Opera Theatre Auditions

Well, folks, I had my first "official" audition at CU yesterday.  Okay, so it wasn't really official, because no matter what, I get a part, but it's just a matter of which part.  Here's the story:

During Orientation, there was an informational meeting for voice majors.  During it, the director of opera here at CU made an announcement that she was teaching an opera theatre class, and she asked all students there to join.  The other faculty were quick to correct her and say, "No, you don't want freshmen." 

[Side note: CU transferred in 134 of my credits from JC.  This is enough to obtain a degree, except that I need to have a major and take a certain number of local credits.  Credit-wise, I'm a super-senior.  In the College of Music, because I haven't taken ANY music classes, I have freshman status.  I introduce myself by saying, "My name is Raissa Johnson.  I'm a vocal performance transfer student.  I'm kind of a super-senior, but mostly a freshman."]

Well, because I'm kind of a freshman, but not really a freshman, I emailed Dr. Holman and asked if she minded that I sign up for her opera theatre class, without really knowing what I was getting myself into.  I wanted to take more credits, and considering what I want to do in life, it made sense to me to take the class. 

The first day was pretty intimidating for me.  All of the people in the class are people who have been here for a while, and have taken classes together, and they all know each other.  They all have taken private voice lessons for years and rock at singing.  Not to mention that I found out that being in opera theatre class is more than just learning how to act and sing in an opera for the benefit of your classmates.  The opera theatre class puts together a program of opera scenes to perform for the community. 

So, here I am, a kind-of-freshman in an upper-classmen class, shocked to find out that I'm going to have to perform opera scenes.  In public.  Nothing like diving right in without testing the water!

WHEW!  So anyway, yesterday we had auditions for those scenes.  No matter what, I get a part.  They can't not give me a part and kick me out of class.  I mean, I know I can sing, but I'm far less trained than all of the others in my class. 

I was way more nervous yesterday than I have been in a long time. I'm not good at singing in front of small groups; I hate it.  And somewhere in the back of my head, I knew that I wasn't performing for them and that I had nothing to prove, because I am technically a freshman, but my foremost thought was that I had to show them my stuff.  I had to be awesome.  I had to prove myself to them.  (Psychologically, that is one of the worst things that a performer, or an athlete, or anyone doing something in front of people can do. I have a degree in psychology.  I know this.  But that didn't mean that it didn't happen.)

I psyched myself out. 

I'm not saying that the audition went badly, because it didn't.  And I have lungs.  I definitely sang with more energy than the rest, but the quality of the audition may not have been as good.  And I swear I'm not kidding when I say this, but my knees were knocking the whole time.  I tried so hard to make them stop by doing everything I could think of: I took a few steps, I locked them... nothing.  And I was wearing a dress.  So everyone got to see my knees knock.  Thankfully, the knocking didn't spread to my voice, and I sang decently well.

Later in the day, a few of the girls commented on my "big voice."  One said that the theatre we sang in is notorious for having no life and horrible acoustics.  She said that I was able to give it energy and made it ring.  But she also told me that I have a long way to go.  Which I already knew.  I can handle constructive criticism (most of the time). 

So the results will be posted next week.  I'll let you know what I find out!