Singing for a Sandwich :)

I had the opportunity once again yesterday to sing a recital on the Classical Sundays series at the Antique Sandwich Company in Ruston and I must say, it was a good time. Pianist Coni Liljengren accompanied me on the piano, and we presented the VW "Songs of Travel" (which I had actually not performed the entire set all at once before), some Schumann and Schubert lieder, and finished with two pieces from "South Pacific". It was a nice sunny afternoon, so not as many folks were in attendance as I had hoped, but nonetheless it was fun.

The previous weekend I sang at the MONC auditions and had the pleasure of seeing Vinson Cole, who judged the competition. Catching up with a former teacher and getting some valuable feedback was a great experience. I sang arias from The Magic Flute and Billy Budd, and though I didn't walk away with an award, felt good about how I sang. I was very proud of some friends who did win some money, and I look forward to attending the regional auditions in February.

I am now attempting to learn two operas simultaneously :) I will sing Guglielmo in "Cosi" for Puget Sound Concert Opera in December, and Marullo in "Traviata" in late November. It will be a busy month (also have a "Messiah" gig) so come Christmastime, I will be much deserving of a break :)

More soon.....

Jetzt beginnt den Herbst....

It has become obvious the past few days in Tacoma that fall is upon us. We usually get a nice early fall surge of warm temperatures and even a little sunshine, but the rain and chill of the last few days definitely signifies a close to the summer. I actually welcome the season; as it gets harder and harder to spend copious amounts of time out enjoying the warm weather, I seem to spend more and more time learning music, which I really ought to be doing continually :)

It promises to be a very busy and enjoyable next few months. In October, I will be performing Kam Morrill's one-act opera "Love's Fool" (as Don Perlimpin), a contemporary piece based on a story by Garcia Lorca. Performances will be October 17 and 18 in the Seattle area. November brings two exciting projects: Handel's "Messiah", to be performed with period instruments, at Our Lady of Fatima Catholic Church in Magnolia (Friday 11/20 7:00pm) and Verdi's "Rigoletto" (I will be singing Marullo) with Concert Opera of Seattle (Saturday 11/21 7:00pm @ Redmond Performing Arts Center). Not long after, I will return to Puget Sound Concert Opera for "Cosi fan tutte" (Guglielmo) to be performed in Seattle, Bellevue and Friday Harbor from December 5-12.

Stay tuned for more news as it comes!!!

Wir kommen mit Wehr.....

Once again it has been several months since I posted an update here on my performance blog. I have been keeping plenty busy as of late in rehearsals for Seattle Opera's Ring Cycle, where I'm singing in the chorus for "Gotterdammerung". This is my first experience with the Seattle Opera performing on the stage, and I'm having a great time working with a number of incredible principal singers, our director Stephen Wadsworth, and all the numerous people that make a production like the Ring come to life. I have been especially impressed with Daniel Sumegi (who is singing Hagen) and Stig Andersen (our Siegfried). It's wonderful to be onstage with such talent.

In other (and MUCH more important) news, my lovely wife Heather and I are nearing our one-year anniversary and it's been an incredible first year. I am richly blessed to have my best friend and biggest fan right by my side.

In the next several weeks, I will be giving a recital at First Lutheran Church in Tacoma and singing for a fundraiser for Lyric Opera Northwest, a group that I have been very fortunate to have performed with several times already. More information (including a few exciting engagements!) coming soon. Stay tuned!

about time I update I suppose....

In catching up with a few friends' performance activities by way of blog these last few days, I realized just how long it has been since I updated this thing :-) In fact, since February, quite a bit has happened! I have been learning more and more the essential lesson of being always grateful for the opportunities that are provided to me.

During the months of February and March, I was very active in the preparations and performances of Rainier Family Opera's spring production. We presented scenes from The Tender Land, Carmen, and of course, La Boheme, where I was fortunate enough to get to sing a bunch of Marcello's music that I hope to be using again someday hopefully soon :-) I also served as Artistic Director-of-sorts; organizing personnel and schedules is hard work!! It was a very successful adventure, and I met some great new singing friends in the process.

Late March and early April provided me a chance to take a few lessons and coachings in preparation for several auditions etc. Maestro Vendice was in town and I got to meet with him twice in one month! I sang last weekend at the Performing Arts Festival of the Eastside in Bellevue and was honored to have won first place. I'll get to sing on a recital in May. So grateful for having been given the gift to sing and the perseverance to enjoy the ups and the downs alike :-)

Simon Boccanegra (no, no title role for me) for Puget Sound Concert Opera and a reprise of our Seattle Opera Guild cabaret performance are forthcoming in the next few weeks. I'll try not to wait so long to update this thing from now on!

Mozart & Menotti.....

Since my last post, had a very good run of "Nozze" with Lyric Opera NW. Got a chance to sing with several friends with whom I'd worked before, and a few new faces too :) Looking forward to what may be ahead with that company in the future.

Next comes Menotti's "Telephone" for three performances at assorted Seattle venues. February 9 at Harborview Medical Center, February 20 at SAM, and February 21 at Seattle Asian Art Museum. A fun piece with a fun group of folks!