reeling from her Royal Opera nondebut, she
felt some trepidation about this next engagement. “I thought to
myself, ‘Oh my gosh! My very first day at the Met ever and I’m
going to go sing with José Cura and Thomas Hampson!’”
Her fears were quickly allayed when Cura, with whom she
had previously worked, welcomed her with literal open arms.
“I walked in the room and he opened his arms up huge with
this big goofy smile and [said], ‘Oh, my baby, come here! Give
me a hug! Come sit by me!’”
When the rehearsal began and she and Cura had finished
their first duet, the reaction of those in the room confirmed
that the troubles of London had not followed her back to the
States. “Everyone in the room just stopped and looked at me
and was like, ‘Wow, she’s got it!’ The conductor, Alain Altinoglu, was so wonderful. He looked at me and said, ‘You don’t
have to be afraid of anything. This is yours.’ And from that moment I was like, ‘Yeah, I got this. I can do this.’”
Now on the other side of this particular trial, Rowley takes
the opportunity to encourage others not to let a similar disappointment derail their own career aspirations. “A lot of
young singers wrote me and asked me what I did, like how I
got through it, and if they could have advice. I really was super
happy to help them because it is something I don’t want anyone to have to go through.”
While these young singers are likely not watching their
struggles played out in the British press, she recognizes that
the pain is no less real. “There are a lot of kids in colleges and
master’s programs and Young Artist Programs who are go-
photo by Erik Berg
Rowley as Musetta in Den Norske Opera’s production of La bohème, 2011
ing through a mini version of that same
thing and they feel like it is the end of the
world.”
She appreciates the opportunity to
help members of the up-and-coming
crowd through their own battles by likening the experience to other relatable
setbacks. “It’s like a breakup,” she says.
“It’s gonna hurt for like three days and
then you’re gonna crawl out of bed and
throw out the Chinese food containers
and you’re gonna be OK.”
Filing it under “things they don’t teach
you in school,” Rowley believes that the
difficult lessons learned as young singers
can provide the most valuable education
upon reaching the professional world.
“What I have taken away from that experience I am now able to pass on to
the next generation of singers,” she says,
“and for me that makes the experience,
as awful as it was, completely worth it.”
Distance has also allowed her to take a
light-hearted view of the situation. During the media onslaught following her
dismissal, Rowley remembers the surreal
moment of opening up a London newspaper and seeing her headshot among
the top newsmakers of the day, exactly
opposite a photo of the Duchess of Cambridge, Kate Middleton. Though cringing initially, a friend later jokingly pointed out that even if she had sung the role
as a reincarnated version of Maria Callas,
that still wouldn’t have been enough to
earn a half page picture in the London
newspaper.
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Jennifer Rowley
and tweets saying, “We can’t wait to have you back!” and “We
all want to hear you sing!”
Despite the rocky beginning, Rowley is looking forward to a
continued relationship with the company long after her eventual debut. “I know that they like me and I know that they care
what happens to me,” she says. “And because I know that, I feel
like I can go in and really just kill it and have fun!”
Rowley hopes that her debut will finally put the issue of her
previous dismissal in the permanent past. “I didn’t talk about
it for a long time,” she says, “because I felt like it was very taboo and one of those touchy subjects that you just don’t want
to stick around. . . . I feel like now I can sort of say, ‘OK, it happened and now I move forward.’
“Everyone has a moment when their star doesn’t shine the
brightest, I guess. That was mine—and I hope that’s my only
one!”
photo by Mathew Holler
Tenor Brian Manternach teaches voice at the University of
Utah in the Musical Theatre Program. He holds degrees in vocal
performance from Saint John’s University of Minnesota (BA),
the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee (MM), and the Indiana
University Jacobs School of Music (DM). He can be reached
at [email protected].
Finally able to laugh about the situation, she knows that
she carries a certain notoriety that not all opera singers enjoy.
“When I go back there,” she says, “everybody knows my name,
everybody knows my face, but they don’t exactly remember
why. I’m really excited to let them know why they should know
my name!”
Rowley will get that chance in 2015 as she makes her scheduled Royal Opera debut as Musetta in a La bohème production
that includes Anna Netrebko and Joseph Calleja. Rather than
burn a bridge and refuse the contract, she is looking forward
to the run. “I’m not nervous,” she says. “I don’t feel anything
like that because the people that I worked with on a daily basis,
they were on my side . . . there was so much support inside the
house, outside the house, for me and for me moving forward
that I feel like when I go back I’m going to be in a place with a
lot of friends.”
Besides the show of support from her colleagues, she received even more encouragement through social media. “I had
chorus members from the Royal Opera writing me on Twitter, writing me on Facebook, saying, ‘We loved you! We loved
working with you! We had such a great time with you! You’re
wonderful!’ that I feel like I can walk in fresh and just start new,”
she says.
She also saw demonstrations of optimism and advocacy on
her behalf from operagoers who are eagerly anticipating her return. “Social media—thank goodness for it,” she says. “It helps
you really connect with the actual fans. The people on Twitter
who go to the Royal Opera—I mean daily—they’re huge fans.”
Feeling the swell of grassroots support, she received messages
Sarah Coburn
Ron Raines
Kristin Chenoweth
Leona Mitchell
Kelli O’Hara
Marquita Lister
Their voices acclaimed.
Their names are familiar.
As renowned performers, they share a
passion for excellence, a powerful work
ethic, and a virtuosic versatility.
They also hold in common a solid foundation
in vocal training, earned through music
degrees at Oklahoma City University.
2013-14 Audition Dates
November 15 & 16
February 7 & 8
March 7 & 8
For more information, or to
schedule an audition, visit us at
www.okcu.edu/music
or call 800-208-5000.
Sheri Greenawald
The Adler Fellowship:
PERSPECTIVES ON A TOP-TIER
TRAINING PROGRAM
BY LISA HOUSTON
Almost every classical singer is familiar with
the renowned residency for young singers
known as the Adler Fellowship. Find out
what the fellowship is really all about from
the program’s director, Sheri Greenawald,
and Fellows past and present.
Hadleigh Adams
T
he success of a classical singer
is built upon a foundation
of training, mentorship, and
opportunity, and this program at San
Francisco Opera is well known as an
unparalleled place to garner all three.
The Adler Fellowship program is a twoyear performance-oriented program for
young professionals who have already
completed the San Francisco Opera’s
prestigious Merola Opera Program, and
the young singers who participate in it
are without question the best of the best
among aspiring opera singers.
The program comprises approximately
8 to 12 artists per year, and also includes
coach/pianists as well as the occasional
stage director, such as Jose Maria
Condemi (Adler Fellow 2001, 2002).
The program began as the Affiliate
Artists Opera Program in 1977 with
Carol Vaness as one of the participants
and later took the name of its illustrious
founder, Kurt Herbert Adler (not to be
confused with the longtime Met chorus
master Kurt Adler, whose name singers
know well from his compilations of
operatic arias for Schirmer).
Adler was born in Vienna in 1905, the
son of a textile manufacturer. By the age
of 20, aided by years of study in Vienna’s
Academy of Music, Conservatory, and
University, Adler made his conducting
debut. His career in his home country
began auspiciously with posts at the
Vienna Volksoper and an assistantship
to Toscanini in Salzburg in 1936 and
1937. But in 1938 he fled the impending
dangers imposed on Jews in Austria
by the increasingly powerful National
Socialist Party. He came to the U.S. to
conduct in Chicago and it was in 1943
that San Francisco Opera’s founder and
director, Gaetano Merola, invited him to
join the company as chorus master.
Adler would eventually succeed
Merola and serve as director of the
company from 1953 to 1981. Adler’s
activities at the company and beyond
reveal a man broadly passionate about
music education and developing young
talent. In addition to beginning San
Francisco Opera’s training programs as
early as 1954, he served as advisor to the
San Francisco Conservatory, conducted
youth concerts, and organized school
performances across the Bay Area.
He was also a lecturer in music at the
University of California–Berkeley, where
his papers are archived.
The preface to an oral history
compiled by the university sums up
the general opinion of his professional
temperament—which famously clashed
Heidi Melton
with that of Maria Callas, resulting
in the cancellation of her company
debut. (Callas sang two concerts in San
Francisco, but never did a role with the
company.)
“Few would disagree that Adler was
a difficult, tyrannical character or that
he created crisis after crisis just to keep
the operatic juices flowing,” reads the
preface. “Of his legendary temper he said
that it bade for ‘artistic tension, which is
good for success.’”
The stars among Adler alumni—
David Lomelí (2009, 2010), Ruth
Ann Swenson (1983, 1984), Patricia
Racette (1989, 1990), Dolora Zajick
(1984, 1985), and numerous other A
List singers—prove that to one degree
or another, Adler was correct. Whatever
his methods, his interest in singers’
development was keen. Soprano Janet
Williams (1988, 1989) recalls an
encounter with Adler after a performance
as Lauretta in Gianni Schicchi when
she was in the Merola program. “He
approached me and told me he’d like
me to learn the role of Giorgetta from Il
tabarro, the only opera of Il trittico in
which I had not been assigned a role.
