"Tip Of The Month"

"Love Is An Open Door"
Howard Richman, Lyrics by Ron Miller
Sung by Richard Fredricks -     
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THE VAGARIES OF AUDITIONS AND AUDITIONING ...
 
June, 2008 (I’ve been away ...)
 
When I left the Navy to get my education in Engineering, I really had only two immediate goals; to get into a good program (El Camino Jr. College supplied that) ... and join their Choir. I had never auditioned for anything in my life for, as a natural singer, my teachers had always just pointed at me and said you’re singing this or that! My first role was as the comic, Chu Few, in an operetta, In a Chinese Temple Garden, singing Hop Lee, the Rickshaw Man. It was a lot of fun and my first dialogue show. The audience liked me. I hadn’t auditioned. I sang for many Assembly’s, in Jr. High, just walked out to the mike and sang something, whatever the musical even might be, but did mostly chorale work in High School.

I guess my first “audition” (if you could call it that) was for R. Neil Hill, at El Camino ... I sang sixteen bars and was put in as the section leader, in the second bass section. Along came the chorale work, The Daughter of Jairus and I was told to learn the part of the Father. That went so well, my mother suggested I take voice lessons. Eleven months later, I auditioned for the Inglewood Musical Arts Society and won first place, that was $25 (which I split with my accompanist, Kay Haga, and a concert. I had never sung an Art Song, and had to learn seven, in German, French and Italian, for the concert ... in two weeks. I received my first review, from the L A Times and the critic said I sounded like a young Cesare Siepi, a great bass ... even though I sang the baritone Figaro aria, from Barber of Seville. Oh, wait a sec ... I did sing “La ci darem la mano ...” with Patricia Berke, which was from Don Giovanni, one of Siepi’s signature roles.

Two months later, I went in, music in hand, to the Horn, a Night Club in Santa Monica. I asked the boss, Rick, if I could sing a song and he asked, “What have you done?” I showed him my Times review. ”Don’t sing anything too heavy.” I sang Because of You and Rick had me sing three more songs. The audience was very generous.

“Are you interested in Summer Stock?” Rick asked. “What’s Summer Stock?” I had spent the last two years studying engineering and working a seven hour midnight shift, running a wind tunnel, at AiResearch Mfg. Co. He told me. The next day, I auditioned over the phone for an agent, Philomena Smyth, putting the phone on the top of the piano and playing and singing On the Road to Mandalay. She called back fifteen minutes later, having set up an audition, for the next day, with Lewis and Young, of the Sacramento Music Circus. I took Neil Hill with me and sang I Got Plenty of Nuttin’ with the high G at the end ... and was hired on the spot. I took a leave of absence, from my job as an assistant Lab Engineer and the next Monday, started rehearsing Kismet, in chorus, a new member of Actor’s Equity ... but, running a different kind of wind tunnel. Immediately following  that, Gershon Kingsley, the conductor at Music Circus, hired me to sing five shows a day, at the Band Stand, at the California State Fair ... again no audition. I then went off to learn more about  music, repertoire, some more piano and languages, on scholarship at the Lamont School of Music, University of Denver ... I only stayed one year, as I realized I was being taught by amateurs to be an amateur. Back to the Horn ... But ... what’s this to do with auditioning?
To be continued next month ...  Well, in about ten days ....


MAY 08 - ABSENCE OF TENSION

APRIL 08 -
THE FLAT TONGUE TECHNIQUE AND HOW DO YOU MAKE A VOWEL

MARCH 08  - THE VOICE COACHING THAT  MADE MY CAREER

FEBRUARY 08 - WHAT ARE YOU SINGING?

JANUARY 08 -
VIBRATO/WOBBLE

DECEMBER 07 - BREATHING REVISITED

NOVEMBER  07 - HOW TO KILL A COLD IN FIVE DAYS

OCTOBER 07 - A BIT MORE SUPPORT

SEPTEMBER 07 - MORE SUPPORT

AUGUST 07 - INTRO & BREATHING/SUPPORT