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Showing posts from 2009

Hodge podge, or just life?

I realise that this blog has gone in all sorts of different directions since I started it. Initially, I envisaged it focusing specifically on the challenges facing an "opera mom" out there in the trenches. Well, clearly there have been plenty of entries about that (welcome to my life!), but also a lot of entries on things rather peripheral to that. In a way, that's a bit what 2009 has been like, so it's no surprise I suppose. My focus has been forcibly shifted by events and, while it hasn't always been happily so and has certainly rocked the boat, it has perhaps had some small hidden benefits. It's all too easy to become hyperfocused as as singer, to ONLY be able to think about singing, things that relate directly to singing, what other people think of your singing, what other people are singing and where, where and what you want to be singing, ... it's no wonder that the caricatures of the self-obsessed singer are rife! Some of those attentions a

Snowy portrait

And 2009 steams to a close...

continuing in the same vein it began. Oy. The snowstorm which is passing over the Northeast has sadly snowed out my concert weekend - we made it through last night's performance of Messiah , but this evening's planned concert was a non-starter with 2-ft of snow falling overnight. I know, I know - in Minnesota, Alaska or even parts of Pennsylvania and New York this wouldn't so much have caused people to slow down, but down here in the officially-but-not-really South everything falls apart at the first hint of white stuff from the skies. Of course, this causes more than inconvenience to a musician: most gigs are "no play, no pay", so when something like this happens that's nobody's fault and legally "force majeur"... the cancellation takes the fee along with it. Totally understandable from the presenter's point of view, but still not good news! It's hoped to proceed with tomorrow's afternoon concert, but there's no way of knowing

Catching up

(Note the fake nose and black fingernails!!!) It's been another crazy month! Every year I think that I will be more organized and less frantic throughout the autumn months, and every year I am proved wrong. Hansel and Gretel finished up well - it was challenging to put together a new role on the tight rehearsal schedule we had, but the outcome was good and I'm tremendously glad to have done it. I miss my lovely colleagues! (was it ever thus as a singer - you get to know people so well and then... on to the next thing...). The "next thing" at the moment being auditions, and then the usual string of Messiah performances (this year with one of my favorite conductors and ensembles, which is always a real pleasure). I wasn't expecting that many auditions this year given how many companies have pulled in their horns but I've been surprised! Perhaps not as many as in some years past, but plenty to keep me busy, brushing up repertoire and keeping the energy goin

Greetings from the road...

...where I'm hard at work on my next performances . I'm blessed with talented and delightful colleagues, staying with lovely people in a warm "college town" community which has me entirely charmed, and we've even had beautiful weather! Life is good. It's funny that my last post was about preparation... because sometimes all of that goes right out the window and you just have to roll with the unexpected instead! I arrived here to discover that the translation was getting some last-minute tweaking which, in the case of my role, resulted in a LOT of changes (probably about 75% of the entire part). The changes themselves are very much for the better and in and of themselves small and seemingly minor, but having spent quite a lot of time practicing a completely different set of words, both my memory and my voice are confused! As our supportive (and, in the case of the text, apologetic) director said, "It changes the process". It sure does! That said

Doin' the job

People outside the singing world often wonder exactly how one goes about preparing an operatic role. Many think that it all happens in rehearsals, yet nothing could be further from the truth! The preparation process may sometimes have begun YEARS before a role is even performed - most of us have "core repertoire" that we learn and work on even without any kind of offer in sight, the idea being to have them learned and ready to go in case somebody wants to hear them, or an oppportunity to "jump in" to a gig at the last minute emerges. A lot of time and energy goes into deciding repertoire both for auditions and "roles in preparation"; most singers have one list of "wishlist roles" (the roles they really want to sing and feel are best suited for their voices and temperament, usually the leads in operas from where their audition repertoire is drawn), and another comprised of roles they "should" know (usually easily-marketable repertoire t

Sigh

I've had several monster posts on all sorts of subjects kicking around my head recently, but somehow real life seems to keep the thoughts in my head instead of flowing out my fingers onto the screen. Soon, I promise. In the meantime, greetings from H1N1 central. I admit it: last spring, I pooh-poohed the hyperbolic alarm over swine flu as the usual media irresponsibility, but after 5 days of living with it - my daughter, not me (yet) - I have to say that it really is a whopper. She is currently heading into the worst phase of the illness, which starts out as "ordinary" flu. But after a day or so of seeming recovery, it turns into a brutal pneumonia. We're not quite at that stage yet, but she's certainly having the relapse today, frighteningly going into a near-hypothermic state tonight (apparently one of the body's defenses is to LOWER temperature as well as to cook the infection out with a HIGH fever). So, back to the vigil tonight - my husband and I are w