When I questioned whether it would be
a good idea for me to sing such a spinto
role, he told me he thought I should
The Adler Fellowship
learn roles from the entire Trittico, even that students can leave their teachers and
if I were suited to sing only one or two of be out on their own right away in their
the roles. It taught me a great deal about early 20s or mid 20s is a little naive.”
learning what the composer has in mind
The singers are also given lessons
when he or she composes separate pieces from master teacher César Ulloa. “When
associated with a cycle or whole group— we arrive we all see César for an hour
how much one could learn from the each Friday,” says Adams. “[He is a]
composer’s style and musical language.”
great technician and has an incredible
At the fellowship helm these days mind. He doesn’t want to interfere with
is veteran soprano and voice teacher anyone’s technique. He’s keeping things
Sheri Greenawald, who had a major healthy.”
international singing career herself and
“You really do have to keep tabs
now fosters and encourages the young on them because things are changing
singers whom she lovingly refers to as rapidly,” says Greenawald. “There’s a lot
“our kids.” Heidi Melton (2009), who of growth happening for you in your 20s.
is now enjoying an international career I hope every Adler goes out . . . singing at
as a sought-after dramatic soprano a higher level.”
and Wagnerian, says of Greenawald’s
Greenawald is also keenly aware of the
lessons, “She was an amazing teacher particular challenges singers face in the
for me during that time in helping me industry today. “Let’s put it out on the
to, how shall I put this, drive the large table: the little black dress syndrome,”
truck that I was given.” Current Adler she says. “The weight loss issue. My
Fellow baritone Hadleigh Adams says of friends who sing at the Met, it’s all about
Greenawald, “Her door is always open at the HD diet. Everybody goes on their
any time to talk about any issue.”
HD diet. So that’s what opera singers
Greenawald’s priorities are clear. “We are confronting all the time. Luckily one
still are a training program. It isn’t just an of our donors is a PhD psychologist, so
artists in residence program,” she says. we have a list of psychologists who can
However talented they may be when help them with that. One of my current
they arrive, she wants to help the Adler Adlers just lost 75 pounds, so we try to
Fellows continue to grow technically. “I help them cope with that new demand.
feel very strongly that you have to work It may not be a new demand but a more
with
them ad
on2014
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To PM
assume
frost season
02 6/10/14
Page 1 publicized demand. The discrimination
Verismo Variations
Scenes by Leoncavallo,
Mascagni, Puccini
Suor Angelica
Gianni Schicchi
Stage Direction by
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The Death of Webern
by Michael Dellaira
and J.D. McClatchy
FROST
probably went on in the past but nobody
talked about it. Now it’s all out in the
open: you’ve gotta be skinny. So that has
changed the business tremendously, so
we do help with counseling about that.”
With any major opportunity come
high expectations, and the demands
on the Adler Fellows are substantial.
“It’s easy to think, ‘Oh, I know this well
enough,’” says Adams. “But you’ve
got to know the music as well as the
conductor before you start. It’s got to be
in your body. Everything on the score,
every marking has to be in the way
you sing it from day one, and there’s
no room for that not to be the case. If
your conductor says to you they want it
legato not staccato, you can get it wrong
once, maybe. But if you’re told twice, it’s
problematic and people remember.”
“You have no idea how many people
get to a gig and they haven’t learned
their music,” says Melton. “They kind of
know it and they’re not off book. When
I was an Adler, this was not an option.
It was instilled in you that no matter
how good you are—or think you are—
it doesn’t matter at the end of the day if
you’re not doing your work. So for me,
it’s about making sure that I’m prepared
and coached and know the languages
and know what I’m singing about, and
I’m off book and ready to go.”
OPERA THEATER
2014/2015 PERFORMANCES
DEPARTMENT OF
VOCAL PERFORMANCE
Ross Barentyne-Truluck
Tony Boutté
Maria Denison
Coreen Duffy
Esther Jane Hardenbergh, Chair
Alan Johnson
Karen Kennedy
Don Oglesby
Corin Overland
Nobleza Pilar
Robynne Redmon
Elaine Rinaldi
Kevin Short
Ana Flavia Zuim
FROST OPERA THEATER
305-284-4162
www.music.miami.edu
The Phillip and Patricia Frost School
of Music at the University of Miami
is an accredited institutional member
of the National Association of Schools
of Music.
Recommended application
submission deadline
December 1, 2014
[email protected]
photo by Kristen Loken
Adams singing at the 2013 Adler Gala Concert
The Fellows’ rigorous preparation is facilitated
by ample coaching in languages and music by
people with extensive knowledge of the repertoire.
These relationships can have a career-defining
impact, as in the case of Melton and pianist/
coach John Parr, who is also her colleague now
in Karlsruhe, Germany. “My first year as an Adler
coaching with John Parr, he said to me, ‘Hmm,
have you ever thought about Wagner?’” Melton
relates. “When he said that, it opened up a whole
world for me, and it’s the world that is really taking
me places. It’s not every day you open up a score
and you feel like it was written for you. That’s a
turning point.”
Young singers in this program can find
themselves swimming in the deep end very quickly.
Adams knew he wanted to come to San Francisco
from the time he saw the DVD of the company’s
production of André Previn’s A Streetcar Named
Desire when he was 18. In his very first production
when he arrived, the program’s “first Kiwi” fresh
from his training in New Zealand and Australia,
he was onstage in a production of Les contes
d’Hoffmann with Natalie Dessay. One of Melton’s
photo by Cory Weaver/San Francisco Opera
Adams (center) as an officer with Isabel Leonard as Rosina in
San Francisco Opera’s production of The Barber of Seville, 2013
biggest opportunities came when she
was asked to step in for an ailing Patricia
Racette in the Verdi Requiem.
Despite their success, neither Melton
nor Adams describes anything remotely
like complacency at being an Adler, at
having arrived. On the contrary, both
conveyed a deep sense of responsibility
and gratitude. As Adams puts it, when
he found out he was being made
an Adler, he was elated. But he also
thought, “OK, I’ve gotta work so much
harder now to be ready.”
With such prestige at a relatively early
age, it seems fair to wonder if there
have been any problems with egotism
over the years. “We’ve had years when
there’s been more conflict within the
kids themselves, but not in recent
years,” Greenawald says. “I’m always
emphasizing to them about fellowship
because you can’t be on stage by yourself
that often, so you better get along with
your colleagues. I’ve had a couple of
Adlers stay only one year because they
realized this isn’t what they wanted to
do.”
Case in point, tenor Jeffrey Thomas,
who was an Adler Fellow the first year
the program was given that name in
1982, stayed only one year. He went on
to become an early music conductor,
notably and currently for American
Bach Soloists. “I never felt like I fit
in completely among aspiring opera
singers,” Thomas once said.
“It is a moment of reckoning when
you realize, ‘Yes, I really want to do
this,’ or you realize it’s a challenge you
don’t want to take on,” says Greenawald.
“Your 20s and even your early 30s are
a time when we’re all, not just singers,
busy defining ourselves. There’s a lot
going on for these singers while they’re
here—a lot of growth, a lot of trial and
error, and just searching constantly. Of
course, that’s what musicians have to
do.”
Another thing an Adler has to do
constantly is audition. A singer in the
program can do as many as 30 auditions
in a season, as the house arranges for
agents and other important industry
people coming through town to hear
them. “We help them by getting them
in so many auditions that by the end
of their fellowship, doing an audition
is no big deal,” Greenawald explains.
“They’ve done so many, they’re inured
to that process.”
The program is comprehensive in its
support. “Anyone fortunate enough to
land in the Adler Fellowship program
found themselves immediately on the
‘right grapevine,’” says Williams. “Every
opportunity was given and no money
spared to make sure Adler Fellows got
a good start in the business. One singer
received a grant to go to Germany to
study Lulu, another to Italy to study
Italian for an upcoming role. My own
good fortune was a grant to go to Paris
and study with Régine Crespin—an
opportunity that led to my European
debut in Lyon, France. We were each
assigned generous sponsors who made
sure any need was met. Nothing was too
trivial or too much—from a sponsor who
took us to various dress shops around
the cities convincing the shop owners to
donate gowns to arranging major agent
auditions before the program was over.
No one left the Adler program without a
major agent working on their behalf.”
These days, things may be somewhat
different. “We like to see that we can
help them get management before they
leave, [but] it doesn’t always work out,”
says Greenawald. “The management
business has changed. It’s tough in this
economy.”
With
so
many
international
participants, the prospect of the
program ending can be daunting. “With
an O-1 visa, which is an exceptional
talent visa, you can’t work in any other
field,” says Adams. “If I want to stay
here, and I have a month off, I can’t go
Advice for Singers from San Francisco Opera Center Director Sheri Greenawald
On Working with a Teacher
“What they’re giving you should work on a consistent level. In
other words, if you can only do what they think is right in the studio
with them, then I would say maybe something is wrong because
what you get should be something that you can take home and
consistently work with.”
On Differing Techniques among Singers
“Talk to each other! About technique, discuss it. I think one of the
dangers when we’re in colleges, behind closed doors and the studios
get their cults and these students would never talk to the students
in that studio because it’s like revealing state secrets. Well, that’s
hogwash, kids.”
On Singing
“It shouldn’t hurt. I cannot tell you how many times I’m working
with a singer and I get them to produce a healthy sound and they
say, ‘It doesn’t hurt!’ And you realize that these kids have been
in pain and they thought that’s the price they pay to produce the
sound.”
On Vocal Health
“Go to a speech therapist. Find the name of a really great speech
therapist and make sure your speaking voice isn’t undermining
your singing. I’ve been doing a lot of work with the UCSF Voice and
Swallowing department. If it were up to me, I would put a speech
therapist in charge of every vocal department in the world, to make
sure that what these teachers are teaching is vocally sound, because
there is damage being done in schools across the States.”
work in a restaurant or bar. I’m looking
at staying here or going to Germany
looking for a Fest job. I have two operas
already for next year, and that’s nice to
have something in the cards. We have
all the resources in the world given to us
and we’re so grateful for it, and I think
we work very hard in response to what
we’re given. Then for it to not be there
one day is scary. Exciting, but scary.”
