Auditioning classical singers for new group: One Ounce Opera, April 1

One Ounce Opera announces spring auditions for classical singers on Sunday, April 1st from 1-4pm in Central Austin. Deadline for request is Friday, 3/30/12. Auditions scheduled as received, so apply early! Audition fee will be $20 cash, taken at the time of audition. Accompanist provided.

To request an audition, email Julie (julie@oneounceopera.com) the following:
-Your resume with complete contact information
-A recent headshot or picture
-Titles of four pieces you would like to offer at the audition, contrasting styles and languages (at least one in English)
-Email addresses and names of two professional references (if not included on resume)
-link to singer website, if available

You are welcome to join our dynamic team if you:
1)are at least 21 years of age,
2)have substantial professional vocal training specific to opera performance, and have performed at least one complete operatic role,
3)have a nice repertoire of arias, art songs, and legit musical theater pieces (no Rent or Wicked, etc.) that you can sing on command,
4)are prepared to be both serious and silly in front of a live audience, are open-minded, and enjoy improvisation,
5)enjoy interacting with a crowd and being “among them” when not on stage,
6)can sing weeknight gigs,
7)are intrigued by being in a non-traditional venue where people enjoy adult beverages.
8)LIVE IN AUSTIN or within 90 miles of the Capital City.

Who should NOT audition? Divas (no kidding!). We look forward to meeting you!

Website: http://www.oneounceopera.com

Reviews from Elsewhere: Paul E. Robinson on Austin Lyric Opera's Magic Flute, November 5, 11 and 13

Found on-line at www.theartoftheconductor.com:

AOL Flute Lacks Magic!

Posted November 8, 2011 at www.theartoftheconductor.com

by Paul E. Robinson in LIVE CONCERT and OPERA REVIEWS

The Magic Flute by Mozart

Austin Lyric Opera directed by James Marvel; Conductor: Richard Buckley
The Long Center, Austin, Texas, November 5, 11 and 13
Review of performance of Saturday November 5

Congratulations are in order for the Austin Lyric Opera on the occasion of its 25th Anniversary. The organization also deserves enormous credit for dealing quickly and apparently effectively with a serious financial crisis that came to a boil last spring. Changes since then have included the resignation of General Director Kevin Patterson, the listing of ALO’s office building for sale, and major program cuts to the 2011-2012 season. Kevin Smith was appointed interim General Director and principal conductor Richard Buckley was given the additional title of Artistic Director.

Mozart’s “The Magic Flute“ was the first opera the ALO produced in its inaugural season in 1987. In a program note Kevin Smith declares that the theme of the 25th anniversary is “Let the Magic continue…;” unfortunately, there was little, if any magic in James Marvel’s production of “The Magic Flute.”

Let it be said at the outset that “The Magic Flute” is full of wonderful music, but the libretto is an unruly mishmash of comedy and spirituality. It is a huge challenge for any director to make sense of it all and put it together in a way that is both faithful to Mozart and intelligible for the audience. Come to think of it, there are any number of Shakespeare plays that have a similar challenge.

I don’t know this for a fact, but I would guess that director Marvel had another challenge too: how to mount a production of one of Mozart’s greatest operas with a severely trimmed budget resulting from the ALO’s financial troubles.

Click to read the full review by Paul E. Robinson at www.theartoftheconductor.com . . . .

Auditions for Sarah Silver Hands, Vortex Repertory, June 25

Received directly from Bonnie Cullum at the Vortex Repertory:

Auditions for

Sarah Silver Hands
A world premiere opera by Chad Salvata
Directed by Bonnie Cullum

Saturday, June 25, 2011 by appointment

at The VORTEX, 2307 Manor Rd. (click for map)

For an audition appointment email vortex@vortexrep.org or call Bonnie Cullum at 512-478-LAVA

Sarah Silver Hands is a new opera by award-winning Austin composer Chad Salvata. Salvata has received B. Iden Payne and Austin Critics’ Table Awards for his original works including Vampyress, The Dragonfly Princess, and Pythia Dust. Sarah Silver Hands creates the fantasy world of the Autumn Kingdom and is suitable for all ages.

Rehearsals in August-September 2011. Performances October 8-November 5, 2011. Performers will receive a stipend.
Seeking strong Singer/Actors any gender, any ethnicity. Especially seeking a young woman who can pass for 13 years old to play Sarah Silver Hands.

Audition Preparation: Resume and headshot. 1-2 minute of song to be performed with accompanist.

Upcoming: Auditions for The Mikado, Gilbert & Sullivan Society of Austin, March 4 & 5

Received directly:

The Austin Gilbert & Sullivan Society announces

Auditions for The Mikado

Saturday, March 5 & Sunday, March 6
By appointment only

Call Chuck Antonie at (512) 733-1006 or (512)-825-5187 or email cantonie@yahoo.com to reserve an audition time slot.

Complete information at www.gilbertsullivan.org

The Gilbert and Sullivan Society of Austin announces auditions for its June 9-19 production of The Mikado by W. S. Gilbert and Arthur Sullivan. Ralph MacPhail, Jr. and Jeffrey Jones-Ragona will be returning as artistic and musical directors, respectively.

Auditions are approximately ten minutes long, by appointment only. All 33 roles (except that of Katisha) are open for casting, including principals and chorus. A prepared, accompanied aria, completed audition form, résumé, and headshot are required. A small honorarium will be paid to all performers. For complete details, visit www.gilbertsullivan.org. Auditions will be held at Genesis Presbyterian Church, 1507 Wilshire Blvd.

About The Mikado
Last produced by the Society in 2005, The Mikado has delighted audiences for more than a century, and is arguably the most popular comic opera ever written. This quintessential satire of human nature represents both Gilbert and Sullivan at the height of their creative geniuses.

The Mikado opened in London on March 14, 1885, and ran for a record-breaking 672 performances at the Savoy Theatre. This comedy about an executioner, while set in Japan, displays wit that is very much British, albeit kimono-clad. Victorian England is the target of Gilbert's satire, thinly disguised as a strange and distant land. Its influence on popular culture is pervasive, from “Pooh-Bah,” “Tit-Willow," “A Wandring Minstrel I” and “Three Little Maids” to the 1999 Mike Leigh film “Topsy-Turvy” which tells the story of the creation of The Mikado.

The Gilbert & Sullivan Society of Austin was founded in 1976 with the purpose of education by preserving and presenting the works of Gilbert & Sullivan. The Gilbert & Sullivan Society is sponsored in part by the City of Austin’s Cultural Arts Division and the Texas Commission on the Arts.