Acting in Plays, Singing/Audition ideas

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Expert: - 4/21/2008


Question
Hello, I'm a 24 year old male singer from Ontario Canada. I have been in 4 amateur community musicals including: Sound of Music, Jesus Christ Superstar, Aida, and we just finished a successful run of Annie. most of my audition pieces have been from The Phantom of the Opera, particularly "Music of the Night". My debut solo performance was of The Phantom in 1992 and I have been singing the title role ever since. But I would really like to audition for The Phantom of the Opera in a professional setting and I was thinking of some audition pieces...I am a high tenor (according to a local vocal coach) and one piece that stands out to me for an audition piece that showcases my range is "Papa can you hear me/Piece of Sky" Michael Crawford does a beautiful version of this and particularly in the last portion of the song "piece of sky" where the singer builds his voice and the pitch gets higher until the final high and powerful note: "...Papa, watch me FLY"

I realize I can't audition for Phantom in Canada at the moment because it's no longer being produced here, but whatever my next audition, whether it be professional or amateur, do you like my suggestion and do you have any songs you can suggest for a good audition piece?

Thank you

Sincerely,

Chris Wallace

Answer
Hello, Chris –

Thank you for the question.  Congratulations on your past successes.  You need to expand your horizons beyond Ontario.

If you are a legitimate tenor, then you are going to have to compete against other legitimate tenors – including, perhaps, those whom I have trained.  None of them will be doing songs associated with Barbra Streisand.  

Check out this series: The Singer's Musical Theatre Anthology - Volume 1-3, Revised - Tenor

Speaking in treble clef, all my tenors have a balanced range from at least Middle C to High C – each of them exercises higher and lower.  At any audition or performance opportunity – your job is to prove your vocal range through your material.  You must also demonstrate that you can fill the house with the sound of your voice – unplugged.

Learn some of the more challenging legitimate songs from the tenor repertoire:

Take the moment – DO I HEAR A WALTZ
Serenade – THE STUDENT PRINCE
Deep In My Heart – THE STUDENT PRINCE
Finishing The Hat – SUNDAY IN THE PARK WITH GEORGE
Stranger In Paradise – KISMET
Softly, As In A Morning Sunrise – THE NEW MOON
I'm Falling In Love With Someone – NAUGHTY MARIETTA (used in THOROUGHLY MODERN MILLIE)
Beautiful Girls – FOLLIES

I am a professional singing teacher and vocal coach in San Francisco.  When you come to the Bay Area, contact me through Craig's List –
http://sfbay.craigslist.org/sfc/lss/639441046.html

Take a look at my You Tubes:
Lorena Feijóo - A Look at "Giselle" with Seán Martinfield
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=33-a6Oa-0j4

SAMSON & DELILAH – Meet Seán Martinfield
http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=Sean+Martinfield&search=Search

I am also the fine arts critc for the San Francisco Sentinel.  Below are some links to recent articles and reviews:

HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL – At the Orpheum, San Francisco
http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=11906

TANGO EVOLUTION – At the Palace of Fine Arts Theater, April 19th – 22nd
http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=11970

SAN FRANCISCO SYMPHONY – Clarinetist Carey Bell Featured in Mozart’s Concerto in A major, April 16th – 18th
http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=11911

CHERYL BURKE DANCE – Dancing with Gavin and Jennifer
http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=11873

CHERYL BURKE RESCUES THE METRONOME BALLROOM
http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=11150

SAN FRANCISCO INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL, 2008
http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=11727

SAN FRANCISCO BALLET – Program 6 – An International Salute
http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=11592

DALE CHIHULY – Lighting-Up At The de Young
http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=11432

THE GOVERNMENT INSPECTOR – Inspecting A.C.T. until May 20th
http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?cat=10

At the Asian Art Museum – DRAMA AND DESIRE
http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?cat=10

SAN FRANCISCO SYMPHONY – 14th Season with Michael Tilson Thomas
http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=11074

MELISSA MANCHESTER – A Conversation with Seán Martinfield
http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=10419

SAN FRANCISCO OPERA – ON SCREEN AT THE CASTRO THEATRE
http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=10898

