This masterclass with Patty Thom will focus on those qualities of the audition which lead to a musical and artistic experience, both for the performer as well as for the audience. Thom will discuss dramatic choices, characterization, translation and the interpretation of text and poetry, physicalization, and making expressive and stylistic vocal choices. All auditions are a chance to perform beautifully and express yourself fully. Learn how to make that happen.

Patty Thom, chair of the Voice and Opera Department at the Boston Conservatory, has years of experience preparing high school and college-aged singers for auditions, both as a teacher at the Walnut Hill School—an arts high school in Natick, Mass.—and now at the conservatory where she teaches the freshman and senior vocal performance seminars.

An art song is like an aria when you have imagination and character development. Discover ways to bring art songs to life through text, plot, and movement. Bring your music and arrive ready to sing and move, as well as think outside the box.

Margaret Dehning is chair of the Conservatory of Music and director of Vocal Studies at Chapman University in Orange, Calif. Dehning also teaches voice and vocal pedagogy. Following her debut at the age of 16 with the COTA Orchestra and Chorus in Los Angeles, she studied voice with distinguished soprano Alice Mock at the University of Southern California. She has appeared with regional opera companies in the U.S., and as a soloist in concert and oratorio performances throughout the Western United States and Europe. Margaret is past president of the Los Angeles Chapter of NATS and is a member of the National Foundation Executive Board of NATS.

Soprano Mary Schiller is head of the Voice Department at the Cleveland Institute of Music. She has appeared in more than 30 operas, in oratorio, and in recital performances in the U.S., France, and Germany. Schiller has also served on the faculties of the Oberlin College Conservatory of Music; AIMS in Graz, Austria; the Accademia dell'Opera in Rimini, Italy; and the University of Miami in Salzburg. Her students perform with major opera companies and festivals nationally and internationally.

Picture this. You've just taken the stage for your performance, and as you open your mouth to sing, the following thoughts invades your mind: “I hope they like me.” “I hope my high/low notes work.” “Don't let me forget my words.” Welcome to the world of a performing vocalist. Come learn some ideas about tapping into your character that could permanently replace those "singer thoughts" and help you make the most of your performance.

With over 500 performances of nearly 40 operas, soprano Rebecca Turner is associate professor of voice and director of opera at the Petrie School of Music at Converse College, in Spartanburg, S.C. Performance venues have included major opera houses in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and Shanghai, China, where she was the first soprano to perform Wagner in that country's history. Turner's students have been heard throughout the U.S., Europe, and the British Isles.

This workshop is centered on developing performing abilities from the perspectives of both singer and actor. Several aspects of executing a successful performance will be discussed. Topics include developing the ability to connect emotion to performance technique, as well as systematic steps for honing musical expression, style, and communication skills. Presented as a group masterclass, participants will work with one of the panel, all members of the faculty of The Crane School of Music. For each participant, the other members of the panel may also offer their feedback.

Sopranos Deborah Massell and Kathleen Miller and tenors Donald George and Lonel Woods collectively have well over a 100 years experience as performers. All members of SUNY Potsdam’s Crane School of Music, each have extensive performance experience as soloists in opera, oratorio, art song, and musical theatre. Those include performances in the following venues: La Scala, Paris Opera Bastille Théâtre du Châtelet, Royal Opera of Brussels, the State Operas of Berlin, Hamburg Opera, Vienna State Opera, the Washington National Opera, Michigan Opera Theatre, Houston Grand Opera, Toledo Opera, Cleveland Opera, as well as, the Festivals of Vienna, Schleswig-Holstein, Gmunden, St. Bart’s Salzburg, Buenos Aires, Jerusalem, Istanbul, Perth (Australia), Princeton, Caramoor, Blossom USA, and New York Center for Contemporary Opera.

Discover DePauw University's superior advantages for undergraduate singers through an interactive masterclass with Caroline Smith. Smith will work with individual singers honing their prepared repertoire and answer any questions regarding DePauw and the numerous opportunities its solely undergraduate environment affords. Don’t miss the opportunity to improve your singing and also learn about this prestigious vocal program, an integral part of the highly touted liberal arts environment that is DePauw University.