The list of Adler alumni does not read
exclusively like a list of superstars. Many
have had major careers. Some did not.
Many have had both important careers
and success as teachers—such as Vaness,
who now teaches at Indiana University,
or Williams, who is now a professor at
the Hochschule für Musik Hanns Eisler
in Berlin. Life is unpredictable, and the
opera world is no exception. A two-year
residency cannot guarantee a career.
What an Adler Fellowship offers is an
opportunity to experience working at
the highest level, with the best assistance
available to achieve and hopefully
maintain that level. Certainly that was the
intention of its founder.
“He inspired singers and left an
indelible mark on our musicianship,”
Williams says, who was a Fellow in
1988, the same year Adler died of a heart
attack. “He had a gigantic presence, and
his death left a large void. His spirit was
always felt.”
This article was written while on a
recent visit to Vienna. As a native San
Franciscan, I looked out across the
music-rich city that first nurtured Adler’s
ambitions and could not help but think:
Vienna’s loss was San Francisco’s gain.
Lisa Houston is a dramatic soprano
and writer who divides her time between
Berlin and Berkeley. She can be reached
at [email protected].
For singers, teachers and coaches, these BRAND NEW books
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THE DOCTOR IS IN
Posture and Voice
BY DR. ANTHONY F. JAHN
Whether sitting or standing, singing or silent, your body is always in some sort of
posture—good or bad. Your body is your instrument. Learn how to put it in a healthy
posture that will best serve that instrument.
Y
oung singers spend a great deal
of time addressing tension and
position in the head and neck.
They are told to keep their shoulders
relaxed; their head, neck, and torso
aligned; and their jaw in a neutral
position, not jutting out but also not
pulled down and in. But there is a lot
more to proper posture for singers,
including areas you may not normally
think of as relevant.
Good singing involves the whole body
and, specifically, the musculoskeletal
system. Did you know that muscle
tension anywhere in the body raises
the neuromuscular tone in every other
muscle? When the doctor taps your
knee with a hammer (yes, some doctors
still do that!), you can enhance the reflex
and make your leg jump much higher
by just clenching your teeth or hooking
the fingers of your hands together
and pulling hard. There is no direct
connection between the masseter muscle
of the jaw and the patellar tendon of the
knee, but this phenomenon (called the
Jendrassik maneuver) is highly active and
reproducible and it affects every part of
your body.
So let’s look at some less obvious areas
of tension that may cause vocal tension.
Neck and shoulder tension is important
and may have many causes. Apart from
medical conditions such as arthritis or
soft tissue injury after a car accident,
many of us habitually carry tension in
the mantle area. The startle response of
pulling the shoulders up and the head
down is reflexive, and its deconstruction
and elimination is at the crux of the
Alexander method.
Some people don’t just startle,
however, but are in a chronic state of
tension. I can often tell whether a patient
is left handed or right handed just by
palpating the trapezius muscles. Heavy
bags also pull on these muscles and
cause a state of chronic contraction in
the shoulder which bears the burden.
Singers whose day jobs require carrying
around laptops or documents (and yes,
even those heavy scores and big bottles of
water!) often have chronic tension in the
neck and shoulder area.
Here are some suggestions to relieve
such neck and shoulder tension.
Declutter your bag frequently, taking only
what you need for the day ahead. Use
a bigger bag with a broad strap that you
can sling diagonally across from the other
shoulder. This distributes the weight
more evenly to both sides, and places the
load closer to the center of your body,
reducing torque. The most ergonomic
arrangement is the “wineskin” bag that
hugs the hollow of your waist on one side
and is slung across your other shoulder.
Another healthy technique is a backpack
with straps left long so the load sits in
the small of your back and rests on your
sacral area. At the risk of looking like a
bag lady, it may be better to carry two
smaller bags in your two hands rather
than one big one. And, all else failing, get
one of those cheesy little wheeled bags/
cases that paralegals and attorneys wheel
around. This takes the weight off your
shoulders completely.
Moving south in our survey, consider
whether you may have any scoliosis.
This is a curvature of the spine, usually
in the thoracic area, which is especially
common in young women and frequently
goes undiagnosed. If mild, it does not
impair breathing but does create an
asymmetry that your muscles need to
counterbalance. Excess tension in one
side of the body continues into the hips,
and muscle contraction creates the effect
that one leg is rendered functionally
shorter than the other. With all of this,
remember that culprit for the voice is not
the asymmetry but the chronic low-grade
increase in muscle tension required by
your body to sit, stand, ambulate, and
function normally.
The lower back is a major source of
excessive muscle tension. In addition to
bona fide disease, such as disc problems
or arthritis, the normal curvature in this
area (called lumbar lordosis) can be
accentuated by poor posture and weak
muscles. Obesity creates extra weight
in front which further pulls the lumbar
vertebrae forward. Some women “sit
up straight” by pushing the sacrum
and pelvis back to achieve a position of
balance. In this regard, high heels are
The Doctor Is In: Posture and Voice
“The startle response of pulling the shoulders
up and the head down is reflexive, and its
deconstruction and elimination is at the crux
of the Alexander method.”
also a villain—not only do they throw the
lower body forward, requiring the wearer
to excessively arch the upper back for
balance, they also raise muscle tension in
the lower legs. Remember: tension in any
muscle in the body has a general effect.
From the vocal point of view, I have
several suggestions. First, shed some
pounds until you are down to around
your ideal weight. Second, when at the
gym, exercise your postural muscles
in addition to your usual cardio and
stretching routine. These muscles, such
as the psoas major, are slow contracting
and need a slow, rather than rapid,
workout. Third, avoid high heels if
possible. While at times you may need to
look tall and sophisticated, from the vocal
point of view, half-heels or flats are better.
And fourth, consider slouching once in a
while!
While most of the points so far refer to
the musculoskeletal system, don’t forget
your internal organs. Discomfort in the
abdomen or pelvis can lead to splinting,
a reflex contraction of neighboring
muscles that minimize movement and
pain in the area. A urinary tract infection
or lower GI problem can raise muscle
tension in the pelvic floor. Ovulation or
endometriosis can irritate the inner lining
of the abdominal cavity and contract the
abdominal muscles. This not only affects
breath and support but, again, can also
generally raise muscle tension in the body
and, specifically, in the vocal tract.
Well, that’s a lot of stuff! Some of it’s
preventable, some unavoidable. What to
do? Here are my suggestions for reducing
avoidable tension. First, be aware of your
entire body, somewhat like you have
trained to be aware of your vocal tract.
Also, learn to sense and release tension,
either through meditation, yoga, or other
exercises. Your entire body is involved in
singing, and every muscle needs to work
correctly to support your vocal effort.
Anthony F. Jahn, M.D. has offices in
New York and New Jersey. His latest
book, The Singer’s Guide to Complete
Health, has recently been published by
Oxford Press and his book The Care of
the Professional Voice is now in its second
printing.
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Five Tech Skills to Keep You Afloat in an Opera-Averse Economy
BY AMANDA WHITE
In years when the economy is unfriendly to opera, tech skills can help you keep a
roof over your head between gigs.
W
e’ve all seen the news: opera
is in trouble. Companies are
folding, budgets are being
slashed, and opera singers are getting
nervous. Most other people in the
production can just move on to another
type of theatre: the director, the wig
master, and the orchestra can all find jobs
whether or not opera exists. Opera singers,
however, don’t have much to fall back on
unless their crossover skills are quality
enough for the competitive musical theatre
market.
We all like to imagine a musical career
where we earn a handsome living solely on
performance contracts and album sales—
and maybe a book deal or a signature
perfume to round things out. But let’s not
be ashamed to admit that almost all of us
have day jobs and always will. Even singers
who perform at A houses often temp on
the side. If a cubicle is good enough for a
Met singer, it’s good enough for me!
If you’re on a dry spell between gigs,
you might be looking at your lousy day
job pittance and wondering what you can
do to increase it—or maybe you’re looking
at how to get a pittance in the first place.
More and more, we artsy folk are turning
to IT to turn our day careers around.
Tech jobs aren’t perfect, but they are more
available and higher paying than adminand communications-based jobs. Becomea-Web-developer boot camps are springing
up around the country with people like us
as the marketers’ target audience: people
who have intelligence, a great work ethic,
and a degree in something that is not
doing them much good in the finances
department.
Becoming a software developer or a
Web developer is probably too far afield
for most of us—we are too busy being
musicians to dedicate the time that takes—
but there are a lot of smaller things you can
do to set yourself apart. There is a lower
barrier of entry to being a writer with
technical skills (case in point: my writing
this column) than there is to being a
software engineer. Here are five tech skills
that will not make you a developer, but
which will probably make you the office
whiz.
HTML, CSS
Hypertext Markup Language and
Cascading Style Sheets are the language
of the Web. If you want to make a website,
you will be using these tagging systems.
Even if you are using a program where you
just do the design work and the tagging
is added on in the back end (known as a
WYSIWYG editor, pronounced “whizzywig” and standing for “what you see is
what you get”), if something unintended
happens, you’ll need to manipulate the tags
to get it fixed. The important thing is this:
do not be afraid of the code. Learn enough
about it so you can stare it down and say,
“I’m not afraid of you, < and / signs. I know
what “img src” stands for. I got this.”
