Singing for my supper

Not much to write today, but some pictures to keep the continuity going... The theater, a 900-seat jewelbox, recently renovated What, in black? Now THERE'S a surprise (I think something like 8 out of my last 10 costumes have been a black dress in one form or another!) And yes, that IS a wig! And finally, The Horror... the HORROR... Here is our poor tree, blighted by Gypsy Moth. All I can say is... EWWWW!

... where the double life gets hard. The show is pretty much on its feet and, while it would be foolish to be overconfident (not only is there "always one more glitch", but there is ALWAYS something to improve, refine and take further!), I'm comfortable with everything I have to do and looking forward to each of the next rehearsals to get up there and DO it. Particularly now that the allergy problems have been resolved after a visit to the doctor here last week I can relax and just get on with the job, which is a good mental state to be in for the final rehearsals. (For the record, it turned out to be not only seasonal allergies, but a lingering low grade pneumonia/bronchitis I didn't even know I HAD. But infection it must have been since 5 days of antibiotics and I'm good as new with my voice back to pristine health - thanks Dr Rubin!) But with things onstage feeling fairly settled, I don't have so much to keep my mind busy and I...er... Start To Think. ...

Today was our first day in the theater - a little jewelbox of a house - so it was an afternoon of "tech". For my non-theatrical readers, that basically boils down to "working out all the problems of scenery, props, spacing, traffic-patterns, lighting and non-artistic stuff". A lot of singers HATE tech rehearsals; I personally don't mind them and just enjoy being in the space and adding more and more elements to the performance, but they're not really "artistic" events as much as practical ones. Still some kinks to work out, but we have another 3hrs onstage tomorrow night and thus ample time to solve the various problems and get things running smoothly before we're in costume on Tuesday evening. In the meantime, however, I have learned that we have trouble at home in the form of a gypsy moth infestation. I had never even HEARD of gypsy moths before yesterday, but apparently they have defoliated at least one of our (many) trees and are stil...

So, a big day for us in the show as we get to our first orchestra rehearsal! This is always one of my favorite moments in "the process" - after working with a piano (both on our own in preparing a role and in the rehearsal room), it's always a real lift to finally sing the music as it will be performed. Singing with an orchestra is a very different experience: there's the difference of sonorities in the form of overtones and the much larger sound 50 instruments can produce than 1 piano, and also the different energy of that many musicians all focused on the same music, even though we all have our own distinct part in the fabric of the whole. No matter how many times I do it, whether the rehearsal is good or bad (and I'm happy to say this one was good!), this moment is always magical for me, kind of like watching a static picture coming to life right in front of me. I get an incredible buzz from the sounds, the group dynamic and just the sheer FUN of that ki...

Yesterday: 80 degrees Monday: Snow showers

Another day off today before our sitzprobe tomorrow (for the non-operatic, that's a rehearsal where the singers meet with the orchestra offstage simply to run the music without the distractions of staging in the way), and I decided to venture out and go exploring the local Museum of Art. The museum is housed in a purpose-built complex in what SHOULD be the heart of this city's downtown area, but to say that downtown is "quiet" would be an understatement which doesn't begin to describe just how deserted it is. As I walked to the front of the building - this is on THE non-interstate "main drag" through town, remember - it was empty. Oh, there were a few cars, but not a single person; it was like being on an empty movie set, or walking into an episode of The Prisoner I found this exhibit amusing (it's a Steinway grand, although obviously not the normal kind one would find in a concert hall!) This is a complete room from a French Chateau (there were a co...

The "Electric Eel" before: and after:

Today was our first day off since we started rehearsals. This was a good thing, but when I'm not busy "on the job", I tend to dwell on not being at home, and The Mommy Guilt starts to creep up. Add to that it was my daughter's school play today - an event marked by my absence - and it was actually kind of a hard day. I spoke to her, of course, and Grandpa will be emailing me the pictures that he took but still - not being there when I feel like I "should" (and want to be) can be hard. I can't deny that I indulged in a bit of retail AND ice cream therapy (and as an aside, ladies, may I just recommend the image to the right as what I think may become my one of new favorite cosmetic products, happily onsale at Kohls this week) That said, modern communication makes this job so much easier. I remember mumbleumph years ago when on my first tour just after getting married, and our long-distance phone bill was - literally! - nearly my entire fee! With cellphone...

Just a brief update today - long day including 2 runs with the principals this afternoon, and 2 further runs with the chorus tonight. But a much-needed day off tomorrow - we've been enjoying ourselves, but I think we can all use the brief respite to clear our minds and come back to it fresh on Thursday, which will be our final "room run" before we move into the theatre. In the meantime, some random pictures: Because this group does almost NOTHING except laugh (I was - quite literally - weeping with laughter when this was snapped).... A perk to being in the Heartland: A REAL greengrocer! This amazing fruit and vegetable shop has the most FABULOUS produce at about half what I'd be paying at home! For those not familiar with how it works in Operaland, here're some rehearsal room pictures (one seldom has the luxury of rehearsing in the theatre itself): no glamour, no pomp, no circumstance, just a largeish warehouse room with a piano, a production table (where the st...

