Round Three Recordings & Comments

Jamie Muscato

"Where Is The Life That Late I Led?" from Kiss Me Kate

Amy says: "Good choice. I thought this song could have benefitted from a little more vocal energy like you displayed in the chorus. I think you are showing in each round that you deserve to be in this contest and continue to advance! Great diction and nice tone on those high notes."

Helen says: "What an excellent song choice! You had a lot of fun with this song, so it was very enjoyable to hear. Great storytelling. Work on your clarity and flexibility in order to be totally confident in the fast and melismatic passages. I was bouncing along as I listened! Keep up the enthusiasm, it's infectious!"

Ray says: "I have no complaint about the technical abilities you display here, Jamie, but I'm not sure if I believe that you understand all the "subtext" of this piece. He's describing all the former lovers he's had and bemoaning the fact that he's married. It's the quintessential struggle between monogamy and...not. That requires you to experience each of the ladies in a different fashion. I just got the feeling that you were singing the song in a way you were taught rather than a way that you felt. I've sung this song in performance a number of times and you need to visualize the face of each lover and put that passion into the song. Vocally...'A'...Interpretation...'C'."

Marie Rivest

"How Many Tears"
from Martin Guerre

Amy says: "Brava! This was a good choice for you--not that well known and a nice piece. Watch your held dipthongs; switching to the last vowel in the dipthong at the last possible second. You are doing a great job!"

Helen says: "This was sung very beautifully, with ease and control. When you sing a dipthong such as the "aye" in "right", try not to put too much emphasis on the second part of the vowel and instead, extend the first part (in this case, the "ah") until the very last possible moment, then add the "i". This will help to keep your vowels more rounded and clear. I really enjoyed listening to this performance and think it's your best yet. Good work."

Ray says: "Really lovely job both in song choice and performance. I enjoyed (from the technical end) the very well done breath control and vowel placement. The song itself doesn't have much punch to it (it didn't in performance, either) but you did a very nice job of maintaining the song to it's end. Vocally...'A'...interpretation...'B+'."

Jessica Mennella

"What Does He Want Of Me" from Man Of La Mancha

Amy says: "You have really raised the bar in these last couple of rounds. This was another great choice for you, and I could see you performing it! Very beautiful high notes, and great energy."

Helen says: "Another great performance. Open up the vowels on your top notes, especially on the word "what". Make it more of an 'ah' than an 'oh' and this will allow those notes to soar as you intend them! I really enjoy your interpretive quality and you consistently choose songs that work for you. Well done."

Ray says: "Such a beautiful voice and technically your choices are without a flaw...but here we are back in interpretation world. Dulcinea is a tortured soul. This is the first man who had ever treated her with respect no matter what she has dished. Don Quixote has that perfect "christian" clarity of vision to see the beauty that resides in all things. He sees it in her and treats her with dignity and honor. Dulcinea has no defense in her scarred heart for that and it brings out her innermost fears. That's what she sings in this song. The woman on the edge of a nervous breakdown... Vocally...'A+'...interpretation...'C'."

Joe Amato

Joe has withdrawn.

Pamela Wong

Pamela has withdrawn.

Erik Scott

"Johanna" from Sweeney Todd

Amy says: "I think you are consistently improving throughout this competition. I appreciated your use of a more covered, intense sound for this song. Watch that you don't push the intensity too much for held notes, but great job!!"

Helen says: "This song really showcases your control and your lovely warm tone. I was expecting a lot from you this round, as you so impressed me last time, but I don't think this song was quite as good for you as the last one. Maybe you didn't quite connect as much with the character. That said, though, it was a great performance."

Ray says: "Beautiful tone quality! And consistent to the end. Sondheim is always such a difficult choice for so many of the obvious reasons but from my point of view the most difficult is the balance between victory/defeat and joy/sorrow that permeates every thing he writes. I hear you acheiving the victory/joy end of it in this song. You'll have to dig deep into Sondheim and yourself for the rest. But you'll get it! Nice job!"

Matt Newhard

"Martin Guerre" from Martin Guerre

Amy says: "You really get stronger all the time. I love your rich, lower register--this might have been a touch too high, or you didn't get a good breath under you for that first high note. I loved the intensity, and the acting choices."

Helen says: "Another good choice for you. Your acting really shines through in this performance. There is nice contrast. I'd love to hear this with a full orchestral backing as the karaoke track is a bit poxy! But of course, you must deal with what you can find. I really enjoyed this, but feel you could have gone a bit further, fully utilising your energy and fullness of tone to convey even more conviction and purpose in the characterisation. Great job."

Ray says: "I'm going to have to divide this song in two because the opening part and the closing part are so different. Part 1: not so good, disconnected from the text, shallow vowels and shallow breathing, too singy and not enough thinky...
Part 2: What the hell happened? Did Martin Guerre suddenly and take over? LOL! Just a world of difference between the two halves. All of a sudden you believed, it changed the tonal color and quality, increased the clarity, changed the breath control. I'm so conflicted! LOL! Vocal..."C-" + "A"...interpretation "C-" + "A-"... somebody do the math..."

Kaitlyn Stobbe

"The Light In The Piazza" from The Light In The Piazza

Amy says: "It might have been my computer, but I thought the recording was a little quiet....Anyway-this was lovely, and very accurate, but you might want to work for a more-connected line. You are a very versatile singer with so much potential and I liked the increasing intensity throughout. Open up the "theres" and "it" as much as you did the the ah vowels ( I know, easier said than done!!!) when they get high. This is not an easy song to sing. Very nice job."

Helen says: "Be careful of the balance between you and your accompanist in your lower range. You were swamped a little by the piano part. Your top notes were lovely as always. Now work to extend this clarity and purity throughout the range and connect the bottom and top notes on those large leaps. This will help the issue of balance as well as giving your range a smoother transition between registers. You had a very good sense of the overall shape of the piece. Excellent vowels and great diction. Beautiful sound. Good work."

Ray says: "What a beautiful voice and I wish everyone had seen this production. It was absolutely stunningly beautiful and heart wrenching. And you did a lovely job of this song. The only thing missing was (if anyone saw this show) was the almost mystical simplicity Kelli O'Hara sang with. The accompaniment is misleading in it's meanandering through minor, major tonalities but the intent is simple and pure. The next time you sing this song just sit in your yard, close your eyes, smile, and sing...and you'll be dead on for this song. Beautiful job."

Michael Campbell

"In Praise of Women" from A Little Night Music

Amy says: "I liked that this was completely differently styled from your other rounds. You have a strong sense of musicality, which is nice. I liked the intensity. I would like the open notes opened up just a bit more, but nice job overall."

Helen says: "There were some pitch issues here, especially on the descending thirds. It sounded like you were letting your support drop and your throat close a little on these passages. The chorus was better controlled and the ascending passages were lovely. The accompaniment doesn't give you much help with pitch either! As always, your diction and acting is great and the tone of your voice is so warm and full, but overall this piece seemed rushed in its preparation. What a shame!"

Ray says: "Mr. Sondheim rears his ugly head again (not him personally being ugly, thank you) and you've fallen into the trap mercilessly and helplessly. All you need to do on this song is to fill in the rest of the sentences and complete each thought as it races along. Easier said than done... She wouldn't (have sex with him) therefore they didn't (have sex) Therefore it wasn't (adultery) Nonetheless, it...WOULD SHE? Steep leaps between arrogant nature of a pompous man and his self doubt. Tough song, tough choices, tough vocals... Vocally...'C'...Interpretation...'C-'."