Looking Back At a First Audition

by Cheryl Warfield
Wed, 26 Dec 2007 at 2:34 PM

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During my audition at the Met earlier this week, I found some time to reflect on the long road that got me here. I've auditioned at the Met more than ten times, so by now, I know the ropes. But my first time wasn't so easy. At the time, I had been singing professionally in Ohio, with Opera Columbus, for five seasons. I adored chorus and ensemble singing, first venturing out with the Columbus Symphony Chorus in Mendelssohn's "Elijah." And of course, I was also working a day job: I was an auditor for the State of Ohio. When I learned of the Met's chorus auditions, I asked my boss for the day off and flew to New York the Sunday before the audition. I had prepared my new aria, "Morro ma prima in grazia," from Verdi's opera "Un Ballo in Maschera" (which, by the way, the Met performed recently.) I felt ready, and I went to bed early in order to get a fresh start. Little did I know how important being among the first to arrive would be. I was given audition slot 105, a number that has more than once changed my life. Although I signed up at about 9 a.m., artists who are members of the American Guild of Musical Artists (AGMA) are given priority. By noon I began to worry about having enough time to get to LaGuardia to make my 4 p.m. flight back to Ohio. At 3 p.m., I made the decision to skip my flight and wait for the audition. Finally, by 6 p.m. it was show time. And I was too tired to be nervous. I handed the accompanist my music and nodded for him to begin playing. I couldn't help but be inspired by the introduction, a poignant cello solo in the orchestral score that follows pages of passionate and enraged music indicative of a husband's fury after learning of a wife's unfaithfulness. When I finished the stirring aria, I noticed smiles in the audience. Upon my return to Ohio, I received a telephone call inviting me to sing in the Met extra chorus for three productions the next season. What a thrill that call gave me. And what a relief: Now I could join the union and never again have to wait nine hours to audition! Well, that's how my singing career started in New York. Ciao for now.

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