Yesterday's concert was the kind of experience we all dream of having onstage: it was one of those occasions where everything just took off. The chemistry was there not only among the singers, but between stage and pit (in this case, stage and stage since it was an operatic concert performance with the orchestra behind the singers!), and between audience and stage too. It was an honour beyond measure to share the stage with colleagues - ARTISTS - such as these, and to know that I was part of the small moment of musical history being made.
The minute-long ovation in the middle of the performance was indescribable - I feel like a rank n00bie all over again admitting being intoxicated by an audience reaction, but I think this was pretty special, and certainly like nothing I've ever experienced before! Cheering, screaming, stamping, thunderous applause.... Even our leading lady said she was taken slightly by surprise by the spontaneous passion the audience returned to us at that moment; it was really something, almost more overwhelming than the electrifying standing ovation at the final curtain.
And, most importantly - because it really isn't about the cheers and kudos, but the music itself - everything, and I mean EVERYTHING, exploded into artistic flame yesterday with a white-hot-brilliance, turning the notes on the page into a musical and dramatic experience that transported us all, I think.
It seems almost banal to relate some of the behind-the-scenes stuff, but there's so much to tell!
....the roses waiting in my dressing room when I arrived
...the last-minute request to come up with a different gown since my original choice was much lighter than the other two ladies, and it caused problems trying to light us all appropriately (fortunately, I had a backup plan, but it needed altering so I spent the night before the gig at the sewing machine taking it in! Obviously I must have Weird Gown Karma this month!).
....the motorcycle convention that closed all the main routes into the city, wreaking havoc on my trip to the venue (thankfully, I always give myself WAY too much extra time "just in case" - I was delayed by about an hour, but because I had built in a 45 minute "cushion" it meant I still had enough time. And I will say that the new GPS system paid for itself and THEN some yesterday, because the diverted route left me lost and without a clue how to get to the theatre on my own!).
...the great fun the makeup department had doing my hair for the occasion (I looked a bit like Anne Bancroft in The Graduate in the end!).
... the extraordinarily gracious intimate dinner party to which the principals were treated following the performance, an evening of exquisite food and stimulating conversation in beautiful surroundings.
Truly, how lucky can one person be?
The minute-long ovation in the middle of the performance was indescribable - I feel like a rank n00bie all over again admitting being intoxicated by an audience reaction, but I think this was pretty special, and certainly like nothing I've ever experienced before! Cheering, screaming, stamping, thunderous applause.... Even our leading lady said she was taken slightly by surprise by the spontaneous passion the audience returned to us at that moment; it was really something, almost more overwhelming than the electrifying standing ovation at the final curtain.
And, most importantly - because it really isn't about the cheers and kudos, but the music itself - everything, and I mean EVERYTHING, exploded into artistic flame yesterday with a white-hot-brilliance, turning the notes on the page into a musical and dramatic experience that transported us all, I think.
It seems almost banal to relate some of the behind-the-scenes stuff, but there's so much to tell!
....the roses waiting in my dressing room when I arrived
...the last-minute request to come up with a different gown since my original choice was much lighter than the other two ladies, and it caused problems trying to light us all appropriately (fortunately, I had a backup plan, but it needed altering so I spent the night before the gig at the sewing machine taking it in! Obviously I must have Weird Gown Karma this month!).
....the motorcycle convention that closed all the main routes into the city, wreaking havoc on my trip to the venue (thankfully, I always give myself WAY too much extra time "just in case" - I was delayed by about an hour, but because I had built in a 45 minute "cushion" it meant I still had enough time. And I will say that the new GPS system paid for itself and THEN some yesterday, because the diverted route left me lost and without a clue how to get to the theatre on my own!).
...the great fun the makeup department had doing my hair for the occasion (I looked a bit like Anne Bancroft in The Graduate in the end!).
... the extraordinarily gracious intimate dinner party to which the principals were treated following the performance, an evening of exquisite food and stimulating conversation in beautiful surroundings.
Truly, how lucky can one person be?
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