Audition 4

Last weekend I auditioned at Oberlin in Oberlin, Ohio. I have been hearing about Oberlin since I began studying voice with my current teacher, Maggie. She went there as an undergraduate and absolutely loved it. I was a bit concerned before I went about it being such a small town, but I also had high expectations. After I found out I had been called back at Oberlin, I got an email a teacher at Oberlin who wanted to give me a lesson. Having the opportunity to work with a teacher from a prospective school is invaluable because one's relationship with one's teacher is one of the most important factors in success and happiness at a given school.

When I went in for my lesson, he wanted to hear more about me and why I had chosen classical singing etc. We talked a while about that before moving on to my lesson. He actually employed very similar techniques as my teacher, Maggie. He spoke highly of keeping a young voice healthy and pushing enough so that one can grow and flourish but too much so that it burns out too early. 

After my lesson, there was a reception for all of the students auditioning, including voice, violin, and piano. We got to meet with all of the faculty for our respective instruments as well as other students who actually went to Oberlin. It was really nice to be able to ask them in a friendly environment how they liked the program, how they chose Oberlin, who their voice teacher was...etc. All of the people I spoke to loved the program, and they spoke highly of the unique aspects of the school, including the fact that Oberlin doesn't have a graduate program, which leaves much more performance time for all of the undergraduate students at every level. The only thing they mentioned that they wished they could do differently was to take a business class, but they did say there were other courses able to supplement the teachings of such a class. They also mentioned that they loved how easy it was to double major at Oberlin. Even though the vocal performance major is very demanding, Obelrin and Oberlin Conservatory are very close, so it is easy to take classes in both.

The next day all applicants auditioning convened for a meeting to talk about the school's program and cater any questions by parents. After that, it was just time to wait. At Oberlin they provide all students auditioning with time to rehearse with the accompanist 15 minutes prior to the audition. Even though I haven't had any serious problems with my accompanists thus far, it was very nice to be able to rehearse once with accompanist, for it offers the opportunity to set better tempi and for the accompanist to understand complicated rhythm changes etc. After my rehearsal with my accompanist, I went outside the recital hall to wait. Soon, one of the professors came to get me. I walked onto the stage as they welcomed me, and I stated my name and which song I would be singing first.

The acoustics in that room were incredible. Having such nice helpful acoustics really makes it easier and more enjoyable to sing. I went through "In Uomini" first, and it went as well as I could have hoped it would. I had been given the choice of both pieces, when I was used to the panel choosing my second piece. I decided to sing "O Sleep." However, I didn't have proper breath control through out the piece. I was ending phrases early, and in my final cadenza, I took a breath in the middle of a word. Needless to say I was starting to regret my choice. However, I was very focused and in my character constantly throughout the piece. I also realized that had I chosen "Notre Amour" and had it not gone perfectly, which isn't really possible, I would have regretted singing that as well. It made me realize how much I actaully like the panel having the power, so there isn't so much weight on me depending on the outcome. However, I did the best I could and left with a relative ease. It was over, and there was nothing more I could do about it. I knew all I had left to do was wait.