Private Audition Coaching
REVOLUTIONIZE YOUR APPROACH TO Auditioning for OPERA.
Many of you get audition feedback that “your singing is great but you need to work on your acting and presentational skills.”
Renée Fleming has said, “Performance practice has changed, and the demands placed on singers are greater now. You have to give a total performance, projecting real believability as a character.”
I provide singers the tools they need to prepare audition material that is both grounded in tradition and that dares to create a unique, honest and motivated performance. The specificity of this work enlivens the audition material with bold acting choices, helping singers generate the confidence to do their best moment-to-moment work in the audition room itself.
Audition Arias, Monologues, and Complete Role Preparation
in-person and Online
Discount Packages Available
for January & February 2025
I have created a 3 Dimensional Technique designed to “sculpt the space” around solo performance and I have successfully employed these concepts with singers over the past 20 years. It is the “bang for the buck” part of my instruction that helps the singer to stand out from the herd, to gain control over the pieces no matter where they are performed, and to truly enjoy performing them again.
The Cube of Space Technique provides a genuine multi-dimensional structure that helps performers make the invisible visible by creating a grounded, motivated and honest performance. By focusing imagery in a way that imprints the voice with specific dramatic action, The 5 points of the Space, the 3 Levels of Consciousness, and the 5 Movements of Pure Thought combine to create a tangible and reliable foundation, freeing singers to make bold and active choices, and to become more physically expressive during the audition.
Coachings on ZOOM
New Flexible Options for 2025
See Drop Down Menus for Details
and Discount Packages for January & February
Monday-Friday
11AM - 5PM and 6PM-8PM EST
Weekends 11AM to 4PM EST
By Appointment
No coachings available January 15-23
Fee Structure
Weekdays: 11AM to 5PM EST
- 45 Minutes: $50.00
- 60 Minutes: $60.00
Weekday Evenings: 6PM to 8PM EST
- 45 Minutes: $55.00
- 60 Minutes: $65.00
Saturdays and Sundays 11AM to 4PM EST (as available)
- 45 Minutes: $60.00
- 60 Minutes: $70.00
Once you confirm with me you will pay for all the arranged coachings in advance.
Payment must be received 48 hours in advance.
- I accept payments via VENMO, PayPal, or ZELLE.
- Additional $5.00 Fee for international payments using PayPal.
Preparation
- You must have accompaniment: either a live accompanist with you or a pre-recorded accompaniment.
- Having a live accompanist with you is best. If you are using a recording, you will want to have marked some timings on your own music to make starting and stopping smoother– we do not want to spend most of the time cueing up the music.
- Email me a pdf of a clean copy of the music at least 48 hours in advance.
- If your aria is not in French or English, I will also need a legibly written word-for-word translation on the line of music: not a translation on another page, and not the existing English translation of the piece which is not word specific.
- Position your camera so I can see your full body.
- Be certain that in the AUDIO SETTINGS, you have Un-checked the box that automatically adjusts your microphone level, and CHECKED the box for Original Sound.
- If you are using an iPhone or iPad to access ZOOM, please read this Sound information before entering the Coaching Session.
- You must be memorized “off book.” Please be familiar with the entire show as our work of creating action will be informed by the context of the selection within the entire work.
- PLEASE NOTE: We will work on Audition Material such as an Aria from and Opera or Song from a Musical. We will not work on Art Song or Lieder unless agreed in advance. Singers who wish to work on The Doll Song from HOFFMAN, Glitter and Be Gay from CANDIDE, Mein Herr Marquis from DIE FLEDERMAUS, or “scenas” like Ophelia’s Mad Scene from HAMLET, Max’s Aria from DER FREISCHUTZ, Non monsiuer mon mari from LES MAMMELLES de TIRESIAS, or Zerbinetta’s Aria from ARIADNE please let me know in advance as they require special considerations and will require a longer period of time or number of sessions
- You will receive a copy of moment-to-moment notes on the music and a video of the coaching session you can download and review later.
Cancellation
Weekday Coachings: I need 48 hours to cancel or move a coaching time at no cost to you, since it will take me that long to replace the hour with another artist. You may cancel or re-arrange coachings after that, but it will not affect any fees paid or owing.
Evening and Weekend Coachings: Due to limited availability, there are NO changes or cancellations for Evening or Weekend coachings. Once confirmed, you must pay for that time.
Fees
Discounted coaching packages available for January and February 2025:
- Two 60-minute Weekday Coachings: $100
- Two 60-minute Evening Coachings $120
- Two 60-minute Weekend Coachings $130
**These Coaching Packages can be applied to any number of coachings in sets of 2 through the end of February. Payment must be made in advance, and there are no changes or refunds possible. For more flexibility with changes and cancelations, the usual single session fee applies.
Payment must be received 48 hours in advance.
- I accept payments via VENMO, PayPal, or ZELLE.
- Additional $5.00 Fee for international payments using PayPal.
Preparation
- You must have accompaniment: either a live accompanist with you or a pre-recorded accompaniment.
