Hello my name is Betsy and I'm a singing teacher at TakeLessons. Today we're going
to talk about some of the best baritone audition songs that will help you stand
out from the crowd. We'll cover a mix of Broadway classical
pop and some comedic songs. You'll also find out which songs are the most
overdone in musical theater auditions. So stay tuned and don't forget to click on
the link in the description box to try our free online singing classes. So my
best tips for baritones for audition songs are to think about your own
personality. There's such a wide range of roles that baritones play whether you're a
bouffant or you're actually the leading man and not a tenor in this case. If
you're trying out for a villain you might want to think about that type of
role and do something that's a little bit heavier or scary. So you have to kind
of think about what you're trying to project, what the role type is and what
the musical is. The most important thing to do is and this is especially true for
younger singers- you don't want to use anything with profanity, anything that's
on a current Broadway show, you just don't want to use luck be a lady tonight,
something that's super overdone, or basically anything from Phantom of the
Opera because that's super popular. Again just staying away from something that's
too dark or inappropriate or like I said using any kind of profanity or anything
that's gonna make the judges uncomfortable, because that's gonna
reflect upon your audition and make them think uncomfortably about you in a role,
which is what you exactly don't want to do. One good song that might be a good
choice for you is 'pretty woman' from Sweeney Todd. This is gonna be more of a
lyrical song that can show off some acting ability like I said if this is
one of those rare roles that a baritone actually has a love interest and isn't a
villain or the clown or some kind of juxtapose character. This is a good
song to show off your acting and set yourself up as a leading man. Another
good one if you're younger especially or if you're going for that kind of class
clown, bouffant type role would be 'greased lightning.' Everybody knows the
song but for a younger male to sing it and kind of really kind of lend his
personality it can be done really well and you can also show off a little bit
of your comedic and acting chops, as well as if you're able to incorporate some
dancing into it. It's a little quicker song so
that would show you in that kind of light. Another good song would be 'if I
were a rich man' from fiddler on the roof. Again if you've got some kind of comedic
acting ability to really show off and just kind of show a little bit more
personality. If this is for a father or a bouffant type role
that would be great. One that's done a little bit more but if you have a higher
tessitura - that is, your range can stretch - beauty and the beast 'if I can't love
her' is a really good song if you do have the ability to sing a little bit higher.
As a baritone sometimes roles do expect a little bit more out of you so if you
can choose something that has a higher range stretch or if you do have that mid
tone belt and you want to show that off, a song like that would really be a great
audition piece to just let the producer, director, casting people know that,
hey I do have this range and I am comfortable using it. So best songs for
comedic roles. So this is normally when you're the best friend or you're the
class clown or that type of role. You want to choose something that's going to
show that you have comedic timing, that you do have the ability to act through a
song. Remember in these comedic roles it's not as important that you're a
great singer - it's more important that you're a good actor. So you want to show
the director that you're a good actor, that you have comedic timing, that you
can tell a story through a song and and really sell it that way. If the
director wanted just a great singer, they'd hire a great singer but that's
really not the point of comedic roles. You just need to think of yourself as an
actor first. 'Les poissons' from The Little Mermaid is a great song to really
act out and just get that kind of like fake rage and really build the audience
up. It's gonna be done a little bit more especially in children's theaters and
and young adults so be careful with that choice and just kind of see what kind of
role you're going for. 'Mama says' from Footloose is another great song. It's
belty and can really show off a comedic range. 'Me' from Beauty and the
Beast IS super funny. You can really let yourself go with that one and again it's
gonna be more appropriate for like a younger audience or for a director that
wants to see you in a role that's okay and geared for
children. Musicals that you would want to use a pop song for would be something
that's written more recently. I think using a pop song to show off your range
is great. One of my best tips for doing this though is to think about pop
singers and their voice type. So who do you like listening to, who do you sing
along with really well? Especially as a young singer, maybe we don't have a lot
of lessons, or working with a professional under your belt.
Think about who you're comfortable singing with along with on the radio.
Voices like Josh Groban or Elvis Presley or Eddie Vedder, Jim Morrison from The
Doors. Something a little bit older. Think about those voices. Something like
'Sweet Caroline' from Neil Diamond or 'America,' that's a great choice for a
young singer. 'Light my fire,' 'Riders on the storm,' again from the Doors - great choices
for showing off that baritone range. 'You raise me up' if you have a little bit
higher or you can hold that mid tone out, like that would be great to sing some
Josh Groban and really show off a little bit more of your classical training.
