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Acting in Plays, Singing/Les Mis School Edition Audition Song

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Expert: - 2/8/2009


Question
Hello Sean!

Thank you for reading my question. I'm sure you get plenty of "what audition song should I use?" questions without my adding to them, and I really appreciate you taking your time to respond to mine.

I am 15 and have not yet had enough training to determine my voice type. I have a baritone-esque (but not fully developed) range with tenor-like quality of, comfortably, about an A2 to a G4. Though I don't have a great amount of formal training, I have been in many musicals and can retain my range through a long show.

Toby's Teen Professional Theatre, an excellent summer theatre program in my area, is doing Les Mis School Edition this summer, and I would really like to go for Enjolras. At the same time, I am happy simply to be in such a great show with such a prestigious company.

In my audition, I would like to highlight my ability to sing Enjolras's range while demonstrating that my range is wide enough to sing a variety of chorus parts as well. Do you have any song suggestions that would highlight this?

The audition calls for two 16 bar songs: one ballad, one up-tempo.

Thanks again for answering my question!

Sincerely,

Tim

Answer
Hey, Tim –

Thank you for a really well-written question.

The role of "Enjolras" in LES MISÉRABLES is a significant supporting role.  Your job at this audition is to prove your Baritone/standard Rock chops.  It is a "flamboyant" role in the sense that it is larger than life.  Enjolras is a young Hero suddenly thrust into a desperate situation.  Anyone who does a role like this would probably do well in other extravagant drama – such as "Laertes" in Shakespeare's HAMLET.

You must prepare yourself to compete against other similarly qualified (perhaps older) candidates.  Practice smart and hard.  Make sure you know all of Enjolras' material.  Don't hand the role over to someone else simply because of lack of preparation.

I want you to invest in these anthologies.  Click on or paste the URL into your browser to purchase on-line:

The Singer's Musical Theatre Anthology - Volume 1 Revised - Baritone/Bass
http://www.sheetmusicplus.com/store/smp_detail.html?sku=HL.361074&cart=912014064...

The Singer's Musical Theatre Anthology - Volume 2 -Baritone/Bass
http://www.sheetmusicplus.com/store/smp_detail.html?sku=HL.747033&cart=912014064...

The Singer's Musical Theatre Anthology - Volume 3 - Baritone/Bass
http://www.sheetmusicplus.com/store/smp_detail.html?sku=HL.740125&cart=912014064...

Consider the songs below.  They are contained in the anthologies and are published in the same keys as the original score.

Private Conversation  – SIDE SHOW
You Should Be Loved – SIDE SHOW
The Devil You Know – SIDE SHOW
I've Heard It All Before – SHENANDOAH
Guido's Song – NINE
I, Don Quixote – MAN OF LA MANCHA

Whatever you choose to sing, push "Enjolras" through it.

I am a professional singing teacher and vocal coach in San Francisco.  When you want to book an appointment, contact me through Craig's List – http://sfbay.craigslist.org/sfc/lss/1030053071.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:

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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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