It's nearly that time of year

Fall? Leaves changing? Crisp air? Well, yes. It's around the corner (thank GOD; I hate this humidity). But, I was referring to audition season. It's time to decide how much money I want to waste on application fees and postage. Last year, I applied for (I think) 12 auditions- I got 9 of them. Needless to say, I didn't get any work out of it, but I'm OK with that- I sang well for almost all of them, and felt I represented myself well. This year, I'm only applying for 5 auditions. I just can't see wasting the money when I know nothing will come out of it. I'm not being pessimistic; I know I'm a talented singer with a nice career ahead of me. But I also know that YAP slots are incredibly few and far between, sopranos are a dime a dozen, and politics rule. Therefore, why waste time and money? Honestly, I'd rather save my money for German auditions in a few years than go up against every conservatory graduate on the East Coast.

So, I haven't made a final decision on where to apply, but so far, D.C., Britten-Pears, and Juillard Opera Center (if they'll have me again!) are on the list. That leaves space for two more. Hmmmm.