Even if you don’t ever touch a website’s
code, HTML tags sneak up all over
the place. It’s good to know how to
recognize them, how to use them, and
how to manipulate them without breaking
anything. Luckily for you, we have already
covered everything you need to get
started with HTML and CSS in “Making
a Website, Parts 1 & 2” (Feb. and Mar.
2013).
XML
Extensible Markup Language is used
to store and transport content. The code
looks almost exactly like HTML, but it
has a different purpose: HTML is meant
to define how content is displayed (the
look), while XML defines what content
is. A document stored in XML can be fed
into an HTML document (this is how an
RSS feed works), or fed into a database, or
transformed into a different type of XML.
The reason XML is so important is
that a lot of what you write becomes
XML at some point—even a blog post
or a Microsoft Word document (if you
are using Office 2007 or later). This will
matter to you mostly if you are writing in
an XML editor with a code view that will
let you see the tags (in other words, not
just “WYSIWIG”). A writer with XML
skills will have a much easier time in the
marketplace than one without.
The good news is that if you know
HTML, there is not much more to learn
with XML. It is a similar syntax for a
different purpose.
Excel “Power User” Skills
Microsoft Excel is such a powerful tool
that it can be mind-blowing at times. Sure,
we’ve all plugged in some numbers or lists.
But you haven’t lived until you’ve made a
The Tech-Savvy Singer
Where to Learn
There are plenty of free and low-cost places to learn the tech skills listed. As
mentioned, we’ve gone over some of them in previous issues. For more, here are
some good places to get started.
W3 Schools (www.w3schools.com)
The W3 Schools website is the place to go to learn Web development coding
skills for free. It’s mostly a reference for HTML, CSS, JavaScript (another Web dev
tool), and the like, but it includes all kinds of other skills, including XML and SQL.
They mostly explain the syntax and give you a sandbox to play around in.
It’s not a big place for project-based tutorials for practice (such as “let’s build
this restaurant website step-by-step”). I find it better as a quick reference than as
a beginning-to-end learning tool.
Lynda.com
Lynda.com is an extensive library of tutorial videos that teach technical skills,
among an array of other things. I don’t find the coding-based ones helpful (it’s not
where I would go to learn XML), but for learning the ins and outs of commercial
software (such as a Microsoft or Adobe product), it can’t be beat. Lynda.com does
tend to be project-based, which is good for hands-on learning.
Two drawbacks: 1) it’s a pay site ($25 per month for basic; $37.50 per month
for premium) and 2) if you don’t have the premium subscription, you don’t get the
practice files—which can be a real pain to re-create from scratch, depending on
the course.
Codecademy (www.codecademy.com)
Codecademy is a hands-on, project-based tutorial site that teaches you Web
development skills and some of the less intimidating software development
languages. It challenges you to figure problems out for yourself and includes a
sandbox as well as reward badges and other social media widgets.
pivot table. While almost everyone who
sits in a cube uses Excel at some point
during their work week, very few people
really know the ins and outs. Being a whiz
at Excel can make you quite popular at the
office. And considering that many temp
agencies include an Excel proficiency
exam as part of the application process, it
might open a few doors for you as well.
We have already covered some of
the basics in “Creating an Auditions
Spreadsheet” (Sept. 2013), so if you see
anything in there you don’t know yet, it’s
a great place to get started.
Database Queries
When you live in the Information Age, a
lot of what you do comes down to getting
information. When you’re at home, this
chore is largely whittled down to typing
a couple words into the Google search
box. But when you’re corporate, the
information you want might not be on
the World Wide Web—it might be in a
database.
Database design is its own science. You
can study normalizing techniques, learn
to join tables, or create indexes . . . but for
the average Joe or Jane, you don’t need to
design the database, you just need to ask it
a question. This usually comes down to a
SELECT/FROM/WHERE query, which
is actually pretty simple. SELECT: display
these fields. FROM: the table where I
know the information already is. WHERE:
the criteria for which ones I want.
For example: “SELECT firstname,
lastname FROM operasingers WHERE
birthyear = 1895 AND country = Norway”
would return “Kirsten Flagstad.” That’s
an SQL-style query, which is what you’ll
usually be dealing with. (Incidentally, I
usually hear SQL pronounced “sequel,”
not “squeal,” as I always want to.)
Alternatively, if you can get your
hands on a copy of Microsoft Access,
that’s a simple database with a friendly,
Microsoft-y interface that a lot of
companies use, which is an equally useful
place to start.
Macros
Macros, which are a series of steps that
have been automated, can be added to
many software programs. They allow you
to take things that you do over and over—
for example, writing “I will not pledge
allegiance to Bart” 50 times in a row—and
do just one thing to make that happen.
In this example, I might program a set of
shortcut keys, such as CTRL+SHIFT+B,
to type out the sequence “I-Space-w-i-ll-Space-n-o-t-Space-p-l-e-d-g-e-Spacea-l-l-e-g-i-a-n-c-e-Space-t-o-Space-Ba-r-t-Enter.” Then I could just press
CTRL+SHIFT+B as many times as I
needed to that day. Or, I could add a
button or a menu item that would do the
same thing.
Macros are a neat trick—you don’t need
to be a programmer to write them and
you can use them to make people’s lives
easier. Just look up the documentation for
whatever software you use frequently and
see if and how you can add macros to it.
Normally here at the Tech-Savvy Singer,
we focus on skills you can use for your
singing career. But sometimes the most
helpful thing for your singing career is a
steady income, no matter where it comes
from. Learning these five skills won’t land
you at La Scala, but they should at least
help with the airfare.
Amanda White is a Massachusettsbased singer, writer, and IT manager.
She first learned HTML in 2003 to create
a website for her band on GeoCities.
She can be reached through her website,
www.notjustanotherprettyvoice.com.
OPPORTUNITIES
Auditions.......................... 62
Competitions................... 72
The audition and competition listings in Classical Singer magazine come from our online audition management tool Auditions Plus. With Auditions Plus you can find, save,
manage, and track all types of singing opportunities. More than 1,400 job postings, training program opportunities, volunteer positions and educational listings are available on
AuditionsPlus.com, including more than 400 audition and competition listings. Auditions Plus is free for all Classical Singer subscribers. Find and post opportunities today!
Auditions
Coordinator: Kimberlee Talbot
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.classicalsinger.com/auditions
Audition listings published in Classical Singer must
either be no pay/no fee or paid engagements. If you
have an experience with a listed company that does
not meet this qualification, or if you have any other
problems with a published audition notice, please
contact Kimberlee Talbot immediately at auditions@
classicalsinger.com. We do not publish notices from
companies with unresolved complaints.
3 = New Notice This Issue
BUDGET CATEGORIES
Where available, budget categories are listed for performing companies. Budget categories conform to
OPERA America annual budget levels as reported in Musical America.
Level A=$10,000,000 and above
Level B=$3,000,000-$9,999,999
Opera Solo
3 English Touring Opera - London, UK (B, Paid,
Pro)
Gen’l auds in London, sum ‘14.
Website: http://englishtouringopera.org.uk/
about-eto/work-with-eto/auditions/
Contact Info: auditions@englishtouringopera.
org.uk
Appl Deadline: N/A
Level C=$1,000,000-$2,999,999
Level D=less than $1,000,000
Level U=Unknown
3 Asheville Lyric Opera - Asheville, NC (D, Paid,
Pro)
Fall principal auds Nov 1, ‘14.
Website: http://ashevillelyric.org/auditions/
Appl Deadline: Sep 17, ‘14
3 Wichita Grand Opera - Wichita, KS (D, Paid, Pro)
Auds Sep 12, ‘14 for non-regional artists.
Website: www.wichitagrandopera.org/auditions
Appl Deadline: Aug 1, ‘14
For new and complete listings, go to www.AuditionsPlus.com
Respond only to auditions for your level, and area of the country, CAREFULLY noting all restrictions.
The following are Artist Level guideline definitions
for Classical Singer audition listings. Definitions, as
such, do not perfectly describe all singers but should
be helpful for artists to determine their qualifications
for a given audition notice.
It is still important for artists to observe these guidelines
as performing companies continue to express their
frustration with those singers who send materials for
audition listings for which they are not yet qualified.
Amici Opera - Philadelphia, PA (U, Volunteer,
EmgPro)
Seeking singers for ‘14/15 seas. All voice types
needed.
Contact Info: 215-224-0257
Appl Deadline: Ongoing
Center Stage Opera - New Cumberland, PA (U,
Volunteer, EmgPro)
Auds for Dido and Aeneas and La Serva Padrona
(Jun ‘14), and Carmen (Nov ‘14).
Website: www.csopera.org
Contact Info: [email protected]
3 The Footlight Players - Rockville Centre, Long
Island (South Shore), NY (U, Paid, EmgPro)
Seeking leads for Pagliacci and Amahl and the Night
Visitors.
Student:
Currently enrolled in a university or
conservatory music program.
Emerging Professional: Graduate of a college level
vocal program or conservatory. Or in the last year has
been in a Young Artist Program, Apprentice Program
or performed in Workshop productions or No-Pay
productions. Or equivalent. These artists rarely have
management.
Level level C or D or equivalent. Artists in this level
are considered full-time professionals and the majority
of their time spent and income are singing-related.
Many of these artists have management.
Professional: In the last year has performed a principal
role in a company with Opera America Budget
Established Professional: In the last year has performed
a principal role in a company with an Opera America
level A or B company or equivalent. Artists in this
category are employed full-time singing principal
roles with companies of any category in multiple
venues domestic and international. These artists have
management.
