August 29, 2012: all that is old, is new again

By which I mean, I'm doing another production of Puccini's Madama Butterfly right now- this time with the Lyric Opera of Kansas City.  We began staging rehearsals last night, and we had to practice all of authentic (ok, as authentic as you can be after a 15 minute lesson) geisha moves.  It looks to be a really beautiful production.

Meanwhile, my first review was just published!  I'm excited to become more involved in this side of the arts world, and to exercise my writing and listening skills more on a daily basis.

In the midst of this, I am beginning work on some truly magnificent gems of the German Lieder repertoire, in preparation for a really intriguing concert coming up in October/November.

Here's hoping I can live up to this in some way!

June 25, 2012: A poem in honor of music

Brendel Playing Schubert
by Lisel Mueller
We bring our hands together
in applause, that absurd noise,
when we want to be silent. We might as well
be banging pots and pans,
it is that jarring, a violation
of the music we've listened to
without moving, almost holding our breath.
The pianist in his blindingly
white summer jacket bows
and disappears and returns
and bows again. We keep up
the clatter, so cacophonous
that it should signal revenge
instead of the gratitude we feel
for the two hours we've spent
out of our bodies and away
from our guardian selves
in the nowhere where the enchanted live.
"Brendel Playing Schubert" by Lisel Mueller, from Alive Together. © Louisiana State University Press, 1996. Reprinted with permission. (buy now)

May 19, 2012: another bite

Larry, in dreams

Larry:
You again?

Coworker Deb:
Don't look so disappointed.

Larry:
You seem to show up everywhere these days.

Deb:
I show up everywhere these nights, you mean.

Larry:
You always were detail-oriented.

Deb:
Cleaning up after the messes of others....line 12 on my C.V.

Larry:
What in the hell is that!?!

Deb:
This is Little Devil.  My pet feral cat.

Larry:
Who keeps a wild cat as a pet?

Deb:
We prefer the term feral.
And I keep one, apparently.  At least in this dream.

Larry:
He seems dangerous.
He seems unhinged.
He looks, well, quite cat-like.

Deb:
He is dangerous.
He's quite unhinged.
He looks distinctly like you, Larry.

Larry:
Little Devil? Oh shit, he does look like me!
He is dangerous.
He's quite unhinged.
In my dreams I'm cat-Larry.
Not human, but feline.
Shape-shifting, metamorphosing,
Cat-man!

Both:
Stalking my/your prey
Gone by light of day
The dream world's most deadly cat assassin.

May 19, 2012: bite-sized opera

Here are a few of my entries for the English National Opera's "Mini Operas" Script competition....perhaps appropriately, they each came to me within minutes.  They are supposed to be 5-7 minutes long, which is a very difficult way of writing a script; some composers take 7 minutes to elaborate on only a few lines of rhyming lines, while others could jam-pack whole conversations into that time period.  Using my dramatic/character ideas, I tried to imagine what lines I would want to stretch out with musical expression, what might go by very quickly.  In any case, I wrote things I'd like to compose music for (if I was remotely talented in that field), or that I'd want to sing in myself.


A Family of Watching

FATHER:
You've heard the story before:
A love for the ages, a horrible meltdown.  Desperate passion unfulfilled.
Those two lovers make the rest of us cringe with jealousy and disgust.
What if it was your brother, your college roommate, or your work colleague.
Does it matter who it is?
The story is not them.  It is us.  The watchers. The envious voyeurs.

MOTHER:
I smile through pain.

SISTER:
 I pluck my eyebrows.

COUSIN:
I tattoo my rage.

UNCLE:
I rarely act my age.

WHOLE FAMILY
We've watched those lovers, our lovers
Jealously guarding their dreams of happiness.
Jealously guarding our joy in their failure.
We are watching others live and we love to let them lose their way.
One more day watching is just a day.

