Fantastic Summer News!

Now that the winter audition season is essentially over, I’d like to announce my summer plans!

The Des Moines Metro Opera, The James Collier Apprentice Artist Program

I’m beyond excited to post that I have been accepted into the Des Moines Metro Opera Apprentice Artist Program.  I am overwhelmingly thrilled to be performing in one of the country’s premiere summer opera festivals.  Not only is it an amazing opportunity, but it’s held right outside of my hometown!  This is a win on so many levels.  Spending the summer near my family making music?  I am on board, ladies and gentlemen.

We are to be assigned opera scenes and an opportunity to perform in a concert at the end of the summer, but the details that I presently have are that I will be featured as “Bianca” in Giacomo Puccini’s “La Rondine.” Here’s a link to the “La Rondine” page on DMMO’s website:  http://www.desmoinesmetroopera.org/event_rondine

I’m STILL not done yammering over here!

Upon my return to Chicago, I will immediately begin rehearsals for The American Chamber Opera Company’s english version of Mozart’s “Don Giovanni,” for which I have been cast as “Donna Anna!”  I will be double cast with my dear friend and talented soprano Mary Lutz Govertsen, with whom I have performed in the past.  I have already begun study of the arias, and I can’t wait to sink my teeth in over time.  I’ll be sure to post my developing opinion on the nature of my personal “Donna Anna” as I further my study.

And now, a momento from my recent trip to Dana Point, California with the American Chamber Opera Company:

There were frolicking dolphins.  I cannot make this up.

January in California. Those poor, poor Californians. Seriously. Their lives are tragic.

In Bocca al Lupo!

It’s opening night for the American Chamber Opera Company!  I’ll be singing Mimi for the first time at St. John Cantius Parish in Chicago.

One of the goals I have in playing Mimi is to make her likeable and relatable.  I would prefer that she were not a wilting flower or damsel in distress, despite her illness and poverty.  There is evidence ,to me, in the libretto and the music, that many of her actions were deliberate, even selfish, and that she strategically concealed her degree of perceptiveness.  In any case, her problems were very real ones for the time, and I hope that, over several performances, that she will become a real person, and not just an archetype or fairy tale.

Wish me luck!  This is my first big mama role.  I’m determined to rock it!

Rodolfo and Mimi

How Cold my Little Hands Are!

This is it, everyone!  This coming Saturday, November 19, is the American Chamber Opera’s maiden voyage!  Our production of  Puccini’s La Bohème in an original english translation goes up at 6 pm this Saturday!

We will be located at: St. John Cantius Parish, 825 N. Carpenter St., Chicago, IL 60642-5499.  If you’d like to come see me as Mimi on this night ONLY, I’d be thrilled if you’d visit the American Chamber Opera Company’s website, where tickets may be purchased:  <http://americanchamberopera.org/st-john-cantius>.

This is my first opportunity to sing Mimi as a young soprano, and it would mean the world to me to see my family and friends there!  I’m also very excited to have been on the administrative side of things.  I can honestly say I’ve never been so fully involved in every aspect of putting on an opera as I have been with this company.  I’m learning a lot, and growing as a musician and a person.  See you soon!

Benjamin and myself as Rodolfo and Mimi.

The cast takes a break while recording at the Music Garage in Chicago.

Music in the Fall

October already!  It feels like I just got home from New York!  Many an update, ladies and gents, but I’ll start with the one sneaking up the fastest.

This coming week, I’ll be singing Carson P. Cooman’s song cycle “Gold Into Diamonds” for The VOX3 Collective’s upcoming concert, “American Nouveau; Modern American Art Song.”  ”Gold into Diamonds” was an incredibly easy song cycle to fall in love with, and feels “like buttah” to sing.  The cycle was commissioned by Amanda Forsythe in honor of her mother, Rebecca Forsythe, whose poetry was used for the song text.  The music is intuitive and consonant, touched with strategic moments of striking, effective dissonance to prick the ears at unusual moments.  It seems an appropriate compositional style for this particular poetry selection, which has a good number of cheerful verses depicting natural imagery and metaphors, which are occasionally and unpredictably juxtaposed against moments of eerie sorrow, isolation and tragedy.

The concert will be performed twice:

1.) Tuesday, October 25, 7:30 pm:   Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, 1218 W. Addison, Chicago.

2.) Saturday, Oct. 29, 3:00 pm:  Unity Temple, 875 Lake Street, Oak Park.

If you’re in the area, we’d love to see you!  The concert is free, and all are invited!

Vox3 Collective Website:  <http://www.vox3.org/americannouveau.html>

Studying and Shopping…

Ok!  I have been out and about and have done many a thing.  Here are some highlights:

Went to a record store on 49th st. called Colony Music (www.colonymusic.com).   It’s wall-to-wall with vintage music memorabilia.  Posters, records, album covers converted into posters, anthologies, you name it.  There was a metric ton of musical theater sheet music, along with a few opera anthologies.

On top of buying a book of contemporary opera arias (John Adams, Copland, Floyd, Stravinsky, Argento, etc.) I found prints of old Beatles performance posters!  I purchased them with bug-eyed enthusiasm enough to alarm hardened New York rock-music enthusiasts (only slightly, only slightly)!

