Where does the journey start?

(Original posted on 09 February 2012)

Thanks for coming to start my journey with me. I have a classic American Singer's story... College, Study Abroad, Master's Degree, Summer Apprenticeship, Year Long Young Artist Program in a large house, and now... time for the European Audition Tour! This has been the goal for a really long time... ever since I came back to the US from a year in Vienna, I have wanted to be in Europe singing... so here I am, in the process of creating my own European Audition Tour to begin in just a few short months. I decided I would create this blog to take me step by step through my own process... I am hoping that through my work and documenting my process, I will be able to help other singers too!
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I'm gearing up to move to Berlin in October 2012 and will stay for five months trying to get in as many auditions as possible.

The GOAL - find someone who wants to hire me for a Fest position. Here goes...

As I plan and make connections to houses and agents, I will update on here and talk about the process. Please feel free to give feedback if something isn't clear and I will try to clarify.

Starting off right from the get go... here are books you must have as part of your library:

What the Fach?! The Definitive Guide for Opera Singers Auditioning and Working in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland by Philip Shepard
ISBN: 9781451577020
- The great thing here is that there is an eBook edition! Yes, you can have it on your Kindle

Singing Opera in Germany: A Practical Guide by Marita Knobel and Brigitte Steinert
ISBN: 3761816731
- It's a bit out of date now, but really a great resource... especially since it's from the German perspective!

And... coming soon to a bookshelf near you....

Aria Read: The Business of Singing by Carol Kirkpatirck
ISBN: 978-0-97705-240-0
- I've got it ordered and will give an update once I get to read it... hopefully it will come out in an eBook edition soon too...

So... there we have a start! As I get my act together, in the next entry we will look at some websites that have helped give me insight and some really valuable information on planning.

I hope to make this an informative and fun journey, and as it continues, I hope to improve my blogging skills! HAHA!