March has been good to me

The expression on my face in the picture below is inversely related to my joy at how wonderful March has been for me as a singer.


I won’t repeat all the details, as I covered them in the last post…but I do want to talk about Don Pasquale (from which the above photo was taken). This has to be among one of the most enjoyable productions I’ve done in a while. Our director was a delight to work with. The conductor was, as always, spot on. Gina, John, David and Joel were outstanding leads and kept the show bright and comical throughout. Opening night was generally good, but closing night was better…I somewhat wish we could do a few more performances.

Oh, and I cannot leave out this little detail. The director has connections to OTSL, who provided a lot of our props and costumes. My costume, pictured above, included an apron. At my first costume fitting, the director and I noticed a name well known to opera singers, directors and conductors…



I’ll always think of that apron every time I use one of his IPA guides!

So, what does April hold for me besides getting more work done at my day job? Recitals, Recitals, Recitals! No, I’m not giving recitals (though I really want to put one together—the sooner the better). Alan Naylor gives his WashU grad recital on Thursday, and I’ve heard promising things about it. I’ll be seeing a recital every day on the weekend of the 17th-19th starting with Megan & Anthony (joint junior recital at SLU), then Alison and Josh (undergrad & grad recitals, respectively, at WashU). Perhaps all these fresh-faced singers will all inspire me to actually get that Schumann/Heine Liederkreis out in public for once!

A surprising development

I was surprised by a UAO development three days ago. A chorus slot in Lakmé opened up and was offered to me. There were a lot of pros/cons to weigh. The major pros are $ and the chance to be in an important french opera; the only major con is that I'm giving up a significant portion of my summer to do all three operas. I accepted the offer. Who knows if I'll regret this choice or not. Nevertheless, I have decided to act against regret by making some concrete plans for vacation, preferably the last week of May or first week of June before chorus music rehearsals begin.

As for vacation, I'm thinking of spending a week in Fort Lauderdale to lounge on the beach and visit my Uncle Lance and Brian. Maybe they'll even let me stay at their place! *crossing fingers*

Tomorrow night is the opening night of Donizetti's Don Pasquale with New Opera St. Louis. I highly recommend the production, as all four principals are exceptional singers...and there's a bitchin' couple of choruses in Act Three...well maybe not bitchin' but I think the director has given us some fun stuff to do with what little stage time the composer gave us. ;) Here are the details...

WHAT: Don Pasquale
WHEN: Friday, March 27 @ 8pm / Sunday, March 29 @ 5pm
WHERE: Saint Ambrose Church on "The Hill" / 5130 Wilson Ave / St. Louis
TICKETS: $30 / $26 / $22 (Student Rush $10 @ the Door) Call 314.865.0038
WEBSITE: newoperastl.org

Prodigal Blogger Vol. 1

Woah, where have I been this month?!?

*cue cheesy baptist church organ music*

I’m a bonafied certified blog-backslider!!!  I am a lost sheep!!  But I—the Prodigal Blogger—have come home to beg your forgiveness!!!

Ok… now that that part is over with…lemme fill you in on what’s up…

WILLIAM TURNS FIVE!

My nephew William turned 5 years old at the top of the month.  His parents threw him a Cowboy-themed party, and the kid just had a ball!  Was glad to have been a part of it.  I have learned that one of his birthday presents was Tae Kwon Do lessons…though I think they are less a “wheee! fun!!” present and more a “we need to harness this kid’s energy so he doesn’t drive us nuts at home” present.  Either way, I’m wearing a cup next time I visit him in case he wants to practice any kicks when I walk in the door.

MOVIES

So I decided to catch up on a couple Oscar films, albeit retroactively.  I spent a Saturday afternoon at the Chase Park Plaza seeing two films in a row: The Reader and Frost/Nixon.  The Reader was quite amazing and prompted a lot of moral questions, but for reasons of plot spoilage, I cannot comment why I feel that way.  Nonetheless, Kate Winslet proved once again why she’s one of the best working film actresses today…and I actually feel this role to be Oscar worthy, even though I feel like the Academy pulled a “Scorcese” on her.  Frost/Nixon made me feel as if Frank Langella was robbed—and I loved Sean Penn in Milk.  Now I want to see the actual Frost/Nixon interviews.

