Practicing

This week my internet friend and fellow blogging singer, Tom, catalogued the books currently stacked on his piano. These are the projects – current, future, or just wishful thinking – that take up space in our minds and time in our days. I thought I would borrow the idea from time to time; I think it’s a great insight. Thanks for the tip, Tom, and good luck with all that music!!

Bach, St. John Passion Performance next Sunday (Palm Sunday) with Orchestra Seattle, at Benaroya Hall. I don’t know what it is about Bach, but his music finds it way into my voice so easily. I can move very quickly through the “what’s my next note?” phase into the music-making phase. Maybe it’s because I’ve been singing Bach from my earliest days as a voice student; his is a consistent presence through all my development. I’m putting together a demo cd right now, and I’m including a couple arias from Bach’s Cantata 202 that were recorded three years ago. Even though my voice has grown in many ways since then, I think this it some of my finest singing ever. Hopefully the St. John next week will join the ranks.

Augusta Read Thomas, In My Sky at Twilight Fabulously difficult piece of “new music” that is having its New York Premiere on April 7th. So nervous! I’ve never had to work on a difficult orchestral piece with neither a) a piano reduction or b) a couple weeks of rehearsal. In this case I have neither, but I do have a wonderful recording of Christine Brandeis singing the piece with Pierre Boulez at the helm. It is a sexy, sensual piece, all about love and desire. I hope I can get to the point with the music where I can be sensual. This is NOT a piece for the deer-in-the-headlights, “what’s my next note?” look! (That purple dress would help, yes?)

Offenbach, Orfée aux Enfers I’m working on the role of Eurydice, who enjoys her trip to the Underworld and doesn’t want to leave when (a very reluctant) Orpheus comes to claim her. Two fun arias and a fabulous duet with Jupiter, who has been turned into a bee. Lots of buzzing! I’ll be covering this for the University of Washington’s spring production.

New Arias: “Qui la voce . . . Vien, diletto,” from Bellini’s I Puritani; “Par la rang et par l’opulence,” from Donizetti’s La Fille du Regiment. I’ve been instructed by my teacher to get some bel canto into repertoire, and I am loving it.

Osvaldo Golijov, Tenebrae I’m trying to build a chamber music recital cd around this piece. Possible themes it could work with are “Light & Shadow,” religious texts, or string quartet rep. The score was given to me by Osvaldo, with a very sweet inscription, after the premiere of Ainadamar at Tanglewood in 2003. I’ve been looking for a performance opportunity ever since!

Opera scores for Santa Fe: Turandot (chorus), Peter Grimes (chorus and First Niece), and Ainadamar (ensemble, which is kind of like a chorus but generally smaller and each voice has moments in which it stands out; I don't think my role as Horseman made the final revision. No more dancing!).

So, you can see I’m keeping busy… If only there were more hours in the day.