When is the Laughing song not so funny..... Current mood: stressed Category: Jobs, Work, Careers
As it turns out music is not my main career, but it is my main passion. I am as passionate about now as I was when I packed my bags to go to the Crane School of Music - maybe more so.
Yesterday I had my re-audition to continue to sing with Long Island Masterworks. I hadn't ever sung for the director in my true range and she hasn't heard me since I started studying. I was excited to sing this audition.
I had decided to pull out Adele's Laughing Song from Die Fledermaus by Strauss. Its showy enough and isn't too hard. I re-worked it with some updates and changes from my performance of it in March. I sang it earlier that afternoon and again in the car and I was confident that I was ready.
I had to teach a lesson before I went. It was in Massapequa which is on the way to Commack from my house. Traffic being what it is here, I really expected to need 30 minutes to make the drive but gave myself 45 minutes. Good plan - I needed 43. It was pouring rain, the traffic was horrible, then a car flipped right in front of me and skidded off the road on its roof right before I got off at my exit. I was a little bit rattled but refused to let it interfere with the performance I needed to do.
I get there, fill out my paperwork, and wait my turn. It was nice, I passed the time with some friends I hadn't seen all summer and some for the spring prior as well as last year I was unable to sing with the LI Philharmonic due to a conflict on performance dates.
Oh lord, its my turn....... I grab my things and walk down the hall to where she's waiting. She's a phenomenal accompianist so I'm actually looking forward to this. That was where I went wrong.
I open my mouth and start to sing the second verse which we agreed to be our start place. We are doing fine with the out of tune piano, diction is good, intonation is overall ok, in my opinion. We get to the cadenza and she slows it down to a crawl. She is testing me to see how long I can hold the High C before I crack. That I managed to pull off, but overall this was not my best performance. I felt unraveled around the edges, she didn't appear impressed at all.
She told me that I was definately singing in first soprano-land and where was I seated last year? I told her I was sitting on the line of first and second. She said I could be a first but she may have to move me if she isn't hearing what she needs to. She commented that my diction was good, but my intonation needed work. OK That may be true as I was singing with a piano that was scarily out of tune.
As I said, I was rattled now, good and proper. I handled it better than the year before though and for that I was thankful. She had me do some sight reading which was perfect and she told me I did a great job. Then some scales. She stretched me good up high but I hit them all and in tune. She tested my perfect pitch. That was the first time ever, that I couldn't rise to the occasion. I froze.
I have always had perfect pitch. Its not something I questioned a lot, I have been tested up the ying yang ( and where is the ying yang you ask? another post perhaps) all with positive results. Yes ma'am. Your daughter has perfect pitch. OK so I tell her that I am not sure anymore if its true because seriouly I am starting to wonder.
So she says OK sing an E. I look at her and sing an E. She said thats an E. She says, sing a B flat, I sing a b flat. She tells me that sometimes perfect pitch can waver when you are studying hard and being fed notes. It sometimes happens that the gift fades temporarily and then comes back. She tells me that she trusts it but not to worry I may have really good relative pitch that I can retain for really long periods of time.
I'm not particular to be honest but the last thing I need right now is to start doubting the abilities I've built so much on. It rattled me further to be honest; I've never frozen up like that on this test.
This was an audition like none other. When it was all done, I said "I dont know what it is about you, but I only get nervous in front of you"
Her answer was "Hey kid, thats the story of my life."
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