This Independence Day, I hope you are able to hear a STELLAR version of our National Anthem. You may even be asked to sing it somewhere! This is my all-time favorite version, I know you'll enjoy it. Her choices to use head voice, chest voice and mix are so well executed. She sings this the way it's meant to be sung---it's not about her flashy vocal fireworks, but about the cost of freedom. This is a masterclass in one listen:
​

​​Often, when I tell my students I have an upcoming audition I’m preparing for they say, “Woah, you still have to audition?” 
 
Yes, even professional singers still audition. I’d like to share with you my most recent audition experience.
 
In September, I was asked to re-audition for a gig that I’ve held since before Covid. It is not strange to be asked to re-audition…things change in a year and a half! I was thrilled to get the chance to sing live for humans again! 
 
In preparation, I took 2 lessons with my own voice teacher (YES, I still take my own voice lessons as the voice is always growing and changing…and aging!). We warmed up, and worked through technique for my chosen repertoire.  The company asked for 1 aria/art song in English and one in either French, Italian, or German.
 
I chose “Joy” by Ricky Ian Gordon and “Du gai soleil” from the opera Werther.  I love singing both of those pieces, and they fit my voice well.  They are also just different enough to be exciting and show off a couple of higher notes where my voice sparkles! 
 
The company also asked that we prepare to sight-sing. This is always so nerve-wracking! They give you several lines of notes and a starting pitch. After 30 seconds of looking over it, you must begin!  I look for the key, any tricky rhythmic places, wide intervals, or accidentals. I trust my musicianship and use a combination of solfege, pretend piano playing with my fingers, and interval recall to sing through the line. My best advice is to just keep going! Try not to judge yourself as you’re singing through. Did I sing the lines with 100% accuracy? No way…but I did keep going, trying to nail the rhythm and accidentals! As someone who is a much better “preparer” than “on the spot” singer, I was relieved when I came to the end! 
 
Auditions are always nerve-inducing, but if you prepare fully you’ll be less nervous. Allow yourself to really become your character, so you’re not thinking about anything else. You can’t truly be present as your character if you’re thinking about your dress, what the conductor is thinking, or what you’ll have for dinner 
 
I walked out of my audition feeling grateful and fulfilled. I sang for an actual human being!!! It was truly thrilling. 

​The old saying is, “practice, practice, practice” but in my experience, that’s only 10% of it!
 
Growing up singing in North Carolina, I always dreamed of being a professional musician. I began voice lessons in middle school and never stopped. It hasn’t been all rainbows and sunshine, though. There have been auditions I didn’t get and performances that were far from my best (namely the time I forgot the words to the National Anthem—I “saved” it, but how embarrassing!). The pandemic has further complicated performing with many engagements being rescheduled and cancelled. 
 
I always knew I didn’t need to star on Broadway or sing at the Metropolitan Opera to feel like I was a successful musician. I was happy to sing smaller, local engagements and I still am!  Those smaller gigs paved the way for my successful journey to Carnegie Hall on Monday 2/21/22. 
 
Let’s take a look at some of the steps involved:
 
Voice lessons 16 years
Piano lessons 5 years
Guitar lessons 2 years
Hundreds of auditions (in person and virtual) and mostly hearing “No”
1 Young Artist Program
2 self-promoted concerts
10+ Professional Opera/Chorus gigs
Church choir section leader 5+ years
Bachelor of Music degree
Master of Music degree
 
Those are just the musical steps, without mention of the physical, mental, financial, and emotional demands of auditioning and performing! 
 
So, what does it take to get to Carnegie Hall you ask? 
 
Practice, perseverance, and a little bit of crazy. You must be crazy enough to actually think you can pull it off, and willing/able to sacrifice aspects of your personal life at times. I’d like to add that having a strong support system of family, friends, teachers, and colleagues has helped me through the years.