May 14, 2012: A lady's life in the Rocky Mountains

Check it out, it's a real book by my favorite Victorian travel writer extraordinaire.  And now it's my life too!  Well, that is to say, I'm a lady, and from my new/old home in Denver, I can observe those Rocky Mountains from a comfortable distance, and on occasion venture into them.
Yes, I'm back in my home town of Denver, and am busy working on all sorts of musical/entrepreneurial ideas to engage myself in the exciting arts scene here.  I think there are a few niches to fill, so I'm working to bring some plans to life...more on those plans in the future.

Meanwhile, a very brief update on the past year:  I spent a wonderful singing summer in rural (read: humid) Arkansas, performing one of my favorite roles (the conniving Marcellina in Mozart's Le nozze di Figaro) and a new and tricky role (Meg March in Little Women).  Then I returned to Steamboat Springs, CO for another ridiculous old(er) lady, the mother in Hansel and Gretel.
My second and last year at UMKC turned into a busy and very rewarding one.  I organized a really delightful Lieder Abend, celebrating Franz Liszt's 200th year, took part in the grand opening of Kansas City's new Kauffman Center, revisited Marcellina, sang excerpts from a Pulitzer-Prize winning opera, and took on one of opera's most celebrated roles, Carmen.  I also made my directorial debut, just to mix it up a bit.

And now for a bit of a respite...sort of.

I'm finally getting around to some of my writing projects, which have been sitting on the shelves (both literal and those figurative shelves deep within the folds of my grey matter) for quite awhile.  To spur on my own longer projects, I'm entering a few libretti into this really interesting competition put on by the English National Opera.  Those will be up as soon as I've given them a last edit.

So, onward and upward...at least to 5280 ft. (the recognized altitude of Denver, CO, for all of those non-natives).

May 26, 2011: Oh, hello again

I find it hard to believe I haven't written on here in nearly six months. As with the last posting, I am in Wichita. For the fifth time. It's been a whirlwind spring, needless to say. First there was Madama Butterfly. Then there was The Merry Widow. Then the Gala, then La fille du Regiment, and three outreach concerts. There have been many wonderful colleagues, directors, stage managers, and of course music.

And to quote a line from the next opera I'm in, "on to tomorrow, each to her sep'rate goal." It's the beginning of summer, and most singers depart to one (or several) summer music festivals. I'll be heading down the the Ozarks for two months, four operas, and countless other concerts, masterclasses and events. It's always a little daunting to go to a new program, not knowing what exactly the scene will be. You always think you have your music memorized, but you never actually know until the first rehearsal.

Next is Le nozze di Figaro, which is always joyous and has some of the most charming and expressive music ever written. And then Little Women, which I'm learning more and more about the more I practice my part. It's an interesting take on a classical novel, with a lot of charismatic female characters and some truly lovely music as well.

Since I just reactivated my mobile broadband feature on my phone, I'll have no excuse not to give updates from the Ozarks...so, watch out!

January 1, 2011: A Grand New Years

Well, I'm in Wichita, Kansas, which may not be the first place that comes to mind when one thinks of grand opera, but here I am all the same. I ended 2010 and began 2011 in the midst of rehearsals for Madama Butterfly, which in spite of its tragic outcome is an auspicious way to ring in the New Year= I'm here with other young artists and professionals doing what we all love. We've staged the entire opera in three days, and watching the process has been fascinating.

Puccini will probably never be my favorite composer, but I can't deny the power of his soaring themes and lush love duets...and Butterfly's aria "Un bel di" is pretty much a perfect expression of that character's single-minded and naive faith in her love. I'm here covering the role of her maid Suzuki and also singing in the chorus. Unfortunately I've not had much time to explore Wichita- but will one of these days. It can be odd to spend most of the day in the basement of the performing arts center, only to emerge for food breaks, with no idea of the outside world.

Of course that's the beauty of opera isn't it? All-consuming for about 2.5 or 3 hours. And as our stage manager was telling us, it's much tidier than straight theater or musical theater because generally speaking, the composer has given you everything you need to know and we as artists just have to follow the directions....