1. Emily Floyd - Overall, Emily had good breath support, especially while she was singing in her middle range. However, when she went up to the higher notes, she used some audible bucket breathing which made these notes sound slightly unsure and unsupported. She used great intonation through the middle range, which had a rich timbre, but began to sound slightly flat and breathy on the high notes and the lowest notes. I hypothesize that this may be due to the tongue being pulled back, taken out of a nice curved position. As she sang, she expressed the music well through the focus on her face. She just needs to become more sure of herself on those high notes.
2. Amber Denslow - Amber used very clear diction with all of those fast French words! It seemed like she had a difficult time sustaining each phrase, which in part was largely due to her audible and shallow breaths. Once she deepens her breath, it will be much more sustaining through each phrase. She seemed very tense and had a look of anger on her face, which I wasn't sure expressed the text or not. The fact that there was confusion with the accompaniment probably caused some of the tension and confusion. However, she was quite a trooper and made it through the song amongst the confusion. If she deepens the breaths and loosens the tension in her vocal chords and body, I believe she will find her singing improving dramatically.
3. Amber (the Younger) Farrow - The musical-theater style sounds great for her voice. She sang some brilliant high notes, but tended to go flat on some of her notes, especially at the end of phrases. Her breathing needed to be deeper, and it became noticeable when she was running out of air. I loved the way that she shared the story with us on her face while singing, but she lost the focus during the parts she wasn't singing. She needs to maintain that focus throughout the entirety of the piece. At times her shoulders would also rock up and down, which was not particularly distracting, but it is definitely something to be aware of.
4. Michael Lechner - His breathing was more like a balloon, and hardly ever audible. He had an interesting timbre, which was slightly dark, but also very nasally and tense. I had a hard time being able to pick out the words he was singing, because his diction was muffled. I think this in large part has to do with the fact that he may have forgotten some of the words. He needs to go over the words and melody again and become more familiar with it so that he is not thinking so much during his performance. This will also take away some of the tension that he was experiencing.
5. Jared Daley - I don't have a lot to say about his performance. He did an incredible job. He had deep and sustaining breaths, accurate intonation (and I loved the variation on notes that he used), he had a golden timbre which made it very enjoyable to listen to. On some of the higher, bigger notes, his voice was somewhat tense, but it didn't take away from the performance at. His body remained relaxed through the song and he used great expressiveness through his voice and face. He should explore musical theater more, because he has a wonderful voice for it.
6. Sarah Gee - She sang in a very sweet pleasant tone that was easy to listen to. Her breathing was overall deep and balloon-like, and she hit all the notes accurately. At times the diction seemed a little swallowed, so she should crispen that up. There was also tension on the sides of her mouth, and she may get an even freer sound if she loosens that. Overall beautiful and bright sound.
7. Jordon Davis - He used great sustaining, deep, balloon like breaths for the majority of the performance. There were a lot weird notes in the piece and he hit them with confidence and accuracy. His voice has taken on a rich quality that enjoyable to listen to. He used a lot of great expression in the face, and I would recommend creating even more expression through musicality and playing with dynamics.
8. Adrianne Dunn - Adrianne has a beautiful vibrato, and when she used it, her sound become brilliant and was wonderful to listen to. However, her vibrato was not consistent and she would only use it in some phrases. When not using vibrato, her timbre would turn breathy and tense. Breathing was bucket-like and high in the chest. She hit the notes for the most part accurately, but had a few pitch problems on the ending sustained notes. I also noticed tension in the jaw. At times, she expressed the meaning of the song well, but it would go in and out of being convincing and not.
9. Emily Hess - Emily sounds great singing the musical theater style. She used crisp diction, which, along with her facial expressions, helped express the feelings exhibited in the song. Her breathing was sometimes deep and sometimes bucket-like, which gave her a breathy timbre. I would recommend her not breathing after "rain... was soft." Her intonation was mostly very accurate, but became shaky in the section right before the key change. She needs to start preparing her body and expression before she starts singing. She also was taking little steps forward through her whole performance, and should be aware of that.
10. Kaylie Farris - She has beautiful, brilliant high notes and sang with such a mature sound! Her breathing was bucket-like and audible, and the verses before the chorus could be much stronger if she used a more supportive breath. She didn't use a lot of expression or tell any kind of story, and that would also add a lot to the performance. Overall, it was a wonderful performance, but it also felt rushed. I would slow down the tempo a little, which will make it easier to express the meaning of the piece.
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