tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-73121002024-03-18T23:01:26.526-04:00the concertCome now, be content.<br>
I will come back to you, I swear I will;<br>
And you will know me still.<br>
I shall be only a little taller<br>
Than when I went.<br>
<i>~Edna St. Vincent Millay</i><br>ACBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06869696013809730116noreply@blogger.comBlogger655125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7312100.post-61064733291272309392011-12-03T21:26:00.002-05:002011-12-03T21:26:43.666-05:00Family on the RoadHello again! I’m writing tonight from a hotel room in Dallas, where B and I are singing a <i>Messiah</i> tomorrow. B3 is asleep in his little hotel-provided crib and B and I are winding down after a roller coaster day. We’ve had amazing musical experiences countered with the down-to-earth realities of family life. Our heads are kind of spinning...<br />
<br />
I wish I could have pulled out a laptop and written a post in the middle of rehearsal today; there were so many inspiring moments that I wanted to put into words! We soloists are placed on a raised platform in front of the chorus but behind the orchestra, and from that position we are completely bathed in the incredible sounds created by the musicians around us. Our fellow soloists are top-notch, and the four of us have really enjoyed working together, creating ornaments “by committee” and singing along with our favorite choruses. (Tomorrow during the performance we will have to sit and listen quietly, so we got it out of our systems today.)<br />
<br />
B and I really haven’t worked together that often since we’ve been together, and it is nice to have our most trusted pair of ears right there to encourage and support us. I listen for things I know B will want to know about, and vice versa. We can exchange a look that tells each other exactly what we need to know about how we did. On breaks, of course, we put those looks into words, and take the other’s advice or encouragement into the next performance. I love it. <br />
<br />
(NB: Soon we will get to announce that we will be singing together again! Sometime in 2013, and in an opera very near and dear to our hearts. Stay tuned...)<br />
<br />
The conductor of this group was a Masters student at UGA when I was an undergrad, so he has known my voice from its early days of development. I was a music education major when we met, and he remembers telling me that I should consider switching to performance. His instinct was correct, it seems, for here I am, lo these many years later, making my living - and raising my family - in classical music. <br />
<br />
No matter what your profession, it’s hard to raise a toddler. They are complex and constantly changing creatures, with so many needs - not the least of which is a relatively consistent routine. My poor little guy (PLG, as we call him); just when he gets used to things being a certain way, we up and relocate to Dallas or Richmond or Atlanta for a few days. We have several basic routines that we do our best to replicate - morning, bedtime, naps - but so much is different. Sometimes I feel guilty, sometimes I feel lucky (nothing entertains a toddler quite as much as a new place to explore!). And how do I know if his fussiness is related to regular toddler issues - teething, tummy problems, separation anxiety - and how much is due to a new environment? How do I know if he’s whining because his tummy hurts or because he’s still distraught from being apart from us today? B3 has been in a church child care situation while we’ve been here, and that has been brutal. He cries as if he’s dying both when we drop him and and when we pick him up, but he has a great time in between! I know it’s the sort of thing he would get used to if it was an everyday routine, but for now, for a short term arrangement, it’s just hard for all of us.<br />
<br />
Tomorrow we will get dressed up a little early and go get our picture taken by the Christmas tree in the hotel lobby. Henry has a little one-piece tux that I can’t wait to see him in! I love having my whole family here on this gig; when I am alone in a hotel room in Hong Kong in a few weeks, I will remember this time and wish they were with me.<br />
<br />
Even if it meant cleaning poop out of the tub.ACBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06869696013809730116noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7312100.post-1602169944119915602011-10-29T20:58:00.002-04:002011-10-29T20:58:25.180-04:00Brave FaceToday is my husband’s birthday! And he is in Macau...<br />
<br />
We miss him terribly today, and even with our iChat videos we can’t manage to really connect and make him feel close to us. The internet is amazing, but sometimes a rough connection can make us so frustrated that it would almost be better not to talk at all. Henry is having a rough day, very clingy, and the weather is miserable so we can’t get outside and run around. All in all, it’s not a very fun day.<br />
<br />
Or wasn’t, I should say. I started this post at naptime, and the first half of the day was really hard. But, as is often the case, if I set my mind to it, naptime was a bit of a reset, and we ended up having a really fun afternoon. We made pumpkin bread, Henry helping dump in the ingredients; we bundled up and shoveled a little snow; we watched most of Monsters, Inc. in several 20-minute segments. I’m waiting now for Matt to wake up on the other side of the world and praying for a better connection this time. It would be nice to see him smile on his birthday.<br />
<br />
Days like this are hard. And sometimes I wonder if I make them harder by not grinning-and-bearing-it better. By not putting on a brave face. I felt awful that I couldn’t fake a smile for Matt this morning. But these days I am a terrible faker! When my first marriage ended, I told myself that I was through with faking it. Years of hiding my unhappiness and anger didn’t exactly serve me well, so I just said enough was enough. And until now, it has worked.<br />
<br />
But now that I’m a mom, I wonder: Do I need to learn how to fake it again? To put on a brave face? Henry is a very sensitive boy, and while I never want to lie to him or present a dishonest picture of myself, does he really need to see how stressed and upset I am? Does Matt? Do my friends? My colleagues? Who <i>really</i> needs that information? Is there a way to maintain my honest living and not make everyone around me as miserable as I am??<br />
<br />
I’m laughing a bit as I write this, because in this moment I am not miserable. Tired, yes, but not miserable by far. But I’ve been thinking about this this afternoon. How did I change things around for us today? I think I just gave over to what was happening, to the day that was unfolding. A day we can’t get outside is a day that Henry will need a lot of holding, lots of reading and lap time, lots of convincing that he is really tired and needs a nap. (Two out of three of those are really not bad at all...) So this afternoon we just did those things. And it was fine. I gave up on getting to the laundromat (in the snow?? what was I thinking, anyway?), gave up on getting any studying done (sometimes I can while he’s awake), and just gave over. <br />
<br />
There is something to be said for that at work, too. Accepting your fate and just deciding to make the best of it. I guess that’s different than putting on a brave face, though, isn’t it? It’s not faking it. What is it? Making lemonade? Accepting? Giving over?<br />
<br />
Maybe it’s just living the life you have and not the life you wish you had. I like that.ACBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06869696013809730116noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7312100.post-81645878634245297382011-10-24T22:03:00.002-04:002011-10-24T22:03:27.367-04:00UpdateRemember the audition in <a href="http://theconcert.blogspot.com/2011/05/auditions-these-days.html">this post</a>?<br />
<br />
I've been meaning to tell you that I got the job. :)ACBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06869696013809730116noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7312100.post-72494213572328990902011-10-20T21:44:00.000-04:002011-10-20T21:44:44.500-04:00Better living through bloggingThe season has started.<br />
<br />
In the past ten days, maybe less, I’ve gotten two job offers and two inquiries for interviews about my life as a blogger and working musician and mother. So even though I’m not really working much this fall (except for a one-night <a href="http://lepoissonrouge.com/events/artist/4118">concert at an awesome club</a> in NYC), things carry on apace! Guess I’d better get to writing...<br />
