I'll try another section:) Professional opera singer advice?

Question:I have a huge audition coming up in two weeks and have developed a very bad cold. I'm a pro so I do know to hydrate, no caffeine, rest, throat coat, honey etc. but I'm frightened of losing my top notes and need them to sing 'Sempre Libera' (you know this is hard under the best circumstances if you've ever done it). Have you auditioned under these circumstances and what did you do to the lead up? I have never auditioned/performed sick and I've been performing for 15 years. My voice teacher died and I have to relocate 4 hours to another city to get another one qualified to teach me.
Any help? Thoughts? Experiences? Thank you very much!

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: I have a huge audition coming up in two weeks and have developed a very bad cold. I'm a pro so I do know to hydrate, no caffeine, rest, throat coat, honey etc. but I'm frightened of losing my top notes and need them to sing 'Sempre Libera' (you know this is hard under the best circumstances if you've ever done it). Have you auditioned under these circumstances and what did you do to the lead up? I have never auditioned/performed sick and I've been performing for 15 years. My voice teacher died and I have to relocate 4 hours to another city to get another one qualified to teach me.
Any help? Thoughts? Experiences? Thank you very much!

Stop rehearsing immediately. Increase your Vitamin A and Zinc consumption for a week. Drink as often as directed the "Airborne" concoction to help the body recover sooner. Increase your hours of sleep.

I'm a great believer in the Zicam or Flu Relief nasal sprays to stop the spread of the virus into the throat and reduce the drainage which can swell the vocal cords. Ibuprofen is a temporary solution if they are still slightly swollen the day of the audition.

You sound stressed which is probably why this has happened, but you've got time to recover. Don't be rushing around for a new teacher and making the stress worse. Consider seeking a coach closer to home for a while.

Rest and relax!

Kurdt Kobain used to drink a bottle of cough syrup before each show cause he said it helped his voice but a couple years after he died they realized that he might have just been doing it to take dxm which is like lsd and is in some cough syrups. Taking two or three doses too many the day before your audition might help. Its not really enough to make you trip but it might fix your voice for a day or two or just make you better. Never mix cough meds and any other medicine. Also in the sources there's a million reasons not to take dxm.

Oh, and if you have any flem in ur lungs try taking pennecillin for a week. However, this happens to alot of singers before a big show. One of my ways of dealing with this is reverse psychology. I tell myself that there is no show and I can take my time getting well. Another way is to tell myself until I know that it is true that the performance is not a serious thing. I should just have fun at it and sing with my heart, not my lungs, because the more serious we take things, the harder the rules become.

As you say you are singer, your voice must be an asset to you . Not only asset it is an earning source. So you need to protect it like your soul. You seem to be suffering from bad cold. and this has worsened your voice due to cough, sore throat and related after effects. I have noticed and experienced to that when ever I had cough and cold I will have bad stomach preceding cold. I mean Constipation. The congested gastro-intestine track has to be cleared. You may wonder this is some tall talk but Ayurveda , science of medicine of India , too has this notion.

Best thing I do to clean up my constipation FASTEST is to
1- hot water therapy.. Drinking 5-7 litres of water mixed with a pinch of coocking salt, in one go, though slowly. Water will build up the force and heat and salt will melt the waste material sticking to the walls of intestines.
2- Ripe Pappaya. Papaya has curative value as well as nutritive value. It is the best food for disabled and sick as well as child too. Be on pappaya diet for these sick days. You will notice the diffence within 24 hours
3-Stop taking Milk in any form. hot or cold. Curd and butter milk to be stopped. No Custards, Ice creams chocolates or any Food in even in the form of Soup.
4- Vegetable soup without tomattoe or fried elements in it may be taken
5 boiled Carrots,cauliflower are good.
6 veg salad Not in this time of sickness. You may take after you have recovered your GOLDEN VOICE.

Try this and you will have the best results.

For more you may get a book "Papaya, healing with the Wonderfruit" by BARBARA SIMONSOHN

A Papaya A Day
A papaya a day keeps the doctor away.
Take two or three and you will see:
You feel healthy and fine,
And you'll start to shine!
Life gets happy as could be,
Life gets happy as could be.

Good Luck and Good Health with Golden Voice

This should be no problem - the audition is in two weeks and most colds last 10 days at the most. Try meditating as well and seeing yourself as healthy...affirmations and whatnot.