Frequently Asked Questions

WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY ‘CONTRASTING SONGS’?

This means that we would like you to choose two songs that are different to each other in some way to enable you to potentially demonstrate the full range of your vocal abilities and potential, as well as to give us an indication of who you think you are as a performer. ‘Contrasting’ could refer to two songs from different periods (e.g. Jason Robert Brown and Cole Porter) or it could refer to style of song (e.g. up-tempo, ballad, patter-song).

Your two pieces could therefore be contrasting in tempo, style, require different qualities (e.g. legit, belt) etc. Choose songs that you feel best show off your performance ability and that you are really confident singing. We suggest that you choose a character driven song, to show off your acting through song abilities and a lyrical ballad to demonstrate your vocal line. Be prepared to address questions surrounding character interpretation, dramatic context etc.

HOW DO I MAKE A ONE-MINUTE CUT?

Essentially, we want to hear your voice so you should sing us the climax of the song - this is generally near the end of the song. Therefore, one of the easiest and most effective ways is to work backwards from the end of the song for you to find your approximate one minute. We use the phrase ‘one-minute cut’ loosely here to give you the most opportunity to demonstrate your abilities. For example, if the song ends on a sustained note and instrumental playout, your minute-cut can be one minute of material leading to the sustained note. Of course we will allow you to sing the sustained note through to its end. Sometimes the climax can be in what is called ‘the bridge’, ‘the release’ or ‘the middle-eight’. Identify the part of the song that shows off your voice to really sing; this is not usually the first 16 bars of a song which are often quite conversational in pitch and tone.

Also, contemporary songs can be harder to cut neatly, than a song from the 1930s or 1940s (e.g. Rodgers and Hammerstein, Cole Porter). So, it is acceptable if you start from a convenient phrase to pick the song up – we are not counting the bars, but we are conscious of time and of everyone having a similar experience.

Please note it is also advisable that you prepare the whole song in case we decide we want to hear more from one of them. The better you know the whole song, the more easily you will slip straight into the one-minute cut.

CAN I SING OPERA?

No. This is a programme of study dedicated to the study of Musical Theatre genres. While some might argue that Opera is part of this, we do not study Opera on this programme.

Of course, you may sing songs from musicals written in or that reference an operatic style, such as The Phantom of the Opera or Sweeney Todd

CAN I SING TO A BACKING TRACK?

Yes. Please see the advice above for further information. If you have the option to use a live pianist, though this is in no way expected, you can of course sing to a live accompanist. Thank you for applying. If you have any questions about the interview day or about the university, please contact: performingartsadmin@winchester.ac.uk