Why is Auditioning so Bizarre?

Auditioning is the thorn in the side of every opera singer and performer. If we didn’t have to do it, life would be peachy.

So why is this crazy practice essential to our livelihoods? Is there a way around it? How do we get better auditioning?

I recently had an audition for the first time in a while. After I finished, I got to thinking about what a bonkers process auditioning really is. Let’s analyse it for a second. Auditioning (in Germany at least) normally consists of:

• travelling a distance
• waiting around for hours before or after
• sleeping badly beforehand
• trying to find somewhere to warm up quickly
• perhaps not being warmed up at all
• singing early in the day
• being visibly and obviously judged

The practice of auditioning is basically engineered for us to present ourselves at our very worst. This doesn’t seem fair. Is it just part of the life we have chosen or is there a solution to the madness?

Auditioning is Part of Life, But…

Let’s get the bad news out of the way: if you want to be an opera singer, auditioning is going to be a part of your life. However, it doesn’t have to be as bad as all that.

Why Was My Audition so Strange This Time?

There is one simple reason that my recent audition felt so strange, and I have already mentioned it: essentially, becaus I haven’t auditioned in a while.

Though it may never be an idyllic experience, auditioning gets easier and better the more we do it.

I wrote recently about how we should audition as much as possible, even if we already have a job that we are happy with. This helps us to figure out our systems, figure out our little hacks, etc. Most of all, though, it allows to cut our teeth and become used to the process. The more we do something tricky, the less fazed we are by it, Eventually it starts to feel like just another day in the office.

Nothing is as Bad as Auditioning, and That’s a Good Thing

Conversely, the hardest part of an opera job comes at the start. When we audition, we are singing under more strenuous conditions than at any other stage in a contract, in my opinion. Therefore, everything else is a downhill ride in comparison.

In a show I am currently doing, I am the first singer on stage, and my aria is the first thing I sing. Leading up to this moment, I hate it. However, afterwards, I am grateful that I was able to ‘get it out of the way’, so to speak. After the first 10 minutes, the rest of the show is plain sailing.

The same is true for an opera role. We audition right at the start. Then it’s out of the way, and we can just enjoy the show process.

A Word About Dopamine

Evolutionarily speaking, our bodies mainly produce dopamine to reward effortful behaviours (ie. a hunter gatherer finding food). This motivates us to want to do the behaviour again. Here is a (not so) quick run down.

Basically, if we have to work for something, it feels awesome. Getting a job after an audition is an excellent feeling, because we feel like we earned it. When we are given a contract ‘for free’, it doesn’t feel quite as good, somehow.

My point here is that we shouldn’t shun the difficult practices in life Auditioning is actually one of the actions that makes our job so fulfilling as opera singers.

It is true, Auditioning is bizarre, but it can also be amazing if we approach it right.

Speaking of getting things for free, have you booked your complimentary S&S consultation yet?