Routine

I am finally in a routine. School is going furiously, thankfully with minimal homework. I am singing a lot of great repertoire. I have been submitting applications for auditions for apprentice programs. Those auditions will generally be November-January. I also have several more concerts that I have included at the bottom of this post. KCVI is going very well after just finishing a strong scholarship drive, and I am anxious to announce other events and programs about to begin.

I realize most of the people who read this are music geeks. So, I have decided to give you some listening/critiquing opportunities - musicians LOVE to critique other musicians (especially the most famous ones).

I have links to recordings of some of the pieces that I'm working on. I love to listen to recordings and find out how other musicians perform these pieces. The more you learn about them (history, poetry, the composer, etc.) the more enjoyable the music becomes. It's kind of like sports. I don't know very much about cricket, so I don't appreciate it very much simply because I don't know how to appreciate it (what does it look like to watch a good cricket match?) But, I do know the rules, strategies, and position responsibilities for soccer, football, baseball, basketball, and golf. Some probably aren't any more exciting than cricket, but I would definitely enjoy them much more because I know a lot more about them. The more you learn, the more exciting it will become.

So, I hope you enjoy some of these! I certainly do.

Art Songs I'm working on:
"Air Grave" by Poulenc performed by Nicolai Gedda
"Nebbie" by Respighi performed by Luciano Pavarotti (perhaps his pianos are too piano?)
"Der Lindenbaum" from Winterreise by Schubert performed by Peter Schreier

Arias I'm working on:
"Dalla sua pace" from Don Giovanni by Mozart performed by Piotr Beczala
"Il mio tesoro" from Don Giovanni by Mozart performed by Fritz Wunderlich

Choral pieces I'm working on (with a choir of course):
Alma redemptoris mater by Palestrina
Rytmus by Ivan Hrusovsky (what do you think of the background?)
By the Bivouac's Fitful Flame from A Procession Winding Around Me by Jeffrey Van
Beat! Beat! Drums! from A Procession Winding Around Me by Jeffrey Van
Sleep by Eric Whitacre
Lauda Jerusalem from Vespers by Monteverdi

And one of my favorites (keep watching there's two arias here)
"Je marche sur tous...Obeissons" from Manon by Massenet performed by Renee Fleming

Finally, congratulations to Kyle and Tracy Baack and their new boy Landon!

Upcoming concerts:
October 3, 2010 - University United Methodist Church - Salina, KS - 1st & 2nd Services
October 3, 2010 - Choir Concert - White Recital Hall - 5pm
October 19, 2010 - Choir Concert - White Recital Hall - 7:30
October 30, 2010 - Choir Concert - Hyatt Crown Center - ?
November 6, 2010 - Recital - details to come
November 18-21, 2010 - The Dialogues of the Carmelites by Poulenc - Chevalier de la Force (cover) - White Recital Hall
November 30, 2010 - Choir Concert - Atonement Lutheran Church
December 7, 2010 - Monteverdi Vespers (400th Anniversary Concert) - Visitation Catholic Church (I will be auditioning for the tenor soloist)
March 17-20, 2011 - Don Giovanni by Mozart - Don Ottavio - White Recital Hall
April 23, 2011 - Gloria by Poulenc - White Recital Hall