MUS 593-02

MUS 593-02

From Singer to Artist: A Seminar

Fall, 2008

Pack Place, Asheville, NC

Fridays, 3:00pm-5:30pm

(except for master class and make-up class--see schedule for details/also note special times for interviews)

Instructors:

Kristen Yarborough David Craig Starkey

Company Manager General Director

Asheville Lyric Opera Asheville Lyric Opera

236-0670 236-0670

companymanageralo@yahoo.com ashevillelyric@yahoo.com

Dr. Mary Kay Bauer Dr. William Martin

WCU Voice Faculty WCU Voice Faculty

227-3275 227-3955

mkbauer@email.wcu.edu wmartin@email.wcu.edu

Office Hours: For ALO Staff, Office hours are M-F, 10am-5pm (please make an appointment). For WCU Faculty, office hours are by appointment.

I. Rationale/Purpose This course enables a graduate student in voice to take his/her skills learned in an academic setting and begin applying them within the context of the professional world. By developing tools, both on paper and in performance that represent the best version of the artist, the audition setting will be more rewarding for the singer and the casting agent or director. This course will empower the student to be well-prepared and equipped to seek work in his/her field upon graduation.

II. Course Objectives: By the end of this course, students will:

· Develop musical, personal and dramatic skills that will lead to successful professional and academic auditions

· Develop materials that will lead to successful professional and academic auditions

· Learn how to create a strong, positive impression on opera professionals through materials they present

· Learn how to communicate with opera professionals

· Learn positive physical presentation of repertoire in auditions

· Develop professional opera networking

III. Course Materials:

Although no specific text is required for this course, students are expected to provide their own music. It is recommended that students develop their own music library and purchase scores of appropriate arias and operas for their own personal library.
Supplemental readings and background readings may be assigned by the instructor(s).

IV. Course Activities/Requirements:

Seminar Journal: This journal will contain an entry for each of the seminar meetings. The weekly journal entry is to be turned in to Dr. Martin no later than 2 days after the class meeting. Further details about the Seminar Journal will be presented in a separate handout.
Full Audition Portfolio: résumé, repertoire list, cover letter, audition repertoire list (optional items include headshot and recording--headshot is strongly recommended because it is necessary to take auditions--but not required for the class)
A Midterm written exam will be administered around week 8
Mock Audition: A Mock audition will be performed before all faculty during exam week. Further details about this activity will be presented in a separate handout.
Oral Examination: An Oral Examination will be conducted by 3 WCU faculty during the last week of school. This examination will be based upon class content as presented in journal entries. Further details about this activity will be presented in a separate handout.
Interview of Opera Professionals: Elise Sandell, stage director

Diane McEwen-Martin, soprano

(dates and times are included on the schedule)

Masterclass with Dr. Jon Truitt, professional stage director and baritone

V. Faculty Expectations of Students:

Accommodations for students with disabilities:

Western Carolina University is committed to providing equal educational opportunities for students with documented disabilities. Students who require disability services or reasonable accommodations must identify themselves as having a disability and provided current diagnostic documentation to Disability Services. All information is confidential. Please contact Disability Services for more information at (828) 227-2716 or 144 Killian Annex.

Academic Honesty Policy

Western Carolina University, as a community of scholarship, is also a community of honor. Faculty, staff, administrators, and students work together to achieve the highest standards of honesty and integrity. Academic dishonesty is a serious offense at WCU because it threatens the quality of scholarship and defrauds those who depend on knowledge and integrity. Academic dishonesty includes:

A. Cheating-intentionally using or attempting to use unauthorized materials, information, or study aids in any academic exercise.

B. Fabrication-intentional falsification or invention of information or citation in an academic exercise.

C. Plagiarism-intentionally or knowingly representing the words or ideas of someone else as one's own in an academic exercise.

D. Facilitation of academic dishonesty-intentionally or knowingly helping or attempting to help someone else to commit an act of academic dishonesty, such as knowingly allowing another to copy information during an examination or other academic exercise.

Attendance Policy: Attendance is required at every class meeting, rehearsal, masterclass, etc.

