Chutzpah and my first professional audition

My first professional audition came about in a rather strange way.

I had just spent six years of my life at the Royal Northern College of Music, studying oboe, then piano, then accompaniment, and was very successful at what I did. But when I left college, I had no job to go to, and very few prospects of concerts, despite being a prize-winning accompanist.

I looked around for jobs that might suit my particular brand of skills. Love working with singers, excellent sight-reader, interested in the theatre. I know, I'll become an opera repetiteur. So I rang Opera North, the nearest professional opera company, in Leeds (I was in Manchester at the time). And I swear the following conversation is word for word what was said:

Me: Hello, I'm a wonderful pianist, and you simply must employ me.
Opera North: Yes dear, send us your CV and we'll audition you in 20 years time or when someone dies.

I put the phone down, thinking, what a great answer - I'll do it.

So I sent my CV (resume) and didn't hear a thing for about 6 months. Then I had a phonecall from Sheffield Crucible theatre saying that Opera North had recommended me as a good pianist, and they needed a rehearsal pianist for the UK Premiere of Carmen Jones, would I like to audition for the musical director?

When I arrived in Sheffield, the musical director, Jeremy Sams, met me at the stage door and took me to a dressing room. No piano, but that didn't seem to bother him. I talked a bit about what I had done at college, then asked if he wanted to hear me play. "No, it's OK. You won the same prize that I did, so I know what standard you are. You've got the job".

And I hadn't played a note to anyone.

As it happened, I couldn't do the first day of rehearsals, so I arrived on the second day and the first thing I had to do was transpose the Toreador's song down a tone into Eb minor. Have you ever tried playing it? It's somewhat fiddly. And the second thing I had to do was play the Gypsy Dance (Beat Out Dat Rhythm on a Drum) down a fourth at sight.

At the end of the day I thought I had better resign before they sacked me. Fortunately I went to lie down until the feeling wore off. Needless to say I can now play both of those pieces in both keys without breaking sweat.

It just goes to show that sometimes you have no idea how well you are doing. And sometimes it doesn't matter how hard you work, the casting decisions are out of your hands.


Jeremy will be teaching on the Successful Singing Auditions day course in London on Saturday March 3rd.

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