Dear Kelly,

 

There are many aspects of that type of audition, and

I am sure you will get several excellent suggestions

from the membership of Choralnet.

 

I would suggest that you be prepared to conduct

accompanied recitative upon going in to the audition--

e.g., "Thus saith the Lord" from Messiah, or something

from The Creation--ask for advice from a colleague

who has an advanced degree--or get with an orchestral

conductor who has performed works having accompanied

recitatives.

 

Recitative conducting is extremely important--orchestral

players usually make up their minds about you after the

first fifteen seconds of a rehearsal--having this particular

technique will earn you respect from those players, and

make a big difference in the quality of your future

performances.

 

Good luck--hope all goes well.

 

 

Cordially,

 

T'homas Sheets, D.M.A.

Hi, Kelly.  If you're experienced, don't worry about it.  Prepare the music they want and just be yourself.  When I started my Masters in Choral Conducting there was no conducting audition required, but every school is going to be different.  They accepted Masters students with good reumés; they auditioned doctoral applicants.  And I had NOT been conducting for years, but I had been performing for years.

 

But from some experience, I'd say this.  They will be deciding not whether you're ready to take over from Robert Shaw, but whether you are at the point that they can bring you up to the next level in one or two years of Masters work.  Therefore, show them what you've got, since that's what you have to show them.  They'll probably try to judge whether you've actually studied the scores, so be prepared to actually rehearse them, and have some trouble spots all picked out so they can see how you work in rehearsal.  Don't expect to get all the way through any of them, and do feel free to stop and fix things.  (I'm assuming that you'll be in front of a chorus for this.)

 

Is there going to be sightreading?  If so, there's really nothing you can do about it, so just relax and treat it as you would something brand new in a rehearsal, but scan the pages before you start to make sure you know what's there, because they'll be interested in whether or not you do.

 

It's an audition, so treat it as such.  Dress and groom nicely, but don't overdo it.  And realize that you're actually auditioning from the moment you first meet somebody until the moment after you have left, not just when the "formal" audition is going on.  They want to know how you are to work with, and whether you will waste their time by not accepting criticism and instruction, so be prepared to take any suggestions they make and run with them.

 

But mostly just be yourself, at your best of course, and show that you enjoy the music you're conducting.  And of course they may have chosen the music to see whether you understand different styles and different eras, but again there's nothing you can do about that except to show them what you DO understand.

 

All the best,

 

John

 

 

 Hi Kelly,

 

I just finished traveling for three DMA auditions.

 

The biggest advice I can give is "Talk less, sing more."  Don't ramble on about how you found this or that editorial difference, and long monologues about some aesthetic principle.  Conduct them efficiently, listening the whole time, and fix concrete problems that you hear.  Let the faculty see that you can quickly evaluate and fix ensemble problems.  Be efficient, professional, and relaxed.

 

Best of luck,

 

Dan Kreider