VI. Grading Procedures:

Activity
Seminar Journal	20%
Audition Portfolio	25%
Interviews/Master Class Performances	10%
Midterm Examination	10%
Mock Audition	25%
Oral Examination	10%

VII. Schedule: (If the schedule changes, you will be notified well in advance.)

Week #	Presenter	Title of presentation	Content
1 8/22 WCU	Kristen Yarborough	Introduction and Portfolio Work	Lay out schedule and outline of the class. Introduction to creating a portfolio. Résumé assignment.
2 8/29 PPC	David Craig Starkey	The Asheville Lyric Opera Company	History of the company and how non-profit companies work. Agents, managers, and young artists programs. Perceptions from the other side of the table: how the director reacts to body language in auditions
3 9/5 PPC	DavidCraig Starkey	Opera Roles	Opera roles and how to learn them.
4 9/12 PPC	Alicia Boggs Kristen Yarborough	Production Stage Manager	Technical management of an opera production. Blocking, rehearsals, requirements and protocol. Character study and analysis as it applies to aria work. First Character assignment given. (Aria 1)
5 9/19 FBC	Kristen Yarborough	Stage Directing	Educational Outreach in Companies; Example: Education Opera Project, Gianni Schicchi Presentation of first character assignment. (Aria 1) Exploration of physical realization of written work presented. Second character assignment given. (Aria 2)
6 THURS 9/25 FBC FRI 9/26 Pack Place SAT 9/27 Pack Place	Dr. Jon Truitt 3:00pm-4:30pm Diane McEwen-Martin 5:30pm-6:30pm Elise Sandell 1:00pm-2:00pm	Master Class Interview Interview	Students will perform for a member of the Roméo et Juliette cast in a master class. Open master class with invitation to stay and watch seminar participants in staging rehearsal. Opportunity to interview Diane (who is singing Juliette) over the dinner break before the 7pm staging rehearsal Opportunity to interview Elise Sandell, (stage director for R&J) Over the lunch break
7 TUES 9/30 DWT	Tricia Zinke 3:00pm-5:00pm	Make-up	General info on basic corrective make-up and hair. Apply design for Roméo et Juliette during the class with designer’s guidance.
8 10/6-10/10	No Class	Fall Break	Students must submit all journals, working draft of résumé on letterhead and first two character assignments before they leave for Fall Break for mid-term assessment. Possible Evaluation Time
9 10/17 WCU	Evaluation	Evaluation Mid-term	Opportunity for Evaluation
10 10/24 FBC	Kristen Yarborough	The Portfolio	Audition Repertoire lists, Full Repertoire lists, Cover Letters, Recordings and Websites. Review second aria character assignment. (Aria 2) Third character assignment given. (Aria 3)
11 10/31 FBC	Kristen Yarborough	Aria Work	Staging of first two arias based on character assignments completed.

12 11/7 FBC	Dominic Aquilino Kristen Yarborough	The Working Singer	Open session for our students to ask questions of this working baritone as pertain to the life of a singer in the opera business. Present third character assignment. (Aria 3)
13 11/14 FBC	Kristen Yarborough	Aria Presentation	Presentation of self verses character in an audition situation/cohesion of two. Staging of third arias.
14 11/21 FBC	Kristen Yarborough	Taking it to the next level	Continue working to communicate arias as artistic expressions of character within a work. Continue to work with all aria projects assigned.
15 11/24-11/28	No Class	Thanksgiving Break
16 12/1-12/5 WCU	No Class	Work Independently w/ staff accompanist	Students take this week to iron out their audition package (three arias) and portfolio for final presentation, rehearsing with a staff accompanist
17: Exam week 12/8-12/12 WCU	Kristen Yarborough, David Starkey and WCU Faculty	Mock Audition Day and Final Evaluation	Students will perform several prepared arias for feedback by the panel in traditional audition format. Students will present their final audition portfolio at this audition and be evaluated on personal presentation, portfolio quality and artistic presentation of repertoire. Additional music students are invited to attend this event pending their availability.

WCU Western Carolina University

PPC Pack Place Classroom, Downtown Asheville, Third Floor

FBC First Baptist Church, Downtown Asheville, Woodfin Rd. (free parking)

DWT Diana Wortham Theatre, Pack Place, Downtown Asheville