Leaving last night, all dolled up in our party duds, none of us really knew what to expect for this development party. We usually wind up donating our services to benefit the company (although not on this occasion - we were all delighted to note we would get an honorarium, which is very unusual for these events!) and then spend much of the evening schmoozing and answering questions from opera novices.It was about 50 miles away from where we were staying so we carpooled, but even so, we were all expecting a long evening, and one that was likely to be rather dull for us. These events are vitally important for the opera companies to extend their profile to new audiences as well as offer some added value to their existing sponsorships and none of us really "mind" doing them - we want people to support the art form as much as the companies want and need them to do so! - but typically they can be a bit of a bore for the singers, with little artistic satisfaction in being trotted...

So here we are at the end of the first week. Today is the production day off - no rehearsals, that is - but the cast members have been asked to sing at a development function, so it's kind of a performance day, really, even though we're officially off the clock. The challenge in this for me is that I've hit spring for the second time this year since the Midwest is about 3 weeks behind the East coast temperature-wise. Thus, I am fighting my truly dreadful tree-pollen allergies for the SECOND time this year! But figuring out how to sing under less-than-optimum physical conditions is part of the deal as a professional singer, and you just find a way somehow. It requires more concentration and can be a bit nervewracking when you can't entirely trust what your instrument is going to do, but... we cope! It helps that this group of singers and the administration here are delightful as well as supportive, and thus there isn't that sense of tacit "judgement" ...

Rehearsals here continue apace, and we met with the chorus for the first time yesterday evening (at the end of a long day which included a morning photo shoot - in costume - for the local papers). We've got plenty of time to work out the kinks in the show, but essentially we've now sketched the entire thing, and it will be all about discovering fluency and adding details from here on. Business as usual. We're all getting a little tired which leads to diminished concentration, but part of the job is staying on your game no matter WHAT, and I have no doubt that everybody will find the mental resources to refocus and pull things together. The home front, however, is a bit more complicated this weekend. Apparently my daughter needs an Electric Eel costume by Monday. Thank goodness Grandma likes to do that stuff, and has already come up with a few different options for the occasion! Phew. However, add to that a weekend which includes rehearsal for her Children's Ch...

I sometimes think international travel is easier – at least you know to expect it to be complicated! The trip west was… complicated. And long. Very, very, VERY long. Door to door, it was almost 12 hours to travel 500 mile… by PLANE (I could, quite literally, have driven the distance in approximately the same amount of time). Baggage restrictions on the small “puddle-jumper” planes meant all my careful packing was for naught and I STILL wound up rearranging everything at the check-in desk, and then the first leg of the trip was delayed and I missed the connection, resulting in a 5hr layover until I could get on the next flight. Fun, fun, fun! (By the way, a note for travellers: as of May 1st, several airlines will be charging for a 2nd checked bag - check your airline and plan accordingly!) But, the important thing is… here I am. Arrived. In one piece, with all bags intact. Thankfully, I have a fridge and a microwave in my room – this really cuts down on e...

The memory is an odd thing. I'm one of those people who, for the most part, doesn't need to "memorize" per se - in the course of learning something, it usually just goes in so that by the time I've finished learning the notes and rhythms and "singing it in" (the process of working out the vocal/technical side of things), I usually have it pretty well in my head and only need to specifically address small details and the occasional stubborn bar of music. But, for me, this requires actually doing it, not only studying it; I have to SING it to be able to retain it. Not only looking at it on the page, not only speaking it (although that can also be helpful, particularly if it's a language with which I'm not terribly familiar), not merely studying it but.... USING it. On this occasion, I found myself running way behind schedule. On February 1st I came down with the flu which resulted in THE WORST laryngitis I've had in years - two weeks of tota...

Or at least I will be tomorrow. My early career was on the road ALL the time since my first professional gigs were tours - in some cases lengthy tours with several months between opportunities to get home - but recently? Not so much. I've been immensely fortunate: my two "local houses" (solid A and B companies both within easy commuting distance) have been generous with contracts in the last couple of years and I've been able to sustain my career without being away from home very much; even my New York gigs have enabled me to get home pretty much every week in a "semi-commuting" manner, so it hasn't been the same as Going Out of Town. Thus, being out of "road mode", I'm finding preparations to get out of town a little more challenging than I have in the past! Especially since I've just finished up a production here which kept me very busy for the last month, I'm feeling more than a little behind in my organising and packing as I ...

After months of resistance, I've finally caved; somehow, it just seems like the time to start writing a little more - and more publicly - about my life running a career as a full-time opera singer while also being a full-time mom. I consider myself immensely fortunate in that my career is also my passion. Any love affair with the lyric stage is a very capricious and sometimes even unfaithful relationship, but I still love it, despite its unpredictability and difficulty. I love to get out there and perform, privileged to make some of the greatest music ever written with wonderful colleagues who never cease to inspire and amaze me. Those moments of pure joy are worth the frustration and hard work that often accompany getting there! Of course, exciting and rewarding as that may be, the greatest role in which I've ever been cast is mom to my daughter, just about to turn 10. I've always said she was my professional "good luck charm", because although I had been ...