Transitions

I find transitions are always popping up to be negotiated both as a parent and as a singer. Moving from one phase to the next, from one place to another, from musical style to style, from supporting role to lead, from one group of people to a completely different cast sometimes in as little as a matter of hours, not to mention the scheduling variations (and conflicts!) as one switches worlds between the domestic tranquility (?!!!) of motherhood and the sometimes emotional hurly-burly of performing. This autumn is shaping up to have some previously unencountered adjustments to navigate. My own schedule and expectations were so badly derailed by external forces earlier this year that I was forced to transition into what felt like a completely different lifestyle than I have experienced in a long, long time: instead of bound by external schedules and commitments, I was pretty much completely on my own timetable for the first time in many, many years. Sure I had plenty to do, but it was

A trip to a beach...

... that until this week I didn't even know was there. Ok, so it's not exactly the Pacific (or even the Atlantic coast), but it's got sand, tides and saltwater, and is only about 15 minutes from home! We had a good time. (click image to see slideshow)

Perfect foods

Currently, I'm prompted to reflect on the two foods which I have long considered perfect. The first is toast. Is there a more versatile food? Meal, snack, pick-me-up or just because, toast always holds its own. Toast with butter, toast with jam, toast with cheese, toast soldiers under egg, toast with cashew butter... the list goes on. Toast after a long winter's walk, providing the perfect warm pick-me-up after being out in the cold. Toast for breakfast with a cup of tea or coffee. Toast easing us back into health after a bout of illness. Toast as a meal; toast as a snack. What's more perfect than that? Well, in summer, the answer is this: In our house, blueberries take over in July. I'm the truly violet one in the family (there are rumours that I turn a delicate shade of purple some time in August), but my husband and daughter also enjoy them, if not with quite as much gluttony as I do. My mom buys them in bulk at Costco and makes care-package deliveries (sometimes

Following the tradition

It's been a fascinating month. My daughter was asked to join the chorus of a local light opera company, and watching her find her way through her first semi-professional appearance has been interesting and enlightening indeed. One curious thing is that everybody(myself and my husband included, I'm sorry to say!) has made an assumption of prior knowledge simply because she's our daughter: she already osmotically knows all those complicated staging processes, scheduling conventions and company protocols, right? Not necessarily....! For sure, she's had experience onstage in her childrens' groups and a great deal more exposure than many her age, but the specific nuts-and-bolts of mounting a full production in professional adult theatre.... she's never needed to know that before; in many ways, it's been a brand new situation and she has had to learn a lot. We've all had to remind ourselves that, like any other young person, she's needed certai

Strawberry Popsicles

A friend recently wrote of a longing for a simpler time, and tonight while watching my young'un eat her ice cream I couldn't help but think of it. Somehow, this is summer the way we want to remember it: warm lingering twilights out on the porch; watermelon, fireflies and ice cream, with a seemingly-endless vista of days filled with nothing but possibilities..... Summer.

Congratulations....

... to my daughter, who yesterday received an achievement award for her contribution to the Children's Chorus with which she sings. Proud mom couldn't resist taking a few photos!

Through a series of links I chased...

... I happened to stumble over this marvellous blog/column by casting director Bonnie Gillespie. While written for actors and presenting things from a film industry point of view, there is much of relevance to just about any branch of the performing arts, and I'm finding it refreshing to read things seen from a slightly different angle. Recommended.

It's not over yet

Another established area company hit by financial uncertainty; another cancellation to my season. Although deeply saddened by the news both artistically and financially, I'm trying not to think about it too hard since it's too much of a downer to dwell on it. The matter is out of my hands and all I can do is keep my own spirits up and try to keep the joy in making music, even as the world around me is spinning out of control. Surprisingly, it's proving easier than I thought; maybe the sadness will affect me more down the road, but so far this particular hit is making me want to put my energy into moving forward rather than dwelling on what's now done and outside my control. Here's hoping. In the meantime, the garden has finally burst forth in full bloom. The weather pattern for the year means everything is terribly late, but now that it's getting started, it's been worth the wait!

