How to Pick Audition Pieces

There is a lot of confusion about what song to sing for an audition; and it boils to down to a few factors:

1) What type of audition - are you auditioning for a professional opera/musical theater gig, college music major auditions, church position, or concert?  Each of these auditions has widely different criteria on what songs are appropriate for those auditions. In addition, each type of audition puts more emphasis on different factors.  For instance, a theater job will care more about your acting, whereas a straight concert gig only cares how you sing.

2) Sing your best piece FIRST - Once you determine the type of audition, you should ALMOST ALWAYS sing your best song/aria first.  There are no guarantees you will get to sing more than a minute or two.  Make the best possible first impression.  Those first fifteen seconds often determine whether you get the job or not.

3) Create a diverse package for each type of audition - For each type of audition, you need 5-8 selections you can draw upon for an audition.  While you use your BEST song first, the rest of the pieces need to be diverse in terms of tempo, acting, musical challenges, and time period in order to show the panel your breadth of talent.  There is an exception to this rule: if you don't do something well, don't put it on the list.  Judges seem to be very tuned into Murphy's Law - if they can pick the bad piece, they will!

4) Know any specific requirements/repertoire this company typically sings -  Just like any job interview, you need to investigate the company you are auditioning for.  Do they typically program a season of Mozart, Sondheim, modern English composers etc...?  This is the one exception to rule #2.  You need to sing a song that the company might actually want you to sing on their stage.  If you sing Mozart's "Hai gia vinta la causa," but the company does not perform Mozart, you are wasting valuable time to introduce yourself as the right candidate for the job.

In many ways, auditioning is exactly like a job interview: Prepare, Put yourself in the best light possible, and know the company you are working for.

DWS