2022 Auditions Page
2022 AUDITION INFORMATION:
PLEASE READ THIS ENTIRE PAGE
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GENERAL INFORMATION
This year, because of the uncertainty about venue availability, among other things, we are contemplating a late spring production, which will likely either be one of our simpler, shorter operas, or selected scenes from NCFO's repertoire.
PERFORMERS: Everyone who wishes to perform needs to schedule an audition. The audition process includes the vocal evaluation (on Zoom) as well as time to fill out an online form.
NON-PERFORMERS:If you would like to be involved in some capacity other than as a performer, we welcome people who would like to experience other aspects of our production. Opportunities are available in many areas! If interested, contact auditions22@familyopera.org or call 617-835-3162.
FAMILIES OF PERFORMERS:PLEASE NOTE that every family must sign up for volunteer work at the time of auditions. The areas in which we need help this year will evolve as we narrow our choice of production
WHEN
Auditions will be held BY APPOINTMENT ONLY during the month of December and early January.
WHERE
All auditions will be held on Zoom. If you do not have access to Zoom, please let us know at the time that you schedule your audition.
TO SCHEDULE AN AUDITION AND FOR MORE INFORMATION
Email auditions22@familyopera.org
Or call 617-835-3162.
HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE?
The vocal audition process should take between about 30 minutes and 1 hour, depending on how many family members are performing.
AGE REQUIREMENT
Anyone currently 7 or older can participate, from children to adults, inexperienced to classically trained. There is no maximum age.
We ENCOURAGE participation in our productions by multiple family members, both onstage and offstage.
We REQUIRE that:
- an adult perform onstage with all children currently younger than 10
- an adult attend rehearsals with all children currently younger than 12
We may also ask that an adult perform or attend rehearsals with some children above these age limits.
FAMILY PARTICIPATION AND WORK REQUIREMENTS
We ask all cast member families to help in the following ways:
- We require all participating families to sign up to help with general tasks that support the production (set construction, painting, rehearsal cleanup, sewing costumes, etc.).
- Participants may sign up to manage a specific task for the production (time commitment varies).
- Participants may sign up to join an NCFO standing committee, working on issues not related solely to the current production (e.g., fundraising and development, publicity and marketing, logistics, etc.)
When you fill out the online form, we will ask you to tell us what jobs you would be willing to do.
DONATION AND FEES
NCFO is a self-supporting non-profit organization. We do not charge a fee for participating in our production, nor do we charge admission to our performances. We gratefully accept voluntary, tax-deductible donations to help cover our production costs. Please consider donating to North Cambridge Family Opera, in any amount, if you enjoy being part of our production or attending our performances.
REHEARSAL AND SCHEDULE INFORMATION
Rehearsals will begin in January. Depending on the COVID situation, these may be on Zoom.
Generally, we rehearse on Sunday afternoons. The entire company rehearses later in the afternoon, typically from about 4:00 to 6:30. Some members of the chorus are also in small ensembles, which rehearse between 2:30 and 4:00 (different small ensembles rehearse in this time window each week). We block 12:30 to 2:30 for individual work with soloists, mainly the leads. We send out an email with a detailed schedule, including who arrives when, a few days before each rehearsal.
This year we're playing things by ear, so the precise structure of our Sunday afternoon rehearsals may be a bit different from past years, but everyone can count on being at rehearsal Sundays 4:00 to 6:30.
The last couple of weekends before our performances (dates TBD), we rehearse both Saturday and Sunday afternoons.
COVID REQUIREMENTS:
Everyone attending rehearsals MUST be vaccinated. Proof of vaccination will be required.
Our rehearsal venue has excellent ventilation as well as the capability to Zoom rehearsals to those not yet meeting the COVID requirements.
PREPARING FOR THE VOCAL AUDITION
PLEASE NOTE: The Zoom vocal audition will be recorded.
The vocal audition is easy and low-key: our musical director will:
- lead you through a set of vocalization exercises
- probably listen to you sing Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star (or some other song you are comfortable with singing)
- have you sing any music you may have prepared for solo roles or close harmony ensembles
Ordinarily, all family members who want to perform in our show audition at the same time. The recording is used for casting and will help us to evaluate both your singing and your acting abilities.