GIGS, GIGS, GIGS

Got cast at Union Avenue for the coming season.  They’re doing Il trovatore, The Merry Widow (in German), Lakmé and a Christmastime production of Amahl and the Night Visitors.  I’ll be appearing in the Verdi and Lehár, the latter of which I’m most excited…because any chance to flex my german muscles is worth taking!  We have yet to hear how Amahl will be cast, but I am not necessarily holding my breath.

(Oh, and I entered the Crapshoot Olympics® but didn’t even get the Bronze.  However, I did get a compliment from the judge.)

Last weekend, I solo-ed with the St. Louis Women’s Chorale.  Got to sing some Lehár and Weill, one of which I can sing at parties; the other I can add to my aria list…SWELL!!

As if all that weren’t enough, I got hired at the last minute for a chorus gig in New Opera St. Louis’ season-closer Don Pasquale.  Great director, great conductor, fun colleagues... To quote the great Ethel Merman: who could ask for anything more? 

Review: ABE

ABE, a new musical, received its world premiere in Quincy, Illinois two weekends ago.  Presented by the Muddy River Opera Company in a city that hosted one of the historic Lincoln-Douglas debates, this new work holds particular nostalgia for the state of Illinois in 2009, the Lincoln Bicentennial Year.  Composer Roger Anderson and Book-Writer/Lyricist Lee Goldsmith began collaboration on this musical in the 1970s, but had not finished it until recently, when MROC took interest in premiering the work.

ABE focuses on the life of Abraham Lincoln from his early years until his departure from Springfield, Illinois for the Presidential Inauguration.  The first act mostly concerns Lincoln’s formative years in New Salem, Illinois; the second with his rise to power and marriage to Mary Todd.  Dramatically, the musical suffers at the beginning.  While the creative team succeeds with a stirring, effective prologue set at a New Orleans slave auction (at which Lincoln is a prominent spectator), their opening number—“Fifteen Houses, A Hundred People”—lacks energy.  Despite this initial flaw, the musical numbers that follow manage to liven up the pace.  “Who Are You” gives the audience a glimpse into Lincoln’s quest for purpose.  “Corn,” “Two Hundred Seventy Seven to Three” and “Who, Abe? You, Abe!” gives the ensemble ample opportunities to shine and put a smile on our faces.  The second act of ABE happily maintains the established dramatic pace.

In the title role, baritone Samuel Hepler gave a sensitive, well-considered reading of the iconic 16th president.  His warm, rich baritone and lanky, handsome stage presence exuded Lincoln’s idealism, melancholy and heart.  Soprano Elise LaBarge was charming and sympathetic as Lincoln’s first love Ann Rutledge, and her solo “A Man Like Him” proved bittersweet, given Rutledge’s fate.  Ms. LaBarge also deftly negotiated some of the more awkward, stilted dialogue in the show.  Soprano Joy Boland portrayed Mary Todd Lincoln with gutsy aplomb and gave us a glimpse of a woman that—despite an often difficult temper and shifting mood—loved, cherished and supported her husband wholeheartedly.  Baritone Greg Lewis had clear diction and strong presence as Mentor Graham, schoolteacher and early friend to Lincoln. Tenor Robert Boldin was an utter delight as Lincoln’s oft-smashed law-partner Billy Herndon.  Boldin showed remarkable versatility in the unsettling “What Am I Bid?”

Director Mark James Meier handled this big, old-fashioned book musical with careful attention to detail and resourceful usage of his ensemble.  Along with the bigger, splashier numbers, Meier offered many simple, touching moments throughout, especially regarding Lincoln’s early courting and eventual loss of Ann Rutledge as well as the enduring friendship between Lincoln and Billy Herndon.  Conductor Scott Schoonover’s leadership of the 20-piece MROC orchestra was a generous complement to the proceedings onstage.  Paul Denckla’s production design made the effective approach of suggestion over presentation with a rustic unit set (calling to mind Lincoln’s early years in Kentucky and southern Illinois) coupled with projections of actual plot locales.

The production team, cast and crew of Abe are to be commended for giving such a wonderful world premiere.