Page 14 - Classical Singer Magazine November/December 2019

CROSSOVER CORNER
WHAT SHOULD I SING AT MY AUDITION?
BY CHRISTY TURNBOW
Rather than forcing yourself to be something you think auditioners want to see, show them exactly who you really are.
Without any dispute, hands down, the question that I get asked most as a voice teacher is “What should I sing at my audition?” I reached out to a few music directors that sit in on hundreds
of auditions every year to help me give the answer to that burning question.
Sarah Brett England, a faculty member at Montclair State University and a music director, accompanist, and arranger in New York City, gives this answer: “Find material that suits you type-wise, vocally, that you can act, that shows your strength and personality, and that you connect with.”
Beth Burrier, an associate professor at Baldwin Wallace University and the associate artistic director at College Light Opera Company, answers the question this way: “Sing something you love, not something your teacher loves. And you should be able to put into words what it is you love about the song. Sing something you can sing every day, even
when you are sick. We do not need to hear the loudest highest notes you can sing. We can figure that out— honestly, we can—we are trained professionals, we hear hundreds of singers every year. We need to see a human being who is connected to the text they are singing and understands how the music functions to support the story of the text.”
Roberto Sinha, currently the music director for the national tour of Hamilton, says, “Sing whatever you feel good singing. Feeling confident, sure, and prepared allows you to make strong, personal, and intelligent choices in your performance, and that’s what we want to see in an audition room.”
So, the most important thing you need to know about deciding what to sing for an audition is that there is no perfect song that is going to get you cast because it is not about the song. It’s about you! What you do with the song you choose is far more important than the song itself.
14 Classical Singer | November/December 2019