<br />
The thing is, “my life as a working musician and mom (and blogger)” is tough right now. B (my husband and fellow opera singer) is out of the country on a gig and I’m solo parenting our very spirited (artistically temperamented!) child. I’ve been on the road with Henry alone many times in the past, but being home (not working) is different, not to mention the fact that he is very different at 15-months than he was at seven! Let’s just say that if “getting into things” is Henry’s job right now, he is at it like he’s up for a promotion. Keeps me on my toes!<br />
<br />
I used to compose my blog posts in my head throughout the day, sitting down and regurgitating paragraphs of brilliant prose that had been stewing in my brain for several hours. But now by the end of the day I can barely remember where I left my computer let alone piece together a blog post from memory. After making and eating and cleaning up meals and snacks, reading dozens of books several times each, changing diapers, walking and running and playing inside and out (regardless of weather), cuddling, crying (both of us, often) and napping (also both of us), I am done. I barely have enough energy to log onto iChat and check in with B, who is lonely without us on the other side of the world. How am I supposed to write? What should I write? Many people have been asking me to start up again, but honestly... <br />
<br />
I am not a “mommy blogger.” I will actually go out on a limb and say that I feel that genre has probably done more harm than good. Well, maybe equal harm and good. Blogs have become so slick and sleek as more and more people are making their living through them, but now reading a mom blog is akin to reading a fashion magazine: Do you feel better or worse about yourself when you read it? Do you look at the pictures and compare your (real) life to the (edited and Photoshopped) one on the screen? How’s that working out for you?<br />
<br />
Nobody likes a complainer; I get that. But nobody likes a fake, either. So I’m going to try to find the balance. This blog used to help me work through things that were troubling me, issues I needed to focus on; it was a great place to brainstorm. Even now, after working on this rather short post, I feel a bit of mental clarity. I know it’s good for me. Maybe it will be good for someone else, too.<br />
<br />
I still get the occasional email from a young singer who tells me that my blog has encouraged or inspired them. Even though I often feel discouraged and uninspired as I figure out this working mother thing, maybe writing again will help. You’ll have to live with a boring Blogspot template, though; the last thing I have time for these days is learning graphic design. So until I get some high-paying sponsors and hire a designer... <br />
<br />
But this is me. You just get me. Real, unflashy, working hard to figure it out.ACBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06869696013809730116noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7312100.post-51371459793458660772011-10-04T09:42:00.000-04:002011-10-04T09:42:12.607-04:00OctoberSo my friend <a href="http://www.littlemsbossy.com/">LMB</a> sort of challenged me to start blogging again while I’m out of work this fall. I’ve tried several self-imposed challenges of the “write every day” type, even starting a new blog on Word Press instead of Blogger, hoping a new interface would kickstart me. Nothing has stuck, and this might not either, but here we go in any case.<br />
<br />
Yes, out of work. I finished up a super fun Figaro at Opera North in mid-August, and between then and early December I have no work. Well, I have a one-night concert event - a fund-raiser for Gotham Chamber Opera at La Poisson Rouge - but that’s it. Scary! Thankfully, because of my past work at the Met as a weekly soloist, I actually qualify for unemployment! How many freelancers can say that? I am grateful and not at all ashamed. :) <br />
<br />
It’s a tough time in the business. I think it’s safe to say that most of my friends are in similar situations. Smaller opera companies (the ones that aren’t top tier like the Met, Chicago, San Francisco, etc.) seem to have shrunk their seasons to fit in the period from January to May, rather than filling the full school-year type season. Not sure why nobody want to do fall operas, but those jobs were few and far between. It’s a bit of an ego blow that I didn’t get one of them, but when I look around at my fellow “starving artists,” I know I’m in good company. But what do we do in these months?? <br />
<br />
All of my work this season is in NYC, aside from a short jaunt to Dallas for a Messiah (with B!). I’m thinking about taking on some voice and elementar piano students here at home. I would love to put on a recital somewhere, but that pays exactly zero dollars and requires tons of prep time that I need to be spending on my winter and spring gigs. (Lucia! In Hong Kong!! Yay! Over Christmas!!! Boo.) So, we’ll see. <br />
<br />
In non-singing (or, should I say, non-no-singing?) news, I am quickly becoming a Pinterest addict. I have already implemented several ideas I’ve picked up there, and I am constantly looking at ways to improve or enhance our home and our lives. Great recipes, fun activity idea for B3, tons of organization and decorating tips. Love it! It has inspired me to pick up my needlework again, working again on a huge project I started in January 2001. My mind is full of fun gifts ideas for friends and family, and I can’t wait for Christmas.<br />
<br />
** In typical representation of the way I’m operating these days, I started this post on October 1. Ah, well... So much for a 31-day challenge! But, at least I’m writing again, and hopefully I’ll find something interesting to say...ACBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06869696013809730116noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7312100.post-41648027867155175722011-07-23T23:24:00.003-04:002011-07-24T15:35:39.431-04:00Genuine PerfectionToday was one of those near-perfect summer days, the kind filled with snapshots and memories and awesome things. (The phrase “awesome things” indicates just how badly my writing skills have atrophied...) Among them:<br />
<br />
* Walking through a street fair, in the sun under my sky blue “sunbrella,” wearing a polka-dotted sundress and red lipstick, on my way to rehearse my favorite opera. <br />
* Playing with our friends and their beautiful 8-month-old at the amazing Hanover Library. Beaming with pride as the librarians smiled at Henry’s little oohs and aahs as we made our way through the walls of books, picking several to bring home, knowing he will ask us to read them many times. <br />
* Coffee and snacks while catching up with good friends, watching our boys run (slightly wild) through the (practically empty) cafe. <br />
* Playing peekaboo on the bed with Matt and Henry and surprisingly them both so totally that we all fell in a heap, laughing til we almost cried.<br />
* A delicious meal al fresco: grilled bbq chicken, local squash and tomatoes, baked sweet potatoes with local goat cheese, a cold beer. Henry eating all of it (except the beer) sitting shirtless in his high chair, covered in goat cheese and barbecue sauce by the end of it. We sat together at the table after eating and sang songs and watched Henry learn the difference between the sign for “more” and “again” as he asked to sing “The Grand Old Duke of York” over and over again. <br />
<br />
In so many ways, these were little moments of perfection. Instagram-worthy moments that would be proud to be featured on any blog about the life of a young working mother and her family. Summery, happy, healthy. Perfect.<br />
<br />
And yet... Isn’t there always more to the story? Today, to be honest, there isn’t much more; it was a pretty great day all around. But I’ve been thinking about this idea of perfection a lot recently. Why is it such a sought after goal? <br />
<br />
The reason so many “mommy blogs” rub me the wrong way is the way so many focus on the wonderful, cool, stylish, special things they do with and for their children. That stuff is great, but I always navigate away from those sites feeling a little unworthy. Surely those women don’t have tables covered with clutter, or kitchen sinks constantly filled with food debris. Surely their children put themselves to sleep with no fuss, and they never bite or whine because they can’t play with the iPhone. I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that they DO, but who talks about that? That stuff is embarrassing, right? <br />
<br />
I’m working on getting my head back in the blogging game, but I feel like it’s been taken over with “perfect” blogs, stories of women living perfect lives. My life is amazing, but holy cow is it every far from perfect! I also struggle with the desire to constantly <i>improve</i> my life and that of my family - what to read, wear, eat, do - but instead of finding inspiration, I get so discouraged by all the perfection and just go back to the status quo. That’s my own hang-up, most likely, but I’m getting kind of fed up with feeling unworthy. Let’s have a little more reality, shall we? Instead of Hair Thursdays or the like, how about we all take snapshots of the messiest room of our house and post them every Monday? Or every Friday is “How my child ruined my latest plan to have Me Time” story-sharing. It’s not so much misery-loves-company, because I’m not miserable, but I am real. <br />
<br />
There is a parallel here to performing, and maybe I’ll write about it more another time. Now I have to go to bed because my adorable and brilliant son still wakes up 2-3 times a night. But basically, it all boils down to this: <br />
<br />
<b>Give me genuine over perfect any day.</b>ACBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06869696013809730116noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7312100.post-5362513983185920352011-05-19T23:46:00.000-04:002011-05-19T23:46:01.843-04:00Auditions these daysFrom today’s status on Facebook: “I have got to stop psyching myself out about auditions. I’ve been getting SO nervous these days and yet they always - knock knock - go well. I’ve got to trust more...”<br />
<br />
I had an audition today for a company that was hearing rep for the next four years out. Lots of rep, and lots of “opera’s greatest hits,” which naturally includes many roles I am dying to get under my belt: Gilda, Lucia, Violetta, et al. Yesterday I sang through a couple of my arias, and things were going beautifully. I felt like I was singing lightly, without pushing or trying to make my voice sound bigger than it is, and yet the richness that has come into my voice over the past few years was there. High notes were feeling great. Even Henry seemed to like it. (There is nothing better than singing “Caro nome” with Henry in my arms, him laughing at each coloratura passage...)<br />
<br />
But then this morning? I was a nervous wreck. I almost felt sick to my stomach in the cab on the way to the audition. What happened to the blasé auditioner I used to be??<br />
<br />
A friend asked if I felt like motherhood had anything to do with these relatively new feelings, and I’ve been pondering that all day. I think the easy answer is yes, if only because the list of things I need to do in order to get ready and BE ready for an audition is so much longer these days. It’s not just about putting on a dress and praying for a good hair day anymore! <br />
<br />
It’s harder to warm up well, since we can’t sing while Henry is sleeping. (I was just sure I would have a baby who could sleep through it, but alas!) I had to worry about the timing of feeding and naps and my departure. I got too busy with other stuff and forgot to feed myself, and so my blood sugar made me shaky and irritable. I was running out of time trying to warm up and review my arias, and the later it got, the more nervous I became and the tighter my voice got. All the confidence I had yesterday fell away with each vibrato-less high D or inflexible and imprecise run.<br />
<br />
And yet how did it end? With me walking out of the audition room with my head high, feeling like I had not only sung the best I could sing today given the circumstances, but feeling like I was singing my best ever! What is this disconnect?<br />
<br />
True, before the audition I had some time to collect myself and eat a Clif bar, as they were running late. I took one difficult aria off my list, freeing me up a little. I put on my kickass red lipstick. I chatted with colleagues and generally relaxed a bit before heading in.<br />
<br />
But mostly? In the audition room I did what I just can’t do at home: I performed. I got my head out of the way and just sang and loved it. The high notes were there, and I remembered all my words. It was a great audition. <br />
<br />
And it almost always happens this way! Why can’t I remember this in the hour beforehand, when I am freaking out and making myself - and my family - miserable? I never have these feelings for performances, only auditions. Is it something I’ve come to depend on, this dance of fear and doubt and the conquering thereof? Or is it just that I feel that the stakes are higher now, that I have more to gain and lose? I need the work, after all. Baby needs new shoes! <br />
<br />
Who knows. I’m grateful that today turned out the way it did, and thankful to have such a supportive husband and smiley baby. We each, the three of us, have obstacles to overcome everyday, and we do our best to help each other out. It could be a hell of a lot worse...ACBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06869696013809730116noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7312100.post-83658610597700106652011-05-15T21:59:00.000-04:002011-05-15T21:59:01.272-04:00Let’s try this againHi, remember me?<br />
<br />
Not sure I have any readers left, but I’ve been starting to feel like writing again. Rather than starting yet another new blog to “help me focus” my project, I just decided to just come back to the place where I’ve written successfully off and on for almost seven years now. I’m going to take a page from <a href=http://meglioranza.typepad.com/thomas_meglioranza_barito/>Tom’s blog</a> book and just post when I have something to say. <br />
<br />
Sometimes it will be about singing, sometimes motherhood, sometimes both, and maybe even sometimes neither. I don’t think I’ll do too much back-tracking, although the past year and half has plenty of material from which to draw. But there is plenty more ahead - not the least of which is our upcoming trip with the Metropolitan Opera tour to Japan!<br />
<br />
Yes, we’re all going - Matt, Henry, and I - and yes, of course I’m nervous. We’ve had plenty of reassurances that we will be safe and that there is safe food and water aplenty. We have the blessings of our pediatrician and our families, and I am really starting to get excited. But I recently saw the list of company members on our chartered flight, and there are only a handful of guests coming, and only two babies. I was told that a lot of people bring family on this kind of tour, so I was really surprised - and a little concerned. Did we make the right choice?<br />
<br />
Then I had to stop and think again. I am not bringing Henry and Matt to Japan so that we can have a working vacation, even though there are elements of that in this trip. They are coming along because I have a job in Japan and Henry is 9-months-old and can’t be separated from me for three weeks! Maybe there are moms who could be away from their babies that long; I know there are. I’m just not one of them. We are still breastfeeding and hope to do so until Henry is at least a year old; I don’t want to jeopardize that. Obviously I could have cancelled; I think the company would have understood my reasons. We would have taken a hit financially, but if I didn’t feel that we would be safe on tour, we would have found a way to work around the money. Once we got the information we needed to feel safe going, it just seemed like the best option for us all to go together.<br />
<br />
If it sounds like I’m explaining myself, I kind of am - to myself. Every day I have to make choices about life as a working mother, and none of them are easy. Whether it’s taking my family to Japan or taking an hour at yoga to clear my head and focus my body, every decision carries consequences. Sometimes those consequences are immediately visible, some I won’t know for years to come. But I am learning to trust my instincts and to trust Henry’s resiliency - and Matt’s support! We are making our way as a family and I think we’re all doing a bang-up job. <br />
<br />
Besides, other members of the tour may be bringing their families over for shorter periods of time, rather than from Day One like we are. There are many other flights to Tokyo and Nagoya in June! So, just because there aren’t many guests on this flight doesn’t mean they won’t be there. Right??<br />
<br />
Breathe in, breath out; day in, day out... This is our life, and I love it.<br />
<div style='text-align:center;margin:0px auto 10px;'><a href='http://localhost:51142/ce1c3a03c496c0a243f4f70b6b53c0b9/image/7d1959573203f32c.jpg'><img src='http://localhost:51142/ce1c3a03c496c0a243f4f70b6b53c0b9/image/7d1959573203f32c.jpg?size=320' border='0' alt='' /></a> </div>ACBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06869696013809730116noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7312100.post-14354478514155526582011-04-01T17:07:00.002-04:002011-04-01T17:07:58.142-04:00Dear David Letterman...<object width="400" height="300" ><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true" /><param name="movie" value="http://www.facebook.com/v/10150527171130191" /><embed src="http://www.facebook.com/v/10150527171130191" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" width="400" height="300"></embed></object>ACBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06869696013809730116noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7312100.post-52181096186010685692010-01-06T21:06:00.000-05:002010-01-06T21:06:13.365-05:00New Year, New Chapter, New BlogYesterday morning, I woke up earlier than usual (meaning I set an alarm instead of just sleeping til I woke up). Had a good breakfast, showered, went through the somewhat elaborate routine to control my curls, got dressed, even put on makeup. And all the while I did this, I had butterflies.<br />
<br />
Situation normal, right? This sounds like every other morning that I’ve gotten ready for an audition, especially one I was particularly excited about. Butterflies are nerves that, in my experience, are not fear-based, but are rather indicators of excitement and anticipation. I get butterflies when, as B says, I’m prepared and excited to see how the audition is going to unfold. No fear, just curiosity.<br />
<br />
That pretty much sums up how I felt yesterday, but I wasn’t heading to an audition. We were going to St. Vincent’s antepartum unit for our 1st trimester ultrasound. That’s right: The Concert is pregnant! <br />
<br />
It goes without saying (and yet I will say it) that this is going to change our lives in a big way. And not just our lives as people, but our opera-singing lives as well. It already has, in that I had to decline two really awesome contracts for summer work, and I’m preparing my spring roles with a mind towards the fact that I’ll be in a very different shape at that point! B is going to have changes come his way, too, as we agree that we’ll need to take turns, as much as possible, with the sacrifices and compromises that parenthood will bring to our careers. We’re not just two opera singers having side-by-side careers now; we are a family of opera singers! God help us.<br />
<br />
<a href=http://theconcert.blogspot.com/>The Concert</a> has been, up to now, a blog about finding my way as a professional opera singer. I’ve pretty much found that way, and as such, haven’t really had much to write about for a while. But entering this new chapter in my life and career makes me think that I might have new things worth sharing, new things I might need to suss out through writing. And so, I’m moving to a new blog: <a href=http://babysfirstopera.blogspot.com/>Baby’s First Opera</a>.<br />
<br />
Now, I <b>promise</b> that this won’t turn into a “mommy blog,” and I’m not sure I can even promise to write more than once a week. Not every post will be about family, and maybe not every post will be about singing, but it seems like a natural progression for the blog (as it is for my life) to work through the trials and joys of being an opera singer and a mother. What’s it going to be like to sing Marguerite at six months pregnant? How is my technique going to be affected? How will B and I navigate our travel schedules with our home life? Can babies nap through their mother’s (or father’s) practice sessions? I have no idea at this juncture, but I hope you’ll join me for the ride. It will undoubtedly be unlike anything I’ve yet experienced, but through it all, there will be singing.ACBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06869696013809730116noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7312100.post-22816701623323745622009-12-17T17:51:00.003-05:002009-12-17T17:53:19.076-05:00Hiatus, part ??So, I seem to have taken a bit of a hiatus again, and I'll probably continue to do so through the new year. Audition season and some family concerns have kept my energy away from writing for the past few weeks. We'll get through the holidays and see how things look in 2010! <br /><br />Have a wonderful Christmas season and a joyful celebration of the coming of a new year!ACBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06869696013809730116noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7312100.post-32775654284689217572009-12-17T17:32:00.003-05:002009-12-17T17:48:31.596-05:00Valmont Amateur Astronomy Group RecitalTonight at First Presbyterian Church in Boulder, CO! Come on down if you're nearby...<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">“These Fair Stars”<br />A night of song celebrating the heavens & supporting the VAAG</span><br />Anne-Carolyn Bird, soprano<br />Christopher Zemliauskas, piano<br /><br /><br />Sure on this shining night, Samuel Barber<br /><br />Clair de lune, Claude Debussy<br />Jupiter has seven moons, Leonard Bernstein<br /> from <span style="font-style:italic;">I hate music!</span> <br />“Gold is a fine thing," Douglas Moore<br /> from <span style="font-style:italic;">The Ballad of Baby Doe</span> <br /><br /> * * *<br /><br />“What good would the moon be?," Kurt Weill<br /> from <span style="font-style:italic;">Street Scene</span> <br />Son, Sergei Rachmaninoff<br />Nacht und Träume, Franz Schubert<br /><br /> * * *<br /><br />A mezzanotte, Gaetano Donizetti<br />Ständchen, Richard Strauss<br />Die Nacht <br /><br /> * * *<br /><br />“Ain’t it a pretty night, Carlisle Floyd<br /> from <span style="font-style:italic;">Susannah</span> <br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Intermission</span><br /><br /><br />“O du, mein holder Abendstern," Richard Wagner<br /> from <span style="font-style:italic;">Tannhäuser</span> <br /><br /> * * *<br /><br />Mein schöner Stern, Robert Schumann<br />Mein Stern, Clara Schumann<br /><br /> * * *<br /><br />Nuit d’etoiles, Claude Debussy<br /><br /> * * *<br /><br />I wonder as I wander, John Jacob Niles <br />O Holy Night, Adolph Adam<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Carol Sing!</span> Please stand and join us.<br /><br />O Little Town of Bethlehem<br />It came upon the midnight clear<br />We three kings<br />Silent Night<br /><br /> * * *<br /><br />The Astronomers, Richard HundleyACBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06869696013809730116noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7312100.post-50301290326680826732009-11-10T12:35:00.000-05:002009-11-10T12:36:41.188-05:00SuccessI’m starting this post without a clear vision of where it’s going to end up, but I’ve had some encounters in the past few days that need airing, things that might be interesting to young singers wondering what it means to “make it” as an opera singer. So bear with me...<br /><br />I had an audition on Friday (more about this later, but it was a far cry from <a href=http://theconcert.blogspot.com/2009/10/audition-lessons.html>last week’s</a>!), and as is usually the case I ran into several colleagues in the waiting area. Audition Season is a fun time of catching up, a time for the intense relationships we forge during a rehearsal process to be revived a bit. It’s a time for the 1-minute update, a good hug, for congratulations and encouragments to be given. I look forward to the surprise reunions at every audition.<br /><br />At this audition, I ran into a singer I haven’t seen in quite a while, and she said something that has stuck with me. She said something along the lines of “you’re doing so well, singing everywhere, I’m surprised to see you here, surprised you still have to audition!” Wow. I can think of maybe 25 singers in this entire business who don’t have to audition anymore! I feel like it’s as much a part of my job right now as learning roles and going to rehearsal. Until a singer is an international superstar, there are always going to be companies who don’t know you, new administrators who need to hear your goods and see your personality. “Success” doesn’t mean you don’t have to keep working, to keep asking for it.<br /><br />Also over the weekend, I spent some time with a friend who has had a lot of success recently on one of his main projects. Lots of national publicity, lots of great press. It was great to hear his perspective on the process and exciting to hear about things that were in the works, but it was humbling to hear him say that he was far from financially stable (his wording).<br /><br />I can totally relate. B & I are both working full-time, a fact for which we continue to be grateful, but we’ve had some hiccups this year and have had a few periods of touch-and-go in terms of finances. This life is never comfortable, not until you reach the absolute heights. We have eight years of school loans between us, and we both had several lean years before we started booking good A- & B-level gigs (translation: lots of credit card debt). Life in NYC is expensive, and we are both still studying and coaching. Every month is a juggle of paychecks and bills, and we have been lucky not to hit any major snags. But it has been close.<br /><br />All this to say... Success is a very strange idea. Yes, I am successful! I’ve been booked almost full-time for the past four seasons, and there is more on the horizon. I get good press. I have a good manager. BUT. None of this is a given, it could go away at any time, and I am far from comfortable financially. Successful, yes. Set? Out of the woods? Resting on my laurels? <br /><br />Not on your life.ACBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06869696013809730116noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7312100.post-21202128698966438162009-11-08T15:38:00.000-05:002009-11-08T15:39:27.275-05:00Chart MadnessSome of you may remember <a href=http://theconcert.blogspot.com/2008/03/tim-says-this-is-self-explanatory.html>this rather complex memory aid</a> that I created to help me memorize the Act I Finale of Barbiere. The math dork in me loved the process of breaking down the music and text into a pattern and assigning numbers and letters, like a complex algebra problem. I carried the “cheat sheet” around with me through hours of staging rehearsal, and by opening night it was solidly memorized.<br /><br />I haven’t really had opportunity to put this method into practice again - until now! On November 19*, Jocelyn and I will perform Hillula for the third time, and this time I’m determined to have it memorized. Judd has made a few revisions, streamlining the work a bit, and I love it even more. (There is also talk of totally expanding the work, into more of a chamber showpiece; can’t wait to see how <i>that</i> evolves!) I started spending some time with it to refresh my knowledge of the piece, and quickly realized that I was going to need a system to memorize this. There is lot of thematic material repeated, but with different texts, and several little interjections of material from other sections. It took me about three hours of adjusting and regrouping and relabeling, but I think I found it.<br /><br />What I learned through the process this time was that these charts are more about the time I spend with the piece than they are about the final product. Those three hours of looking at the score and analyzing it and coming to terms with how it is laid out did more for my memorization process than this chart probably will, in the long run. <br /><br />So, do you want to see it? It’s rather mad... But here’s a look inside the crazed workings of my mind! (#’s = Music, Letters = Text)<br /><br />1 - Ax4ax5<br />2 <br />3 - B(b2)Cccc’c<br />4 - D<br />4’ - Aaa<br />5 - EEF<br />6 - Gx4<br />6’ - eE<br />2<br />3b - H(h2)IJjx4<br />1b - BKL<br />1c - M(e)m(a)m<br />1d - Nnx4<br />4b - Ppx12<br /><br />* Come check it out! <a href=http://www.bethmorrisonprojects.org/projects-current.html>Beth Morrison Projects presents a 21st C. Liederabend</a> at the awesome <a href=http://www.galapagosartspace.com/>Galapagos Art Space</a>. The incredible lineup includes works by Corey Dargel, Caleb Burhans, Missy Mazzoli, David T. Little, and performances by David Adam Moore, Kamala Sankaram, Abigail Fischer, and many more. It’s a big night of vocal music, with lots of great stuff happening. Hope to see you there!ACBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06869696013809730116noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7312100.post-74278240450880535012009-10-31T13:05:00.002-04:002009-10-31T13:14:06.293-04:00Tweetie BirdJust a quick note about Twitter: I've been really enjoying the ability to jot out a quick thought here and there via Twitter. I don't always have time these days to sit down and write a big thoughtful post, but I've had little things to share. Twitter has really fit that bill. It's becoming a good complement to the blog, I think.<br /><br />If you don't already follow <a href=http://twitter.com/theconcert>theconcert</a>, please do! If you're not on Twitter, you can add theconcert to your RSS feed and get the latest blips and blurbs through your feed reader. <br /><br />Thanks for reading!ACBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06869696013809730116noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7312100.post-31669304241186100542009-10-30T22:41:00.000-04:002009-10-30T22:42:04.614-04:00Audition LessonsSo... Monday’s audition will probably go down in my version of my history as the worst. ever. <br /><br />I can not begin to tell you all the “lessons” I learned. But, since that’s kind of the whole point of this blog, I guess I’ll try. On the subway on the way home, I thought, “WHY did I mention this audition on the blog?! Now I have to tell them all about it!” It’s one I’ll never forget, but one that’s been surprisingly easy to leave behind.<br /><br />Lesson #1: Sing what you have been preparing for!! If you’ve been preparing a new aria and you have a low-stress audition opportunity in which to debut that aria, do not be swayed by the fact that you might also be considered for a role in a crazy, sexy, rarely produced show. <br /><br />I got so excited by this obscure sexy role that I let a chance to rock my new rep pass me by. Sure, in the coaching room two hours beforehand, both arias sounded great, but when I got into the audition, other factors (see Lessons #2 & #3) came into play, and I lost my focus. Badly. I should have presented *my rep* first and foremost, and let them see me and the other sopranos and then make whatever casting decision they will. As it was, I feel like I wasted their time, whereas if I’d just come in and nailed “Come scoglio,” I might have gotten a job.<br /><br />Lesson #2: Know who your pianist is going to be, even if you are scheduled fairly last-minute for an audition. And if you are not 100% certain that they can play your difficult rep, DON’T OFFER IT. <br /><br />I spent way too much energy while singing worrying about what was happening at the keyboard, wondering if we were going to make it. I wasn’t performing. I was thinking, and worrying, and I’m sure it showed all over my face.<br /><br />Lesson #3: I can sing high notes after low notes, but not vice versa. <br /><br />In the coaching room we ran through Fiordiligi first, to test my memory and make sure my tempo in the second section was set. Then we sang through the last half of Zerb, mostly just for kicks. The high notes were really there, and I was stoked. But when I got to the audition, I was so excited to sing the Strauss (see #1) that I started with it. When it didn’t go nearly as well as I wanted (although the E was pretty good!), I got tense, and when I got tense, my larynx raised, and I can’t sing Fiordiligi’s sexy low notes with a raised larynx. FAIL.<br /><br />It was not fun. It was the only time in my auditioning career that I felt like running off the stage in the middle of singing. But we ended with the usual “thank you, thank YOU” and I went home. Disappointed in myself, but grateful that it was a small-house international audition and not a US house with colleagues of mine behind the table. And then...<br /><br />I got home to a voice mail which led to a phone call about a potential job this weekend: a colleague was ill, and I might be needed to step in and sing a performance if she wasn’t better by opening. All of a sudden, the terrible audition is a thing of the past! We are moving forward here, people! No time to sulk; life, and opera, goes on. <br /><br />The company ended up not needing me*, but the effect was as big as if I’d done the gig. I was reminded that all things, good and bad, pass. That audition was over and I couldn’t do anything about it, so I might as well move on. The rest of week was filled with other reminders that I am more than one bad audition. Great rehearsals, job possiblities, good singing, and most importantly: putting more auditions on the calendar. <br /><br />There is always something to learn (or to be reminded of) in this business; we are never done. And there is always another audition.<br /><br /><br /><i>*This is a good thing. While it would be a great adventure for </i>me<i> to step in last-minute, that sort of thing is very stressful on a cast and company, not to mention the poor sick singer who did all that work in rehearsal. Remember, we only get paid for performances, not rehearsals. I was happy for her and for the company that they got to present the show they rehearsed. Toi toi, all!</i>ACBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06869696013809730116noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7312100.post-39846891918254074102009-10-25T20:32:00.000-04:002009-10-25T20:33:06.187-04:00Bet'cha didn't see THIS comingI can’t believe I’m doing this, especially after the <a href=http://theconcert.blogspot.com/2009/10/deep-breath.html>latest installment of Vocal Identity Crisis 2009</a>, but I have an audition tomorrow, and I think I’m going to offer... Zerbinetta. <br /><br />What the... ?!?<br /><br />I’ll write more tomorrow after the fact. I’m not 100% sure yet that I’m going to offer it, but the audition is pretty specific and I feel like Zerb would best show the goods needed for this role. However, I haven’t sung it in about a year! I know I still know it - it’s easily the one piece I’ve spent the most time on that has never really seen the light of day. It has seen an audition or two, and I know I rock it, but I rock it for different reasons than most “Zerbinettas.” My German is good, my acting is good, my musicianship is good, my E-flat is... ok. But I can’t think about that now!! (And besides, this role doesn’t have an E-flat...)<br /><br />Tonight I recover from my flight - lots of water and a healthy dinner - and get a good night’s sleep, then wake up tomorrow and see if the voice is there. I feel much more “in the driver’s seat” after my crisis and resolution this weekend, so I’m kind of excited to see what happens tomorrow.<br /><br />Won’t this be fun!! Stay tuned... :)ACBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06869696013809730116noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7312100.post-50817092427990538592009-10-23T18:39:00.003-04:002009-10-23T21:50:00.039-04:00Deep BreathSometimes it feels like I will never know how to sing.<br /><br />I’m having an unusually difficult singing day today, and for no apparent reason. But maybe it’s a good day to try to write it out, to see if I can get to the heart of things...<br /><br />This rep shift... whooboy!! There is nothing worse for a singer’s development than for someone to tell you “Wow, your voice is really getting big!” or “You voice is so much richer than it used to be!” The power of suggestion is very strong, and no matter how present you are in your singing, it is way too easy to start singing bigger and darker and richer the more people tell you that they hear those things. Make sense? <br /><br />So I’ve added new arias - and new roles - this year, and I’ve been finding myself getting repeatedly tied up in knots. I can sing my new pieces just fine, but then when I pull out a Debussy song for the December recital or an older “lighter” aria, I find that I have zero nuance. No control, no float. Like my voice is a Mac truck. Not. Fun. And more than not fun, very frustrating and discouraging! Things I am not used to feeling when I sing...<br /><br />Singing has always been easy for me. Maybe not cool to say that, but it’s true. I’ve had good teachers who haven’t gotten in the way of my voice’s natural development, and my reliance on text and acting has always lead me right. But now I’m getting in my way... I’m trying to sing with a voice that is not (yet) my own. <br /><br />Yes, my voice IS bigger and warmer and all those things people are hearing, but it is still my bright, clear, pliant instrument. That hasn’t gone away. It’s not as if I woke up one morning a year ago and had an entirely new instrument! It’s just growing up, maturing. (Add “fine wine” metaphor here...) If I let go of my easy high notes or flexible tone in sacrifice to this bigger, warmer voice, I will lose. Lose facets of my voice, lose years of longevity, lose confidence. This is not a sacrifice I am willing to make.<br /><br />So... how do I proceed? <br /><span style="font-weight:bold;"><br />I get back to regular voice lessons.</span> I haven’t had one in about a year and a half, and self-diagnosing is always a bad idea, whether it’s looking up “abdominal pain” on the internet at 2am or trying to move into a new Fach. I’m going to take some lessons with a soprano; all of my post-undergrad teachers have been men or mezzos, two summers with Phyllis Curtain notwithstanding. I’m excited about this change, and curious to see what it will be like to get back into “the shop.” <br /><br />In my practicing, <span style="font-weight:bold;">I keep it light but keep it connected.</span> Avoid pushing. If I tire easily, something is not lined up correctly, so stop and reassess. Start my sessions with warmups and familiar pieces in order to remind my voice how it works. Then sing the new stuff with that same voice. If I jump into the deep end, I’ll only be fighting my resonance and placement, rather than working with it.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">I stay aware of my body.</span> Don’t look down (deep in concentration) when starting a phrase; keep the face lifted. Don’t curve the shoulders (another “thinking, working” posture); let the torso be buoyant. Practice in front of a mirror in order to keep those damn concentration wrinkles OFF of my forehead!!<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">In my performance, I just do what I do.</span> If I bring this kind of mental activity onto the stage with me, I won’t be able to be in the moment with the music or my colleagues or the audience. I’m not falling apart; I can still sing. In those moments of performance, I need to just trust that and enjoy doing what I do. (Also, I’m not singing Marguerite tomorrow; I can sing 1st Alms Collector very well right now!)<br /><br />Ok, I feel better. I can do this. I can work through this transition. It’s scary to feel like I don’t know where I’m going, but I need to remember that I’m the one in control here. Slow and steady and all those good things... and deep breaths.ACBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06869696013809730116noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7312100.post-89144230816777222312009-10-22T18:53:00.001-04:002009-10-22T18:54:52.077-04:00Mid-Fall MiscellanyA few things that are rattling around in my brain today:<br /><br />* I was recently reminded of the responsibility we have as artists to bring JOY into people’s lives. But the reminder didn’t come through a recital or performance or anything opera-related at all; instead, it came through the group <a href=http://improveverywhere.com/>Improv Everywhere</a>. Someone posted their <a href=http://improveverywhere.com/2009/10/20/grocery-store-musical/>Grocery Store Musical</a> on Facebook, and after watching that I spent a good hour going through their past “missions.” The <a href=http://improveverywhere.com/2009/02/09/high-five-escalator/>High-Five Escalator</a> and <a href=http://improveverywhere.com/2006/08/30/rob!/>Rob!</a> made me smile so much my face hurt, and I imagine there are hours more smiles on the site. <br /><br />Their “mission statement claims that they cause “scenes of chaos and joy in public places.” How cool is that?! I’ve signed up to be an agent... Stay tuned!<br /><br />* I chopped off all my hair! Well, six inches of it, anyway. It was time for a change, I guess, and I was tired of wrestling with it to get my long locks in pin curls. This should be much easier in that department. I’m still figuring out how to maintain my inner (and outer, I suppose) rocker attitude with a cut that many people are calling “cute,” but I’ll come up with something. When in doubt, add eyeliner..<br /><br />* I have lots of thoughts about <a href=http://maurydannato.blogspot.com/2009/10/catch-all.html>Maury’s latest post</a> (and not only because he mentions <a href=http://maurydannato.blogspot.com/2008/10/hey-heres-what.html>again</a> how much he likes Hillula). His idea of getting pop singers to give masterclasses to opera singers is brilliant, and reminds me of a conversation I had with a young student a few years ago. We were talking about music, and he mentioned that he loved Feist or Death Cab or some other wordy indie rocker. He then sheepishly “admitted” that he often sang along with the music, and that he knew he should stop and should only sing “correctly” all the time. I begged him not to do that! Good pop singers like Regina Spektor and Feist and Andrew Bird and John Legend are good because they communicate. The use the myriad colors of their voices to talk to you, to make you feel something. Maury is right: they “connect bodily with their music.” It’s not about the pretty sounds they’re making; it’s about the music. Would that more opera singers would do the same. More on this later, I think.<br /><br />* I got to play around with a Sony Webbie HD video recorder this weekend, and oh boy did I love it! If Santa is good to me this year, expect to see some video blogs in the future! Or, now that I think of it, I could just use my Photo Booth on my Mac... I couldn’t go on location like we did this weekend (documenting our search for a tv airing the Giants game), but I could get some thoughts down. What do you think?<br /><br />* And speaking of movies, a few weeks ago B and I went to a screening of <a href=http://www.bratsourjourneyhome.com/index.htm>this documentary: BRATS: Our Journey Home</a>. I’ve mentioned my “brattiness” a <a href=http://theconcert.blogspot.com/2007/10/where-are-you-from.html>couple</a> <a href=http://theconcert.blogspot.com/2008/03/preview.html>times</a> on the blog; it’s always been part of who I am. But I don’t think I realized how much I identified as a Brat, how much it influenced who I am today. I’m not “from” anywhere, but thanks to this film I’ve realized that I belong.<br /><br />If you or anyone you know is or was a Brat, do not miss this film. Order a dvd if that’s the only way to see it. You will not be sorry. <br /><br />* A reminder that if you’d like to be on my mailing list, please sign up by sending me an email. (Go to my <a href=http://www.blogger.com/profile/06869696013809730116>Profile</a> and click “Email.”)ACBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06869696013809730116noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7312100.post-3253945103874171322009-10-14T21:14:00.003-04:002009-10-14T21:18:24.727-04:00In Room DiningThis week I am technically “on the road” but not for my own gig - I’m visiting B! We continue to be lucky with the timing of our gigs, having yet to go longer than three weeks without face-time. I’m in the middle of a two-week break at the Met, so I’m here in Ohio, doing my studying and role prep at the Marriott instead of in my apartment. Being away from my office and kitchen for ten days is a small price to pay for the luxury of hanging out with my husband, sharing our daily lives in person instead of over the phone. <br /><br />That said... we both are missing that kitchen! I’ve eaten well when staying in hotels for a few days here and there, (I learned years ago that I could open a ripe avocado with a hotel key card...) but we’re here for a few weeks. Our hotel suite has a mini-fridge and a microwave, so B and I have been getting creative with our cooking, seeing as how a) take-out options are limited in cities that aren’t New York, and b) we are not made of money. Thank god there is a Trader Joe’s nearby, so B was able to stock up on sandwich makings, fruit, pre-cooked rice & lentils, and a few high-quality pre-made meals before I got here. I brought a few things from home when I arrived a week later, including a big microwave-safe bowl and some plastic wrap, and we’ve been brainstorming ever since.<br /><br />Last night we ate a pork tenderloin and roasted Brussels sprouts - all made in the microwave! Just kidding. Those I made at home on Monday night and carried on the plane. It was delicious! A little microwaved polenta on the side and we ate like kings. The front desk downstairs has free cookies every afternoon, so today we made sure to go grab a couple for tonight’s dessert. Free is good!<br /><br />I put out an APB on Facebook for my friends’ best “hotel cooking” ideas, and got some great ones: baked potatoes & veggies, wilted spinach salad, a simple chicken soup, even a variation on an Egg McMuffin! Great ideas, all, and we will certainly be using them. Thanks to SH, SS, PDB, LAM, CC, & MP! I also got an incredibly detailed gourmet option from my friend CO; here’s is a sample:<br /><i>5. Dice one small shallot into the coffee maker. Load two to four sprigs of fresh thyme into the filter basket without a filter, then run 1 cup of cream and 1 teaspoon of lemon juice through the coffee maker together. Season with salt and pepper, and allow the sauce to reduce over the hot plate for 15 to 20 minutes. Just before serving, add 1 tablespoon diced butter and swirl to melt. (Note: Coffee maker will require heavy cleaning afterward.)</i><br />Brilliant! You can tell that many of my friends have spent months and months living on the road...<br /><br />Tonight I went a bit more simply: pasta with salmon and sugar snap peas, which is really just a fancy way to say “mac & cheese with canned salmon and whatever veggie we could find on the side.” The only real trick was draining the pasta, so I got creative with a paper bowl:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOsGgOfV_BVEZSEDPPXxTm5fiKgiloRDxlRyLJNWVhFdO_Jpl7aoV9UMQoncS-JrGtYgJfrQREPYz9Vzd987AGZ6kFHO09SpecdrS_PDLvP2EvgojtwDwRJBAn7bkPpQabANH0/s1600-h/-1.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOsGgOfV_BVEZSEDPPXxTm5fiKgiloRDxlRyLJNWVhFdO_Jpl7aoV9UMQoncS-JrGtYgJfrQREPYz9Vzd987AGZ6kFHO09SpecdrS_PDLvP2EvgojtwDwRJBAn7bkPpQabANH0/s320/-1.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5392629152529175842" /></a>Could have used a few more holes, but it got the job done! I had to use two socks as hot pads; that microwave-safe bowl still got pretty damn hot. A box of TJ’s mac&cheese can be dressed up pretty well with some canned salmon, and who doesn’t love fresh sugar snap peas? A sprinkling of pepper from the S&P shakers that B swiped from a room service tray in the hall, and voila! Dinner is served. <br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4V4X-r3kMoRZ1_rDdXfnwwN1irWwF0_PAKawYLJqEdhr2pXEJbHSHoyDXDLSj8kYQ4bJwKzxK8wz7-KSF_N14fE33FDiEX4BXepexd33bLS6l2jVR7le_FTA_ZpqoKDCyopoV/s1600-h/-4.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4V4X-r3kMoRZ1_rDdXfnwwN1irWwF0_PAKawYLJqEdhr2pXEJbHSHoyDXDLSj8kYQ4bJwKzxK8wz7-KSF_N14fE33FDiEX4BXepexd33bLS6l2jVR7le_FTA_ZpqoKDCyopoV/s320/-4.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5392629558702336466" /></a>Bon appetit!ACBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06869696013809730116noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7312100.post-50135114115349298992009-10-10T01:21:00.000-04:002009-10-10T01:22:02.549-04:00The Fun TheoryA bit of brilliance, via my friend MI:<br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/2lXh2n0aPyw&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&feature=player_embedded&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/2lXh2n0aPyw&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&feature=player_embedded&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowScriptAccess="always" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br />Love it!ACBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06869696013809730116noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7312100.post-88746363821704244912009-10-09T16:33:00.003-04:002009-10-09T16:40:27.739-04:00Sidebar picI've gotten a couple questions about my current sidebar photo, so I thought I'd explain. I'm not able to post pics in costume from backstage at the Met, so rather than a pic from my current show I thought I'd show me backstage several years ago. <i>Several</i> years ago! <br /><br />This is the first "backstage experience" that I can remember. I was eight years old, dancing with the children's corps at the Chicago City Ballet. The only thing I remember about being onstage is that I couldn't wear my glasses, so everything was very blurry. But backstage was a different story! I loved putting on my makeup with my fellow "mothbeetles" - blue eyes and pink cheeks and lips, very glamorous - and watching the "big girls" doing their own hair. Of course I loved watching the ballerinas, too, in awe of their long legs and beautiful arms. <br /><br />It was the beginning of a life-long love of being in a theater, and I am grateful that my parents gave me that experience.ACBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06869696013809730116noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7312100.post-11933900558936322202009-10-09T16:31:00.000-04:002009-10-09T16:32:23.934-04:00In the NightI think everybody knows how much I love programming a recital, and this astronomy program has been no exception. I keep calling it “the astronomy recital” because it is for an astronomy group, but it is obviously more of a night-themed program, and I’m loving how it is shaping up.