New Gigs

Since I've been here this summer, I've lined up four gigs for the coming year. Well, two are potential gigs and one is for 2006, but still! The work is coming. The first is a New Year's Eve concert on Fox Island, near Tacoma. It will be an opera gala, with three other singers and a pianist (my friend and colleague, Lisa Bergman). Erik and I wil spend the night there, viewing the Seattle fireworks from the south instead of the north on the Taylors lawn. While a NYE gig is always wonderful, I'll be sad to miss kissing all my friends as the new year rolls in.

The gig for 2006 is a fundraiser for the Ladies Musical Club. One of the ladies is organizing a performance of a chamber opera (smaller orchestra, minimal staging) based on the lives and work of the Bronte sisters. I think I will be singing Anne, the less well-known of the three. This has potential to be a really fun project.

The first potential gig is in Seattle, with the Northwest Puppet Center. Every year they perform an opera, using live singers and instrumentalsists. This year, it's an adaptation of Mozart's The Magic Flute! I would absolutely LOVE to be involved with this. It would be a great venue to try out the Queen of the Night's arias, and I know the whole thing would be a blast. I'm submiting a demo cd this week, so we'll see what comes of it.

The other gig just came my way today. This morning (I'm writing this on Sunday) I performed a piece written by one of the composition Fellows here at Tanglewood. It was a fun piece, with lots of shrieking, laughing on pitch, and talking in rhythm. Basically, your typical "new music!" After the performance, the man who conducted us, another Fellow named Alan Pierson, asked me if I would be interested in performing with his new music ensemble in April. They have a piece for soprano and orchestra programed, but the women originally scheduled to perform has had to back out. He's not sure if the director has found a replacement, but if not, he would like me to consider it. The composer of the piece, Augusta Reed Thomas, was also at this morning's concert, and she agreed that it would be a good match for me. Of course, I'm interested! Alan's group, Alarm Will Sound, really seems to have their stuff together, performing and recording quite a bit and getting really good press. And I would enjoy a chance to work with him again; he's a very sensitive and direct conductor.

So, the calander is filling up! All I need are the contracts...