Contact Info: (516) 599-8342
Appl Deadline: N/A
Gilbert & Sullivan Yiddish Light Opera - Central
Islip, NY (U, Volunteer, EmgPro)
Seeking to fill lead and chorus roles for G&S prods.
Website: www.gsyiddish.com
New Trinity Baroque - Atlanta, GA (Paid, Pro)
Accepting mats from all voice types for upc concert
seas as soloists or singers in chamber choir.
Website: newtrinitybaroque.org
Concert Solo
Church/Temple
Bel Canto Young Artist Vocal Series - Jersey City,
NJ (Paid, EmgPro)
Auds to be featured in concert series presented yrly
at New Jersey City Univ.
Website: www.njcu.edu
3 Central Presbyterian Church - Denver, CO (Paid)
Seeking Dir of Music.
Website: www.centraldenver.com
Appl Deadline: Jul 20, ‘14
Auditions
3 Christ & St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church Manhattan, NY (Paid, Pro)
Seeking soprano for prof’l octet.
Appl Deadline: N/A
3 Christ’s Church (Episcopal) - Rye, NY (Paid, Pro)
Seeking tenor and bass singers for upc seas.
Website: ccrye.org
Appl Deadline: N/A
3 St. James’ Church - New York, NY (Paid, Pro)
Aud’ng sopranos for upc seas in prof’l choir.
Website: www.stjames.org
Appl Deadline: N/A
3 St. Joseph Catholic Church - Arlington, TX
(Paid, EmgPro)
Seeking alto and bass section leaders for ‘14/15.
Website: www.stjoe88.org
Appl Deadline: N/A
3 St. Mark’s of Geneva - Geneva, IL (Paid, Pro)
Seeking mezzo-soprano section leader.
Website: www.stmarks-geneva.org
ApplDeadline: N/A
Young Artist Programs
Staatstheater Nurnberg - Nürnberg, Germany (A,
Paid, EmgPro)
Auds for up to eight spots in the ‘15/16 International
Opera Studio Nuremberg.
Website: www.staatstheater-nuernberg.de/
index.php?page=oper,opernstudio
Contact Info: susanne.hoerburger@
staatstheater.nuernberg.de
3 Virginia Opera - Norfolk, VA (B, Paid, EmgPro)
Auds Dec 8-11, ‘14 for ‘15/16 Emerging Artist Prog.
Website: www.vaopera.org/education-training/
emerging-artist-program.html
Appl Deadline: Oct 31, ‘14
3 Opera on the James - Lynchburg, VA (D, Paid,
EmgPro)
Tyler Young Artist Prog seeks four singers, SATB, for
‘15.
Website: www.operaonthejames.org
Wichita Grand Opera Young Artist Program Wichita, KS (D, Paid, EmgPro)
Auds Sep 12, ‘14 for Young Artist Prog.
Arcady - Simcoe, ON, Canada (U, Paid, EmgPro)
Seeking Young Artists for ‘15 prog.
Website: http://arcady.ca/?page_id=137
Resident Artist Program
3 Wichita Grand Opera - Wichita, KS (D, Paid,
EmgPro)
Resident Artist Prog auds Sep 12, ‘14.
Musical Theatre
Anderson’s Mainstage Theatre - Anderson, IN
(Volunteer, EmgPro)
Auds Aug 16-17, ‘14 for Shrek.
Website: www.mainstagetheatre.org/auditions.htm
Appl Deadline: N/A
3 Bainbridge Performing Arts - Bainbridge
Island, WA (Volunteer, EmgPro)
Auds Jul 21-22 & 24, ‘14 for Little Shop of Horrors,
Monty Python’s Spamalot, and Side By Side By
Sondheim.
Website: www.bainbridgeperformingarts.org/
Contact Info: dhadlock@
bainbridgeperformingarts.org
Appl Deadline: N/A
3 Beavercreek Community Theatre Beavercreek, OH (Volunteer, EmgPro)
Auds Aug 25-26, ‘14 for Sweeney Todd.
Website: www.bctheatre.org/auditions/index
Appl Deadline: N/A
3 Blue State Productions - Clifton, NJ (Volunteer,
EmgPro)
Auds Aug 23 & 25, ‘14 for Altar Boyz.
Website: www.bluestateproductions.com/
upcoming-shows.html
Appl Deadline: N/A
Broadway Theatre of Pitman - Pitman, NJ (Paid,
EmgPro)
Auds Jul 26-27, ‘14 for Pirates of Penzance.
Website: www.thebroadwaytheatre.
org/?go=auditions
Appl Deadline: N/A
3 CenterPoint Legacy Theatre - Centerville, UT
(Volunteer, EmgPro)
Auds Jul 12, ‘14 for Jekyll & Hyde and Sep 6, ‘14 for
Scrooge.
Website: www.centerpointtheatre.org/auditions/
Appl Deadline: N/A
3 Cincinnati Music Theatre - Cincinnati, OH
(Volunteer, EmgPro)
Auds Jul 20-21, ‘14 for Young Frankenstein.
Website: www.cincinnatimusictheatre.org
3 Conjo Players Theatre - Thousand Oaks, CA
(Volunteer, EmgPro)
Auds Aug 31-Sep 2, ‘14 for Shrek, the Musical.
Website: www.conejoplayers.org/auditionnotice-shrek-musical
Appl Deadline: N/A
3 Connecticut Theatre Company - New Britain,
CT (Volunteer, EmgPro)
Auds Aug 24-25, ‘14 for The Wizard of Oz and Oct
12-13, ‘14 for The Christmas Schooner.
Website: www.connecticuttheatrecompany.org/
get-involved/audition/
Contact Info: dcampbell@
connecticuttheatrecompany.org
Appl Deadline: N/A
Cottage Theatre - Cottage Grove, OR (Volunteer,
EmgPro)
Auds Aug 16-17, ‘14 for She Loves Me.
Website: www.cottagetheatre.org/
Appl Deadline: N/A
3 Deerfield Family Theater - Deerfield, IL
(Volunteer, EmgPro)
Auds Sep 3-4, ‘14 for The Will Rogers Follies.
Website: www.deerfieldfamilytheater.com/
home.shtml
Appl Deadline: N/A
3 Derby Dinner Playhouse - Clarksville, IN (Paid, Pro)
Open auds Aug 29, ‘14.
Website: www.derbydinner.com/auditioninformation/
Appl Deadline: N/A
The Great American Playhouse - Tucson, AZ
(Volunteer, EmgPro)
Auds throughout seas: Jul 19, ‘14 and Oct 11, ‘14.
Website: http://greatamericanplayhouse.com/
auditions/
Appl Deadline: N/A
Hale Centre Theatre - West Valley City, UT (Paid,
EmgPro)
Auds Sep 13, ‘14 for A Christmas Carol.
Website: www.hct.org/online/
Appl Deadline: N/A
3 Harbor Playhouse - Corpus Christi, TX
(Volunteer, EmgPro)
Auds Aug 12-13, ‘14 for Little Shop of Horrors and
Sep 23-24, ‘14 for Oliver!
Website: www.harborplayhouse.com/auditions/
schedule/#!auditions/c1qkg
Appl Deadline: N/A
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[email protected]
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www.dianajacklin.com
Studios in Vienna & Boston
bel canto technique
teaching a true
Put your voice in good hands
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Auditions
3 Haywood Arts Regional Theatre - Waynesville,
NC (Paid, EmgPro)
Auds Jul 27-28, ‘14 for Urinetown: The Musical.
Website: www.harttheater.com/2014_audition.html
Appl Deadline: N/A
Ignite Theatre - Aurora, CO (Paid, EmgPro)
Auds Jul 26, ‘14 for Into The Woods, and Sep 16-17,
‘14 for Dreamgirls.
Website: www.ignitetheatre.com/auditions.php
Appl Deadline: N/A
Imagine Productions of Columbus - Columbus,
OH (Volunteer, EmgPro)
Auds Aug 3-4, ‘14 for Little Shop of Horrors.
Website: www.imaginecolumbus.org/
Appl Deadline: N/A
3 Kensington Arts Theatre - Kensington, MD
(Volunteer, EmgPro)
Auds Aug 13-14, ‘14 for fall musical.
Website: www.katonline.org/auditions/
upcoming-auditions/
Appl Deadline: N/A
3 Laurel Little Theatre - Laurel, MS (Volunteer,
EmgPro)
Auds Aug 18-19, ‘14 for The Addams Family.
Website: www.laurellittletheatre.com/
auditions.html
Appl Deadline: N/A
3 Levoy Theatre - Millville, NJ (Volunteer, EmgPro)
Auds Aug 25 & 27, ‘14 for Oliver!
Website: http://levoy.net/mission-statement/
upcoming-show-auditions/
Appl Deadline: N/A
3 Maltz Jupiter Theatre - Jupiter, FL (Paid,
EmgPro)
Auds Jul 19, ‘14 for Fiddler on the Roof.
Website: http://jupitertheatre.org/auditions
Appl Deadline: N/A
3 Manoa Valley Theatre - Honolulu, HI (Volunteer,
EmgPro)
Auds Jul 28, ‘14 for Closer Than Ever.
Website: www.manoavalleytheatre.com/
auditions.html
Appl Deadline: N/A
3 Muncie Civic Theatre - Muncie, IN (Volunteer,
EmgPro)
Auds Aug 30, ‘14 for Carrie: The Rock Musical.
Website: www.munciecivic.org
Contact Info: (765) 288-7529 x2
Appl Deadline: N/A
North Shore Music Theatre - Beverly, MA (Paid,
Pro)
Auds throughout ‘14 in NYC and Beverly, MA (see
online listing for complete details). Rep: Anything
Goes, The Little Mermaid, Grease, Chicago, Les
Miserables, A Christmas Carol.
