This stuff does happen

So on Tuesday, Scott Skiba and I were hanging out at Merry Widow rehearsal when one of our fellow cast members told us that the singer who was to sing Baron Zeta was not coming because of some unforseen personal circumstances. So being the great colleage that he is, Scott went to the conductor and told him that he knew a great barione who knew the role and studied with Tim Noble etc etc. Wednesday, low and behold, Jason Plourde was here in Indy at rehearsal and signing a contract! So these things do happen people! The lesson… be prepared!
So also this week, we met with Patty Harvey about resumes, cover letters, auditions, and such. Here are some notes for your enjoyment. Of course, this is one person’s opinions and preferences:
Send matierials in the following order: cover letter, resume, headshot, quotes/review page (highlighted and only if it is really stunning)
Your resume gets about 30 seconds of attention, so make sure that the info you want them to know is clear and up front. Listing your height/weight takes up reading time. Beware- giving this info away too soon might keep you from getting the audition.
As for the name line, don’t use a middle initial unless it is part of the name you are called by. List your voice type on a seperate line.
List professional experience before educational: Role Opera Company Year
Composers are not necessary unless it is obscure.List world premieres in parenthesis.
Don’t give references unless they ask for them.
Everyone should make a roles in preperation category! You should also have a roles prepared category. The roles in this category should be the roles that you know most of, not just the arias, and that could be brushed up in a week. It is a good idea to learn secondary roles that you could do now. This is a good way to get in the door somewhere.
Always bring your materials to auditions (duh) just in case. Always bring a list of your aria offerings also.
Make sure that what you wear to the audition fits you well and is a color that suits you, or it will be a distraction to some auditors… taking attention away from your singing!
And a quote to inspire: Every no is a step on the way to yes.
This entry was posted on Sunday, November 6th, 2005 at 7:09 pm