My Voices of Liberty audition experience

bee

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Hi all! Hopefully this is the right place to post this! I hope this is helpful for anyone who is considering auditioning for a Disney talent position.

If you don't know me, I'm Bee and I'm a professional opera/classical singer. I grew up in Florida and went to Disney frequently as a teenager and young adult; now I live in the NYC area and still go to WDW whenever possible. I post frequently in the Trip Reports forum as well as other park-related forums here.

This morning I had an audition in New York for the Voice of Liberty. The audition was for seasonal performers to sing in the Candlelight Processional at Epcot three times a night between Thanksgiving and New Year's. I had never done a Disney audition so I didn't know exactly what to expect, but as an opera singer I do singing auditions ALL the time, especially around this time of the year as it's our busiest audition season.

The audition was open call (no appointments, anyone can show up and sing as long as they sign in during the designated time) for female singers. Sign in was 9:30-10:30 and I arrived around 8:45. There were already nearly 30 other women waiting to sign in, sitting in chairs in order of arrival. I ended up hitting it off with the person sitting next to me; she had come into the city from Connecticut that morning and studied both voice and flute in college.

A little after 9:00 the monitor arrived and told us how the auditions would proceed. Sign in began around 9:15; we got in line in order of arrival and one by one signed in on the list and gave our resumes and headshots (stapled back to back) to the monitor. I was number 29. Shortly before 10:00, after almost everyone was signed in, the two Disney CMs who would be hearing auditions came in to introduce themselves. Before the first group was called, the monitor told us all to sing something that reflected our respective abilities and personalities, and that we didn't necessarily have to sing a Disney or holiday song. He also told us we only needed 16 bars today.

(Note: the audition listing for this job said to bring one selection of 16 bars, but on the general Disney Auditions page it says singers should bring two contrasting selections. I brought three just in case.)

Just before 10:30, the monitor had numbers 1 through 10 line up in the hall. He gave the two listening the stacks of resumes/headshots in order so they could keep up with the singers. Each person entered the room, sang their cut, and exited and the next person went in.

I brought two possible pairs of shoes (a pair of heels and a pair of flats) and waited until I saw what others were wearing to get an idea of how formal to go. When I saw most of the girls in heels I picked my heels.

Since I was number 29 I went in the third group of ten. While I was waiting I believe I saw two come out with a sheet of paper with a short piece of music on it, meaning they got a callback and would need to prepare the selection for tomorrow's second round. When it was my turn I entered, gave my music to the pianist, and showed him where my cut began. Then I introduced myself to the panel and told them what I would sing ("Getting to Know You" from The King and I with an optional high note at the end since I'm a soprano). After I sang one of the men on the panel thanked me for coming in and said it was good to hear me. I did not get a callback this time but I felt great about how I sang and I know I presented myself well. I gathered my things from the holding room and thanked the monitor, and exchanged contact info with the girl I had met while we waited. Then around 11:15 I was on my way home to Jersey.

I have heard from many current and former performing CMs that Disney rarely hires anyone after just one or two auditions; they like to see persistence and progress from audition to audition. The girl I met at the audition told me she knows two Disney singers, one of whom had six auditions before getting cast, and one of whom had TWELVE!

I am super glad I did this audition! It was a great experience and I have a better idea of what and how to prepare if I choose to audition again. Honestly the timing of singing with the VoL would have been a pain to work out if I had gotten the job this year, but maybe after eleven more auditions it will work out! :p

Feel free to reply to this thread and/or private message me if you have any specific questions about my audition. Thanks for reading!
 

skpenny21

New Member
Hello,
Thank you for this helpful post! I'm attending the same kind of audition for VOL, and I was wondering what kind of repertoire to bring? They ask for 16 bars and do not recommend an operatic selection. I am a classical soprano. Any suggestions? Thank you!
 

bee

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Hello,
Thank you for this helpful post! I'm attending the same kind of audition for VOL, and I was wondering what kind of repertoire to bring? They ask for 16 bars and do not recommend an operatic selection. I am a classical soprano. Any suggestions? Thank you!
Sing something you are comfortable singing completely in straight tone with great intonation. I did the audition a second time last year and they explicitly told us they are looking for straight tone singing. Bring a few things, though, because there’s a possibility they will ask you to sing a second selection. Think pop and contemporary musical theatre.
 

DrPiplupWho

New Member
Hello, and thank you for posting about this. Being a member of the Voices of Liberty has always been my dream, but I am not even sure how to find auditions. While I do not have theater experience, and I cannot sing opera, I do have four years of high school chorus (Alto 1 and 2) under my belt. I hope to make my dream come true someday. Thank you again for your post!
 

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