"Busy" doesn't even begin to describe it

All my good intentions to blog regularly in recent weeks have clearly travelled the proverbial road. Oh well. The concerts last weekend were a wonderful experience. Following a satisfying week of intensive rehearsals, the performances were moving and deeply rewarding as a performer, and it was a wonderful week at so many levels. Alas, I brought home more than the warm glow of a job well done, as I was laid flat by a bad upper respiratory infection almost as soon as I crossed my own threshold, and this week was basically crossed off the calendar even though it included my daughter's 11th birthday. I wound up on antibiotics and cancelled almost all commitments (except the birthday, which was thankfully a very happy one) until Friday when, fully recovered or not, I simply had to get out to teach my long-suffering students (finals and recital week coming up), attend a long evening meeting/rehearsal for my daughter's dance troupe (final rehearsal before they perform in NY at the R

Things you don't see if you fly...

By the side of the rural road, high on a hilltop....

On the road again...

Wow. I get to be a singer again for a week! After the enforced hiatus, I appreciate my luck at being able to make a career out of a passion even more than usual, and am really looking forward to this one (for so very many reasons, not least of which an amazing piece to sing, and with colleagues who are not only wonderful musicians but old and valued friends). Of course, with unerring accuracy, my time away seems to hit with THE busiest times at home: in the next week our daughter has: - Girl Scout camping - all-county honor chorus - her children's chorus performance - school orchestra concert I think (hope!) I've managed to line everything up so that my absence won't cause too many logistical problems, but I always worry that something will fall between the cracks. Thank goodness for helpful grandparents, good friends and great neighbours. And now, off to complete the usual pre-gig marathon of laundry and packing. Since this is a concert, I have gowns to get in order as

An actual update

Wow. Do I get the proverbial FAIL for this long lapse in actual content? It's been a tough winter, no doubt about it. The constant bad news in the world at large and continued traumatic impact on the opera biz, sub-zero temperatures for most of January and February, winter colds and general gray malaise has made it hard to find something to blog about that didn't simply sound like whining. But life goes on and, finally, things seem to be picking up. I'm not sure one can say it's "back to normal" (I think that's a definite no-go for the short-term, and unlikely in the medium- and even long-), but at least the "cat on a hot tin roof" underlying panic seems to be easing. Future seasons are being spoken of with more certainy, and offers are trickling out into the world, however slowly. It's not all rosy, however - among my friends I know of nobody who hasn't been affected in some form, whether through cancellations, fewer advance bookings,

I'm still here, really I am!

Between family illness (nothing serious, fortunately, just time-consuming) and continued bad news in the industry, there just hasn't been anything positive to say, or much time to say it in, but I'm still here - more substantial posts to come, but just a brief confirmation that this blog is still alive and kicking! More soon....

End of an Era

And so it's official: my local opera company which had hoped to weather the recession with the reprieve afforded by declaring Chapter 11 bankruptcy announced this week that they are now filing for Chapter 7 and liquidating the company. I've been privileged to sing many supporting roles with the company over the years, and was also scheduled to sing with them this spring before they cancelled the season back in December. As any singer who has the luxury of repeatedly performing with the same company in the same theatre can tell you, there's a comfort and joy to having a 'home" house. You know the theater, and banal but practical practical matters like how to time your journies to work, where to park and how to find things backstage are second-nature and stress-free. Even the stage itself is like a longtime friend, despite the limited amount of rehearsal time in the theater itself (in many - most? - US regional houses you're frequently only in the theater itsel

Your Starter for 10....

Thanks to the miracle of the internet, we've been able to keep up with some of our favorite British television shows, not least of which the cozily old-fashioned, all-for-the-honour-and-glory (ie no monetary prizes) and wonderfully academic University Challenge . We've been following it avidly, not only enjoying the sometimes absurdly arcane question s, but also enjoying watching the competitive edge sharpen throughout the rounds, culminating in tonight's final between Corpus Christi, Oxford, and Manchester University. We knew it would be close between these two teams, each of which had consistently been "fast on the buzzer" for that opening question, but our money was on Corpus, led by the rapidly-becoming-a-celebrity Gail Trimble, a Latin doctoral scholar who seems to know well... to know just about everything , and passes on her knowledge with an air of authority and (slightly simpering) charm that has made her the current darling of the series. She would hav