Caroline Bradley Smith, mezzo-soprano and professor of music, has extensive operatic, solo and chamber music experience. An active recitalist, masterclass clinician and adjudicator (NATS, MTNA, Classical Singer National Competition, Overture Awards, and Prelude Competition, etc.), she also frequently performs throughout the U.S. Smith has performed on and recorded for NPR as well as PBS. While having performed with many regional opera companies and ensembles, Smith's current focus has shifted to that of chamber soloist, recitalist, clinician, and collaborator. Her CD, Pipings and Song, debuted fall ’09. She presently serves as the coordinator for the DePauw School of Music Vocal Area, as Great Lakes NATS regional governor, and the director for Vocal Arts at DePauw, a high school camp for vocalists.

Watch a photo shoot from beginning to finish product—including taking the model’s look from casual to glamorous—with headshot master Devon Cass. He will show you his process for achieving a professional, appealing headshot. Who is the model? Attendees. Cass will give all attendees a ticket at the door, and then hold a drawing to select the lucky subject.

Devon Cass is a photographer, makeup artist, master of the celebrity look-a-like, author, and more. All of Devon’s talents uniquely blend together to make whatever he does a pop culture phenomenon. He’s been written up in top magazines from Marie Claire to Entertainment Weekly, and appeared on major television talk shows throughout the U.S. and Europe.

Focusing on the classical training of the young male voice, the class will begin with a short historical outline on how the male voice has been technically guided since Rossini when composers began to ask for a full-voiced extension into the top register. Then discover the developmental and technical issues challenging the young male singer. Finally, learn a clear approach to help voice teachers and students understand how the male voice works and how classical male singers can successfully access the upper third of their range through very specific exercises. Video examples and live vocal demonstrations will support the material.

Robert Swensen, on faculty at the Eastman School of Music, has appeared with opera companies that include Wexford Festival Ireland, Teatro La Fenice in Venice, the Bavarian State Opera-Munich, Grand Theatre Geneva, and the Vienna State Opera. He has appeared in concert with the Mostly Mozart Festival and made his Carnegie Hall debut in La Dame Blanche with the Opera Orchestra of New York. He recently sang the lead in Ned Rorem's Our Town for Lake George Opera. A devoted Lieder specialist, he made his NYC recital debut as the winner of the Concert Artist Guild Prize. He has over 15 recordings in his discography including the St. John Passion for RCA and his appearance in Oedipus Rex for PBS Great Performances series.

Val Underwood's method of singing is based on clear and consistent principles. Participants are offered straightforward pointers for improving technique and enabling expression. Accompanist provided.

Val Underwood is distinctive for his equal skill in the vocal arts and as a pianist. A renowned vocal instructor, he maintains a busy teaching and masterclass schedule traveling between New York, London, and California. His students continually take top honors in major vocal competitions and can be heard in opera houses worldwide. He studied voice with William Horner, Ernest St. John (Jack) Metz, for seven years with the legendary French baritone Martial Singher, and served as accompanist in the studios of some of the great singers of our time, including Rose Bampton, Martial Singher, George London, and Lotte Lehman. Underwood is artistic director of Hawaii Performing Arts Festival, an acclaimed summer vocal program on the Big Island of Hawaii for aspiring professional singers.

Learn how to develop a partnership with your accompanist, in auditions and in recital. Bring your music (and your pianist if you have one with you!) and we will explore such topics as how to set a tempo, how and when to lead, developing "peripheral vision" while studying your music, and how the singer and pianist can inspire each other’s imaginations and develop a true artistic partnership.

Tammy Hensrud and Donna Balson both joined the voice faculty at Hofstra University in 2005. They each have extensive international experience in opera, concert, musical theater, and cabaret. Credits include the Metropolitan Opera New York, the Vienna State Opera, Frankfurt Opera and Opera Australia. Alongside their work as soloists, Hensrud and Balson formed the collaborative ensemble Feminine Musique in 2008, dedicated to performing the music of female composers.

