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Acting in Plays, Singing/College MT Auditions-I need a great ballad for a tenor

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Expert: - 1/5/2010


Question
QUESTION: Hello,

I am a senior in high school and I am currently preparing to audition for several schools for musical theater (Carnegie Mellon, NYU, Syracuse, UCLA, to name a few).  As you know, I need to sing two contrasting songs.  I have my uptempo (King of the World from Songs for a New World), but, I am struggling to find a ballad.  I had one picked out (Marta from Kiss of the Spider Woman), but I can't find the sheet music ANYWHERE. I've loked at sheet music plus, musicnotes.com, and everywhere else I can think of.  So right now I am searching for a new ballad.  I am emailing you asking if you had any great ideas?  I am a tenor so I am particularly looking for a song that will showcase my range.  You answer will be greatly appreciated.

Sincerely,
Tevyn     


P.S. Also, If you know where I can find the sheet music to "Marta" please let me know.

ANSWER: Hi, Tevyn –

Thank you for your question.  Why private?  Many performers have concerns similar to yours.  Let's share our exchange.

Please re-submit your question openly and I will respond.

I am a professional singing teacher and vocal coach in San Francisco.  I am also the Editor and Publisher of SanFranciscoSentinel.com.  When you are in the Bay Area and want to book an appointment, contact me through Craig's List. This week’s connection is:
http://sfbay.craigslist.org/sfc/lss/1524777568.html
You may also contact me through my website: http://www.thebeltersmethod.com/The_Belters_Method/Welcome.html


Best regards,
Seán Martinfield

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Hello,

I am a senior in high school and I am currently preparing to audition for several schools for musical theater (Carnegie Mellon, NYU, Syracuse, UCLA, to name a few).  As you know, I need to sing two contrasting songs.  I have my uptempo (King of the World from Songs for a New World), but, I am struggling to find a ballad.  I had one picked out (Marta from Kiss of the Spider Woman), but I can't find the sheet music ANYWHERE. I've loked at sheet music plus, musicnotes.com, and everywhere else I can think of.  So right now I am searching for a new ballad.  I am emailing you asking if you had any great ideas?  I am a tenor so I am particularly looking for a song that will showcase my range.  You answer will be greatly appreciated.

Sincerely,
Tevyn     


P.S. Also, If you know where I can find the sheet music to "Marta" please let me know.

Answer
Hey, Tevyn –

Thank you for the question.

What you mean is – you want a ballad for a great tenor.
If you can sing “Marta” as beautifully and with as much style as can be heard on the Original Cast album (starring Chita Rivera), then consider any of the following numbers:

She Was There – SCARLET PIMPERNEL
Stranger In Paradise – KISMET
Take The Moment – DO I HEAR A WALTZ
Johanna – SWEENEY TODD
Sunset Boulevard – SUNSET BOULEVARD

Be prepared to sing the entire song, but have a 16-measure excerpt ready in case they ask. You may be requested to demonstrate a series of scales and perhaps some sight reading.

I am a professional singing teacher and vocal coach in San Francisco.  When you are in the Bay Area and want to book an appointment, contact me through Craig's List. This week’s connection is:
http://sfbay.craigslist.org/sfc/lss/1524777568.html
You may also contact me through my website: http://www.thebeltersmethod.com/The_Belters_Method/Welcome.html
I am the Editor and Publisher of SanFranciscoSentinel.com.  All my articles and interviews about the Performing Arts provide a link to my personal e-mail.

Download Carmen Milagro’s BlogTalkRadio and her recent interview with Seán Martinfield. It’s all about singing and the 2009/10 San Francisco Opera Season:
Women and Legends Who Really Rock, 9/11/2009

Take a look at my You Tubes:
”Embraceable You” – Gershwin and Rodin at the Legion of Honor
Lorena Feijóo - A Look at "Giselle" with Seán Martinfield
SAMSON & DELILAH – Meet Seán Martinfield
CA ACADEMY OF SCIENCES – A Preview Look with Seán Martinfield

Below are links to my recent interviews and articles about what's happening on San Francisco's cultural scene:
http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=55040
http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=55040


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Best regards,
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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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