Two weekends ago I auditioned at Carnegie Mellon in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. I flew there straight from my NYU audition. My audition time was at 2:20, but I arrived early so I would have ample time to practice. I got there around 1:00 and was greeted by vocal students from the university. They gave me a folder and packet that gave information about the school as well as my schedule. I would be provided a practice room 30 minutes before my scheduled audition time, and I would have to go down to the audition room 10 minutes before. That left me with only 20 minutes to practice, so I had to make efficient use of my time. By 1:40 I was in a practice room warming up my voice. I warmed up the bottom as much as I could and slowly went up to the top of my vocal range. I wanted to sing through all of my pieces because of course I wouldn't know which second piece they wanted me to sing. I ran through "In Uomini" quickly, but then I began to rehearse "Notre Amour." My voice just didn't seem to have the lithe fluid quality that song so desperately needs to be musically successful. I felt my voice was tired, and I was straining to get a sound out, which does not work for that piece. "Notre Amour" requires a certain gentleness and awareness of line. You have to move with the music. It being an art song, it stands alone. Any context or background can be imagined. Anyway, I just couldn't seem to get the rhythm of the piece. I moved on to "O Sleep," which is very exposed, but was somehow more appropriate for my voice that day. I sincerely hoped that they would ask me to sing it.
After my 20 minutes were up, I hurried down to the recital hall. There I waited outside a big wooden door. Before I knew it, it was my turn. I had a few seconds to point out cadenzas to my accompanist before walking before the jury.
I smiled, said my name, and wished them good afternoon. I also stated that I would be beginning with "In Uomini" by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. As I began to sing, I recognized that amazing acoustics in the room. Of course you always want to give it your best, singing with the most accurate technical skill, but having a room with great reverberation, is always nice. It accentuates the naturally occurring vibrato in voices, and it gives a richer fuller sound. After I finished, I felt very good about my performance, which gave me confidence going into my second piece. The jury discussed for a moment, before selecting "O Sleep." I was very relieved and excited to perform it for the jury. It is always better to be excited about singing rather than dreading it. After I finished, I felt very comfortable, as if everything had gone as well as it could have for me in that situation. When I finished, one woman on the jury said, "Beautiful." Whether she meant it or not, it was very nice to hear that kind of encouragement. It made me feel as if I had moved her with my voice.
When I was done the jury asked me a few questions. One man on the jury saw on my resumé that I was Miss Charleston Teen, and he congratulated me. Then they asked me where else I had applied. I told them, and then they asked me how I would make my decision. I told them I would have to think about it long and hard. One of the men on the jury reminded me to consider teacher, performance opportunities, and graduate students. I succinctly agreed with him before they wished me a good afternoon and I walked out.
After my audition, I had a test of my musicianship. I thought it would be a theory test, but it was really an aural skills test. I walked in fairly nervous because unfortunately, sight singing is not something I have much experience with. Yes, I can read music, and I have played piano and violin, but I really need to work on my sight-singing. I guess that's what college is for! The person administering my test was a composition graduate student at Carnegie Mellon. He was very friendly and nice to me, even when I messed up. I first had to "match pitch," which is when someone plays a note, and you have to sing it back. Then I had to sing a major scale. Then he asked me to do some weird thing I really didn't understand, and it was a disaster, but oh well. Finally, I had to read three different musical lines from sight. The first went, okay. The second went, worse, and frankly, I don't remember the third. I was feeling pretty flustered, but he told me that the test did not affect my admission decision whatsoever. It was purely used to see which aural skills class I would be placed in once I arrived at the university. That was very comforting, and I left feeling more confident.
After my aural skills examination, I went to a Q&A about the school. The director of recruitment and enrollment oversaw the meeting. She gave the other prospective students who attended some information about the school and the classical vocal program before taking questions. One thing she stressed was the alternative classes Carnegie Mellon offered. One was not just about the business of being opera singer but about how to appropriately and successfully make yourself a marketable item. A class like that would be invaluable because you make have the talent and the pedigree but if you don't know how to market yourself to get jobs, what's the point? So that definitely peaked my interest. Hearing about that class lead me to my focus this month on the business of opera. I am currently learning about all the things you "should" and "shouldn't" do to make yourself desirable to work with. Somethings are out of your control, but as always, we must make the best most concerted effort to control and prepare everything we can.
All in all, Carnegie was a very appealing school, and think my audition went well. Now, I wait.
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