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Acting in Plays, Singing/Auditioning for Pirates of Penzance

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Expert: - 4/27/2009


Question
I'm auditioning for Pirates of Penzance in about 2 weeks and need "a prepared song (at least 32 Bars) of a Broadway show tune".  I've played the Pirate King twice (in 2008 and earlier this year) in a small community theater, but this is a bigger venue.  If I shouldn't sing a song from the show, what is a good Broadway tune for a baritone when auditioning for Gilbert & Sullivan?  And what advice would you have for someone like me who knows the show, but is auditioning in front of a new director?  What are the advantages/disadvantages?  Thank you.

Answer
Hello, Patrick –

My apologies for taking so long to get back to you.

I want you to get this anthology. Click on paste the URL into your website to order on-line.  It is an anthology of songs by Gilbert and Sullivan for baritone and bass.

Gilbert & Sullivan for Singers - Baritone/Bass
http://www.sheetmusicplus.com/a/item.html?id=50060&item=4981534

The songs are published in the same key and arrangement as the original score.

The Gilbert and Sullivan operettas are as distinct a genre of music as is MADAMA BUTTERFLY from MISS SAIGON.  Your director and conductor need to hear the nuances and colors of Gilbert and Sullivan and nothing else.  For the future, if what you want is a great "operetta" song from a Broadway musical, then turn to the early years and composers such as Sigmund Romberg, Victor Herbert, and Rudolph Friml.  Consider "Marianne" from Sigmund Romberg's NEW MOON.  It and other great lyrical pieces are available in the anthology:

The Music Of Sigmund Romberg
http://www.sheetmusicplus.com/store/smp_detail.html?item=1314645&cart=3450925516...

Impress your Director with your musical finesse.  Gilbert and Sullivan may be an acquired taste for some, but for others it can be on the Top Ten List.  That's who your audience will be.  They will be the first to know if you don't get 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/1155066319.html
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Acting in Plays, Singing

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Sean Martinfield

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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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