Amarillo opening of SPEED DATING TONIGHT!

Thanks to David O'Dell and Amarillo Opera for giving Dean Anthony and I the chance to do the second production of SPEED DATING TONIGHT! Over twenty singers participated--everyone who auditioned got a part. Some voice types and genders were changed from the first production. A small and effective cut was introduced and the position of the Coordinator's song was changed for the better. Dean changed some of the order of the show from the first production. The show plays well in Chamber Music Amarillo's space in the Fibonacci Building. Thanks to Tim Winn, Amarillo Opera is making their usual high quality video of the show for a delayed broadcast. 

Amarillo: Opera like it oughta be

sign in Amarillo

There are plenty of places where opera might be fancier or more expensive, but there aren't that many that do opera as collaboratively and with as much heart as Amarillo. The run of two performances of LUCIA DI LAMMERMOOR was utterly satisfying from an artistic point of view. The singers all cared about their performances and gave committed, passionate characterizations. The orchestra tried their hardest, concentrated, worked not to cover the singers, and really did an outstanding job. The chorus has a wonderful attitude, great leadership, and the men aren't afraid to sing. The theater is comfortable and modern. The crew is friendly and professional.  And General Director David O'Dell and his staff work hard to support their artists. And you can't go too many other places where they feed everybody before the last four final rehearsals. 

The best experiences are when everyone is pulling together and trying their hardest. The collaborative nature of opera is really challenging and can be discouraging; but when it all works, it's a pleasure and makes you ready and willing to do it again.

I'm really looking forward to getting back there soon for SPEED DATING TONIGHT! 

Speed Dating Tonight! premiere at Brevard

SPEED DATING TONIGHT! had a great premiere run at the end of July at Brevard. It was lovely to see friends from Iowa, Arkansas and North Carolina who came over to see it. There will be lots to report on this show which is already getting performances this fall. Here's a duet sung by two of the performers, Patrick ZurSchmiede and Rachel Policar. Many thanks to producer and director Dean Anthony for having the chutzpah to do a new work in his first season as the director of the Janiec Opera Company at Brevard.

A fun run in Buffalo

conductor cam

The run of three performances of DON PASQUALE at Nickel City Opera, June 28-30, ended up being great fun. The director, David Grabarkewitz was a great collaborator and his 30s/40s setting of the show was lively and fun. Zulimar Lopez Hernandez sang the role of Norina with great assurance and style, making her easy to work with. I always find that a conductor needs to understand what a singer wants/needs, learn it, and then give it back to them in the conducting. This was very easy with Zulimar. Nickel City's founder Valerian Ruminski was very funny in the title role. Ben Brecher (Ernesto) and Jim Wright (Malatesta) were both talented as well. Unlike the challenge of last year's LA BOHEME, the orchestration of PASQUALE, in a reduction by Anthony Barrese, was the right size for the Riviera Theater's small pit. A highlight of the show was Barrese's use of an accordion in one aria to replace a trumpet and brass section. The accordionist--Al Schlisserman: eye surgeon by day and accordionist by night--always made the number a highlight. Of course, this was along with Ben Brecher's singing! 

Musical read through of SPEED DATING TONIGHT!

This week, the young singers at Brevard started working on SPEED DATING TONIGHT! I'm up in Buffalo, working on DON PASQUALE with Nickel City Opera and can't join them til mid July. Sounds like they are off to a great start.

Duet from Speed Dating Tonight!

Here's a duet from SPEED DATING TONIGHT! The Bartender and Waitress are taking orders and mixing drinks. While they work they talk about the speed dating. The bartender, a romantic, is skeptical. He says, "It's not like seeing someone across a room. You're eyes blink, she looks away but smiles..." She is more sympathetic, saying "I can see why they sign up. Nothing ventured nothing gained."

This duet definitely blurs (or maybe just plain crosses) the line between opera and musical theater. Singers for the premiere at the Janiec Opera Company have been given their assignments. There's a show on July 26th and one on July 27th, with a preview on July 25th.

One company has signed on to do the show in the fall. More about that soon!

Remembering Robert Ward

Frank Oteri at NewMusicBox was kind enough to let me write a recollection of my teacher, Robert Ward, who died recently. I appreciate Frank's good editing of the piece which begins:

"I have been lucky to have had a number of great teachers and colleagues, but Robert Ward stands out first amongst them. Even back in 1977 when I first met him, his hair was mostly a distinguished white. His fatherly manner was always warm, and even when he was vehemently arguing a point, he never seemed truly angry. Bob’s inner composer was a respected and valued member of society, and so he frequently could be seen in a good suit or sport coat and bow tie. He believed that artists weren’t always outsiders, but people who deserved a place at the table beside donors, industrialists, and scientists in order to provide a different perspective on society."  complete piece at NewMusicBox

My friends and colleagues down at Shreveport Opera have made demos of several dater arias from SPEED DATING TONIGHT! Here's Dater #12 "Panic Attack" sung by Adrian Rosales, baritone, and Irina Nedelcu, pianist.

Another "Dating aria" from SPEED DATING TONIGHT!

We've just gotten the video from the OperaMission performance of some excerpts from SPEED DATING TONIGHT! This "dater aria," is called "I've always liked this bar" and is sung by Margaret O'Connell. As you can tell, this one's very piano bar. 

We've created a Facebook page for the show and are asking people to post their dating or speed dating stories. So far, two out of the three suggestions are going to make it into the show, so if you have a good story, by all means, let me know!

Speed Dating Tonight! Comic Opera in one act

Our new opera premieres July 26-28 at the Janiec Opera of the Brevard Music Festival. The opera has a unique structure. The middle section has a set of daters in it, to be written in high, medium and low keys. Very few of them are specifically gendered. Producers can choose what daters to use and how to string them together.

We are also looking for input (my personal dating info is ancient). If you have a dating story or type of person you have encountered, you can post it here on the show's FB page. I will post more info about this fun project.

Through the Artist’s Lens, Volume 2

A recital program next month at Wolftrap is going to include one song from my new Speed Dating opera. Mezzo Eve Gigliotti heard the song last week at the OperaMission program.

Through the Artist’s Lens, Volume 2

Opera Mission on Thursday January 10 in NYC

A former colleague at Opera Memphis, Jennifer Peterson runs an adventurous little company in New York called Operamission. Later this week, I'm helping her out with a program which includes some "New Cabaret" songs written specially for the program. I am doing a few of my songs and we are doing a few excerpt from my new opera.