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Hooray! I just applied to audition for the MSO Chorus! Go me! *is as excited as a very excited person who has a reason to be excited*

*calms down* OK... as some of you may know, I have been singing with a local choir for six years, performing various classical sacred and secular works, as well as more up-to-date secular works (e.g. selections from musicals, selections of sea-related songs etc.) I've also performed solo (or solo-and-chorus) songs for them, and have also performed various light operas (Gilbert and Sullivan mostly), with one or two opera companies, for six years.

Now an opportunity has arisen for me to audition for the MSO Chorus. The MSO is the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, the most prestigious (and hardest-to-get-into) classical music gig in town, but all I need to do is to be able to read music and to have a good voice - both of which, thankfully, I have (though I hope they're good enough - fingers crossed!)

The good thing is that the upcoming concert for the MSO will be Mozart's "Requiem", which I have performed once already, so I know it very well... fingers crossed that I'll get past the first stage and actually get an audition! I'll keep you posted... but in the meantime... *jumps up and down in excitement*

OK, now... double-excited! I've also now auditioned for the Royal Melbourne Philharmonic Choir, a choir with almost as much (if not more) prestige than the MSO Chorus - and even better, it's about walking distance from work (so I can work, go have dinner, go rehearse and go home). The RMP's conductors have included such figures as Sir Malcolm Sargent, Georg Szell, Sir Thomas Beecham, and Sir Eugene Goossens - giants in the world of classical music, and without exaggeration conductors who have shaped and re-shaped classical music in Australia. So... if I can get in, either here or at the MSO... yay! *waves a little flag*

Anyway, sorry for being so hyper. I'm just excited to be considered for two such high-profile choirs here in my hometown.

Wow, congratulations Rath! I'm keeping my fingers crossed!

This sounds like an amazing oportunity for you . I really hope you get in, but have you thought about what you will do if they both want you to join? .

OMG, Rath this is amazing and I'm very excited for you!! It's a no-brainer having you sing for the MSO Chorus since you already have experience in singing Requiem. Good luck to you and let us know the results! *waves a flag along with you* ^_^

What a great opportunity! Best of luck with both, Rath!

Moon Dragon wrote:This sounds like an amazing oportunity for you . I really hope you get in, but have you thought about what you will do if they both want you to join? .

Then I'll do both somehow, of course!

Jules wrote:OMG, Rath this is amazing and I'm very excited for you!! It's a no-brainer having you sing for the MSO Chorus since you already have experience in singing Requiem. Good luck to you and let us know the results! *waves a flag along with you* ^_^

Well... that's assuming that they even give me the opportunity to audition, of course!

OK, now... triple-excited! I've not heard from the MSO Chorus yet, but I've heard from the Melbourne Philharmonic, and they will grant me an audition - so, first hurdle cleared!

Now I need to find some suitable piece to perform... *thinkthink*

Crosing my fingers for you .

Had audition last night and passed. I didn't think it would be so easy! I thought it would be much harder than it actually was.

The audition consisted of 3 parts. The first was singing scales, which I passed easily - scales are dead easy! The second part (and a little harder) was looking at notes and, first, following the rhythm (by reading the time signature and clapping out the rhythm - e.g. if the time signature is 4/4 and I have one minim followed by two crochets, then it's one long clap followed by two shorter claps, etc. - basically to see if I can read time signatures and know how long notes are). Then I was asked to only hum the notes, so he could see how well I know my notes. I nervously messed up once or twice, but aced it otherwise.

Finally came the audition piece. For the audition, I chose "Behold... The People that Walked in Darkness", a lead-in and baritone-bass aria from Handel's Messiah.

I know it very well, as I had performed in two Messiahs and had practiced it endlessly at home (as well as other Messiah arias). Since I'd memorised it, I gave up my vocal score to the pianist. I nearly got to the end of the lead-in ("For Behold") when the auditioner stopped me and said "Well done, well remembered" and assigned me a row number in the choir.

And I thought, "What, that's it? *eek!* That was ridiculously easy!" But I'm not complaining...

Congratz , I knew you could do it.

Congratulations Rath.

Awesomesausage, Rath!!! One down, one to geaux!!

That's great! I'm really happy for you, Rath! Congratulations!

Thanks all! Here's a link to the website of the Royal Melbourne Philharmonic to show you what they're all about.

The first rehearsal was an hour after my audition... and launching straight into Brahms's Ein Deutsches Requiem ("A German Requiem", written very probably to honour the passing of his mother - and quite possibly also the death of Robert Schumann, the famous composer and Brahms's personal friend). Although this work is a requiem mass and I have sung two or three different ones (including the very famous Mozart and Faure requiems), this work is written entirely in German - and I know no German. My entire experience of performing has been in English, Latin and a little bit of Italian, which are all pretty linked - but German is completely different, with different pronunciation etc., so I was (unsurprisingly) lost a few times, but every time, I managed to find my way back into the piece.

Still, I think I'd better try to learn at least a little German before the concert...! *gets to studyin'*

Das ist ja super, Rath! Gratuliere und viel Glück!
(Zum Studieren ist es beim Anfang immer lustig und lehrsam um (tolles) Material für Kinder zu beobachten. Versuch's mal mit die Sachgeschichte von der Sendung Mit Der Maus: so wie dieser Film: "Wie funktioniert das Internet?"
Oder höre ein bischen Rammstein an!

Übersetzung:
That is really super, Rath! Congratulations and good luck! (For study purposes it's at the start always fun and educational to observe (fun) material for children. Try it with the Sachgeschichte (case stories) from the Sendung Mit Der Maus (show with the mouse) like this film: "How does the Internet work?" Or listen to a little Rammstein!