Website: www.nsmt.org/index.
php?id=210&option=com_content&task=view
Peoria Players Theatre - Peoria, IL (Volunteer,
EmgPro)
Auds Sep 19-20, ‘14 for The Sound of Music.
Website: www.peoriaplayers.org/Auditions.html
Contact Info: (309) 688-4473
Appl Deadline: N/A
3 Phamaly Theatre Company - Denver, CO
(Volunteer, EmgPro)
Auds Jul 31, ‘14 for The Fantasticks.
Website: www.phamaly.org/
participate/#!perform-with-us/c139j
Appl Deadline: N/A
3 The Players Theatre - Sarasota, FL (Volunteer,
EmgPro)
Auds Aug 9, ‘14 for The Addams Family and A
Christmas Story, the Musical.
Website: http://theplayers.org/index.php/
broadway-series/auditions/
Appl Deadline: N/A
Plaza Theatre Company - Cleburne, TX (Volunteer,
EmgPro)
Auds Aug 18 & 20, ‘14 for Little Shop of Horrors.
Website: http://plaza-theatre.com/audition.asp
Appl Deadline: N/A
Pax Amicus Castle Theatre - Budd Lake, NJ (Paid,
Pro)
Auds Aug 3-4, ‘14 for The 25th Annual Putnam
County Spelling Bee.
Website: www.paxamicus.com/index.htm
Appl Deadline: N/A
3 Sight and Sound Theatres - Branson, MO (Paid,
Pro)
‘15 seas auds Jul 28, ‘14 in Branson, MO and Aug
18 & 25, ‘14 in Lancaster, PA.
Website: www.sight-sound.com/WebSite/
home.do
Appl Deadline: N/A
Pensacola Little Theatre - Pensacola, FL
(Volunteer, EmgPro)
Auds Sep 2-3, ‘14 for The Rocky Horror Show.
Website: www.pensacolalittletheatre.com/getinvolved/auditions
Contact Info: 850-434-0257 x102
Appl Deadline: N/A
3 Spokane Civic Theatre - Spokane, WA
(Volunteer, EmgPro)
Auds Jul 28-30, ‘14 for Fiddler on the Roof and Aug
25-26, ‘14 for Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde.
Website: http://spokanecivictheatre.com/
audition/
Appl Deadline: N/A
LEARN FROM A SEASONED
INTERNATIONAL PROFESSIONAL
Soprano Christine Weidinger, who
starred at La Scala, the Met, the
Liceu of Barcelona and in most of the
major opera houses of the world is
now accepting students in her studio
in Durham, North Carolina near the
beautiful Research Triangle Park.
Inquire about auditions and rates
[email protected]
3 StageCoach Theatre Company - Ashburn, VA
(Paid, EmgPro)
Auds Oct 4-5, ‘14 for Christmas Cabaret special.
Website: http://stagecoachtc.com/
Appl Deadline: N/A
3 Theatreworks Florida - Davenport, FL (Paid,
EmgPro)
Auds Jul 13-14, ‘14 for Sweeney Todd.
Website: www.theatreworksfl.org/main.html
Appl Deadline: N/A
3 Utah Repertory Theater Company - UT
(Volunteer, EmgPro)
Auds Aug 20-21, ‘14 for Bonnie & Clyde.
Website: http://utahrep.org/auditions-bcmobile/
Appl Deadline: N/A
3 Venice Theatre - Venice, FL (Volunteer, EmgPro)
Auds Jul 27-28, ‘14 for The Rocky Horror Show
and Aug 24-25, ‘14 for The Full Monty.
Website: http://venicestage.com/audition-fora-show/audition-schedule/
Appl Deadline: N/A
3 Waco Civic Theatre - Waco, TX (Volunteer,
EmgPro)
Auds Aug 2-3, ‘14 for Les Misérables.
Website: http://wacocivictheatre.org/
auditions.html
Contact Info: (254) 776-1591
Appl Deadline: N/A
3 West Valley Light Opera - Saratoga, CA
(Volunteer, EmgPro)
Auds Jul 19-20, ‘14 for Oklahoma.
Website: www.wvlo.org/auditions.html
Appl Deadline: N/A
3 Woodland Opera House Theatre Company Woodland, CA (Volunteer, EmgPro)
Auds Jul 14-15, ‘14 for Hello Dolly, and Aug 17-18,
‘14 for A Christmas Carol.
Website: www.woodlandoperahouse.org/
Pages/Auditions.aspx
Appl Deadline: N/A
Appl Deadline: N/A
Other Chorus
3 Wichita Grand Opera - Wichita, KS (D, Paid,
EmgPro)
Chorus auds Sep 12, ‘14.
3 Atlanta Master Chorale - Atlanta, GA (Volunteer,
EmgPro)
Auds in Aug ‘14 for upc seas.
Website: www.atlantamasterchorale.org/
contact/
Appl Deadline: N/A
Amici Opera - Philadelphia, PA (U, Volunteer,
EmgPro)
Seeking singers for ‘14/15 seas. All voice types
needed.
3 The Footlight Players - Rockville Centre, Long
Island (South Shore), NY (U, Volunteer, EmgPro)
Seeking chorus for Pagliacci and Amahl and the
Night Visitors.
Contact Info: (516) 599-8342
Appl Deadline: N/A
Gilbert & Sullivan Yiddish Light Opera - Central
Islip, NY (U, Volunteer, EmgPro)
Seeking to fill lead and chorus roles for G&S prods.
Website: www.gsyiddish.com
3 Austin Lyric Opera - Austin, TX (B, Paid, EmgPro)
‘14/15 seas chorus auds late sum/early fall. Email
after Aug 1, ‘14 to sched an appt.
Website: www.austinlyricopera.org/about/
auditions/
3 Baltimore Choral Arts Society - Baltimore, MD
(Paid, Pro)
‘14/15 seas auds take place the first week in Sep,
‘14.
Website: www.baltimorechoralarts.org/mod/
pages/display/32/index.php?menu=aboutus
3 Bel Canto Singers - Daytona Beach, FL (Paid,
Student-Univ)
Auds Aug 25, ‘14 for undergrad music students.
Website: http://belcantodaytona.org/
Appl Deadline: N/A
CELEBRATING
12
CONTEMPORARY
COMMERCIAL MUSIC
YEARS
2014 Vocal Pedagogy Institute
July 12–20
Somatic Voicework™ –
The LoVetri Method
Jeannette LoVetri
Level I, II, III
Opera Chorus
3 Metropolitan Opera - New York, NY (A, Paid,
EstPro)
Auds Sep 13, 22, & Oct 6, ‘14 for Opera Chorus
and Extra Chorus.
Website: http://metoperafamily.org/metopera/
auditions/chorus.aspx
3 Atlanta Symphony Orchestra Chorus Atlanta, GA (Volunteer, EmgPro)
Chorus auds Aug 24-25, ‘14.
Website: www.asochorus.org/audition.asp
Appl Deadline: N/A
Post Certification courses offered:
“…I attribute my growth as
an artist to her solid and clear
teaching of technique.”
– Luciana
Souza,
2008 Grammy Award Winner
• Studio Technology with Matt Edwards
• The Pedagogy of Soul with
Trineice Robinson-Martin
• Avant-garde Styles with Theo Bleckmann
All courses earn one graduate credit.
CONTACT US TO SIGN UP:
For information:
540-665-4556
Call 540-665-4600
[email protected]
E-mail:
[email protected]
www.ccminstitute.com
www.su.edu/tvpc
Shenandoah University is an Equal Opportunity Educational Institution/Employer.
Auditions
3 Handel and Haydn Society - Boston, MA (Paid,
Pro)
Fall ‘14 auds for prof’l choral artists.
Website: http://handelandhaydn.org/about/
employment/auditions/
3 Highland Park Chorale - Dallas, TX (Paid,
EmgPro)
Auds for all voice parts for ‘14/15 seas.
Appl Deadline: N/A
Houston Symphony Chorus - Houston, TX
(Volunteer, EmgPro)
Auds Aug ‘14 for singer/musicians to perform high
level choral/orch rep w/Symphony.
Website: www.houstonsymphony.org/AboutUs/Houston-Symphony-Chorus/Auditions
Appl Deadline: N/A
3 Kansas City Symphony Chorus - Overland
Park, KS (Volunteer, EmgPro)
Auds Jul 18-19 & Aug 8-10, ‘14 for ‘14/15 seas.
Website: www.kcsymphonychorus.org/content/
auditions
Appl Deadline: N/A
3 Milwaukee Symphony Chorus - Milwaukee, WI
(Paid, Pro)
‘14/15 seas auds held Aug 5, 7, 11, & 13, ‘14.
Website: www.mso.org/about_mso/auditions/
chorus_auditions
Appl Deadline: N/A
Musaic - San Francisco, CA (Volunteer, EmgPro)
Men’s a cappella ensemble currently aud’ng all
parts.
Website: www.musaicsf.org
3 Nashville Symphony Chorus - Nashville, TN
(Paid, EmgPro)
New member auds Aug 16-17, ‘14.
Website: www.nashvillesymphony.org/about/
chorus/auditions
Contact Info: chorusauditions@
nashvillesymphony.org
Appl Deadline: N/A
New Trinity Baroque - Atlanta, GA (Paid, EmgPro)
Accepting mats from all voice types for upc concert
seas as soloists or singers in chamber choir.
Website: newtrinitybaroque.org
3 New York City Master Chorale - New York, NY
(Volunteer, EmgPro)
Auds Sep ‘14 for ‘14/15 seas.
Website: www.nycmasterchorale.org
Appl Deadline: N/A
Pacifica Singers - Vancouver, BC, Canada
(Volunteer, EmgPro)
Auds throughout/yr for emg prof’l singers.
Website: www.vancouverchamberchoir.com
Piedmont Chamber Singers - Winston-Salem, NC
(Volunteer, EmgPro)
Auds Aug 26, ‘14 for 37th seas.
Website: http://piedmontchambersingers.org/
audition.php
Contact Info: director@
piedmontchambersingers.org
Appl Deadline: N/A
The Princeton Singers - NJ (Paid, Pro)
Seeking vocalists of all voice parts for avail
vacancies.
Providence Singers - East Providence, RI
(Volunteer, EmgPro)
Seeking exp’d choral singers of all voice parts for
‘14/15 seas.
Website: www.providencesingers.org
Appl Deadline: N/A
Carole Farley Masterclass
Part of the New York Chamber Music Festival
September 6, 2014
3:30-6:30 pm
Peter J Sharp Theater at Symphony Space
Attended by agents, record companies
executives, producers and conductors.
To participate contact Elmira Darvarova:
[email protected]
NOW ACCEPTING STUDENTS!
• Song/vocal repertoire
• Acting for singers
• Musicianship
• Orchestral score reading
• Recital/CD preparation
• Diction
• Career counseling
• Resume prep
• Audition techniques
• Finding a manager
Contact: Carole Farley
646-327-0151
[email protected]
Virtual lessons via Skype also available.
3 Riverside Choral Society - New York, NY (Volunteer, EmgPro)
Auds in Aug for 35th Seas.
Website: www.riversidechoral.org/auditions.shtm
Appl Deadline: N/A
3 San Antonio Mastersingers - San Antonio, TX (Volunteer, EmgPro)
‘14/15 seas auds Aug 23 & 30, ‘14.
Website: www.samastersingers.org
Appl Deadline: N/A
Amici Opera - Philadelphia, PA (Paid, EmgPro)
Seeking accomps for ‘14/15 seas.
San Francisco Choral Artists - San Francisco, CA (Paid, EmgPro)
Interested in hearing talented singers of all voices.
Website: www.sfca.org/about-auditions.php
Other
3 Colorado Chorale - Denver, CO (Paid)
Seeking Artistic Director for ‘15/16 seas.
Website: http://coloradochorale.org
3 Schola Cantorum on Hudson (NY/NJ) - West Village, NY (Volunteer, EmgPro)
Seeking singers for upc seas.
Website: www.scholaonhudson.org/auditions
Appl Deadline: N/A
3 Masterwork Chorus, Inc. - Chatham, NJ (Paid)
Seeking Music Dir.
Website: www.masterwork.org/
3 The Thirteen - Philadelphia, PA (Paid, Pro)
Rolling auds for ‘14/15 and ‘15/16 seas.
Website: www.thethirteenchamberchoir.com
Appl Deadline: N/A
OperaOggiNY - New York, NY (Volunteer, EmgPro)
Currently seeking accomp applicants for ‘14 Apprentice Pianist Prog.
Website: www.operaogginy.info
Appl Deadline: N/A
3 United States Air Force Heritage of America Band - Langley-Eustis, VA
(Paid, Pro)
Seeking soprano/alto vocalist for Sep 15, ‘14 aud.
Website: www.heritageofamericaband.af.mil/careers/
Seattle Opera - Seattle, WA (Volunteer, Student-Univ)
Currently accepting internship appls in Prod/Admin, Stage Mngmnt, Costume
Stock, Edu’tn and Development.
Website: www.seattleopera.org/about/employment/internships.aspx
ENJOY YOUR VOICE
Osceola Davis
Lyric Coloratura Soprano
Metropolitan Opera
voice instructor /operatic interpretation
Private lessons / vocal consultation
(718) 796 7195 or [email protected]
3 Singers Of United Lands - White Lake, MI (Paid, EmgPro)
Seeking non-U.S. singers for ‘15 tour.
Website: www.singersofunitedlands.org/Pages/ApplytoJoin.aspx
3 United States Air Force Max Impact Rock Band - Washington, DC (Paid,
Pro)
Auds Sep 30-Oct 1, ‘14 for female rock vocalist.
Website: www.bands.af.mil/careers/?source=GovD
WFMT Introductions - Chicago, IL (Volunteer, Student-HS or Younger)
Seeking pre-college classical soloists, duos, choirs, small ensembles and large
ensembles for 98.7WFMT radio broadcast.
Website: http://blogs.wfmt.com/introductions/audition/
30 DAYS TO A NEW VOICE!
GREAT SINGERS
AN ENDANGERED SPECIES
How to Get Back to Mother
Nature
By Denes Striny
“Striny neatly encapsulates his directives for singing in three short pages of
exercises…The exercises, and Striny’s
directions, are excellent.”
—Debra Greschner, Journal of Singing,
The Official Journal of the National
Association of Teachers of Singing
HEAD FIRST
THE LANGUAGE OF THE
HEAD VOICE
By Denes Striny
“WOW! I must say that you have done
a fabulous job....A great piece of work.”
—Birgit Nilsson, international
opera legend
February 2007 • 172 pages
978-0-7618-3671-1 • $31.00 Paper
December 2010 • 80 pages
978-0-7618-5391-6 • $17.00 Paper
ebook
Hamilton Books
An Imprint of the Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group
AIMS in Graz
American Institute of Musical Studies
July 4 to August 15, 2015
Opera, Lieder and Piano Programs
for young artists
For information on
fall & winter auditions visit
www.aimsgraz.com
Become a part of the AIMS Legend!
Experience AIMS’ international faculty
and master class teachers,
the AIMS Festival Orchestra
and six weeks in beautiful Graz, Austria
Birgit Nilsson & Denes Striny
www.DenesStriny.com
voice 2014
QUEEN ELISABETH COMPETITION
1 ST P R I Z E –
Hwang Sumi
2 ND P R I Z E –
Jodie Devos
3 RD P R I Z E –
Sarah Laulan
4 TH P R I Z E –
Shao Yu
5 TH P R I Z E –
Park Hyesang
6 TH P R I Z E –
Chiara Skerath
UNRANKED LAUREATES
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Emőke Baráth, Daniela Gerstenmeyer, Kim Seung Jick, Levente Páll, Sheva Tehoval, Yoo Hansung
AND...
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VOD (Video on Demand) of the final and the semi-final until 15 September 2014 on www.qeimc.be
– Order your 3cd box Voice 2014 ‘live’ : www.cd-elisabeth.be
WWW.QEIMC.BE
Q U E E N E L I S A B E T H I N T E R N AT I O N A L M U S I C C O M P E T I T I O N O F B E L G I U M
I N F O : R U E AU X L A I N E S 2 0 , B - 1 0 0 0 B R U S S E L S ( B E L G I U M )
T E L : + 3 2 2 2 1 3 4 0 5 0 – FA X : + 3 2 2 5 1 4 3 2 9 7 – I N F O @ Q E I M C . B E
Competitions
Coordinator: Kimberlee Talbot
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.classicalsinger.com/directories/competition/
If you have any problems w/a published competition notice, please contact
Kimberlee Talbot immediately at [email protected]. We do not
publish notices from companies w/unresolved complaints.
3 = New Notice This Issue
The audition and competition listings in Classical Singer magazine come from our online audition management tool Auditions Plus. With Auditions Plus you can find, save,
manage, and track all types of singing opportunities. More than 1,400 job postings,
training program opportunities, volunteer positions and educational listings are available on AuditionsPlus.com, including more than 400 audition and competition listings.
Auditions Plus is free for all Classical Singer subscribers. Find and post opportunities
today!
Grants, Awards & Misc. Funding
3 2014 Auditions - New York, NY
Sponsored By: The Sullivan Foundation
Competition Date: Oct 19-20, ‘14
Age Limit: N/A
Website: www.sullivanfoundation.org/howToApply.html
Arleen Auger Memorial Fund - Hartsdale, NY
Sponsored By: Arleen Auger Memorial Fund
Age Limit: 30
Website: www.arleen-auger-memorial-fund.org/application.html
3 Fulbright Grants Competition
Sponsored By: Institute of International Education
Age Limit: N/A
Website: http://us.fulbrightonline.org
3 Grants to Professional Musicians (Individual) - Ottawa, ON, Canada
Sponsored By: Canada Council for the Arts
Age Limit: N/A
Website: www.canadacouncil.ca/en/music/find-grants-and-prizes/grants/
grants-to-professional-musicians-individuals
Appl Deadline: Nov 1, ‘14
3 YoungArts Awards - Miami, FL
Sponsored By: National YoungArts Foundation
Age Limit: 18
Website: www.youngarts.org/apply
No Age Limit/Unknown
2014 Young Concert Artists International Auditions - New York, NY
Sponsored By: Young Concert Artists, Inc.
Competition Date: Nov 3, 5-6 & 8, ‘14
Website: www.yca.org/auditions/
3 Barry Alexander International Vocal Competition - New York, NY
Sponsored By: Alexander & Buono International
Website: www.alexanderbuono.com/voice-competition.html
Age 18 and Under
3 2014 Woodwind, Piano, String, and Voice International Competition Bethesda, MD
Sponsored By: Asian American Music Society
Competition Date: Oct 25, ‘14
Age Limit: 18
Website: www.aamsopera.com/competition.html
3 Senior Performance Competitions - Knoxville, TN
Sponsored By: Music Teachers National Association (MTNA)
Age Limit: 18
Website: www.mtna.org/programs/competitions/senior-performancecompetitions/
Age 25 and Under
LEARN TO SING REALLY WELL!
