Auditions for Verismo Opera Chorus
Professional, amateur, and retired male and female singers are invited to apply and join this growing chorus.
WHEN: Auditions will be held for singers on Saturdays, September 8, 15, and 22 from 6:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. and on Wednesdays, September 12 and 19 from 1:30 p.m. to 2:00 p.m.*
WHERE: All auditions take place at Christ Evangelical Lutheran Church, 357 North Farview Avenue in Paramus, New Jersey.
Audition Process
Male singers, representing all vocal ranges and ages, are especially needed. Adult applicants require a rudimentary working ability to read music and experience singing. Teenagers, ages 17 to 19, may also audition for the Verismo Opera Chorus and must read music and have some prior vocal experience singing with a school, choir, or another performing group or organization. Previous stage experience and foreign language study are desirable, but are not a necessity. Preference is given to applicants with these skills and experiences.
During the audition process, a pitch-matching and range exercise will assesses each singer's appropriate placement within the chorus. Applicants may bring a short song to perform for the audition. Vocalists accepted to the Verismo Opera Chorus stay for the rehearsal as a trial basis. Singers invited to join the chorus pay a nominal fee of $60 to cover costs for the production's musical score, costumes and related expenses.
*For all auditions, singers must make an appointment in advance by contacting (201) 886-0561 or info@verismopera.org.
Applicants complete and submit an application located HERE
Call for Supers
This fall, supernumeraries share the stage with principal singers in the company's new production. Male adults, standing 5' 6' and above, are needed for nonsinging, nonspeaking parts as soldiers, guards, and townspeople. Six young women, ages 15 to 17, are needed to appear as acolytes.
WHEN: Applicants attend the first rehearsal on Saturday, September 22 at 2:00 p.m.
WHERE: Christ Evangelical Lutheran Church, 357 North Farview Avenue in Paramus, New Jersey.
For further information and the rehearsal schedule, contact Ria Hawks at riagrace@hotmail.com.
The New Jersey Association of Verismo Opera performs the new production of Vincenzo Bellini's Norma on October 28, 2018. The company presents this dramatic work at 3 p.m. at the Bergen Performing Arts Center, located at 30 North Van Brunt Street, in Englewood, New Jersey. The chorus and supernumeraries appear on the stage in full costume in the production, and they are recognized in the production's Stagebill.
About New Jersey Association of Verismo Opera
The New Jersey Association of Verismo Opera, a nonprofit, tax-exempt organization headquartered in Fort Lee, New Jersey, has been an integral part of the region’s classical music culture. Led by Metropolitan Opera luminary Lucine Amara, Verismo Opera is the Bergen Performing Arts Center's house opera company. Verismo Opera provides performing opportunities for artists through semi-annual productions and concerts, directs an international vocal competition drawing artists worldwide, and organizes opera workshops and master classes.
For information, visit Verismo Opera's web site, www.verismopera.org; follow the company on Facebook, http://bit.ly/9JXTP8, or Twitter @NJVerismoOpera; or call (201) 886-0561.
