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Acting in Plays, Singing/building my audition repertoire

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Expert: - 8/7/2008


Question
Dear Sean,

I am a Chicago based singer/actor, and I need to build up my audition book!  It's not that I don't have great songs, it's just that I am either missing songs that really show off my range, or the songs are sung by all the other mezzo sopranos/belters in my age group (I'm 24) like "Gimme Gimme" and anything from the show, "Songs for a New World."  I am a soprano with a strong mix & belt, and I really need to add music that showcases how comfortably high I can go in my mix (an E, sometimes F) and really give me that extra edge on the competition.
If you can suggest anything at all, it would be incredibly helpful.

My range is F below mid C to High C.

Thank you so much for your time, I really appreciate it.
Cheers,
Renee


Answer
Hello, Renee –

Thank you for the question.

I want you to get the following anthologies:
Singer's Musical Theatre Anthology, Alto, Alto Belter, Mezzo Soprano:
Volume 1
Volume 2
Volume 3

The vast majority of sopranos do not sing to Low F.  As a professional vocal coach I know that true sopranos cannot sell nor maintain the roles designated to alto/belters.  Ask an alto/belter.

If you are a mezzo-soprano who can belt, then you will find the above anthologies very useful.  The songs are published in the same keys as the original score.  Your marketability is not confined to any one particular area of your voice.  Your job at an audition is to show the producers why you are perfect for a particular role.  That is accomplished through material that reflects the range and particular demands of the role as well as the personal traits and sensibilities of anyone who has played it before or will play it decades from now.  In other words – "type".

What if the audition notice required 16 measures of "Gimme Gimme" from THOROUGHLY MODERN MILLIE?  If I am on the audition panel, I will know the moment you walk out if you are within the physical range of the "type" my Producer is looking for.  Assuming you are and assuming the long line of girls wrapped around the block behind you are all within that spectrum, then I have to listen to "Gimme Gimme" until it's finally over.  I'm sure I will have cut most everybody after 8 measures, maybe less.  Even if callbacks are necessary, only one of you will get the job.

It's not about having a "better song".  It's about being the right fit.

Your job as a mezzo-soprano with a belt is to know the repertoire, the nature of the characters who sing it, and be excited about the very limited number of roles you may one day portray – wherever that may happen and especially as time goes by.  My job as your personal vocal trainer is to help you compete effectively and to demonstrate to the Producer and Conductor that your voice will withstand the extensive rehearsal process and protracted run of the show.

Broadway-type auditions are not always confined to Broadway songs.  Depending on the circumstances and, again, in relationship to the true nature of your vocal category – you can take whatever song you believe will give you a competitive edge and transpose it to suit your needs.  Just don't put it into keys with more than four sharps or flats.  You don't want to alienate the well-intentioned accompanist available to you that day.

I am a professional singing teacher and vocal coach in San Francisco.  To book an appointment, contact me through Craig's List – http://sfbay.craigslist.org/sfc/lss/786516422.html I am also the fine arts critc for SanFranciscoSentinel.com.  All my articles and interviews provide a link to my personal e-mail.

Take a look at my You Tubes:
Lorena Feijóo - A Look at "Giselle" with Seán Martinfield
SAMSON & DELILAH – Meet Seán Martinfield

Below are links to recent articles and reviews:

THE MIKADO – Opens 56th Season of The Lamplighters Music Theatre
http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=15390

FESTIVAL OPERA’S A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM – Opens Saturday, August 9th
http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=15352

SAN FRANCISCO SYMPHONY’S 2008-09 SEASON
http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=15362

BERNADETTE PETERS – A Triumph In San Francisco
http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=15150

THE DROWSY CHAPERONE – Detours Ahead
http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=15107

INON BARNATAN, Pianist – Thursday Night, Davies Symphony Hall
http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=14913

THOROUGHLY MODERN MILLIE – at Broadway By The Bay
http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=14777

AMERICAN IDOL – A ‘REALITY’ WAKE-UP CALL AT SAN FRANCISCO CITY HALL
http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=14720

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http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=6361

A CHORUS LINE – at the Curran Theatre
http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=14702

‘TIS PITY SHE’S A WHORE – At A.C.T.
http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=13840

A CONVERSATION WITH IAN ROBERTSON – Director of the San Francisco Boys Chorus
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http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=14576

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http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=14127

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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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