If you wish to be considered for one of the principal roles, please come prepared to sing the music provided. The printed and recorded music to audition for lead roles is available for download in the AUDITION MATERIALS section below, or can be obtained from:
- David Bass, 23 Norris St., Cambridge, 617-354-2797, david@familyopera.org
You don't have to decide which role to sing for: how we cast you will not depend on which song you sing, so just choose the song(s) that fit well in your range. Please do NOT ask the director what role you or your child should try out for, as it really doesn't matter.
If you are not auditioning for a lead role but are interested in a small, more challenging chorus, you should learn a short passage (see below) to demonstrate your skill at singing harmony. Even if you are not interested in a close harmony ensemble, it would be helpful for my casting efforts if you could learn and sing this passage to show me your abilitiy to sing harmony, but it is not required. If you do not want a lead solo or to be in a close harmony ensemble, you don't need to prepare anything to sing.
AUDITION MATERIALS
If you want to be considered for one of the larger solo roles: you MUST prepare using the sheet music and MP3s provided below (your choice which of the four songs to prepare). You will be asked to sing a solo with just the accompaniment and a line from "Tom O'Bedlam" with other voices singing as well. It is therefore important that you practice both songs, with all of the MP3s provided, especially the one that will be played in your audition (noted below).
If you are not interested in one of the larger roles, but would like to be considered for a close harmony ensemble, or if you would just like to have fun demonstrating your harmony skills (which I appreciate, helps me with casting), you may sing "Tom O'Bedlam" (under "Materials for Harmony Auditions" below).
All other auditions require no preparation.
Materials for Principal Solo Auditions
You will sing along with your own computer. You can wear earbuds or headphones on one ear if you're comfortable, but you don't have to. (Email david@familyopera.org if you have questions about this)
Piper's Galliard - Sing Queen Elizabeth's part, bars 48-93. This has some dramatic high notes. (The spoiled rotten royalty, but with an unrequited crush on the immensely charming but roguish Sir Digory Piper)
ALSO sing the Harmony Line from Tom O'Bedlam below
See the score
Hear the passage with all voices
Hear the passage with just Queen Elizabeth singing
Hear the passage without Queen Elizabeth singing (this is what you will play at your audition)
Lady Mary's Lament - Sing bars 122-157. A mezzo soprano passage with some tricky intervals. (Lady Mary is experiencing perhaps the first historical case of FOMO syndrome)
ALSO sing the Harmony Line from Tom O'Bedlam below
See the score
Hear the passage with Mary and chorus singing
Hear the passage with just piano and chorus (this is what you will play at your audition)
The Last Unicorn - Sing bars 67-100. If you have a huge vocal range, this is your chance to show it off. (Sir Digory Piper has been sentenced to death for piracy, and must charm his way back onto Queen Elizabeth's good side by giving her a piece of wash-up jetsam while telling her a preposterous story about it.)
ALSO sing the Harmony Line from Tom O'Bedlam below
See the score
Hear the passage with Piper's part sung
Hear the passage with just the accompaniment playing (this is what you will play at your audition)
Master of the Rolls - Sing bars 1-37. Yes, there really was a Sir Julius Caesar. (A real hanging judge, Sir Julius was. No mercy.)
ALSO sing the Harmony Line from Tom O'Bedlam below
See the score
Hear the passage with all voices
Hear the passage with just Caesar singing
Hear the passage without Caesar singing (this is what you will play at your audition)
Materials for Harmony Auditions ("Tom O'Bedlam")
Soprano and Alto
See the score
Hear bars 201-209 with just Thomasina's part sung
Hear bars 201-209 with just the orchestra
Hear bars 201-209 with all parts sung
Hear bars 201-209 with all voices except Thomasina and Myles (this is what you will play at your audition)
Tenor and Bass
See the score
Hear bars 201-209 with just Myles's part sung
Hear bars 201-209 with just the orchestra
Hear bars 201-209 with all parts sung
Hear bars 201-209 with all voices except Thomasina and Myles (this is what you will play at your audition)
Optional - If you're interested in a supporting role and want to show off how beautiful your voice is, you can sing Clement's part.
See the score
Hear bars 189-205 with Clement's part sung
Hear bars 189-205 without Clement's part (this is what you will play at your audition)
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