Let's Talk Auditions: How I Prepare as a hopeful Young Artist in Opera

Picture by Melissa Joy Studios

 When people picture an opera singer, they often picture the glamorous Divas and Divos of old: the fur coats, red lipstick, and opulent outfits that one may picture Maria Callas or a wealthy member of the audience donning. 

While formal operas can still very much be glamorous, the painful reality of today's 20-something emerging artist is very different. Sure, there are some vocalists who were blessed with the privilege of pursuing their craft regardless of financial obligation; these singers (while lucky) are few and far between. I can't speak to other singers, but I do know my own background. 

This post isn't to talk about financial backgrounds, though. Let's talk about ways I prepare for an audition (and ways I prepare for audition season). 
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It's important to stay physically and mentally healthy during audition season. Constant rejections can be tough to always take of the chin, and constantly traveling can mean that you're more prone to sickness. This is my first real audition season since graduating with my Master's, so it's also my first year fully immersing myself into the hustle of auditions. 

Here are a few of the things I do to support my physical and mental health BEFORE an audition:

1. Move! Finding a realistic, consistent way to move my body and strengthen my muscles has really helped me stay healthier mentally & physically. It keeps my brain fresh, I have more energy, and that muscle soreness from working out helps me identify if I'm properly supporting my breath. I'm not saying become a body builder: just moving your body is enough.  I know a lot of people have a membership to a nation-wide gym. I personally am trying out Pilates, since a lot of it can be done without equipment and in a hotel room. I've been really liking it so far!
2. Take your vitamins. Isn't it great that audition season is also flu season? Making sure you have enough vitamins can support your immune system, so you're not getting sick as easily. If you're a low energy goblin like me, taking B-12 can help. At the very least, making sure you take a good multivitamin should be essential for every singer. 
3. Eat good:  If you're like me and you have a day job in addition to your auditions and gigs, it can be hard to find the time or energy to cook yourself a meal. That's okay; luckily we live in an age of convenience, and nourishing food is everywhere! Starving yourself to fit in a dress won't do, you'll affect the quality of your instrument with unhealthy eating habits. Fostering a healthy relationship with food is a must for those of us with our instruments living inside our body. You don't have to be perfect. I'm not a nutritionist or a dietician, so talk to a professional about the specifics. Personally, I try to eat fruit & veg with high water content and fiber daily, to keep me hydrated. I do, however, want to say that I'm certainly not perfect about eating, and you shouldn't expect yourself to be either. 
4. Practice! Okay, okay. Listen: I know you know you have to practice.  This becomes a lot harder once you're dealing with not being in school and having a full-time job. Dedicating a consistent time to warm & work your voice is essential. It's true what they say: use it or lose it. Continuing to hone your instrument is incredibly important, as is regularly practicing your audition repertoire to keep it fresh and feeling good. 

How about the night before your audition? Here's what I do:

1. Hydrate: Really, this should be a given. Making sure you're overhydrating the week before and up to your audition will ensure you're sounding your best, even if you've flown on a plane and slept in a dry-ass hotel room. A lot of singers also take their nebulizer with them (I use the VocalMist) and steam before going to bed and after waking up. 
2. Prepare: Making sure-again- that you have all your audition materials with you the night before gives you enough time to run to a store and -ohmygodIforgotmysheetmusic-print out anything or make any changes you need to your audition folder. 
3. Sleep: Again, you'd think this was a given, but you'd be surprised. Making sure you're getting enough sleep the night before an audition so you're waking up well-rested is so important. If you're flying, try to sleep on the plane. If you're driving, plan enough time so that you'll get enough sleep once you arrive at your hotel (or sleep in your car).  If you're an anxious wreck like me, you can cultivate a little bedtime routine that will help you sleep. I bring self-heating steam eye masks with me on my trips, which I use as a sleep mask to cut our excess light and give my eyes a little hydration boost. You can also do things like take a hot shower, drink uncaffeinated teas, do some gentle bedtime yoga (shoutout Yoga With Adriene, my saving grace for many audition nights), or journal. 

Okay, okay. I get it, Sarah. Drink water. Sleep. Move. What about the morning of?

1. Hydrate: Duh. 
2. Start vocalizing 3 hours before you have to sing. If you're traveling alone, chances are you won't have much of an opportunity to talk to people to help warm up your voice before auditions. Making sure you're doing soft, gentle vocal exercises while you wake up and get ready will make the warm-up process that much easier.
3. Steam: I don't care if you have to lock yourself in an unventilated hotel bathroom for an hour to steam, or you bring a nebulizer with you. Feeding your sinuses and nasopharynx some extra hydration will help you! 
4. Eat breakfast and lunch, and dinner. Whenever your audition is, eating a couple hours before so  you're not singing hungry will ensure that you're fueled and ready for (possibly) the audition of a lifetime. 
5. Not too early, not too late.  I like to schedule my auditions around 11 or 12, if I can. this gives you ample time to prepare in the morning, but you're not singing so late that the audition panel is tired of hearing people. 
6. Smile: We sing because we like to. If you got an audition, then that means the someone on that panel believes in you! Smile at yourself, relax, and go have fun. 

I hope this helps! Lord knows I'm not the authority on vocal health or audition practices, but maybe my suggestions will be of some use. Ultimately, during the yearly grind of auditions, you'll figure out your best routine for those many audition days. 

And, to any undergraduate or high school singers worried about college auditions:

You're going to be okay. Prepare your repertoire, learn to love digging through the languages you're singing in, and protect your heart. You'll end up where you need to be eventually, and it's okay if that takes time. Thank you for carrying the torch and continuing our craft.
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