Young singers have smaller ranges and shorter stamina. PT: What gets judged is your presentation of the material but if you’re not able to wrap your mind, heart, and voice around it (if you can’t master it technically, linguistically, and emotionally), then we will judge the material. You can’t fashion your repertoire according to the tastes of who is in the room, and you don’t know their taste in the first place.ĪrtsBridge: How much does my choice of audition material get judged compared to how well I present it? Choose material you connect with emotionally. You pick what you sound best in and what represents you best. ![]() One of the nice things is that most schools have similar requirements for classical voice. It’s very obvious when students have consulted the website and when they haven’t. LH: Stick to the school’s stated requirements most schools post their repertoire requirements on their website. If you start trying to please people on the panel then you end up disappointing everyone, including yourself. And then sing it as best you can and with your own authenticity. You have to go in with the repertoire that suits you, that you’re ready for, and that you like to sing. You can’t manage what other people prefer or want. I would rather hear Mary Had a Little Lamb.ĪrtsBridge: How do I manage the particular preferences of faculty at different colleges or even in the same audition room when it comes to my audition material choices? Picking a piece in order to impress is a mistake. Salvatore Champagne (SC): Choosing something that they think will impress the panel rather than something that they have a complete handle on, can sing well, and communicate through. In classical singing in particular there is a certain level of education and sophistication that we count on the student having, and one must have a spectacular talent in order for us to look past that. Choosing literature that is too advanced shows almost everything about the student’s situation in a bad light: it shows us that they’ve either had poor teaching, or it shows a lack of good judgment on the part of the student. Lynn Helding (LH): To not practice the titles of their songs or composers’ names in the foreign language (great diction when singing but the announcement/slate is a mess) makes a bad first impression, because it’s the first thing we hear in the applicant’s voice. ![]() There’s so much good rep in the world that there’s no need to rush into that stuff. ![]() Singing things that stress the student’s stamina, range, and linguistic or emotional capacity. Choosing pieces with emotionally ambitious content to which high school students may not be able to connect. Patty Thom (PT): Choosing repertoire that is too difficult for the current technical abilities of the student. ![]() Note: Faculty responses have been edited for clarity.ĪrtsBridge: What are the most common mistakes students make when choosing audition material? Patty Thom from Boston Conservatory at Berklee, Lynn Helding from the University of Southern California’s Thornton School of Music, and Salvatore Champagne from Oberlin Conservatory offer their advice for high school students getting ready for college and summer program auditions. There are lots of considerations when it comes to finding the right music school for classical singers, but one question we get frequently is: “How do I choose the right audition material?” We posed this question to three college voice faculty who are among the top experts in classical voice training in the country. Three Top College Voice Professors Offer Advice on Choosing the Best Classical Voice Rep for College Auditions
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