{"id":1687,"date":"2026-01-04T19:30:00","date_gmt":"2026-01-04T18:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/jayweiner.me\/blog\/?p=1687"},"modified":"2026-06-10T01:42:39","modified_gmt":"2026-06-10T00:42:39","slug":"how-the-auditions-went","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jayweiner.me\/blog\/music-diary\/how-the-auditions-went\/","title":{"rendered":"How the auditions went"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

In November-December 2025, I went to London three times to audition at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, the Royal College of Music, and the Royal Academy of Music. I received a nearly immediate offer from Guildhall – my first choice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To prepare my programme I had to be deliberate. The criteria across these conservatoires are broadly similar: strong technical foundation, stylistic understanding, linguistic competence, and clear artistic potential. Certain languages and styles are expected, and in one of the auditions, having a piece with vocal agility was particularly recommended. I selected four arias that were clearly contrasted in language, period, and musical character. At the same time, they were all suitable for trouser roles or countertenor repertoire, which was a prerequisite in my books. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although Guildhall, RAM, and RCM operate within the same sphere and have interchangeable teachers, their educational cultures feel slightly different. There is a noticeable variation in how conservative their styles of education are – RCM, RAM, and Guildhall each have their own atmosphere. RAM feels structurally traditional, RCM highly polished and performance-focused, and Guildhall somewhat less conservative in approach, with a strong integration of music and drama. The differences are subtle, but they shape the environment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The audition format was similar at all three institutions. There was a short session with the pianist, followed by the first round in front of the panel. After that, candidates waited to hear whether they would be invited to stay for a second audition. The transition from first to second round is where most applicants are cut; progressing is relatively rare. I was invited to second rounds at Guildhall and RCM.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The panels themselves were supportive and professional, and the atmosphere was quite serious, but not hostile. It was clear they wanted to see each candidate at their best.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There were, however, some differences in structure. Guildhall required a memorised monologue in the second round; I performed AM\u2019s hate monologue from I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream<\/em>. RCM had a particularly quick turnaround between first and second auditions. RAM did not hold a second singing round in the same way; instead, selected candidates were invited to interview – though this wasn’t an equivalent to a second audition as it is possible to be offered a place without having gotten an interview (though rare). I was not offered that interview.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In terms of performance, I think I sang very well at Guildhall and RCM. I felt vocally secure and on my game dramatically. On the day of my RAM audition though, I was feeling unwell, and it did affect my performance. I also recognise that my preparation could have been more rigorous \u2014 I was still finalising memorisation only days before the auditions, which added unnecessary pressure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Looking back, I would structure my preparation more strictly and ensure that memorisation and theoretical work were fully consolidated earlier. That said, I am proud of how I handled the rooms themselves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Being accepted to Guildhall is both exciting and slightly daunting. Guildhall School of Music & Drama, based at the Barbican in London, is one of the UK\u2019s leading conservatoires and is known for integrating music and dramatic training. In my first year, I will study principal singing, opera scenes, languages, acting, movement, theory, aural skills, ensemble work, and keyboard skills. I know I will need to strengthen my music theory significantly and commit seriously to developing my piano skills to the required standard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Over the summer, I plan to consolidate theory, maintain my languages, and establish a consistent piano practice routine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although I was not accepted at RAM or RCM, I am very pleased with the outcome. I am looking forward to beginning at Guildhall and to the level of work it will demand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

https:\/\/www.gsmd.ac.uk<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In November-December 2025, I went to London three times to audition at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, the Royal College of Music, and the Royal Academy of Music. I received an immediate offer from Guildhall – my first choice.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1692,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[33],"tags":[60,32,88,91,89,90],"class_list":["post-1687","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-music-diary","tag-auditions","tag-diary","tag-guildhall","tag-repertoire","tag-royal-academy","tag-royal-college"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/jayweiner.me\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/guildhallschool-sign-credit-PaulCochrane-1536x1025.jpg.webp","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/jayweiner.me\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1687","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/jayweiner.me\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/jayweiner.me\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jayweiner.me\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jayweiner.me\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1687"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/jayweiner.me\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1687\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2037,"href":"https:\/\/jayweiner.me\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1687\/revisions\/2037"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jayweiner.me\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1692"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/jayweiner.me\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1687"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jayweiner.me\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1687"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jayweiner.me\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1687"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}