If you are not getting cast and you want to know why, I can help you.
Establish good breathing, increase your
range, improve both your high and your
low notes, belt WELL, correct both pain
and strain, and recover from any vocal
issues that you have had.
“Moira is an excellent voice teacher with an almost uncanny
grasp of vocal issues and how to solve them. She is understanding, yet firm, and got more out of me than I thought possible.”
—Bill Paisner, Director, Southwest Women’s Chorus
Lessons in person or via Skype or FaceTime
NORTHERN CA (510) 599-7828
[email protected]
3 Third Annual Young Artists Vocal Competition - Ocean Springs, MS
Sponsored By: Gulf Coast Messiah Chorus
Age Limit: 25
Website: www.messiahchorus.org
3 Young Artists Competition - Provo, UT
Sponsored By: Utah Valley Symphony
Competition Date: Aug 23, ‘14
Age Limit: 25
Website: www.utahvalleysymphony.org/youngartists.php
Age 30 and Under
3 Armstead Singing Award - Victoria, Australia
Sponsored By: Musical Society of Victoria
Competition Date: Aug 10, ‘14
Age Limit: 30
Website: www.msv.org.au/currentawards.html
3 Mario Lanza Institute Scholarship Auditions
- Philadelphia, PA
Sponsored By: Mario Lanza Institute
Competition Date: Oct 13-14 & Nov 9, ‘14
Age Limit: 28
Website: www.mariolanzainstitute.org/
programs/scholarships/apply-for-scholarship/
3 OSM Standard Life Competition - Montreal,
QC, Canada
Sponsored By: Orchestre symphonique de
Montréal
Competition Date: Nov 18-22, ‘14
Age Limit: 30
Website: www.osm.ca/en/osm-standard-lifecompetition
3 Young Artist Performance Competitions Albuquerque, NM
Sponsored By: Music Teachers National
Association (MTNA)
Age Limit: 26
Website: www.mtna.org/programs/
competitions/young-artist-performance-competition/
Age 35 and Under
3 31st Annual Vocal Competition - Palm Springs,
CA
Sponsored By: Palm Springs Opera Guild
Competition Date: Dec 7, ‘14
Age Limit: 32
Website: http://palmspringsoperaguild.org/
65th Gian Battista Viotti International Music
Competition 2014 - Vercelli, Italy
Sponsored By: Gian Battista Viotti International
Music Competition Vercelli
Age Limit: 35
Website: www.concorsoviotti.it/home-pageconcorso-viotti.php
3 2014 Vocal Competition - New York, NY
Sponsored By: Opera Index, Inc.
Competition Date: Oct 14-15 & 17, ‘14
Age Limit: 35
Website: http://operaindexinc.org
Website: www.bravaopera.com/#!vocalcompetition/c1qjg
3 Barbara Garvey Jackson Fellowship Fayetteville, AR
Sponsored By: John Harrison Opera Foundation
Competition Date: Jan 8-10, ‘15
Age Limit: 35
Website: http://johnharrisonopera.com/pages/
competition.html
Appl Deadline: Nov 15, ‘14
3 2014 “Città di Alcamo” International Singing
Contest - Alcamo, Italy
Sponsored By: Associazione Amici della Musica
Alcamo
Age Limit: 37
Website: www.amicimusicaalcamo.
it/ConcorInter2014/ConcorInter2014ENG.
html#regolamento
Age 40 and Under
3 Benjamin Matthews Vocal Competition - New
York, NY
Sponsored By: Opera Ebony
Age Limit: 35
Website: www.operaebony.org
3 Brava! Opera Theater and James M. Collier
Young Artist Program Vocal Competition - San
Francisco, CA
Sponsored By: Brava! Opera Theater and
James M. Collier Young Artist Program
Age Limit: 35
3 2014 Wagner Society Singing Competition London, UK
Sponsored By: The Wagner Society
Competition Date: Oct 12 & Nov 30, ‘14
Age Limit: 40
Website: http://wagnersociety.org/events/thewagner-society-singing-competition-2014
Two Tremendous Resources
P5023 CANTABILE
Katharin Rundus
Cantabile
A Manual about Beautiful Singing
for Singers, Teachers of Singing and Choral Conductors
Katharin Rundus
Vocal/Choral Pedagogy
Cantabile
INF
O
INN RM
OV ATIV
AT
by Katharin Rundus
IVE E!
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A Manual about Beautiful Singing
for Singers, Teachers of Singing
and Choral Conductors
CANTABILE offers a fresh and comprehensive approach to
vocal pedagogy. A “spiral of learning” allows singers
to revisit basic concepts as they advance to deeper levels,
and gives all readers a path to lifelong learning. A definitive
source for individual singers, voice teachers and choral
conductors, CANTABILE provides intricate illustrations, a
“Organized into a logical sequence complete glossary and extensive index, and specific vocal
of interrelating topics, Dr. Rundus exercises for every student and teacher. This textbook will
makes complicated concepts easily be the new standard for vocal study.
digestible.”
www.PavanePublishing.com
2014 English Song Competition - Tunbridge Wells,
Kent, UK
Sponsored By: John Kerr Award for English
Song
Age Limit: 35
Website: www.johnkerraward.org.uk/about.php
3 2014 Vocal Awards Competition - Falls
Church, VA
Sponsored By: Partners for the Arts, Inc.
Age Limit: 35
Website: http://partners4thearts.org/vocalcompetition/
New + Improved - 2nd Edition
Presenting the most amazing and
comprehensive pronunciation resource
of all time. Every letter in 5 different
languages, in a quick and easy format. A
must for every singer and choral director.
Two ways to preview!
See select pages at www.PavanePublishing.com (Cantabile and Resources & Textbooks tab)
Desk copies available for the cost of shipping - $5, restrictions apply.
Please call 1-800-322-1127 x5243, Cantabile - 08301877 // IPA - 08301917
A voice to be heard
Voice Faculty:
Margaret Dehning
Director of Vocal Studies
Milena Kitic, Artist-in-Residence;
Carol Neblett, Artist-in Residence;
Christina Alexopoulos,
David Alt, Peter Atherton,
Christina Dahlin, Kristina Driskill,
Patricia Gee, Patrick Goeser,
Jonathan Mack, Bruce McClurg,
Susan Montgomery
Alexander Technique:
Pamela Blanc
Operatic Studies:
Peter Atherton
Director of Operatic Studies
Carol Neblett
Associate Director of Opera Chapman
Cheryl Lin Fielding, Opera/Vocal Coach
Janet Kao, Opera/Vocal Coach
Experience conservatory-level training in a liberal
arts environment at Chapman University
Choral Ensembles:
Stephen Coker,
Director of Choral Studies
Angel Vázquez-Ramos,
Choral Music Education
Consistently ranked among the best American music schools, we offer quality
programs with dedicated faculty, world-class student ensembles, and
state-of-the-art facilities.
Offering Bachelor of Music degrees in Music Performance, Music Education, and Composition.
Talent awards, academic scholarships, and financial aid assistance available
Accredited institutional member of the
National Association of Schools of Music
opera
song
For admission and scholarship
information, please contact:
Office of Admissions,
Chapman University
One University Drive
Orange, California 92866
1-888-CU-APPLY
www.chapman.edu
choir
It's all here... awaiting you!
Soprano
Jean del Santo, Wendy Zaro-Mullins
Choral Conducting
Kathy Romey, Matthew Mahaffey
Mezzo-Soprano
Adriana Zabala
University Opera Theatre
David Walsh
Tenor
John De Haan
Vocal Music K-12
Keitha Hamann
Baritone
Philip Zawisza
Bachelor of Music, Vocal Performance
Bachelor of Music,
Music Therapy with Vocal Emphasis
Bachelor of Music,
Music Education with Vocal Emphasis
Master of Music, Vocal Performance
Doctor of Musical Arts, Vocal Performance
vocalarts.umn.edu • [email protected] • 612-624-2847 • Jean del Santo, vocal division chair: 612-624-5883
music.asu.edu | 480.965.5069
The ASU School of Music welcomes
internationally acclaimed baritone
Gordon Haw ki ns
to the voice faculty.
arizona state university
school of music
The Arizona State University School of Music in the Herberger Institute
for Design and the Arts is a comprehensive music school offering
undergraduate, masters and doctoral degrees and is ranked among the
top music schools in the nation by U.S. News & World Report.
•
Internationally recognized faculty
•
Outstanding facilities
•
Outstanding performance opportunities for all students
•
Significant scholarship opportunities
•
Exciting and Innovative curriculum
•
Unique study-cover program with Arizona Opera
provides hands-on experience with a professional opera
voice faculty
David Britton
Carole FitzPatrick
Gordon Hawkins
Anne Elgar Kopta
Judy May, voice area coordinator
lyric opera theatre faculty
Dale Dreyfoos, interim artistic director
William Reber
Robert Mills
Toby Yatso
Michael Barnard
Robert Harper
Molly Lajoie Plutnicki
company and access to world-class singers
•
Musical Theatre partnership with the
Phoenix Theatre for productions, study-cover and
internship opportunities, and instruction
Visit music.asu.edu to learn more about the
ASU School of Music, our faculty, our partnerships
with AZ Opera and Phoenix Theatre and admissions.
choral faculty
David Schildkret, director of choral activities
Bartlett Evans

Here`s - Classical Singer

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