Brad Hougham offers his “bundle approach” for training singers that amalgamates diction, technique, and musicianship to fortify the vocal process. His unique process has proven to be effective with singers of any age, either as the building blocks for the undergraduate’s vocal technique or as supplementary information that can bolster the well-developed singer’s work.

Ithaca College School of Music professor of voice and diction geek, Brad Hougham is internationally recognized as a performer, vocal pedagogue, and clinician. He has also taught on the faculties of the Spoleto Vocal Arts Symposium and the College of New Jersey. His first love is recital literature, but he is equally at home on the opera stage. He has sung throughout Europe, Canada and the U.S.

As more and more colleges and universities are doing a preliminary recording or video round to reduce the number of unqualified candidates taking a live audition, the recording must be taken as seriously as the live audition. Hear from conservatory admissions professionals how to prepare the best representation of your talent—from repertoire to recording, and more!

Lee Cioppa is associate dean for admissions at the Juilliard School. With bachelor’s and master’s degrees in oboe performance, Cioppa has brought her love of music and the arts to the field of music admissions for over 12 years. Previous to her tenure at Juilliard, she held positions at New York University and Manhattan School of Music.

Geoffrey Scott is the director of music admissions for the Shepherd School of Music at Rice University. Prior to his latest appointment Scott worked with the admissions teams at the Juilliard School and Suffolk University. He earned a bachelor's degree from Boston University in vocal performance and a dual master's in vocal performance and opera from New England Conservatory.

When you sing an audition, will you be remembered well at the end of the day? What can you do to make a positive impression on those who are listening? Did you know that the first few seconds of your audition can be the most important of your time on stage? Come and let’s explore how to maximize your chances of succeeding in this very competitive field.

Kenneth Cox is the chair of the Department of Vocal Arts and the director of the Opera Theater Program for the Lamont School of Music at the University of Denver. He has sung leading bass roles with opera companies around the world for over 30 years. While still currently performing, he enjoys presenting masterclasses and helping to develop young talent across the U.S. and abroad, most recently in Shanghai, Beijing, and Italy.

Teaching singing is both art and science. Since the last half-century has seen many significant advances in voice science, teachers are challenged with knowing what to incorporate into their pedagogy that will have the most efficient and immediate pay off. In this masterclass we will selectively identify helpful information from voice science and combine that with the artful, expressive use of language in song.

Tenor Kenneth Bozeman trained at Baylor University, the University of Arizona, and the Munich Conservatory. At Lawrence University he is chair of the Voice Department, teaching voice and vocal pedagogy. Bozeman has received two Lawrence Teaching Awards, the Van Lawrence Fellowship by the Voice Foundation, and is chair of the NATS Journal of Singing Editorial Board. His students have had internships at Sante Fe, Tanglewood, Seattle, Houston Grand, Central City, and Utah Opera, and have sung with Houston Grand, Boston Lyric, Opera Colorado, Wolf Trap, Seattle, Deustche Oper, and Sante Fe companies.

Come sing for Michael Meraw, a member of New England Conservatory’s renowned voice faculty. This is an opportunity for young singers to receive feedback in a supportive and engaging setting from an experienced voice teacher who is still an active performer. In addition to his private studio at NEC, Meraw teaches French Vocal Repertoire at NEC and formerly taught French and Italian diction at McGill—but please feel free to bring a song or aria in any language. Singers interested in participating are encouraged to sign up at the NEC table at the College Expo, but volunteers will also be welcome in the class as time permits.

Baritone Michael Meraw performs regularly with companies across North America in repertoire ranging from Monteverdi and Handel to Webern and Szymanowski. Meraw is also active as a performer and creator of new works. Originally from Canada, Meraw is currently a full-time faculty member at New England Conservatory and formerly served on the faculties of l'Universite de Montreal and McGill. Meraw's students have won international competitions and are singing in apprentice programs, orchestras, and opera companies in North America and Europe.