FEARLESS FRIDAY
Please welcome Fran Thomas to Discover... I don't know about you, but auditioning for a chorale would strike fear in my heart!
I am an unlikely prospect to blog on Fearless Friday. I’d never in
a million years consider something like skydiving. Yet, as a singer, I have
done something that I suppose many might regard as scary. I’ve auditioned.
Although I am a founding member of the Symphonic Chorale of
Southwest Florida, that doesn’t mean I don’t have to audition in order to
remain a member in good standing. Every three years, I’ve had to select a piece
of music that I feel confident I can perform. The chorus is on its second artistic
director now, so I’ve had to get through this experience three times in front
of two very different men.
For my most recent audition, I chose a piece in Italian. Mind you,
I don't speak Italian; however, I can pronounce the words pretty accurately and
have a nodding acquaintance with what they mean. I first learned this song when
I took a voice class at a community college. Fortunately, the conductors I've
auditioned for did not require the piece to be memorized. I was allowed to use
the sheet music and had to bring an extra copy for the accompanist.
Besides the prepared song, conductors usually expect singers to
sight-read something. They’ll play you a chord to give you an idea what the key
is and the first note of the phrase. Then you’re on your own. My current
conductor also wanted singers to repeat a sequence of random notes. This isn’t
too bad when there are three or four notes, but more than that is a real
challenge. Somehow, I passed. I’ve got another year before I must go through
this ordeal again.
Of course, all the years of singing gave me material to draw on in
my latest book, Making Time with the Maestro.The idea for it
actually came to me while I was on stage about to sing Mozart’s Requiem.
You know, the one heard in the movie Amadeus? What can I say?
Sometimes it gets boring up there waiting for the orchestra to tune up. I hope
my tale of an opera company getting started doesn’t bore my readers.
AMAZON BUY LINK:
BLURB:
On her first day as PR
Director of the Edison City Opera, Alice Wright refutes the allegations of a
lovesick violinist and demands a retraction from the city’s gossip rag. Oh, and
becomes engaged to the impetuous maestro.
Lorenzo Moretti could get any woman he wants with a wave of his baton. But his only passion is the exquisite music he conducts. A fiancée in name only will keep other women from ruining his concentration.
Soon, a more serious problem arises. Financial woes reach a crescendo that threatens to end the opera company before the curtain rises. With both their careers on the line, Alice and Lorenzo must work together to save the company.
Will their duet continue when the curtain comes down?
Lorenzo Moretti could get any woman he wants with a wave of his baton. But his only passion is the exquisite music he conducts. A fiancée in name only will keep other women from ruining his concentration.
Soon, a more serious problem arises. Financial woes reach a crescendo that threatens to end the opera company before the curtain rises. With both their careers on the line, Alice and Lorenzo must work together to save the company.
Will their duet continue when the curtain comes down?
Connect with Fran:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/RusticTropics
Website: https://rusticatinginthetropics.com/
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