Auction!

Well, the stress isn't subsiding, but life is quite exciting right now.  Tonight, Dusti and I will be going to the Sprint Center in downtown Kansas City to watch #3 K-State (my alma mater) play #12 Gonzaga.  I will try to hold my excitement in check until the final horn sounds, because I am very excited for the possibility of my team #3 K-State play #1 Duke tomorrow night in the tournament championship.  If K-State wins both of these games, they will likely be the #1 ranked team in the nation - in basketball!  K-State basketball has a great tradition, but it has come miles and miles since I was a little boy.

Sorry to be biased, but it so exciting for me, I just had to mention it.

In opera news, I received a couple more auditions.  They will be in New York next week.  I already was given an audition with Chautauqua Opera on Thursday, December 2, and now I have added Crested Butte Opera

auditions on Friday, December 3, and Sugar Creek Symphony auditions on Saturday, December 4.  Crested Butte is a company in Colorado and Sugar Creek is a company near Chicago.  I am very excited for those and I will give you daily updates when I am in New York.

Last week I mentioned a little bit about Wichita Grand Opera and possibly getting a role with them in a February production.  I heard from them last week again, and they said they would let me know when they have decided, so I just suppose I'll wait.  But, if there is still no response here soon, I will get pretty antsy.

Now, for the most exciting moment of the blog - the announcement of the 2010 Kansas City Vocal Institute Charity Auction.  The auction site is up and running - if it doesn't work on your computer, you will probably need to update your Flash Player - otherwise, go ahead and take a spin. The site is www.kcvocalinstitute.com/auction and all the items are available to look at and read about.  There is a short page explaining how to bid.  The length of each auction will generally be 10 days and it really gets competitive the final day, so keep track of what you are bidding on. The auction will begin on Black Friday - Friday, November 26.  A red "bid now" button will appear next to the item when the auction is live.  Please take time and bid as all the proceeds from the auction will support scholarships for free music education for children and families in the Kansas City metro area.

I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday.  We are hosting our first Thanksgiving with Dusti's parents, and I am excited for baking pies!  I am so thankful for you all who have taken time to read my blogs and given me encouragement, thankful for my friends and family - I wish I could be with you all for Thanksgiving, thankful for my wife for being so loving and supportive, thankful for the opera companies, teachers, and schools who have shown interest in me and have given me so many great opportunities, thankful for all the teachers, students, and people who have donated to KCVI, and thankful for being able to do what I love to do.  Have a happy thanksgiving.

And in a Thanksgiving themed edition of this week's weird and ancient instrument in preparation for the 40th Anniversary of the Monteverdi Vespers where I will be featured along with the UMKC Conservatory Singers and the Kansas City and St. Louis Symphony Chamber Ensembles, I present music's turkey - the Launeddas

Here is an audio example of a Launeddas.  I suggest fast forwarding to the last half of the video.  Just in case you want to know why he looks really weird, the performer is using a technique called circular breathing where he pumps air into his cheeks and holds it there so he can breathe in through his nose while pushing air out his mouth with his cheek muscles.  You can try this on your own by blowing out through a straw using your cheeks while breathing in through your nose - it's very difficult though.  And on another nerdy note, I had to look up what a group of turkeys was called the other day - a rafter of turkeys - but what is a group of Launeddas(es) or for that matter what is plural of Launeddas?  Anyway, enjoy.

Current Audition Info & Results

Missouri NATS - October 30-31 - 2nd Place Advanced Division

Santa Fe Opera - applied 9/16 - not invited 10/22

Chautauqua Opera (New York) - applied 10/5 - invited 10/22

Wolf Trap Opera (Washington D.C.) - applied 10/8 - not invited 10/18

National Opera Association Competition (San Antonio) - applied 10/12

Crested Butte Opera (Colorado) - applied 10/12 - invited 11/19

Sugar Creek Symphony (Chicago) - applied 10/12 - invited 11/19

Shreveport Opera Competition - applied 10/12

Symphony in the Valley (Colorado) - applied 10/13

Ash Lawn Opera (near Washington D.C.) - applied 10/13

Upcoming concerts:

November 30, 2010 - Choir Concert - Atonement Lutheran Church

December 2, 2010 - Chautauqua Opera Auditions - New York City, NY

December 3, 2010 - Crested Butte Opera Auditions - New York City, NY

December 4, 2010 - Sugar Creek Symphony and Song Auditions - New York City, NY

December 7, 2010 - Featured Soloist - Monteverdi Vespers (400th Anniversary Concert) - Visitation Catholic Church -  Kansas City, MO - 7:30pm

December 12, 2010 - Tenor Soloist - Messiah by Handel - Centennial United Methodist Church - Kansas City, MO - 4:00pm

March 17-20, 2011 - Don Giovanni by Mozart - Don Ottavio - White Recital Hall

April 23, 2011 - Gloria by Poulenc - White Recital Hallwww.kcvocalinstitute.com/auction