In the morning, I go to check the callback lists. No Quinns. No Trents. Only Jane Lanes.
I feel sick to my stomach. Even though I already knew about the Quinns, and even though the Trents weren't exactly a shock, to me it seems obvious that I will be cut by the Jane Lanes after tonight. Meaning, if you blow it at 2/3 of the groups in one night (the first night they get a good look at you), then obviously you're going to fall from one to zero eventually. So it seemed to me that morning, anyway.
The callback list instructs me to download a Jane Lane CD track from their web site and practice the solo for the callback. This was pretty state-of-the-art back in the 90's, and it reinforced my impression that the group had its act together. Also, one of the solo options is "Destination Anywhere," a song I know I can sound good on.
The audition is terrific; it's basically like a Jane Lanes rehearsal. Auditionees learn background parts on another song, and we sing it in octets while the Jane Lanes judge us on blend, pitch, and control. It is so much fun to learn a vocal part in isolation and then hear a Sting song magically rise from the group when you sing your parts together. The director, a handsome junior tenor, has the group in hand, but in a cool way -- he's not bossy, he just makes you feel like you can trust his leadership.
There is a lot of down time while other auditionees are doing their octets and solos, and I make friends with Marc, a sophomore bass who's auditioning for the second year in a row. He's adorable, and we can almost read each other's minds. He helps me avoid this socially freaky auditionee who keeps clinging to me and braying in my ear every time I sit down. It makes me feel better that Marc's nervous too; he turns bright red every time it's his turn.
The Jane Lanes announce that they don't know how many people they will take, or on which parts, but I assume that they just don't want to tell us. Tonight, there are only five or six other altos, so I can size up the competition pretty well. Courtney is similar to me vocally, but she also writes music, which I can't do. Judith is just better than me. Period. She can do everything I can do, but with more power, a wider range, and ridiculous confidence. Both of them were called back by the Trents. The socially freaky girl is also an alto; if you close your eyes, she sounds great, but her stage presence is so awkward that it's intolerable to actually watch her sing. Imagine Ella Fitzgerald's voice coming out of a white Urkel, complete with hiked-up pants ad hunched shoulders. Courtney and Judith are the only ones I'm worried about.
At the end of the night, the Jane Lanes "thank us" for our hard work by performing a song we haven't heard them do before. It's sexy, and it's funny, and it's musically rock solid, and I feel a weird mix of ecstasy and torture when I watch them. I knew I was interested; I didn't know I would feel such a longing to be a part of this group! They tell us the final callback sheet wil be up tomorrow morning by 9.
I go back to my dorm telling myself that this was great fun, and I went much further in the process than I ever dreamed I would, so I should be really satisfied with the experience overall. I keep telling myself this, and I actually manage to get to sleep.
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