Professional shares trade secrets with NE singers
by Vanessa Kekoanui, reporter

    Music students received real life lessons on auditioning from a professional opera singer, stage director and teacher last week.

    Raymond Salazar worked with students one-on-one and as a group during a masterclass.

    Student performers for the afternoon’s event included guitarist Mike Morley, cellist Sarah Robey, pianist Thomas Hoops and tenor Kenny Clymer, accompanied by Dr. Vernon Boyd, music instructor.

    Each student was allowed to enter the stage area, perform and exit as each normally would do.

    Salazar demonstrated every rule that could possibly be broken during the audition process by presenting a “worst case” scenario. He entered with an Opera News magazine and a book of music. He turned his back on the audience, talked about the magazine with the accompanist, discussed the piece of music with Boyd and hammered out a beat by snapping. After Boyd began playing, Salazar told him to stop playing and said he had brought the wrong music.

    Turning to the students, he asked, “Now would you hire me?”

    Students gave a resounding “No.”

    The guest lecturer then gave everyone what he terms “a damn good recipe” for a successful audition.

    “To start with, there are three words that you need to have in order to be successful: Cha-ris-ma. You’ve got to have charisma.

    “You’ve got to give them energy. They want to be entertained, and they don’t care what kind of garbage you have in your life. That has to be left at the stage door,” he said.

    Salazar said the second thing a performer needs is appropriate attire. One student’s t-shirt from MTV’s hit show Jackass was pointed out to be a prime example of something a performer should not wear to an audition.

    “After all, this is an interview for a job,” he said.

In response to his question about what makes a successful audition, students answered “when it feels good” and “when I know I’ve done my best.”

    Salazar agreed that the comments made were all what a successful audition entailed.

    “It is something that you agree is a success with you. If you say to yourself, I am going to sing this one A-flat that I have been singing as an F in the audition and you do it, then it is a success. If you say to yourself I keep missing that one rhythm, but you do that one rhythm right in the audition, then it is a success. Even if you do not sing or play everything correctly, as long as you have accomplished that one goal, you have made for yourself, then that is a successful audition,” he said.

    Salazar then worked with all of the performers individually on how to walk into the room. He described a technique for looking energetic and confident.

    “Imagine that you have firecrackers on your heels. This will always give you energy,” he said.

    Salazar also taught the performers how to speak effectively when presenting themselves and discussing their musical selections. He warned students not to speak too softly. Otherwise, they might sound as though they were apologizing for being there.

    He encouraged the audience to speak out.

    “You’re there because you’re entitled to it. You’re there because you are that good. You are there because you deserve it,” he said.