It's almost impossible

to blog anything that isn't bad news in the arts at the moment. Another regional opera company bit the dust this week and has publicly announced they are ceasing trading and I think we're all getting worn down by article after article expressing concerns over the future of the arts in general. While this last collapse didn't affect me directly, the demise of the company where I held contracts for the spring means this is now dead time for me, and I have too much time on my hands to think about it all. I have things to look forward to later in the year, but this current period is the first time in many years that I have had this much downtime between gigs and I can't deny that I miss being onstage dreadfully. As the saying goes, however, I've been "making lemonade". Without being at the mercy of the "daily schedule" (professional companies seldom give you a solid schedule more than 24hrs ahead of time, and the only BINDING schedule is the one t

Not "good" news, but...

a must read article about the current state of opera. While the news is grim, I find this post far, far more realistic and hopeful than a lot of other commentary I've been reading. Here's hoping some of the views expressed are possible realities; they certainly suggest a better prognosis than the current state of affairs.

That felt GOOD!

I love the philosophy of song recitals: just you, your accompanist and the composer fusing to come together as (one hopes!) a coherent, expressive and trascendent musical whole. "Pure" music, without the trappings of costume, the multitude of musical opinions in the orchestra as many strive to become one... it's in many ways the apogee of singing to express at such a simple and heartfelt level. Achieving this, however, has proved elusive. My last few recitals of the recent years have often seemed to be a triumph of will over circumstances, battling everything from externally-imposed repertoire restrictions to less rehearsal than I would have liked to unexpected traffic delays to inadequate pianos, perhaps culminating in the one where I passed out halfway through the performance, scheduling an impromptu intermission! (I'd been struck by a respiratory bug two weeks before and, while my voice was 100% fine and I was for sure fit to sing, somehow the exertion of th

Was winter always like this?

Yes, I know - it's January. It's supposed to be cold. But in the 10 years I've lived in this state, I don't ever remember it being THIS cold THIS consistently for THIS long. Not much snow, just day after day of sub-freezing temperatures and a hefty windchill. Brrrr! But life goes on, however chillily (is that a word?!). The colleges start back next week, so we'll be resuming our routine - I can't say we always like the imposition of an external schedule but by the same token it does gives some structure to our generally hectic lives, and that's not such a bad thing. Now, would somebody please turn the solar heat up and give us a few days of pale sunshine to get ready for the inevitable ice storms of February?!

Stalemate

It feels like the entire world is "on hold" just now. Even the ground is frozen solid as subzero temperatures sweep across the Northern Hemisphere (thankfully, we're merely in the teens rather than below zero, but it's still jolly cold for this part of the world!). The economy is caught in its mudlocked matrix which shows no signs of moving terribly quickly, and the rest of the world is responding to that with a profound wave of... wait and see. Call us again after the election/the holidays/the stock market report/the weather storm/the inaugration/fill in the blank. Oh, it's understandable, but for somebody like me who likes to go and DO things and take action this societally-imposed straightjacket is starting to feel mighty restrictive. Then again, we're still on hiatus from the colleges, and without the imposed deadlines of a semester schedule, we always tend to curl up and hibernate during this particular break. The holidays are over, but there's sti

Poor little blog...

I think it's feeling neglected. Between the holidays, getting back to school, starting to prep some (small) forthcoming projects, and becoming completely and totally immersed in picture-taking (what can I say? I'm hooked), I've fallen badly behind. More substantial musings to come, Little Blog, I promise! In the meantime, a project I've started for myself, namely the Photo a Day gallery, which can be found here . It may offer glimpses of my life at the moment, although many of them are simply studies as I wrap my head around the technical side of picture-taking. Enjoy! ====================== I recently found several comments which hadn't been published - my apologies to those who responded! I've posted them now.

In 2008 I....

Started this blog Not only survived, but ENJOYED a substantial and entirely successful home remodel ... even on a (very) tight budget! Enjoyed a full performing calendar, including singing opposite the most famous living exponent of my own voice type in a stupendously received concert - it was a year where I was truly "living the dream" Had it reinforced once again that I am blessed by truly wonderful colleagues who are not only a pleasure to work with and know , but who also inspire Watched my first roses bloom in their first year Discovered a passion for photography that has always lurked in the background but thanks to the digital age I can now indulge and take further... even achieving some (small) recognition along the way Went camping (albeit reluctantly) and lived to tell the tale Elected a new president Watched my local opera company declare bankruptcy , leaving large holes not only in the local arts landscape, but my own pocket and calendar. Was warmed by the