WEST SIDE STORY SUITE – Standing Ovation for San Francisco Ballet Premiere
http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=10924

ANNIE LEIBOVITZ – On her show at the Legion of Honor
http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=10764

LORENA FEIJÓO – A Conversation with Seán Martinfield
http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/index.php?s=Lorena

SWEENEY TODD – PRIME CUTS FROM DIRECTOR TIM BURTON
http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=8434

ANITA COCKTAIL and LEANNE BORGHESI – A 3-Way Dialogue
http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=8007

NORMA SHEARER in “MARIE ANTOINETTE” – At the Legion of Honor
http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=8783

JENNIFER SIEBEL – A Conversation with Seán Martinfield
http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=6361

An Interview with PASCAL MOLAT, Principal Dancer of the San Francisco Ballet
http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=305

Best regards,
Seán Martinfield

Acting in Plays, Singing

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Sean Martinfield

Expertise

I am a professional vocal coach in San Francisco. In addition to answers from a previous web site (Askme.com - where my "tag" was "VocalCoach") I have published over 2000 responses related to vocal training - particularly as it relates to Musical Theatre and Opera. I have 24 years of experience as Personal Trainer to singers and actors in the San Francisco Bay Area. I sang professionally for 20 years and know what it means to live the life of a musician. I can determine your voice category, i.e., Tenor, Baritone, Bass, Soprano, Mezzo-Soprano, Alto, Alto Belter, etc., and how to broaden and strengthen your range. Need an audition song for a Broadway Musical? I will give you suggestions that are appropriate to your vocal category and to requirements specified in the audition notice. I have also created a vocal methodology, "The Belter`s Method". It will enable those in Musical Theatre to practice more efficiently because it focuses on the demands of professional performers as well as to those auditioning for school and community productions, and as University and Conservatory performing arts majors. If what you want is a better voice and more control over your career moves and choices, contact me. Also, as the Editor of SanFranciscoSentinel.com, it is my privilege to review productions at the San Francisco Opera, Ballet and Symphony, as well as Broadway National Tours booked into San Francisco's Orpheum, Golden Gate and Curran Theatres. I also review works by A.C.T (the American Conservatory Theatre) and Magic Theatre. I cover select films, tributes and retrospects, and various international film festivals – particulary those booked into The City's opulent Castro Theatre – including the LGBT Frameline Festival, International Film Festival, Silent Film Festival, Jewish Film Festival, etc. For private vocal instruction, I can be contacted through SanFranciscoSentinel.com. Look under: Seán Martinfield, Sentinel Editor and Publisher.

Experience

As a vocal coach, I work primarily with singers and actors throughout the San Francisco Bay Area. My students range from absolute beginners to working professionals, from pre-schoolers to senior citizens. The vast majority of my clients come to me through recommendation. I know how to identify any singer's vocal category, i.e., soprano, tenor, alto, baritone, etc. I know how to muscle-up every singer's vocal range and to expand it beyond conventional definitions. I have developed a vocal methodology for those who want to know how to belt, THE BELTER'S METHOD. As a singer who spent half of his career doing Bel Canto, I know that classical or Italian methodologies do not work in Standard American music. Bel Canto cannot be "adapted" to meet the needs of contemporary American music, including the demands of the Musical Theatre. There are a number of major components to my work as a vocal coach. The first is to identify the client's vocal category and to strengthen and maximize the vocal range accordingly. Then it's about teaching a reliable vocal workout that will enable the client to gain better control of their musicianship. That includes scale work to expand the vocal range and to improve placement, breath control, and diction. Then we work on material for the audition portfolio, the immediate job or assignment, a recording session, etc. My task to is to better equip singers and actors who are hoping to or relying upon their performance skills and vocal endurance to maintain a career in the Performing Arts. My clients regularly appear in cabarets and musical productions throughout the San Francisco Bay Area. Some have worked in New York and gone on National Tours. For more information, Contact me at: Broadwaybelters@yahoo.com

Education/Credentials
San Francisco State University – BA in Theatre Arts; graduate work in Theatre, Philosophy, and Comparative Reiligion. Pacific School of Religion, Berkeley – Graduate work in Ethics

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