Behind those black doors, judges are seated at a table. There’s openings for a paid position in the opera chorus and for lead roles in the upcoming season. This year is Verdi’s Rigoletto. 

I’m waiting for my turn with a notebook of music for Nessun Dorma, La Donna e Mobile, and O Mio Babbino. I have to sing to piano accompaniment. It was a challenge to scale back the full orchestral karaoke track I’m used to singing along with. To be fair, I’ve been classically trained but I tailored my training to my own artistic desires. Opera is unapologetically, everything-ya-got, utilizing every available part of the voice type of vocal music. There’s a noticeable distinction from the opera genre compared to the pop, modern, electronic genres of vocal music. I’ve only just started investigating opera. Come to find out, I was competing with the performers from the New York Metropolitan Opera!

Needless to say, the pressure was on. My music charts were very thin arrangements and I couldn’t feel the groove with my pianist. I was sweating bullets in my audition, but gave it my best shot.

Fall 2019