Auditioning for La bohème 2025
By Anna Gregory
At the end of September, the La bohème creative team consisting of Anna Gregory, Pavel Timofeyevski, Natasha Day, Alison Kettlewell and joined by Fiona Walters spent two exciting days of auditions in London. Our host was Alya Samokhvalova, the CEO of Golden Age Productions, who lent her beautiful recital space as a gift to Devon Opera due to her association with Pavel (our Music Director). We are most grateful to Alya for her generosity.
On the first day, our auditions were accompanied by Kelvin Lim, head coach to the Mastersingers organization. This was crucial to allow our Music Director (Pavel) to see the performers and really listen without having to think about accompanying. It also meant we could easily field questions to each other. Kelvin sits on the audition panels for The Royal Opera and is the chosen pianist of Sir Anthony Negus, Sir John Tomlinson, Anne Murray and many others for operas and masterclasses. He also conducts. All his experience led to fascinating perceptions in our discussions as well as a few gentle rescues when less experienced singers took a wrong turn. The second, shorter day, was covered by the repetiteur Adriano Salinero who trained at The National Opera Studio and has played for The Welsh National Opera (WNO), Scottish Opera and Opera Holland Park.
As a team, Alison, Natasha, Pavel and I had compiled a list of potential singers to audition. We were looking for a mixture of the best international singers available based in London and possible fledgling stars of the future with roots in the West Country. The list included known alumni of Devon Opera and many fresh faces. Devon Opera has long provided a springboard for West Country opera singers, and I am keen to develop our work in this direction.
The professional opera world is a tiny community and we all often know ‘someone who knows someone’ or have crossed paths before. Among our hopefuls were: a soprano who Natasha remembered from college; three candidates who had been in the chorus when I sang Verdi’s Lady Macbeth; another pair had been taught or heard in roles by Alison; and one baritone was the brother of a soprano I coached at Trinity Laban. Kelvin knew several who he had coached in opera houses and at the London Conservatoires. Pavel had previously performed with applicants in opera and with some on the recital platform. One of the singers prompted the response, ‘We know her. She’s the one whose laugh is a perfect arpeggio in C’!
Characters seen on an audition panel deliver several different interpretations of the role auditioned for in close succession. We all enjoyed an extremely moving and complex portrayal of the character of Mimi, but then also a gloriously innocent one immediately afterwards. We had potential Marcellos who were bumptious, masculine types and, one who was as vulnerable as a moth flying against a windowpane. You could really see him falling for the experienced flirt, Musetta, who is often referred to as, ‘the tart with a heart’. We were careful to time our auditions by 15-minute slots through the day. This may seem long for two arias of under ten minutes in total performance time, but it gave us the chance to ask singers to reframe their performances. In doing so, we saw one young tenor flip from having the innocence of a faun to acting the apex predator in under a minute. Natasha asked a soprano to swap roles completely and she went from an unconvincing Mimi to a strong Musetta instantly. All opera is collaborative. It is inspiring to see singers who know their take on a role and give a compelling enough reading to alter or add to the journey of the show.
Pavel and I had previously talked through our requirements, including the need for excellent story telling; Italianate styling; and obviously a beautiful voice. We also had to consider the need to balance the weight of sound from our chosen cast and make believable pairings in relation to the young lovers. The weight of voices vary enormously as does the colour of the sound, depth of tone and shading. It is a detailed process to find a fit between the characters themselves, the singers and the music.
Ultimately, it isn’t until you see a singer sing live that you know if they move you. Auditioning is an extremely difficult process in which the performer takes an aria they have studied and internalized, heartbreak and all, and then performs with their heart on their sleeve to a set of critical listeners in a small space. Singers often feel acutely aware that broad daylight, no set, no costume and being in ‘close quarters’ are not their best friends. The added worry is that they are too loud or not loud enough in an unfamiliar acoustic. It helps if the panel are also performers, but it is a difficult part of the job. Remaining true to a vision, controlling nerves and respecting choices, yet remaining flexible are all in the mix on audition days. Successful candidates must be resilient and yet display believable vulnerability. Opera comes with a unique set of challenges because it is several art forms rolled into one. Modern casting requires fit, active singers with perfect language skills, trained in acting and of course solid vocal technique on top of obvious natural beautiful tone (and often face!). The days of ‘parking and barking’, as it is often called, are over. I was personally hugely pleased by the talent and flexibility I saw on offer.
In short, we are cast, and I look forward to introducing you to our wonderful singers in May.