They may have seen days of hard drugs and Ozzy Osbourne biting heads off things he shouldn’t, but they had NOT seen an Iowan ex-glee-clubber turned opera singer get excited about talented and attractive mens.

Three days before my birthday (a little less than 25 years before I was born)!

Baaadadadadaaaadadadadaaaa, Nor-we-gian wooooood….

SO

AWESOME.

……

Seriously, you guys.

ALSO!  Chocolate!  Sooo much chocolate happened the other day!

The roommate Madeline and I went to the M&M emporium…cathedral…factory…place.  We bought more chocolate than we’ll ever eat.  I guess that’s what happens when they open stores to the public with WALLS FULL OF CHOCOLATE.

BEHOLD.

They should not have let me in here.

At least we look happy, sort of!

This is a face that says "I cannot see the viewfinder on this camera-phone."

Anyway!  I’ve had a little bit more free time lately, as general classes have given way to staging and musical rehearsals.  As we all know, Musetta does not sashay forth until Act II, so our staging does not begin until tomorrow.  It’s a contemporary take on Bohème, so I’m excited to see what our director, Sam Helfrich, has in mind.

Until next time!  I have had “Norwegian Wood” on repeat this whoooole time.

(………….John was the hot one).

A Free Day

Today was my first day to wander a bit.  The weather was finally somewhat summer-like, so we sunned ourselves like turtles in Bryant Park, which is a lovely place full of families with babies, shirtless runners, tiny dogs and birds taking dirt baths.  It was a shame the lawn wasn’t open yet!

It was nice of him to wear a fancy polo for my website photo.

Carousel!

We then ducked into Lily O’Brien’s Chocolate Café for a peek.  The chocolates looked amazing, and I’ll admit that I walked out with a little sampler bag of different kinds; Crème brûlée, Hazlenut Torte, Honeycomb Crisp, Chocolat Noir, Lemon Meringue Pie, Cookies ‘n’ Creme, Sticky Toffee, and Farmhouse Ice Cream.

Very cute setup, and I noticed they had a heartwarming backstory.  I enjoy when a business makes itself human. Would return, and would order again, especially if they can help me ship some home.

Good day, good people, good times.  There was chocolate involved and I learned from my friend Ana that if a bee is hovering too close, whistle at it and it’ll fly away. Witchcraft!

Seriously, though, it worked.  Better than “Stay still and don’t swat at it,” while it crawls up your nose and you die a little inside like we younguns were taught in elementary.

It was a good day!

Announcements:

My first week in New York is drawing to a close!  It’s been exhausting, but I like to keep busy.  We have had Broadway dance classes at 8 am, followed by coachings with Christoph Cano, acting classes with Sam Helfrich, and lessons with Neil Rosenshein, not to mention master classes taught by various important guests.

We’ve continued to work on La Bohème, and I’m only reminded with every rehearsal how much I love this opera.  Not a wrong note in it.

I would also like to announce that I have been invited to participate in a Chicago-based opera and art song group, THE VOX 3 COLLECTIVE. This is their website as it stands prior to the 2011-2012 season.

I’m so excited to have been given the opportunity to work with a group so invested in the individuality, growth and creativity of each individual member.  I can’t wait to get started with them later in the summer!

We do, however, have the weekend to explore the city, aside from a lesson or two.  This should be fun!

 

YES!

MSVF Casting Assignment

I am delighted to announce that I’ve been chosen to play Musetta in the MSVF’s mainstage production of La Bohème!  I am thrilled to have the opportunity!  I would like to invite anyone and everyone in the area to come see the production.  I promise it’ll be the best plate-flinging, pinchy-shoed, attention-seeking Musetta I can muster!

Siedi, Lulù!

Clearly, I am unintimidated by the chest puffery of Alcindoro.

Manhattan School of Music Festival: I’m here!

New York City, I’ve finally arrived!  After a hectic couple of flights, no power in Minneapolis-St. Paul Intl. Airport, and a lot of diet Coke, I’ve settled, at last, into my summer abode.  I had my initial casting audition this morning, and felt comfortable in the hall.  Everyone seemed very friendly.

At seven o’clock tomorrow, after the second round of auditions and a couple of master classes, we’ll get casting results!  Lots of excitement and nerves here.

There’s a get-to-know you dinner at 6 tonight, at which point we’ll get to meet all of our colleagues and teachers.  I’m off to make friends and maybe sing a little.

Can’t wait to get everything started!

Update: Studios have been assigned, and I will be studying with Neil Rosenshein of the Manhattan School of Music.

Update of my update: I will be performing “Comme autre fois” from Les Pecheurs de Perles by Bizet tomorrow at 4 pm for the Maitland Peters master class!  Hoping to work on my French, ma sweet baguettes!

My View.

Thank you, everyone!

I just wanted to thank anyone and everyone who made it to my graduate recital at CCPA this past Tuesday!  I absolutely could not have done it without your support and kind words.

A big thanks to my voice teacher, Matthew Chellis, my pianist/coach, Dr. Dana Brown, my family, and my roommate Nik Pugmire, whose gourmet cupcakes were, as always, a hit at the reception.