3 days. 4 auditions. 4 different cities.
8 trains, 1 plane, countless subways/ busses and trollies. All made possible by my Eurail pass! Best investment ever! I know it’s probably cheaper to use http://www.mitfahrgelegenheit.de/ (a german car sharing website) but I am a woman, getting into a stranger’s car sounds like a rape case waiting to happen.
All of these auditions were for different agents, all auf Deutsch, thank you very much, and all very different. The fist one was fake, and by fake, I had been warned about this guy, since he charges so much to hear singers, he may not actually be a real agent. Yep. A long time ago, someone decided that it was really cool to fleece young singers trying to get a start in this mean old biz of show. Most auditions for agents do charge something to rent the room, or pay the pianist, but when its more then €20 and I get a little suspicious. But, I need all the practice I can get with this German dialogue, and German arias. So right now, as a beginner, an inappropriately high audition fee here and there is worth it.
For my auditions, I usually start with Quando men vo (short, sweet, sassy and too the point!) and usually they ask for one of my german pieces, either Nun eilt herbei or Gretel. I love singing Nun eilt herbei, but in the states, no one ever asks for it! So walking away from an audition singing that, my starter and a Mozart piece feels AWESOME! So far, one of the agents I've sang for this week liked me enough to want to send me on auditions this fall. So far so good! Looks like I'll be gearing up for round two before you know it.
For my auditions, I usually start with Quando men vo (short, sweet, sassy and too the point!) and usually they ask for one of my german pieces, either Nun eilt herbei or Gretel. I love singing Nun eilt herbei, but in the states, no one ever asks for it! So walking away from an audition singing that, my starter and a Mozart piece feels AWESOME! So far, one of the agents I've sang for this week liked me enough to want to send me on auditions this fall. So far so good! Looks like I'll be gearing up for round two before you know it.
For the next few days I am staying with a good friend from College outside of Düsseldorf, and have already had the change to experience Fasching (German Mardi Gras Festival). Now, when I was in Munich, my host had told me about this....and it’s not that I didn’t believe her it’s that I didn’t believe that I was understanding/ translating her correctly. I was.
Before my last audition in Düsseldorf, I was killing some time in a cafe watching a bunch of drunk Germans in the lobby of a movie theater. It was some kind of Fasching party, where they were giving away free beer. Free, German beer. Oh, did I mention that it was free? I was strong, and sipped a cappuccino instead. I was watching this display, trying to understand what was happening. I am learning that no one here really speaks Hochdeutsch. No one. They use words that are NEVER covered in school. This being a casual affair, most of the German was some kind of dialect that I didn’t understand. So I’m watching this display, as a crowd of people yell “Hallau! Hallau! Hallau!” wondering what to make of all this, when an old woman HITS ME ON THE HEAD! Hard! I guess I insulted her by not participating. I excused myself, explaining that this is my first time in Düsseldorf, and she said “You have to cheer!” This is Germany, after all, you do what you are told! So I cheer, and then ask what is going on. Well, since it’s Fasching, this is a club, and this is hosted by the King and Queen of this particular Fasching club (just like Mardi Gras, but with more beer).
When she found out that I was from the USA, she said that Thursday I had to go to the town center to watch the jester take over the town hall (though my ex-pat friend tells me it’s like watching bad community theater, in German). Apparently, the Thursday before Ash Wednesday, women get dressed up and cut off men’s ties. Like I could walk up to you on the street with a scissors in my hand and cut the tie off of a complete stranger. My host in Munich had told me the same story, but it was easier to understand the Düsseldorf dialect. Fasching. Who knew? My German teacher tells me that these next few days are just non- stop drinking and parades. I’m glad I’m staying with an ex-pat local this weekend who can explain it all to me and keep me safe!
Before my last audition in Düsseldorf, I was killing some time in a cafe watching a bunch of drunk Germans in the lobby of a movie theater. It was some kind of Fasching party, where they were giving away free beer. Free, German beer. Oh, did I mention that it was free? I was strong, and sipped a cappuccino instead. I was watching this display, trying to understand what was happening. I am learning that no one here really speaks Hochdeutsch. No one. They use words that are NEVER covered in school. This being a casual affair, most of the German was some kind of dialect that I didn’t understand. So I’m watching this display, as a crowd of people yell “Hallau! Hallau! Hallau!” wondering what to make of all this, when an old woman HITS ME ON THE HEAD! Hard! I guess I insulted her by not participating. I excused myself, explaining that this is my first time in Düsseldorf, and she said “You have to cheer!” This is Germany, after all, you do what you are told! So I cheer, and then ask what is going on. Well, since it’s Fasching, this is a club, and this is hosted by the King and Queen of this particular Fasching club (just like Mardi Gras, but with more beer).
When she found out that I was from the USA, she said that Thursday I had to go to the town center to watch the jester take over the town hall (though my ex-pat friend tells me it’s like watching bad community theater, in German). Apparently, the Thursday before Ash Wednesday, women get dressed up and cut off men’s ties. Like I could walk up to you on the street with a scissors in my hand and cut the tie off of a complete stranger. My host in Munich had told me the same story, but it was easier to understand the Düsseldorf dialect. Fasching. Who knew? My German teacher tells me that these next few days are just non- stop drinking and parades. I’m glad I’m staying with an ex-pat local this weekend who can explain it all to me and keep me safe!
In other news. This soprano has out lasted her suitcase :-( It looks like it had a fight with a deli slicer, and lost.
Thankfully, there’s a TJ Max around the corner and I am now sporting a slick new heavy duty suitcase with GIANT wheels, suited for European cobblestone streets. Take THAT!
Next stop: Berlin!
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