Music Colleges: am i Soprano or Mezzo Soprano?

I'm in a bit of a pickle. I'm applying to music colleges but dont know whether to apply as a mezzo or soprano. my range is from a C below middle C to a C 2 octaves above middle C. although i can hit the high C i'm not as comfortable singing that high as i am a bit lower. sorry if this made no sense, any help would be appreciated!

Reply 1

laura94

13

You're not comfortable singing as high as high C - but where are you comfortable singing to?

Reply 2

KKKKatie

OP

8

laura94

You're not comfortable singing as high as high C - but where are you comfortable singing to?

I'm comfortable singing up to about a G/A

Reply 3

laura94

13

KKKKatie

I'm comfortable singing up to about a G/A

In that case you're most likely a soprano. would you say you had quite heavy, dark tone to your voice or fairly light tone? (excluding when belting)

Reply 4

KKKKatie

OP

8

laura94

In that case you're most likely a soprano. would you say you had quite heavy, dark tone to your voice or fairly light tone? (excluding when belting)

i wouldnt say its particularly dark, or light, somewhere in the middle, but it is quite a bright sound.

Reply 5

laura94

13

KKKKatie

i wouldnt say its particularly dark, or light, somewhere in the middle, but it is quite a bright sound.

From what you say I would go with soprano, though without hearing your voice it's impossible to know 100%. However you're most likely a soprano, and any music they gave you in will be within your range anyway.

Reply 6

The_Lonely_Goatherd

20

KKKKatie

I'm in a bit of a pickle. I'm applying to music colleges but dont know whether to apply as a mezzo or soprano. my range is from a C below middle C to a C 2 octaves above middle C. although i can hit the high C i'm not as comfortable singing that high as i am a bit lower. sorry if this made no sense, any help would be appreciated!

I'm a similar range and am a mezzo. Am not a singer so only discovered this when people told me so at uni (I'd always thought I was an alto and still sing as an alto anyway).

Of course that doesn't necessarily mean you're a mezzo too but since soprano is higher than mezzo, I'd personally guess that's what you are :yes:

Reply 7

Human Cadenza

I'm sorry to severely disagree with the latter but from your range it seems that your natural tessitura would be more that of a Mezzo Soprano.

I say this having trained at Birmingham Conservatoire as a Countertenor and being surrounded by girls who thought they were sopranos only to be given a reality check in college. It's not unheard of for Mezzos to access the higher region of thier voices ( Cecilia Bartolli being a wonderful example of a coloratura mezzo) however the classification is within where the vocal quality lies. As you've specified you're more comfortable around the G/A region below high C which is the biggest indication for my judgement. Whereas a general pre-requisite for any training soprano is relative ease in accessing a C6.

You have a fantastic range so definitely cater towards that in your audition pieces. ALSO the ratio to mezzo : soprano for music college auditions is so much more dense in the soprano contigency so you stand in better stead for entry when being considered as a mezzo soprano.

Good luck! :smile: