Full Blogroll

Full Blogroll

Bold links are the newest additions; latest update: September 2009.

Singers
Coloratur…aaah - fellow blogging soprano
Conservatory Bound - Violinist turned singer
grecchinois - Nicholas Phan, tenor
Operavision - Aprile Millo joins the blogosphere, and we are the better for it.
singin’rin - Rinat Shaham, mezzo
Tomness - Food and Schubert, not always in that order.
Yankeediva - Joyce DiDonato, sharing her journey with us

Opera
Chicago Opera Theater - Brain Dickie, General Director
La Cieca - Parterre.com
Little Ms. Bossy - a very funny and sweet opera director, sharing her life in Houston
My Favorite Intermissions - Maury D’Annato, opera fanatic
MetBlog - the New Met
NYC Opera Fanatic - Just what he says
Opera Chic - OC goes to La Scala and you don’t
OperaNow! - weekly (mostly) podcasts about all that’s hot in the world of opera.
Prima la Musica - Soprano adoration from NZ
Rahree - An opera admin dishes on opera (duh), books, music, and the Steelers.
Score Desk – the next hot young opera blogger
Sieglinde’s Diaries - NY-based operagoer’s blog
Unamplified voice - NY opera blogging
Wellsung - Opera Reviews for Four Hands
Wolf Trap Opera Blog - Kim Witman takes us behind the table

Music and Arts
About Last Night - Terry Teachout
Alex Ross, The Rest is Noise - Classical music critic for The New Yorker
Andrew Patner - Chicago-based music journalist
Arts Journal: Music - Headlines from around the world
Aurgasm - Your favorite music you’ve never heard, streaming weekly.
aworks - “new” American classical music
Daniel Felsenfeld - composer, music writer, fellow NEC alum
Darcy James Argue’s Secret Society - “music, politics, life in New York” and shiny baubles
Dial M for Musicology - They say they even welcome air-guitarists, so I dig these guys.
Deceptively Simple - Marc.
The Determined Dilettante - TONY Arts & Entertainment editor
eighth blackbird - new music darlings are blogging!
Feast of Music - excellent NYC concert reviews
From Every Corner - SMB in PDX
ionarts - Charles Downey, based in DC but writing about arts around the world
Iron Tongue of Midnight - Lisa Hirsch
Jessica Duchen - Novelist, music journalist; another link long overdue
James Roe - NYC arts insight from the Dir of Helicon
Jessica Duchen - London-based music writer and novelist
Jonathan Biss, pianist - irregular but thoughtful postings about making music.
Music as Weapon? - David, how did I now know you were blogging? Founder & director of Newspeak; check it out.
Musical Perceptions - the original FriPod
NewMusicBox - “web magazine” from the American Music Center
Nico Muhly - the young composer shares his musings.
Night After Night - NY-based music writing
notes from the kelp - composer (and lover of the sea) Alex Shapiro
oboeinsight - Oboes in San Fran
The Quotidian – Lisa Bielawa, BMOP composer-in-residence
The Reverberate Hills - another voice from the San Fran scene
Roger Evans Online - music reviews and thoughts on the state of things in The Biz
Sequenza21 - Contempory Classical Music
sogalitno - a Southern gal in the North
SoHo the Dog - my new favorite music geek
The Standing Room - Singing and Parking in San Francisco
Think Denk - Jeremy Denk, pianist

The 3 F’s: Food, Fashion, Friends
101 Cookbooks - Inspiration
Ampersand - Life, uncensored, now from New Zealand
The Budget Fashionista - Looking great without breaking the bank
Dilettante Traveler - Travel, often and varied
fashionologie - An insider’s view, I think
Orangette - Food writing that reads like poetry
Perfect Pantry - what a food writer keeps in her larder.
Pink of Perfection - La dolce vita
The Sartorialist - On the street in NY & around the world
Zauberwelt - Another old friend, rediscovered through the blogosphere

Reading & Writing
Blurbomat - Behind the scenes at dooce.com
Confessions of a Pioneer Woman - Calf nuts and cowboys.
David Byrne - ‘nuff said
dooce - She who started it all (well, a lot of it, anyway)
Engrish.com - Having a bad day? Go here and LOL.
Huffington Post - recently brought back to my attention
Salon.com - a bit of everything
Stuff White People Like - Funny stuff.
Terminal Degree - Insight into academia
This Fish - now, oddly, in Texas

Art, beauty, photography
bighappyfunhouse - found photographs
form meets function - drool-inducign design
Martinis and Mantras
Melear-o-sphere - photos and thoughts from our photo guru. Oh, he’s a conductor, too.
random thoughts II: a beautiful photo blog
Strange Maps - Maps. Strange ones.
such stuff - My daily dose of beauty
The Year in Pictures - Inspiration and beauty from a NYC photography curator

Et moi:
ACB.com: Go to my .Mac site for a while instead.
Twitter - a Tweeting Bird, a most natural thing

Lessons

Tomorrow I have my first voice lesson of the summer! And, considering that I haven’t had a voice lesson since August, I’m excited. Especially since it’s with Mark Oswald. I had several lessons with Mark last year, and I always left his lessons feel like I was leaving a yoga class. He is centered and calm, two traits that I value highly in my life right now; you can read about my first impressions and work with him from last summer here.

He is going to be “in residence” here for almost three weeks, I think, so I hope to get in with him a few times at least. I’m also hoping to see him regularly this coming year; his is the kind of energy and attitude with which I want to surround myself.

I don’t have much else to say right now. I’m feeling a little heavy, worrying about people in Seattle. Missing my dog. Anxious about relocating for two weeks. (I’ll be staying with some family friends of L, good people that I met last summer who generously opened their home to me.) Feeling very fragile, but doing my best to embrace it. To just be aware.

But before I sign off, a shout out to S&L (and CT, too?) back in Seattle, who will be singing back-up for Dianne Schuur next week at Jazz Alley!! Unbelievably cool. Knock ‘em dead, ladies.

Forms

 
This is the photo that I wanted to include in my post about costumes, but I'm having trouble uploading pictures via Blogger. We'll try it through Picasa, which will be fine, if it works. I'll have to post all my pictures as separate posts, which is kind of lame, but better than nothing!

This is my dress form in the costume shop, currently wearing a muslin mock-up of my Act I Cendrillon costume. 

Found it!

Turns out, the announcement has been made; I just didn't look hard enough! Go here and notice that the Prince Charming mentioned in the opening paragraph, Kristine Jepson, is different than the one in the cast list, Jennifer Holloway. Jennifer, a classmate of mine from our undergrad days at UGA, was originally scheduled to sing the other step-sister, but got "promoted" when Ms. Jepson withdrew (with SFO's blessings, to take a contract at La Scala).

She's going to be amazing...

Fitting

I had fittings for my chorus costumes this week, and T, the costumer in charge of all my costumes, was anxious to get me crossed off the list for Carmen and Flute. More than once, he said, “We’re going to need Ms. Bird in here for so many fittings for Cendrillon, I don’t want to have to take up more time with these costumes!” We rushed to get through my three Carmen outfits in forty-five minutes, and Flute was an easy fit, so… now any time I have to go have a fitting, it will be for Cendrillon!

I won’t post pictures until after opening, but my costumes are hysterical. The cosutme shop is also going to make a rough rehearsal costume so G and I can practice walking. It’s not an A-line skirt, let’s just put it that way!

G and I had our first coaching today, and I can tell that we’re going to have a blast. I’m also glad for the chance to work with CA, a coach on staff that I didn’t really get to work with last year. I have a long list of new things to work on this summer, so I hope to really take advantage of all the talented and knowledgable people on staff.

A day off tomorrow, with yoga in the morning and a party at the opera in the evening. Then we start staging Carmen on Monday!

Settled

After a couple of crazy days of trying to find a better housing situation here in Santa Fe, I have settled into a lovely house. I am living alone, which is a wonderful blessing, but I’m walking distance from a dear friend and I have great neighbors. I’m basically house-sitting for a couple who live in Key West for most of the year; it’s not free, but it’s cheaper than my original arrangement and a better situation all around. There is a quirk, of course, and that is that the owners are coming to town for two weeks in late June. I’ll stash some stuff in the small bedroom and find a place to crash for the time. I have some leads, so I’m not worried, and the trade-off makes this feel like a minor inconvenience.

We had our first day of rehearsals yesterday, jumping headlong into Carmen and Flute choruses. I expect to have a coaching for the step-sisters tomorrow. There are lots of great people back this year, and several people that I know from other gigs in the new crop. All in all, it seems like a great group.

It’s definitely a good year to be an Apprentice. I’m not sure if it’s because of the 50th Anniversary season, but the opera is really showcasing the “young talent.” There are so many good roles being sung by apprentices this year: in Magic Flute, the Ladies, Papagena, and the Guards; in Carmen, the qypsy quartet and, I think, the smaller officer part; in Cendrillon, the stepsisters and maybe the Master of Ceremonies; in Salome, all kinds of Slaves, Jews, and Soldiers; and I think there are small roles in the Tempest, too. Great opportunities all around. There is one Apprentice who has been awarded an incredible role, due to the cancellation of the original artist. I haven’t seen anything about in press or publicity stuff from the opera, so I’m keeping a lid on it, but needless to say, it is thrilling. Micaela is also being sung by a young singer, Jennifer Black, who was an Apprentice with me last year. She’s been in the Met’s training program this year, and has a gorgeous voice. Whenever Micaela would sing on my Carmen recording as I studied, I thought, “I can’t wait to get to hear Jennifer sing this!”

So, we’re under way!

Just when I thought...

... I couldn't love her more, Dawn Upshaw takes on new project that further demonstrates what a gutsy artist she is.

So cool.

Ok, one more picture.

This is Sonny, my parents’ year-old boxer mix pup. (Yes, named after that Sonny.) He is an absolute doll, a 70-lb lap dog who is scared by the wind; whines with longing for the cat, who won’t give him the time of day; and fiercely guards my mother when she’s out in the front yard. Yesterday I spent some time singing through Carmen, and Sonny was very concerned! He sat at my feet and cocked his head (see above), wondering about these strange sounds emanating from my mouth. Was I in pain? Did he need to go for help? After a few minutes, he decided I must be ok, and he started singing along! A lovely, rich baritone to go with my soprano scales and arpeggios. KD never cared to join in my practicing, so it was nice to have some canine accompaniment!

A stopover

Northen Utah

Wyoming…

…Wyoming…

…Wyoming.

Northern Colorado

Home!


Words soon, I promise. For now, I’m enjoying some down time with my parents, sister, and brother-in-law. Pedicures today, shopping tomorrow, home cooking = bliss.

En route, la fortune est la-bas!

Rainy Seattle
Through the Cascades
Eastern Washington
Jerome Creek, ID
The Reason My Thighs Hurt Today
The View (Northern Idaho)
Western Montana (Southern Idaho?)
The Great Salt Lake

Joy

For the past two weeks, I’ve been taking part in the puppet opera at the Northwest Puppet Center. This year’s opera - “The Opera of Operas: The Life and Death of Tom Thumb the Great” – is a musical pastiche with tunes by Thomas Arne and Johann Hasse, along with English tunes and drinking songs, all set to a libretto by Henry Fielding. I sing Tom’s tunes, including a trio with the beautiful princess (another soprano) and the giantess (a bass!) who are fighting over little Tommy, but my favorite musical moment is when I get to “sing” a song for Judy, doing my best to match my singing voice to the crackly, raspy voice the puppeteer has given her!

The basis for all musical and dramatic decisions in this production has been “Is it silly?” What a fun change of pace! Opera can be a very serious affair, I’m afraid, on both sides of the stage. So the opportunity to be silly, and to be surrounded by silliness, is one that I embraced gladly. I had no choice, really, because how serious can I be when I’m singing the word “little” repeatedly on a high G? “Little, little, little, little though I be…” all on a high G! I tried so hard when I was learning the music to “really sing it.” And, well, it was hard. At the first rehearsal, I was surprised when the other musicians and the puppeteers started laughing at that point; not at me, but at the music! It is a funny moment, not a serious one, so when I relaxed my seriousness and just let it be silly, it instantly became easy.

Everyone else in the cast has embraced the silly, too, stretching their voices to take on more colors (we’re all singing for several puppets each), to make ugly sounds, or even to belch on command! Hey, this is low-brow baroque puppetry we’re talking about! I get to use my rooster crow and play a horn made from a cow’s horn (kind of creepy to this vegetarian…), and another singer has learned how to play the musical saw! So much fun. Of course, the puppeteers, the Carter Family, are the one encouraging all the silliness! The keep us on our toes – and stifling our laughter! – every show with their clever improvisations and joyful performances.

The singers and musicians sit on the lip of the stage, in front of the puppet stage, so we can see the audience. I have had such a wonderful time watching people’s faces! This is definitely an “adult” show (those naughty puppets…), but it is amazing to watch how quickly grown-ups will shed the pretenses of A Night At The Theatre and fully embrace the atmosphere of silliness. They laugh and groan at the jokes, sing with gusto during the “audience participation,” and generally forget that they are not six years old. When Tom Thumb makes his first appearance, he waves at the audience, and every night, at least one “grown-up” waves back with a huge smile on his or her face.

That’s what I feel and sense around me during every show: Joy. We are making our living by playing! Talk about right livelihood... I got to get up on the scaffolding backstage and manipulate a few puppets the other day, and this time I was the one who couldn’t wipe the smile off my face. I hope I can remember this feeling next time I’m in the middle of a “serious” opera; it is still playing, and it should always be joyful.

And we’re back...

I’ve been thinking about getting things going here again recently, so when Tomness tagged me for a meme and Ariadne left a comment on the same day last week, I took it as a sign. I thought I would use this meme to give you all some idea of what’s been going on with me these days, where I’m headed, what I’ve been working on (and continue to work on) both in my personal life and “in concert.”

• I am rediscovering my spiritual path, making huge strides in my professional life, trying to embrace Life’s joy and pain in equal measure, and separating from my husband.
• I am not at all sure what the future holds – where I’ll be, who I’ll be with, what I’ll be doing. (Besides singing. That’s the one thing that is an Absolute these days.)
• I want to live an honest life, both with myself and with others.
• I wish we (people in general) knew better how to express our pain/anger/sadness and how to respond to people expressing those emotions, how to move through them and help others move through them.
• I hate people who complain about something but don’t do anything to change it. (“Hate” is maybe too strong a word…)
• I love having a job that brings joy to other people.
• I miss seeing my family and close friends everyday.
• I fear that I will return to living an unexamined life. But they say fear is a powerful motivator…
• I hear the incessant pressure washing of my OCD neighbor.
• I wonder what life is like in parts of the world I haven’t seen. Especially places where war is a reality, or where peace and tranquility are encouraged as a way of life.
• I regret not being more open to friendship in the past.
• I dance whenever possible.
• I sing along with indie rock cds in my car.
• I cry when my feelings are hurt, when I am touched by something divine, and every time I hear Brahms’ Violin Concerto No. 3 in d minor.
• I am not always wearing appropriate footwear. Most of the time I am. But not always. And I always regret it…
• I make with my hands complicated needlework designs like this one, a project I have been working on (on and off) for six years.
• I write to help me find my true voice.
• I confuse wants with needs.
• I need to be more disciplined: musically, spiritually, financially…
• I should get more aerobic exercise. (More? Let’s start with some.)
• I start a lot of books, but I finish very few.
• I finish the Wednesday NY Times crossword puzzle and most mid-level sudoku. And every dessert put in front of me.
• I tag Melissa at Les Histoires de Moi and Chiara at Ampersand, although I don’t know if she does memes. But I guess that’s up to her, isnt’ it?! I also tag anyone who feels like working through this thought-provoking exercise.

And there you have it. I'll be keeping the details of my personal life private; this blog is about my music (mostly). Thanks for reading and caring, and thanks for coming back!

I have a couple more entries brewing, glimpses into the musical adventures of the past two months. But the big focus for the next week is getting ready for the summer in Santa Fe. Packing, cramming Carmen choruses into my head, and putting the finishing touches on Noemie. All while doing my best to stay present here at home (and always here in the moment…) and find the best way to move forward. Conscious, aware, active not reactive, manifesting my life. Here’s to the future!

Hiatus

In the tradition of bloggers everywhere, the time has come for me to take a hiatus from writing. I have a lot going on in all areas of my life – professional, personal, mental, emotional, spiritual, physical – and I need to try and focus. To spend more time being quiet and less time talking. Or thinking about talking. Or even thinking, to be honest. So I’m pulling back a bit. Mostly, I’m finding it hard to maintain the optimistic tone of this blog when I’m so overwhelmed with everything life is throwing at me!

Things will obviously be trucking along in the music department, so if you want to keep up with me in that regard, my website will be the way to do it. I keep it pretty well updated these days, thanks to finally understanding Dreamweaver. Maybe I’ll even try to get back in the habit of sending semi-regular Mailing List emails… Look for some new sound clips soon; I’ll be recording a new demo this spring. Presentation of the Rose, “Du gai soleil,” “Volta la terrea,” and maybe a Baby Doe aria, if I can choose one of the five!

My hope will be to start writing again when I get to Santa Fe in June. It’s going to be an incredible summer there, what with all the 50th Anniversary celebrations and all. I have lots of friends and colleagues from past gigs that will be Apprentices with me this year, and I am really looking forward to being with them all again. I have no doubt I’ll have plenty to write about, and I hope to be in a place where I have the mental space to do it.

Thanks for all your kind words and thoughts. Please feel free to drop me a line anytime and let me know how you’re doing. I’ll still be reading blogs, so I may show up in a comment from time to time (not unlike Canadienne…). I am grateful for all my friends, both “in the computer” and out, especially at times like these.

Peace and love to all of you.

PS - This is not an April Fool's joke... that's just an irony.

Another

Another colleague performed this weekend with famous pop-culture folks. (The other, of course, being the beautiful JD.) Tom is what you might call my “virtual colleague,” as we have yet to meet in person! But this business is small, indeed, and our resumes share several names, so I have no doubt that it is only a matter of time.

This weekend’s event was a brilliantly conceived concert of the music of Robert and Clara Schumann, performed by top-tier musicians and joined by Sting and Trudie Styler, who read from Robert and Clara’s letters. Hot, hot, HOT! Really, kudos to the person who thought this up. And the fact that it was a benefit concert is even better. It wasn’t just about ego-stroking. Generous, talented people coming together to create something beautiful both in its presentation and in its purpose. Joshua Bell, Lisa Saffer, Alicia Weilerstein, Jeremy Denk, and Natasha Paremski completed the slate of musicians; Jonathan Pryce narrated. Wow.

Read Steve Smith’s account of the evening. It will not only make you wish that you had been there, but you will hope that it was not a one-time event. It sounds like an extraordinary night.

Quiet

Thanks, everybody, for your congratulations and good wishes! But before anybody plans a cross-country trip, keep in mind that I’m really only going to be onstage for five minutes! Maybe ten. I would love to have anybody and everybody come to NYC, of course, but I’d also want you to save your pennies for a few seasons from now, when I’m (hopefully) singing something more substantial. Something with a name!

Of course, the opera would only be the excuse for all the other fun we would have on your visit – eating, drinking, talking, shopping, staying up all night at the Duplex… Ok, book that ticket! =]

I’m off this weekend on a different sort of trip. I’m going away by myself to be quiet for a few days. No music, no people, no phone or internet. Just me, a little cabin, the ocean, and quiet. I haven’t had much of that these days, and it’s starting to take its toll. I’m taking a few books and movies, but I’m hoping to spend a lot of time just doing “nothing.” Maybe some writing, maybe some meditating, but only with the purpose of clearing out my head. It is noisy in there…

Wishing you all a peaceful, quiet weekend…

It’s official

Well, Anonymous, you keep asking, and now I can finally spill the beans! The Met made a firm offer today, and I accepted. I will be there for thirteen weeks next spring, mid-February to mid-May, working on small roles in two operas: Die Aegyptische Helena (Strauss) and Suor Angelica (part of Puccini’s “trilogy” of one act operas, Il Trittico). I am a cover for Elf #2 in the Strauss (Ian says I’m the “second second elf”) and I’ll be singing the role of Novice #1 in the Puccini. It’s definitely a one-liner role, but hey! It will be me, singing all alone, at THE MET!

After two months of wondering if it was just a dream, it feels so good to have something firm and “on paper.” I will be living – and making a living, a good living – in New York City for at least three months next season! Wow.

Some techincal info, for those who care: Generally, the less of a name a character has, the smaller it is; if my character were central to the action of the plot, I’d have a real name. So these are small roles, no matter what my jr. high drama teacher said about small roles vs. small actors. Novice #1 is classified by AGMA as a “Chorus Bit” role, meaning it is limited in size and scope, both musically and artistically, about 24 measures. If there were a chorus in Suor Angelica, it might be sung by a soprano from the chorus. Since there is not, it becomes a “Solo Bit” role, with everything the same except that I am a Soloist, not a Chorister.

Elf #2 is actually a larger role, classified as “Supporting.” I don’t know the opera (I can barely find a synopsis), so I don’t know what part the Elves (there are three) play in the action, but I imagine they could be similar to the three Nymphs in Ariadne. Smaller roles (the Nymphs are “Featured” roles, a step up from Supporting), but similar in function. We’ll see. Probably lots of ensemble singing (yummm), with maybe a solo phrase here and there.

As is to be expected, my castmates for these operas are out of this world: Deborah Voigt, Diana Damrau, and Jill Grove in the Strauss, with Fabio Luisi on the podium; Barbara Frittoli, Heidi Grant Murphy, and Stephanie Blythe in Suor Angelica, conducted by Maestro James Levine. Whoa. Are you kidding me??!!

See you in New York City!

a bit late, but...

This is a bit late to be of use to anyone, but I wanted to acknowledge an important event taking place at Alice Tully Hall tonight. Jocelyn Dueck, my dear friend and intrepid partner in crime, is performing as part of the ”Gala Celebration of the Fifth Anniversary of Premiere Commission, Inc.”, featuring the music of Philip Glass and his colleagues. She, along with baritone Jesse Blumberg (who will be with me at Santa Fe this summer), will be presenting the world premiere of a song cylce by Lisa Bielawa, entitled The Lay of Love and Death.

I am so proud of her and wish I could be there to throw roses! I’ve been a bit, um, consumed by my own affairs recently, and so I almost missed this chance to send her some love. She might even be onstage as I type this…

Love you, JD! Can’t wait to be on the stage with you.

**UPDATE 3/24: Here's a review!

Temporary

I have joined the ranks of aspiring singers and actors the world over and signed on with a temp agency. I’m home for three months (one down, two to go), and while I have several gigs lined up here in Seattle, they don’t pay quite well enough to be my sole source of income. So I’ll be putting my “people skills” and computer skills to work on short-term office gigs. Lots of reception work, I imagine, with a day or two here or there filling in for an admin assistant. I tested pretty high on the office tests – typing, filing, Word & Excel, etc. – so the office seemed confident that they could place me easily.

We’ll see. I’m not really excited about the idea of not having these empty days at home to study music, but studying doesn’t pay the bills. My schedule over the next two months is fairly irregular, so it’ll be interesting to see how many days I can actually work an office job. But every little bit helps, I guess.

Good news, bad news

The good news: In 2005, I netted about twice as much income from singing and teaching as I did in 2004.

The bad news: I owe about twice as much as I did in 2004. Funny, that.

I have got to get into the habit of paying quarterly!! I also need to start seeing my fees as about 30% less than they actually are. It’s time to start automatically taking off 20% for taxes and 10-15% for my manager. Sure, the fees are getting bigger, but so are the expenses…

As disappointing as it is to owe money (I think my days of getting a refund are totally over…), I always enjoy the quantifiable nature of taxes. There it is, in black and white, my year by the numbers. What I did – or didn’t – spend money on, all the gigs in a nice list, my charts with trips and per diems and income from teaching… I love it.

Looking back over the past four tax years, since getting out of school, and seeing a steady increase in Box 31 on the Schedule C makes me feel that things are going well. That I’m doing a few things right, as far as the business is concerned. If only all things in life were so easily gauged...

Everybody hurts

Don’t know why, but there was something reassuring about yesterday’s post at Dead Air Space, Radiohead’s blog about the work on their new album (swoon!).

Growing pains know no genre, it seems.

**Edited to add: If you haven't visited CT's blog in a while, there are some great posts up, one of which also deals with growing pains, of a sort. But fear is so much easier to face with a friend nearby...

Still here

Sorry for the silence; it’s been a crazy week. Really, really sick, with only enough energy to lie on the couch with my dog and think about all the music I have to learn this spring. Not look at it, mind you, just think about it. But I’m better now (mostly. better enough.), so no more excuses. Here’s what on the piano for the next few months:

• Songs by Sondheim, Weill, and Randy Newman for a series of Cabaret Nights with Black Box Opera Theater. Youkali, The Saga of Jenny, What More Do I Need, et al – a whole new arsenal for my next visit to the Duplex!!
• Der Kaiser von Atlantis, BBOT’s May opera. Not technically on the piano yet, as I don’t have a score, but certainly “on the piano.”
• The Opera of Operas, or Tom Thumb the Great, in which I’ll be singing the title role with the Northwest Puppet Center. This is going to be a blast!
• Cendrillon - I’ll be singing Noemie, one of the stepsisters, in this luscious Cinderella story at Santa Fe this summer. Which leads to…
• … Carmen and Die Zauberflöte – chorus assignments for SFO. Fun shows, both, especially if I get to wear a flouncy blouse and do some gypsy dancing!
• Rosenkavalier , Werther , and Abduction – this spring’s “roles to learn with no jobs assigned to them.”
• Various and sundry art song books, as I am still trying to put together this recital for sometime in 2007. Stay tuned for more details.

I think that’s it, for now. Next season is already full of potential gigs, most of which involve music I have sung before. Concerts, mostly, at this point, but we’re still working on a few opera gigs. Sorry, still can’t say anything more about the Met! Trust me, I’m dying to shout it from the hills, but until there’s a contract in hand, better to keep a lid on it.

All that said, who can study music when this is outside:


Happy Spring, everybody!

Collaborators

I stopped by Silver Platters while I was out today, spending almost all of my “no questions asked” money for March on cds. I bought two by Sufjan Stevens – Illinois and Michigan – who was introduced to me by M&E last year, and in whose music I like to get lost. I also picked up Ayre, which I should have done months ago. Dawn is absolutely incredible on this project. Her beautiful voice is still there, but she is not afraid to put it aside for a moment and sing in a raw, ugly, painful, no-holds-barred manner. Inspiring.

My fourth purchase was Boperation, the second album (of four, currently) by Mr. Ray Vega, who I had the great pleasure of meeting on the La Pasion tour. That man can blow! I looked forward to his solos every night, listening on the monitor in my dressing room. He is also a fun, big-hearted, and all around lovely man, someone I would often seek out when I needed to laugh. I hope to see him perform live sometime soon, but until then, this (awesome) cd will have to do.

Ray was just one of many incredible musicians that was involved with La Pasion. The more I got to know people, the more amazed I was. These were my colleagues! What is it they say about the company you keep? Well, I was in good company…

• Vocalist Luciana Souza, three-time Grammy nominee and Brazilian jazz “royalty,” was an incredible colleague: generous with her knowledge, time, and private car; open to my questions about life and the business; and an impeccably stylish dresser. More thoughts to come on what I learned from her. Her Brazilian Duos cd is next on my list…

• Dan Brantigan, trumpet, is a man of few words, so most of what I know about his extra-Pasion pursuits are from my own digging. A jazz quartet, a duo with a DJ, composition, animation, and I’m sure the list goes on. I think he’s still in Europe, maybe recording with the quartet? Doing something cool, for sure.

• Michael Ward-Bergeman, accordian, seems to have several homes on the internet, an indication of his wide-reaching talents. Involved in several of Osvaldo’s “circuses,” including Ayre, he seems to know no boundaries as a musician. He has a great laugh, too.

• Lennie Peterson’s talents reach well beyond the music world. He plays trombone in La Pasion and in several bands, ensembles, and projects around the country (world?). But I was most intrigued to learn that he wrote (drew? drote?) an internationally syndicated comic strip, “The Big Picture,” for years, retiring it in 2004. He’s still a bit of a celebrity in comic circles (and he’s good friends with Hilary Price!), but has now moved on to focus on his fine art and music. “You’re the man, Lennie.”

The three above-mentioned men are also quite handy with art supplies and motion sickness bags when stuck on trans-Atlantic flights:

See?! Surrounded by talent. I have to say I miss them all a bit. But we’ll be together again soon, I hope.

Picture Pages 3

 All I could find to eat before the concert in Porto. I was, as I am often, starving, so I had to make do! The Casa de Musica had an artist's cafeteria that boasted some of the best coffee I've ever had. The cheesecake wasn't bad either... but I'm not picky.

 Beautiful buildings on the riverfront in Porto.

 The Dom Luis Bridge over the Duoro River. SH & CT wisely walked across earlier in the day, while I was in rehearsal. I would not have enjoyed that...

  The remains of my 30th birthday dinner in Porto. Don't worry - those are chocolate cigarettes... =]

Picture Pages 2

 Note: Just because you have an adapter doesn't mean you won't fry your appliances... This was seriously a very close call!

 SH and CT the DT happened to be on our flight from London to Porto! It was fun (and a little weird) to have them around the tour craziness. (PS: what's up with me being the tan one in this picture?)

 The buses that were too small for our large group. We made the trip with bags on laps and still had to send a few folks and bags off in a taxi. More on this in an upcoming post: what I learned about when it's ok to be a diva...

  Some of the beautiful Schola Cantorum and me in my fabulous jacket!

Picture Pages

As promised, some photo-journal entries. Enjoy!

 One of several airport jam sessions, this one in Atlanta on our way to New York City.

 Manhattan as seen from Delta Flight 338.

 I can't begin to describe how special it was for me to have her in the audience that night. I am so blessed to have her as a friend and mentor.

  This is quite possibly one of my favorite pictures of all time. Talk about capturing a moment! I took lots of pictures with members of the chorus, so many that I felt a bit of a celebrity!

I should have known

I'm totally sick. I'll spare you the details, but needless to say I'm not much fun right now. So much for a fancy birthday dinner tonight...

Yuck.

Working backwards

After a full 24 hours of travel (woke up in Porto at 7:30am, fell into bed in Seattle at 8:30am Porto-time)yesterday (my unofficial 30th birthday), I am home. I have so many things to write about, pictures to post, etc., so I thought I’d work backwards. We’ll see how far I can get before I switch back to “current events!”

On Monday, my extra day in Porto, I shared an early birthday meal with CT & SH. They gave me a delicious bottle of 30-year Calem port, which we paired with hearty breads (one rather sawdusty, one so hearty it had chorizo in it), mild cheeses, salted cashews, and lots of chocolate. We had planned on just snacking, but ended up making it our main meal of the day. Or was the fresh green salad, vegetable pasta, boiled potatoes and grilled sea bass that we had at a restaurant on the river our main meal? Regardless, we never made it to the fancy place CT had in mind for my birthday dinner, the one with post-dinner cigars right there on the menu, ready to be enjoyed with your port. We’ll save that for our next trip.

I was able to get a little shopping in, too, just enough to say that I bought some souvenirs in Porto! A port sampler for Erik, some hand painted tiles for a few ladies, and a lovely embroidered shawl for me. My favorite souvenir from the trip, however, was a gift from some members of the chorus. I complimented on of them on the track jacket he was wearing, a brightly colored jacket that looked like it could have been worn by a Venezuelan Olympian, complete with “Venezuela” in big block letters on the back. Another choir member had a great scarf, again with the bright blue, yellow, and red of the Venezuelan flag. I think at some point, I said that I would love to have a scarf like that, and a few days later, another member came to me and said that he had a jacket for me! (Let that be a lesson to me: some people are so generous that they will take your passing comment as an opportunity to give you a gift! One must be careful not to take advantage of this…) I’ll post a picture of me in the jacket when I get home; it’s one of my favorite pictures from the trip, with me surrounded by members of the choir, me in the jacket and them dressed for the concert.

I will also post pictures (and a video, if I can figure out how to use uTube, or whatever that thing is) of the incredible jam sessions that started up at the airport if we were all in line too long. Guitars come out of their cases, every surface becomes a percussion instrument, and everyone sings. Talk about the way to handle a stressful situation! They all returned to Venezuela early Monday morning, after a fabulous closing-night party Sunday night. I imagine many of them didn’t sleep at all, but danced the night away and kept going until they slept on the plane. What joy. I can’t wait to see them again!

Ok, pictures on the way…

Transitions

A birthday spent in flight is not to be disregarded lightly. In flight, in transit, in transition. “Up in the air.” All good ways to describe my life right now…

The past two weeks have been intense, full. Full of musical and artistic discoveries, both on stage and off. Full of insights into “the business” and how I want to conduct myself in it. Full of personal challenges and joys that reminded me of what an incredible journey this life can be. When I was a church-goer, this would have been described as a “mountain top” experience, a temporary reprieve from reality and immersion in joy. But you can’t live on the mountain top. It is hard to tear yourself away and return to life in the valley, but it has to happen eventually.

I think I’ve talked a bit here in vague terms about the difficulties of transitioning back into home life after times away. I’ll keep it vague, since this is a blog about my career and not my personal life, but I would appreciate any good thoughts you’d care to send my way as I enter a period of Transition that will likely affect all areas – personal and professional – of my life.

More on this and other adventures to come…

Rocked

Thanks to all who notified me of the Times review of last night's performance. Last night was the first night that I was truly happy with my performance, so I guess the timing was good! I figured out the tuning problems and feel very comfortable now. Last night I was able to just think about making music and telling the story, which is how I like it.

Working with Robert Spano is just about as great as it gets, let me tell you. He was so eager to help and make me comfortable. He trusted that I could do it, that I was capable, so he wanted to figure out what the problem was (with the tuning). So I worked on it with his assistant, Laura Jackson, and he added a few ideas here and there, and then we had it. A partnership, as you can see from the picture in the review. We may not be making eye contact, but we are communicating. Bringing that beautiful piece of music to life.

And here is another picture of another reason I love my job:He told me that I rocked... DUDE!!!

Review of La Pasion

I thought I would post a quick link to the review of La Pasion in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

http://www.accessatlanta.com/blogs/content/shared-blogs/accessatlanta/reviews/entries/2006/02/16/aso_triumph_wit.html

While I have heard the recording of the piece, I really look forward to seeing it in NYC. (twice)

To Do for February 17

- Figure out why I keep going sharp on the melismatica passages of Lua Descolorida… muscle memory is a tricky little thing. Grrr.
- Get my concert dress altered, taking about two inches off of the hem. They want me barefoot for the concerts, and even with shoes it is a little too long. Fortunately, the president of the ASO was able to get me an appointment with her tailor this morning.
- Drink lots of water. Inhale lots of steam. Watch a movie. Rest and enjoy the quiet of my room.
- Sing another concert! This one with my grandparents, aunt, and cousin (and the Mayor of Atlanta) in the audience.

A quick update

The first day of rehearsal is over and done, and it went very well. I had some nerves in the morning – the chorus and most of the orchestra has performed this piece many many times, so I knew they would be listening with discerning (and opinionated!) ears. I passed the test, though! I got a thumbs-up from Mo. Spano at the end of my second piece, “Lua descolorida,” a beautiful and poignant movement for soprano and strings Also called the “Aria of Peter’s Tears,” it expresses the remorse and sadness that Peter feels after being caught denying that he knows Jesus. I find it absolutely heartbreaking…

I also had a member of the chorus tell me that other choristers were saying that watching me sing was a “singing lesson,” since my breathing technique is fairly apparent! I’m not sure if it’s that I’m thin or that I really breathe differently, but I’m always getting comments like that. It used to make me really self-conscious, but I’ve decided to go with it. I can’t change how I breathe or how I’m built!

There were two films crews at this afternoon’s rehearsal, filming for different TV segments about Osvaldo. Not sure who or when or what, but if I’m going to be on TV, I’ll let you know! They were, of course, mostly focused on Osvaldo, but at the end of rehearsal I had to do a sound check, and they happened to be nearby. I sang the last phrase of “Lua,” which is very high and floaty, and both cameras were about two feet from my face! There was a big boom mike at my waist, and both Bob and Osvaldo were nearby, too, watching and listening intently. I can only imagine what those cameras captured as my mouth was wide open for that high C!

I’m off to a dinner with Atlanta Symphony associates this evening. Then lots of sleep tonight, if I can force myself to turn off the Olympics…

Glamorous

Thanks to the blogosphere, I think it’s been well-established that singers’ lives are not, generally speaking, the glamorous affairs we once imagined them to be. But in case you need a refresher, here’s an outline of my tour schedule. My glamorous, high-profile, “let’s go see the world!” international debut tour:

Feb. 14 – travel to Atlanta
Feb. 15 – rehearse, morning and afternoon
Feb. 16 am – dress rehearsal
Feb. 16 pm – first performance
Feb. 17 – second performance
Feb. 18 – third performance
Feb. 19 – travel to NYC
Feb. 20 am – rehearse
Feb. 20 pm – fourth performance
Feb. 21 – fifth performance
Feb. 22 – travel to London
Feb. 23 – rehearse, morning and afternoon
Feb. 24 – sixth performance
Feb. 25 am – travel to Porto
Feb. 25 pm – rehearse
Feb. 26 am – rehearse
Feb. 26 pm – seventh and final performance
Feb. 27 – Day Off to explore Porto with The Dilettante Traveler and SH! (or sleep)
Feb. 28 – travel to Seattle (and my un-birthday!)

How about that?! Glamorous, huh?

It’s actually pretty amazing, when you think about it. Imagine the logistics of getting a chorus, orchestra and soloists through all of that. Visas, ground transportation, customs, hotels, everything. This will be my first time getting a per diem as part of my contract, so I won’t be spending my fee. Very nice. If I pinch my pennies enough, I could even come home with a little extra!

Unless I actually find the time to do some shopping…

American Idol for Opera Singers

I was getting my haircut this past week and overheard a snippet of conversation from a chair across the room. The stylist was saying that her parents were in town this weekend, and that among their scheduled activities was going to see “this concert-thing, kind of like American Idol for opera singers.” I perked up, of course, and at first had no clue as to what monstrosity she might be referring to. But when she mentioned the University’s Meany Hall, I knew that it wasn’t a farce; it was the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions Northwest Regional Finals. I got a chuckle imagining the mostly blue-haired audience members “texting their vote” to determine the winner!

For a better description of the Met Council Auditions, read what Kim Pensinger Witman had to say over at the Wolf Trap Opera blog. Her point about the winner not always being the person who gave the most compelling performance is important to note. Judges are often looking for characteristics of a winner that the public doesn’t always recognize. That is why so many competitions have an Audience Favorite award.

I’m not feeling overly literate right now, so I hope you get my point. I’ve seen the whole spectrum of competition results, including being involved in some wins and losses that I didn’t agree with. But that’s the business. Subjective, fickle, full of chance and opinion. Sometimes the subjectivity is in your favor, and sometimes it’s not. Make the most of it when it is!

I know several singers competing today at Meany Hall, and I wish them well!

In other news, I’m a cello, with high likelihood of being a trombone or an oboe. No hint of a viola. No surprise there.

A project

For the past few months, I have been putting together a project in my head in the hopes that I can get it out of my head and into the world. The time may be at hand.

The project has many branches. In vaguest terms, it is a recital project. This includes, obviously, a performed recital. That’s the part that looks like it’s coming to pass, most likely in January 2007. It’s fairly easy to put on a recital – rehearse some music, find a venue, print up some programs, do some advertising – and can be done on a budget. The great thing about this one is that I won’t be putting it on myself! I will be part of a concert series, which means all of my expenses (travel, lodging, even my pianist) will be covered, the facility will advertise and handle ticket sales, and I’ll even get paid. How cool is that! I have put on several recitals over the years, and the music preparation always seemed to take a back seat to the “other stuff” required to produce a good show. It will be a luxury to be able to just focus on the music.

What music, you ask? That’s another branch of the project. I knew that I wanted the centerpiece of the recital to be a new work, written especially for me. To that end, for several months I have been talking with Judd Greenstein, a fellow 2004 Tanglewood Music Center alum, about a new work for soprano and piano. We wandered through many ideas for texts, topics, and general themes for the recital program, and have finally settled on our jumping off point: songs with spiritual texts, especially from spiritual traditions that are not mainstream. Other pieces under consideration have texts by Irish monks of the 12th Century, a 16th C. female Krishna devotee, poems of Hafiz, and settings of Vedic hymns. Judd is drawn, for this project, to the Zohar, the principal text of Kabbalah, Jewish mysticism. I think it has potential to be a really exciting and unusual recital program.

A side branch of this project is the process of commissioning a new piece of music. I’ve never done it before, and it is exciting to be cursorily involved in the creation process; usually I just present my interpretation of something that’s already been created. But talking about poetry and voice ranges doesn’t pay the composer’s bills! To that end, I’m looking for funds. I have a few ideas; since Judd and I are both Tanglewood alums, I’m hoping to find some connections there. There are all kinds of grants out there for this sort of thing, but grants can be daunting! Judd pointed me to Meet the Composer, an organization dedicated to helping new music come to be. This page has been incredibly informative.

If any of you have commissioned works, please drop me a line and share your experience. If any of you feel like sponsoring this commission, please be in touch! (Just kidding. Well, only sort of.)

The final branch of the project will, ideally, be to record this program and market the CD. That will require a whole different set of funds, but with a recording engineer in the family, it will be manageable. We’ll market it at concerts, maybe even sell receipts for advance copies (once we know for sure that the CD is going to happen); my website will also have links to places to buy, maybe cdbaby.com or even Amazon, if we can swing a UPC symbol.

Writing this all out has made me realize that this whole project, not just writing a grant proposal, is a bit daunting. But I believe in it, and I think people will enjoy it. And, hey, it will keep me out of trouble.

Days

What's filling up my days this week? Studying music (back and forth between Rosenkavalier and Fille du Regiment), getting ready for my whirlwind trip, and drooling over the pictures of Fashion Week at New York Metro.com. Carolina Herrera may have a rival for my affections: Roland Mouret. Minimalist, clean, elegant. Yummy. His Fall 06 line shows on Friday.

And then, of course, we have Zac (his line shows on Friday), Diane, Monique, Jill... and so many others. Someday, I'll be there. Maybe not in the front row, but there. Hopefully with cash!

A wager

From this month’s Opera America e-Newsletter:

Super Bowl hysteria has reached beyond the stadium and into the opera house as the general directors of Seattle Opera and Pittsburgh Opera, Speight Jenkins and Mark Weinstein, have made a wager on the outcome of the game between the teams of their respective cities. He who loses the wager will wear the winning team's jersey to his company's next board meeting - and have his picture taken in the jersey with the board standing behind him. Both opera companies have connections to their favorite teams as their singers have performed the National Anthem at home games in recent seasons.

Now that’s what I’m talking about!!

GO HAWKS!!!!!!

Update 2/6: Well, that was depressing.

Requiem

In the words of my father, this is not an entry I planned on making. My grandfather passed away this weekend. He had a wonderful life, and his passing was relatively fast, but I was still unprepared for the wave of grief that hit me. My mind has been so full of memories for the past few days…

I remember sitting at his feet as a little girl, watching as he blew perfect smoke rings from his fragrant pipe. He stopped smoking many years ago, at the behest of his daughter who was concerned for his health. But about two years ago, I think he recognized that one day, and maybe soon, he would die. His mobility was limited due to a stroke and general weakening of his body. His diet was restricted due to his diabetes (brought on, some say, by his intense love of ice cream…). He could do few of the things that used to bring him joy, like traveling the world and tending his beautiful garden. So he picked up that old pipe again, determined to have something that he could enjoy to the end. I visited last fall; seeing him pack the pipe, smelling the tobacco, and watching the smoke rings – less perfect now, but still there – brought me such joy. I’m sure he felt it, too.

It was from Granddad that I “got my voice.” I visited Ellis Island while on a high school trip to New York City, and found a station where you could research your family name. The elderly volunteer - obviously bored and tired of dealing with these southern high schoolers – entered my family name and talked me through the results in his light Scottish brogue: “Your family most like came from this part of England… the name was most likely given around the 1500s… your family was called ‘Bird’ either because of birdlike features or because of their beautiful singing voices.” Then, as an afterthought: “Do you sing?”

My boyfriend said, “Does she ever!” And the change that came over this man was incredible; all of a sudden he was interested! “Do ya’ really?!” He was so happy to finally see some connection from the past to the present. I thought about the line of Birds, and I knew Granddad was a strong singer, as is my father. It made perfect sense to me that this should be why we have our name. This story is part of the reason that I kept my family name for performing; what a perfect name for a soprano!

The few times I visited Granddad’s church, I remember looking forward to singing the hymns. We were the only family in that little Nebraska church that sang in four-part harmony! We would always sing the melody on the first verse, then pick our parts for the remaining verses. I can still feel that rush of energy down my back when the first few chords were manifested in our voices! It was usually Granddad’s bass, my dad and brother on the tenor line, me with my cousin and maybe aunt singing alto, and mom and Sally strongly carrying the melody. We never talked about it, but there was usually a look exchanged that said, “That was fun!”

Granddad loved music, especially classical, and I think he was happy to know that I was making it my career. He was able to see me perform several times and was always happy to get a cd of my latest recordings. I asked my mom the other night if he had heard about my Met news, and she assured me that he had. If I do get to sing there next year, I will be thinking of Granddad, imagining him up in the Family Circle, watching over me.

What’s next?

This has been a very full week, not only rehearsals and performances and all that goes along with putting on a show, but also so much going on in my head. Big changes are coming in the next year or so, and well, big changes are hard.

With all of the big events of this trip – successful cover rehearsals, securing a management team (who, for now, will stay unnamed on this blog), auditioning for and being (all but) hired by the Met (contract still pending…) – I have really been thinking about my career path. Not only the future, but the past. I realize that, in part, I have gotten to this point based largely on my talent and good luck. Sure, I’ve done some work, and been ambitious, but I know I can work so much harder. And now is the time for hard work!! There are lots of talented people, and luck can run out. Getting a manager and a contract at the Met is not an end-point; it should be only the beginning. I feel like I’m ready now, for the focus and drive that this next phase is going to require.

To that end, I have a list of roles that my manager wants me to learn asap. Not just look at, but really learn. These are roles that he feels I can be hired for right now, and he wants to know that if someone calls him and says, “We need a Sophie next month!” he can recommend me without hesitation and that I will go to the job and make us both look good. After all, as my brother said the other night, “It’s not just you now, 10% is Msr. Manager.” True indeed.

What’s on the list, you ask? Many soubrette roles, a few “coloratura” roles, even a light lyric thing or two. In short, a perfect group of roles to exhibit all my strengths. No more struggling with trying to label myself – I will be Fach-less. If something on my audition rep list doesn’t make sense to an auditor, let them ask me for it so I can show them that it belongs there.

The List: Olympia, Sophie (Werther and Rosenkavalier), Echo & Naide (Zerbinetta is on a different list…), Zerlina, Blondchen, Nannetta, Oscar, Marie (Daughter of the Regiment), and a bit of Gilbert & Sullivan: Mabel and Yum-Yum.

That should keep me busy! I’ve compiled a list of the scores I don’t own, so if you’re wondering what to get me for my 30th birthday next month, I have a few ideas…

We made several role lists, my manager and I. The Priority List is above. Then we have “Useful immediately, but wait to learn until hired;” roles like Baby Doe and Zerbinetta are here, things that I, an emerging artist, probably won’t be hired for in the next two years. Once I’ve learned the Priority Roles, I’ll move on to these. Next is a list of Future Roles: Gilda, Anne Trulove, some bel canto.; Msr. Manager feels that my voice needs to develop a bit more heft before getting into these roles. Finally there’s the “Forget about it” list: operas that are so rarely performed that I don’t need to spend time on the roles until I have a contract to sing one of them. Eurydice (both Gluck’s and Offenbach’s), Hero and Ophelia, and a handful of lesser-performed Mozart operas, among others.

How exciting to have something specific to work on that isn’t connected to an upcoming gig, and how motivating to have someone expecting results! I look forward to mapping out my studies for the next few months…

Plug: Rorem in Seattle

If you're looking for something to do this weekend or next, please consider supporting new opera in Seattle! (Considering, of course, whether you live in Seattle...) The Black Box Opera Theater is presenting two one-act operas by Ned Rorem, Three Sisters Who Are Not Sisters and Bertha, at the Ethnic Cultural Center. Tickets and information about the shows through Brown Paper Tickets.

More Golijov links

With an article in Newsday this week and one in the Economist last week, Osvaldo Golijov has officially reached the mainstream. (And by "mainstream," I mean the non-music world. I don't, of course, mean "middle-America." If only.)

If you are in New York City (or nearby) and you haven’t gotten your tickets for the Lincoln Center Passion of Osvaldo Golijov, you’d better hurry.

Update 1/23: Even before this article hit doorsteps on Sunday morning, all three performances of Ainadamar were completely sold out.

A Hold

Well, in what is quite possible the fastest turn-around from an audition in the history of auditions, the Met has asked my manager to "put a hold" on my schedule for several months next season. Aaaayyy!

What does that mean, exactly? At this point, it means that they are thinking of hiring me in some capacity – most likely covers, but maybe a very small role – for two operas in the 2006-2007 season. I know which ones, but don’t want to post here until I have the details. (They will be having a production meeting sometime in the next week or so to put the finishing touches on casting, and then I’ll know for sure.) Regardless, I could be in NY for almost four months in 2007 – working at THE MET!! Holy cow.

I got the call from my manager yesterday between rehearsals. I was planning on spending the hour-long dinner break studying my Ainadamar score and making sure I knew my blocking; last night’s rehearsal was a costumed run-through on the set and I would be singing Nuria. I was pretty nervous, because there were a few things that I missed musically at the Sitzprobe (there is some really hard music in this opera!), and I didn’t want to mess up again. But when I got that call, any hope of studying went right out the window!! I spent the hour talking with Erik and other family members, doing a fair amount of crying and laughing and saying “Can you believe it?” I made it to the theatre in time to get into costume and do some last minute cramming, but my mind was completely scattered. Fortunately, it turned out to be a very relaxed rehearsal, with even a bit of practical joking, so the fact that I didn’t get everything exactly right wasn’t a big deal.

I learned last night that the role of a cover, when stepping into a staging rehearsal, is not to give your most dramatic or musically moving performance ever. Your role is to give as much consistency to the production as you can so that the other performers don’t have to think about you. They can go about their staging – and their dramatic and musical performances – and try to get the most out of the rehearsal. Your job is to make their job easy. Of course, if you can manage to give a killer performance at the same time? All the better. I don’t know if I did that, exactly, but I did have the conductor ask me to sing for him again sometime soon, some of “my” music. So I did something right.

What an exciting time. And to think that I almost didn’t take this gig, doing Ainadamar at Lincoln Center. It just goes to show that you never know what good will come out of situation that may seem to have nothing to offer you. You just never know.

NOTE: I originally posted this using the new Blogger for Word feature, and found two major flaws: it didn't recognize my html tags, and didn't enable the Comments! Thanks to those of you who went the extra mile to let me know and wish me well. =]

Forgot to mention…

A couple of big things happen today. First, my callback audition at the Met is at 3:00! JD and I met yesterday to go over everything. We decided not to put in Glitter or Zerb; they just don’t fit right now. We’ve added “Quando m’en vo” (from La Boheme) and – drum roll – have decided to start with “Du gai soleil” (Werther) instead of Nannetta. I love this aria more every time I sing it, and today I feel like starting with something a bit more upbeat. It has long lines, too, and ends with the most joyful high-A, so it shows off everything that Nannetta does, plus a bit of unaffected perkiness. I love this character, and I find myself wishing that more companies staged Werther.

Before and after the audition, though, I will be singing today’s rehearsals for Nuria! Jessica has a performance back in LA tomorrow night, so I’m singing today and tomorrow. These days are our first rehearsals with orchestra, including the Sitzprobe; usually all the “big wigs” show up for the Sitz, so it’s a great opportunity for me to show my stuff. Of course, I kept myself awake for an extra hour or so after getting to bed, going over blocking and texts in my head. I did a lot of visualization, trying to see the blocking from the inside (with Nuria’s eyes) rather than the outside (watching Nuria from the ensemble). We’ll see how well it worked at this morning’s staging rehearsal.

Today I am reminded of a conversation I had with my flatmates here in NYC the other day. We were talking about auditions, and one of them commented that she didn’t think she’d get to audition, per se, for the Big Wig at her upcoming summer program. I said, no, probably not officially, but you’ll be working with him. “That’s not the same.” Right, it’s not, but in a lot of ways, it’s better! How nervous do most people get at an audition? Are they that nervous in rehearsals or coachings? Probably (hopefully!) not. Rehearsals and coachings, even performances, are great ways to “audition” without the stress of facing a panel in an unnatural environment.

I’ve always tried to view my auditions as performances, albeit performances for a very small, very critical group of people! Now I see that all of my performances are also auditions. I suppose I’ve known that all along: I’ve gotten several gigs from people who were in the audience of another gig; I didn’t even know I was auditioning.

In these rehearsals today and tomorrow, I’ll be “auditioning” for Peter Sellars, Miguel Harth-Bedoya, Osvaldo Golijov, Dawn Upshaw, plus an array of producers from Lincoln Center and St. Luke’s Orchestra. At my audition this afternoon, I’ll be “performing” for several administrators of the Metropolitan Opera. Not a bad day’s work.

Life minus

Ever wondered what it's like to be married to an opera singer? It's a lot like being married to a gorgeous woman with a beautiful laugh. Of course, AC would fit that description regardless...

Now imagine she took a job on an oil rig for a few weeks. She's out of reach and working a weird schedule. She working with a bunch of talented men and women who at the very least can be described as personalities and many of whom could make a sailor blush or a drag queen cry.

If you're lucky you've gotten good at telling "what's going on in life" into phone conversations that you fit in on the drive to work, a rehearsal break, or before bed or maybe some instant messaging in the evening. Most of important stuff makes it through and you find yourself starting to make a mental laundry list of things to tell between calls. You never remember them all... but you never forget, "I miss you babe."

A week in New York

After a week of beautiful weather, it snowed last night and the temperatures dropped down into the twenties. Brrrr!! And this is not “let’s go out and play!” snow. This is just enough snow to make everything a mess, with a wind strong enough to stop you in your tracks and cold enough to take your breath away. Not very original descriptions, I know, but accurate! But, it finally feels like January in New York.

What a week… Ainadamar rehearsals have been going so well that our rehearsal scheduled for tomorrow morning has been cancelled and we only have a three-hour orchestra rehearsal tomorrow. I’m especially glad for that, as my voice is feeling the effects of singing the bright, straight-tonish style that the piece calls for. With my Met call-back audition on Tuesday, I need to try and spend as much timing using my “regular” voice so that it is in top shape. I’m meeting with JD tomorrow (who finally revealed to me that she has a blog!! Once I find it, I’ll post a link. UPDATE: I believe her blog is truly anonymous, so I'm going to keep it that way and not "out" her here. Sorry!) for a run-through of our material. We might be adding Zerbinetta to the mix, or at least putting Glitter back in. It all depends on how my voice is feeling and how much flexibility and control of my extension I have.

This production of Ainadamar is largely a repeat of the Santa Fe production: same set, same director, same staging, and largely the same cast. Peter Sellers is tweaking a few things here and there, refining gestures and dramatic intentions. Half of the women in the ensemble are new to the stage, although all of them have had some connection with Ainadamar in the past: two were covers at Santa Fe, one sang in the Atlanta performances and on the recording, and one sang in the performance (of the old version) with the Los Angeles Philharmonic. It’s a cool convergence!

The biggest change is that we now share the stage with a Spanish flamenco singer, or cantaor. Previously, the role of Lorca’s vigilante killer was sung by an operatic tenor imitating the wild style of flamenco. It was a strange and powerful sound, but nothing prepared me for the voice of Jesus Montoya. This is going to sound weird, but in his voice, I hear all the history of the world. When he spits insults at Lorca, it absolutely cuts me to the quick. So much pain. Since Jesus is not an actor, he is joined onstage by the tenor who sang and acted the role in Santa Fe, Alex Richardson. Alex moves through his old blocking, now acting the strongarm to Jesus’s mouthpiece. With Peter’s guidance, the construct works.

It’s also been a week of fabulous social engagements! If I lived here, it would be so tempting to ditch the budding opera career and just become a socialite! On my calendar this week: a book launch party (where we rubbed elbows with a certain American Idol finalist), an insanely enjoyable caberet show in the Village (where I sang a bit of Sondheim), a 30th-birthday party (at the honoree’s brother’s restaurant) for one of my favorite baritones, brunch with a composer (and partner), dinner with a fellow blogger visiting The City, and drinks in a Prohibition-era office-by-day / high-class-gin-joint by night (these day’s it’s allowed to be a bar all day). And that’s not including the several evenings I stayed home from the Tucker Gala or Sweeney Todd or Candy & Dorothy. God, I love this town.

Hopefully I’ll update more than once in the coming week! Stay tuned.

Once again, into the City

Just a quick note to say I’m here, settled into a great apartment in Chelsea. Only drawback? It’s a 5th floor walk-up! Ouch. My legs will get a great workout these three weeks, what with all the walking I do in the city and all those stairs…

My roommate is also a singer, a mezzo who will be going to Tanglewood this summer. It will be fun to tell stories and let her know what a great time is waiting for her there. So many discoveries. Dawn Upshaw will be on the faculty again this summer, so I’m going to try and introduce them at some point.

Something unexpected with Ainadamar: I’ve been asked to cover the role of Nuria, who is basically the third lead, below Dawn & Kelley’s characters. I’m very excited, even though I highly doubt I’ll be needed. Jessica Rivera, who sang the role at Santa Fe and on the recording, is a beautiful soprano with good habits on- and off-stage; she stays healthy! But I’ll be ready, just in case.

One thing that worries me a bit, though, is that the woman who covered Nuria in Santa Fe, another Apprentice and member of the Ainadamar Ensemble is also here for this production. I want to let her know that I didn’t ask for this cover; in fact, I only discovered it when I saw my name in the Playbill preview! That was a shock. Anyway, I’m trying to decide what to say to my friend in order to create less drama, not more, although there may not be any to begin with! I could just be over-analyzing, as always. Thoughts?

Now I’m off to finally meet face to face with the manager and his team that I have been alluding too for months. Details soon!

A Bird’s-Eye View

A few months ago, you may recall, Hurricanes Katrina & Rita devastated the Gulf States. You couldn’t get away from the news coverage. It’s easy to think that recovery is over and life is back to normal for those people since we never hear anything about it any more. But I’m fairly certain that is far from that truth.

I’ll soon have an insider’s view into the recovery effort, though, as my father is leaving in a couple of weeks for a stint as a volunteer coordinator somewhere in that area. He plans to blog about his experience, which I think is awesome, and I asked if I could mention it here. He has finally agreed, and so, here’s my first plug. His reasons for blogging are very similar to mine: to keep his friends and family aware of his activities and to serve as a window into this important time and place that seems already to be nearly forgotten. (Obviously, my blog is not about an important time and place, but you get the idea…)

For an insider’s view into how the recovery effort is going, point your browser to A Bird’s-Eye View. He still doesn’t have details, like exactly where he’ll be staying, as things change pretty quickly down there. But “The Rev,” as he is affectionately called, plans to blog as regularly as circumstances will allow. A retired USAF Lt. Col and now a Presbyterian minister, my father has a unique skill set that will come in handy as he works to help get people’s lives back together.
I’ll have the link on my sidebar for the duration of his visit, but link to it yourself and stop by regularly. Pass it along to others who will enjoy it, or who need a reminder of what that check to the Red Cross was actually for.

Two words

I have two words for myself: bel canto.

God, this stuff feels good to sing! And for some reason I can ring a high E-flat for days (well, not days) at the end of “Qui la voce” but not “Glitter and be Gay.” Go figure.

More repertoire hammerings are underway. I’m sure that my impending meeting with management is causing it. I don’t want to be wishy-washy with my Fach and the knowledge of my voice. At last week’s audition, one of the auditors said, after my first aria, “Do you consider yourself a Lyric or a Lyric Coloratura? ‘Cuz I hear you more as a lyric but most of what you have here is mostly LC.” I admitted that I was in transition, so he asked for my most LC piece (“Mein Herr Marquis;” no Glitter that day…) with a “Let’s see how you do with this.” I did ok, I think, but probably not as good as the Nannetta.

What’s going one? One year ago, I was embracing my inner Queen of the Night and grappling with high notes. I was looking for something special about my voice that would set me apart. I had high notes (sometimes) and a good tone up there, so that must be it! High notes must be my strength. Ok, here goes…

And then this summer I discovered that the true strength of my voice is line, especially high, floaty lines. I’m less comfortable with the pointillist coloratura lines of Zerbinetta then I am with the long, high lines of Sophie. I still can’t get my head around Despina, but my voice likes her better than Blondchen. Then there are Ilia, Norina, Adina, Zerlina, Gilda, and let’s not forget Nannetta. What do they have in common? You could work a high D or two into some of the Donizetti, but most of those roles don't go above a high C.

I think 2006 is going to be the year of embracing my inner soubrette… And, please god, let this be the last identity crisis! I’m getting too old for this…

With my siren song, of course

Welcome to the person who came to The Concert by Googling the term "how does the ACB trap people!"

Teehee

Happy New Year

For the first time in about five years, I didn’t perform on New Year’s Eve. It was a choice, too, which made it feel even better. I knew I’d have a crazy fall and a December full of performances, so I decided that I wanted NYE to be a night I just got to hang out with my friends and not have to “be on.” It was wonderful.

My fabulous friend, CT the DT, hosted us all at her beautiful home with a view of the Space Needle. Every year at midnight (for we often go there after my performances), we pile onto the porch to watch the fireworks and sing “Auld Lang Syne.” (We even know all the words!) This year, there were “specialty cocktails” in addition to the champagne, so it was a festive time all around! Erik and IT manned the bar; they even wore their waiter costumes! Just kidding. They both looked quite dashing. There was some dancing, some accordian playing, some cigar smoking, and lots of laughing. A wonderful way to ring in 2006.

My goals in 2006:
• Read more (please send suggestions!).
• Get our personal and my business finances in better order, knowing exactly where the money goes and getting the debt payed OFF.
• Secure management and use it as a tool to get my name, face, and voice in front of more A- and B-level houses.
• Learn two roles I am not currently booked to perform: Nannetta and Sophie (Rosenkavalier).

Here’s to clean slates and blank calendars!