Everyone, here is an **audition experience**
Yesterday, I auditioned for the Ten Tenors, They're a full-time professional act that performs nationally and internationally and one of their singers is leaving later this year, so they have started to audition for a new voice. I was initially quite daunted when I entered their rehearsal space, (have you ever sung infront of ten professional tenors??) and I also listened to them singing some of their work. They are very good.
As i sat there waiting for the clock to hit 1pm, I started feeling uncertain- is this going to be embarrassing, are they going to screw up their faces when they hear me sing? I started getting sweaty and nervous.
When I got up to sing, the head tenor, Matt, (who is an incredible lyric tenor) came over and introduced himself and asked a few questions, and was very friendly. This made me feel a lot better. When he saw that I was singing Dalla sua pace and amor ti vieta, he said that I was a very brave man.
The first thing I noticed was that my voice sounded very dramatic and loud compared to theirs. It filled the hall entirely, and I enjoyed that feeling immensely. It kind of dawned upon in that moment of singing dalla sua pace that one day I will be singing the big operas. It was a sublime moment. A moment of clarity. Everything became incredibly easy. My throat relaxed, and I forgot about the mechanics entirely. It was like the song was singing itself. I sang like I've never sung before- and was enjoying this vast sound mingling with the echo in the hall.
When I finished Dalla sua pace, he looked at me in disbelief, and said "Oh my god! that is huge!" He said that I need to audition for the opera company immediately, and there's no way I won't get in if I sing like that.
I sang amor ti vieta next, which also felt incredibly easy. He actually stopped the accompanist, and got him to play it a semitone higher!! He stood there shaking his head as I finished the aria. I was as amazed as he was.
You have to realise that i've only ever performed once before in public singing like this (and that was a wedding)- and I'm not used to this sort of reaction from people, let alone singers. Both times I have sung in public since I debuted a few months ago (which i have been terrified of doing for years) I have not only enjoyed myself immensely, but have had gobsmacked people shaking me by the hand afterwards, so naturally, you can imagine how excited I am.
I never EVER though I would get this reaction after years of negativity and struggle. Anyway, he asked if I was available later in the year, and I'm not sure now if I want to do it. They tour constantly, and the toll on the voice I imagine could be detrimental. What I would rather do (now that my path is becoming clearer) is audition for the opera chorus here, then work towards securing roles. I didn't realise just how big my voice is, and it just seems to fill any space that I sing in. I was walking around on a high all day yesterday. Today I'm off for another singing lesson, with my fabulous teacher.
Sorry for the rant, but I'm just so excited by all this. I want to sing everywhere now.
Mirko
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