- Having a live accompanist with you is best. If you are using a recording, you will want to have marked some timings on your own music to make starting and stopping smoother– we do not want to spend most of the time cueing up the music.
- Email me a pdf of a clean copy of the music at least 48 hours in advance.
- If your aria is not in French or English, I will also need a legibly written word-for-word translation on the line of music: not a translation on another page, and not the existing English translation of the piece which is not word specific.
- Position your camera so I can see your full body.
- Be certain that in the AUDIO SETTINGS, you have Un-checked the box that automatically adjusts your microphone level, and CHECKED the box for Original Sound.
- If you are using an iPhone or iPad to access ZOOM, please read this Sound information before entering the Coaching Session.
- You must be memorized “off book.” Please be familiar with the entire show as our work of creating action will be informed by the context of the selection within the entire work.
- PLEASE NOTE: We will work on Audition Material such as an Aria from and Opera or Song from a Musical. We will not work on Art Song or Lieder unless agreed in advance. Singers who wish to work on The Doll Song from HOFFMAN, Glitter and Be Gay from CANDIDE, Mein Herr Marquis from DIE FLEDERMAUS, or “scenas” like Ophelia’s Mad Scene from HAMLET, Max’s Aria from DER FREISCHUTZ, Non monsiuer mon mari from LES MAMMELLES de TIRESIAS, or Zerbinetta’s Aria from ARIADNE please let me know in advance as they require special considerations and will require a longer period of time or number of sessions
- You will receive a copy of moment-to-moment notes on the music and a video of the coaching session you can download and review later.
Cancellation
These Coaching Packages can be applied to any number of coachings in sets of 2 through the end of February. Payment must be made in advance, and there are no changes or refunds possible.
For more flexibility with changes and cancelations, the usual single session fee applies.
How do you become an accomplished operatic stage director? It seems to be an elusive pathway for some – imagined to be an innate talent that evolves through experience. I believe it is a skill that can be learned and developed so I have created a complete curriculum program that presents the skills you need to develop your vision and direct with confidence.
Fee for Private Mentoring Sessions
$70 per hour
$85 if I need to research and organize in advance for specific topics.
Payment must be received 48 hours in advance.
- I accept payments via VENMO, PayPal, or ZELLE.
- Additional $5.00 Fee for international payments using PayPal.
Cancelation
I need 48 hours to cancel or move a coaching time at no cost to you, since it will take me that long to replace the hour with another artist. You may cancel or re-arrange coachings after that, but it will not affect any fees paid or owing.
Please note: due to limited availability, there are NO cancellations for Weekend coachings: once confirmed, you must pay for that time.
Video Master Class Sessions
I am currently offering 14 Video Masterclasses from my Opera Stage Direction Certificate Program that I presented at Ithaca College for 3 seasons. I am presenting these video sessions for the same fee as a single coaching while I am revising them for a future College-level Certificate Program.
- Each session is 90 min to 2 hours long, which is like getting 2 mentor-coaching hours in a video that you can watch as often as you like.
- Let me know which video you would like to rent, and when you would like me to send the link.
- The link will remain active for 48 hours, and you may watch it as often as you like in that time.
- Find out More About Each Session Here
Several companies ask for spoken monologues as part of the audition package, and many singers have asked to work with me on spoken texts. We will analyze the monologue with dramatic tools and then tweak the presentation so you can perform it on camera or in a larger space.
Fee
$60.00 per hour. Once you confirm with me you will pay for all the arranged coachings in advance.
- Additional $45.00 charge to provide a monologue for you.
Payment must be received 48 hours in advance.
- I accept payments via VENMO, PayPal, or ZELLE.
- Additional $5.00 Fee for international payments using PayPal.
Preparation
- Monologues generally take at least 2 sessions before you are confident performing them on your own.
- Monologues must be in English.
- We will work with the text in front of you for the first session and then off-book.
Cancelation
I need 48 hours to cancel or move a coaching time at no cost to you, since it will take me that long to replace the hour with another artist. You may cancel or re-arrange coachings after that, but it will not affect any fees paid or owing.
Please note: due to limited availability, there are NO cancellations for Evening or Weekend coachings: once confirmed, you must pay for that time.
For those who haven't had the opportunity to work with Chuck Hudson, he is one of the most sought-after coaches and directors around; he has an incredible gift in helping both emerging and established professionals bring their physical presentation to life, both in the audition room and in performance.
I just felt so much more centered when I walked into my audition after we worked...that was the best I ever sang Musetta because I just felt so grounded in where I was and who I was and everything I had.
Thank you, Chuck!! Our work has been so essential to me for feeling comfortable and confident on stage!
Bravo and thank you for the terrific work you did with Johanna Will (District Winner of Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions). She just sang through her pieces for the MET council audition, and your superb coaching is evident. She’s never been more expressive, clear and confident in her presentation. She DID understand your approach, and I’m thrilled and convinced that this helped with her success today.
Both Manase (tenor) and Samson (bass/baritone) got into the Young Artist Programme at the Met. You can claim a good chunk of the credit for that...So many of the young singers who are doing so well were helped massively by you.