<br /><br />There are practical as well as artistic elements to consider this time around. Since the program is in Boulder and Jocelyn is unable to travel with me this time, I will be using two wonderful local pianists. We’re still figuring out how to divide up the program, and I’m trying to select music that we already know or will have a fairly easy time putting together. B will also be singing a few pieces! I’m still on the lookout for a good night-themed duet, so keep those ideas coming. (I’m using several of the ideas that I’ve gotten from comments and on Twitter! Thanks for your help!)<br /><br />On the (much more enjoyable) artistic side, I’ve divided the program into four sets, each with 3-4 songs and an aria that center on a theme. The first half of the program will focus on things in the sky - Stars & Planets and The Moon - while the second half deals with the less tangible aspects of “the night” - Seduction & Romance and Dreams. <br /><br />That last set theme was the last to make itself clear to me, and in truth, that didn’t happen until I received a comment on my last post. I had asked for help with determining this last set via a Twitter post, asking if maybe “dreams or dreaming” would work. I knew I was thinking something about the way we dream when we look at the sky as well as the dreams we dream when we sleep, but this reader summed it up perfectly:<br /><br /><i>I like the dreams theme. Not referring to the dreams one has while sleeping but the dreams one has while looking at the night sky. The vast expanse of sky, the limitless boundaries for the imagination to explore, the incomprehensible beauty, the possibility of finding something new. Maybe I'm being naively romantic but I think that's what astronomers dream about every time they look up - as maybe the rest of us do too. Astronomers may talk about "Star e4.632056" and all sorts of technical stuff but I'd bet underneath that they're all hopeless dreamers.<br /><br />I mentioned Nacht und Traume the other day because when it ends with:<br /><br />"They listen with delight,<br />cry out when day awakens;<br />Come back, Holy Night!<br />Sweet dreams,come back!"<br /><br />I thought that might sum up the feelings of astronomers everywhere. Listening to the night sky, disappointed when the sun rises, and wishing the stars would remain above so they could continue looking up and dreaming. </i><br /><br />Pretty cool, right? I got chills when I read it, realizing that s/he said exactly what I wanted to express in this final set. I am thrilled to have had such wonderful help with this program! Thank you, twelvethoughts, where ever you may be...<br /><br />I feel like I have most of the program set, but I’m still hunting for the right aria for the Seduction & Romance set. It could for be soprano or bass-baritone, or maybe an opera duet, but it has to be sexy! Should be an obvious choice out there somewhere, but I’m drawing a blank. Send me your ideas! I won’t be sharing the final program until close to the recital date (mid-December), but it will be worth the wait...ACBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06869696013809730116noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7312100.post-4617997469748599942009-10-06T18:24:00.000-04:002009-10-06T18:27:38.945-04:00Baby stepsI’ve got a lot of free time these days. A lot. Now that Nozze is up and running, and we haven’t yet started Angelica, my days are pretty much free until the end of the month. And nothing prevents me from getting work done like free time!<br /><br />I don’t know what it is, but I sure am productive when I am forced to structure my work time around rehearsals and appointments and such. Then, when my days free up and I think “I’ve got plenty of time to work on my projects!” I don’t get a thing done! Please tell me I’m not the only one... <br /><br />Today I was determined not to get to 6pm and realize I’d accomplished nothing with my day except a trip to the gym and several laps around my internet entertainment course. In the past, I’ve started the day with a general statement like “Today I’m going to work on my recital program.” And, sure enough, I don’t crack a score or research a single song. <br /><br />(Maybe it’s the naming of broad goals that freaks me out. A few weeks ago, when I told B that I wanted to lose five pounds in the next three weeks, I promptly stopped going to the gym. Not helpful, Bird! Once I forgot about the weight goal, once I was only thinking about getting exercise cuz I feel better when I do, I was back at the gym, enjoying my workouts. What does it mean?!)<br /><br />So this morning tried a different approach and set small goals for my day: <br />*work for (at least) 30 minutes on Hillula, getting reacquainted with the score<br />*work for (at least) an hour on programming rep for the Astronomy recital<br />*work for (at least) 30 minutes on arias<br /><br />Here is it, 6:00, and I’ve accomplished 2 out of 3! (I’ll get to those arias before dinner, though, I’m sure of it.) And it wasn’t drudgery, either; I spent more than the allotted time on each task. I love my work, and I’m always puzzled why I don’t jump out of bed ready to hit the books. Whatever the reason, I seem to have discovered something today about how to address my free time, and I’m excited to observe the results!ACBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06869696013809730116noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7312100.post-43372654452308021432009-09-30T13:39:00.005-04:002009-10-01T15:20:07.623-04:00Opera JournalBefore we headed out to Aida last night, I realized that I was going to be adding a new opera to my “list” of works I’ve seen. I’d never actually written them all down, though, so this morning I’ve been going through my memory (and opera company archive websites), and I think I’ve come up with most of them: 67! Not bad, I think.<br /><br />Do any of you do this? <a href="http://maurydannato.blogspot.com/">Maury</a>? <a href="http://auv.blogspot.com/">JSU</a>? What’s your “number?”<br /><br />Here’s my list, to be updated as time goes by. I’ve put a star by works in which I’ve also performed in some capacity. (Ugh: the formatting is a mess; stay tuned...)<br /><br /><b>Adams</b> The Death of Klinghoffer<br /><b>Ades</b> The Tempest<br /><b>Barber</b> Antony and Cleopatra<br /><b>Beethoven</b> Fidelio<br /><b>Bernstein</b> Candide*<br /><b>Bizet</b> Carmen<br /><b>Blow</b> Venus & Adonis*<br /><b>Britten</b> Midsummer Night’s Dream*<br /> Peter Grimes*<br /> Albert Herring<br /> The Turn of the Screw<br /><b>Charpentier</b> Louise*<br /><b>Donizetti</b> Don Pasquale<br /> La Fille du Regiment<br /> Lucia di Lammermoor<br /> L’elisir d’amore*<br /><b>Glass</b> Satyagraha<br /><b>Gluck</b> Iphigenie en Tauride<br /><b>Golijov</b> Ainadamar*<br /><b>Handel</b> Agrippina<br /><b>Heggie</b> The End of the Affair<br /><b>Humperdinck</b> Hansel und Gretel*<br /><b>Janacek</b> Jenufa<br /> Katya Kabanova<br /><b>Levy</b> Mourning Becomes Electra<br /><b>Martin y Soler</b> Una Cosa Rara<br /><b>Massenet</b> Manon<br /> Thais<br /> Cendrillon*<br /><b>Menotti</b> Amahl & the Night Visitors<br /><b>Mozart</b> Die Zauberflote*<br /> Abduction from the Seraglio<br /> Cosi fan Tutti<br /> Lucio Silla<br /> Le Nozze di Figaro*<br /> Don Giovanni*<br /> The Impresario*<br /><b>Offenbach</b> Les Contes d’Hoffmann<br /><b>Ponchielli</b> La Gioconda<br /><b>Prokofiev</b> War and Peace<br /><b>Puccini</b> Turandot*<br /> La Boheme<br /> The Girl of the Golden West<br /> Madama Butterfly<br /> Suor Angelica*<br /> Il tabarro*<br /> Gianni Schicchi<br /><b>Ravel</b> L’heure espagnol<br /> L’enfant et les sortileges<br /><b>Rossini</b> Il barbiere di Siviglia*<br /> L’italiana in Algiers<br /><b>Strauss, J</b> Die Fledermaus<br /><b>Strauss, R</b> Ariadne auf Naxos*<br /> Die Aegyptische Helena<br /> Salome<br /><b>Sullivan</b> The Mikado*<br /> The Pirates of Penzance<br /><b>Tchaikovsky</b> Eugene Onegin<br /><b>Ullmann</b> Der Kaiser von Atlantis*<br /><b>Verdi</b> La Traviata<br /> Aida<br /> Macbeth*<br /> Rigoletto<br /> Don Carlo<br /><b>Wagner</b> Die Walkure<br /> Tristan und Isolde<br /> ParsifalACBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06869696013809730116noreply@blogger.com3