So for classical audition songs I would definitely recommend to consider your
role strongly. 'Who are you auditioning for' is going to be almost as important
if not more important than what's comfortable in your voice type, because
the role that you're singing could vary so diversely
in classical music. Whether it's an oratorio and you can be a little bit
more straight faced or if again you're playing the buffoon type character where
you want to be something funnier, comedic. You have to show that difference. If
you're talking about like a dramatic role maybe go to Verdi in Rigoletto.
'Pari siamo' is just a great piece for a baritone to audition with. Verdi was the
king of Italian drama as far as opera goes and you would want to choose
something that's equally dramatic and has the ability to kind of showcase that.
If the role that you're playing is going to be sung in English you might want to
sing an aria that's in English. So the Ballad of Baby Doe- 'Warm as the autumn
light' is beautiful and lyrical. The song is set really nicely in the middle of
your tessitura so it's gonna show off that strong middle range and it has some
just beautiful lines and it's right around three minutes so it's a pretty
good choice if you get to sing that much time at an audition, which is normally
the cap for any classical singer to be able to showcase. So Rossini's Barber of
Seville has great songs for baritones. If you have some nice vocal agility and you
do want to show off your comedic chops, 'Largo al factotum' is a great piece. Again
it's in Italian so you're gonna be able to show that off if this show that
you're auditioning for is in Italian. It's beautiful classically but it's also
one of the most recognizable pieces, so if it's a classically leaning show but
the audience or the judges aren't necessarily super schooled in opera
pieces, they'll recognize this one and it'll be a nice one that they can kind of
hum along - as well as admire and appreciate what you're doing vocally.
Another good one if you're auditioning for a comedic role is from Mozart's Don
Giovanni. The catalog aria is just super funny so if you do have the ability to
act and you do have the ability to showcase some personality this would be
a great one to do. Even though it's not in English people still understand your
jokes and your gestures if you have the ability to really act it out and show
that you can do that. And it gives directors just a great idea of what they
can do with you musically as well as with your acting. So if you need something
up-tempo as a baritone there are some really good choices out there for you.
'Surrey with the fringe on top' from Oklahoma is super fast and fun, just
remember you have to spit out those words just as super clearly as you can
because you're not in that super high tenor or soprano register where maybe
the audience can hear you a little bit more clearly. As soon as you lower that
tessitura you have to work even harder to get that diction out so remember that.
'I can't stand still' from Footloose is another really good option especially
again if you have a very very high range that would be great for you to show off
and showcase. The bigger stretch you can give a director in your audition the
more they can imagine you in a role that does have that kind of same range. Boy
From Oz has a great piece called 'Not the boy next door.' Again this is a great song
that has that mid-range, that just shows you as a powerhouse singer. We talked
about it before in the comedic section but 'Me' from Beauty and the Beast is also
a good one to show that you're able to carry an up-tempo piece and not lose
people's interest or fatigue or show that you can't you know spit those words
out with people understanding you. So some top tips in general for baritones:
think about the role you're auditioning for, think about what you're comfortable
with. Are you comfortable being a comedian? Or you may be just more
comfortable being like a love interest or maybe a more serious role. Are you
fine with being a villain? Think about the roles that you want to audition for,
think about the shows that are coming up in your area, and kind of think about
what you would be willing to show a director because they want to see the
very best version of you so that they can cast you into that show. Things to
expect during an audition: you really want to be prepared for them to cut you
off and not get frazzled. Maybe have a backup song, maybe if you would have
picked a comedic song maybe also pick something that's a little bit more
lyrical just in case they want to hear your singing abilities - they can see you
act already just fine. I would expect to be vocalized so go in
with your scales ready, go in already vocalizing your voice from the bottom at
the top, go back down, stretch it a little bit further lower, stretch it a little
bit further higher. As a baritone that range is just
gonna be super important because they might try to pigeonhole you into a role
that maybe needs a little bit more of a stretch than you've shown in your song
so you having those vocalizing abilities with a pianist on the spot is important
to think of and important to be comfortable with and not get nervous
about. Can you think of any other good audition songs for baritones?
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