They idolize the opera

Thanks for all your messages about the opera auditions story that ran Friday, "They idolize the opera." It was amazing that anyone turned out at all in that snowstorm. (Our photographer, Craig Ruttle, was giving me a street-by-street snow report as I slipped and slid out to Xavier University for the story...)

Unfortunately, because of space constraints, one of my sidebars didn't make the print edition. So here it is!

"What the Judges are looking for"

What's running through the judges' heads as they listen to opera auditions? We asked the Cincinnati Opera judges what they're looking for:

Evans Mirageas (artistic director) – "This is not like a reality show. This is much more like matchmaking. She may not be the most beautiful girl at the ball, but she's the one who's going to make a lasting impression.

"The profession of singing is survival of the fittest. When a singer comes on a stage with particular promise and just does something so wrong (he grimaces) – makes an inappropriate choice, either in an aria or the way they’re presenting themselves – I do say something.

"The screening process is sometimes useless. Someone can come to you with this amazing CV, and they can't sing. On the other hand, we had a mezzo in New York, who's completely green but a wonderful talent. That voice is a major instrument, if she keeps growing. I feel that it’s important to give her encouragement, though we will not hire her."

Marcus Küchle (director of artistic operations) – "You peel it like an onion. You go first on vocal qualities, then the level of technique; does the voice have an even range? Do you hear register changes too much? What about diction? Is it clear? Is the language understandable? Is it correct? Is the intonation correct?

"Then comes the tricky issue – what roles are you looking to fill? Because you’re not looking for the best singer of the evening. You’re looking for the right person for the right role."

Henry Venanzi (chorus master) – "I think how they'll work in a section. I put in what I call blenders, voices that are sweet, mellow voices that blend the whole sound together. If I had a chorus of big individual voices, it would sound horrible, especially the soprano section. I have a few honker ones, and the rest are sweet and lyrical.

"We require a lot of repertoire in different languages at once. I listen for how linguistically astute they are. Can they keep up?

"It takes a few times of being in the opera chorus to get into the swing of it. You feel quite a bit more naked and isolated than you know. You’re up there with these world famous principal singers. People from choral groups are used to standing and singing on risers, but these are singing actors. … You can't have chorus trees standing around."

Naomi Hoyt (director of education) – "We're hiring singers who go into schools and community venues. They do four months of shows for ages pre-kindergarten through adults. We look for an ability to communicate with their audience, what they are able to do with facial expressions, how well they move and how comfortable they are in their own skin.

"It's tough to perform two shows a day for four months, five days a week, moving sets in and out and interacting with children, teachers, donors, board members, community members. They need a broad range of experience."