Polka Band & a Goat's Head

Finally, I have some time to relax.  These last two and a half months have been two and a half of the busiest months of my life.  I went to Dallas twice, just returned from Chicago, sang the National Anthem at the NAIA National Championship Game last week, played Don Jose in an opera, saw Yo-Yo Ma, prepared and sang a Doctoral Recital, performed Carmina Burana and Mahler's Resurrection Symphony, auditioned for the KC Symphony, KC Lyric Opera, and Union Ave. Opera, competed in KC NATS, sang 3 Bach cantatas, and sadly had two deaths in my life.

As I mentioned, I sang on National TV, sort of, last Tuesday.  I sang the National Anthem at the NAIA Men's Division I National Championship basketball game.  It was a lot of fun, the game was exciting, and it was in Kansas City - my favorite city!  Immediately before I sang, a man walked up to me to inform me that two "wounded warriors" would be standing behind me when I sang.  Then he said, "make sure to honor them".  I thought that was one of the oddest things someone has told me.  I don't know what he was expecting, but evidently I give off the vibe that I don't honor all veterans, especially wounded ones.  I assume by the loud "hoo ah!" behind me, after I finished, that I did well.

Then I went to Chicago to compete in the Divisional Finals of the NATSAA competition.  As is my custom, I lost once again to the same singer, a soprano - who is a great person and singer, I do not feel bad at all that I lost to her - but it is a little funny.  I felt that I sang very well, so I don't have a lot to complain about.

While I was in Chicago, I was able to see some of my friends who were spending their Spring Break along the white, blistering beaches of lake Michigan, in March - it was in the mid 80s.  (insert global warming joke here)

German bar with live polka band, singing patrons,
and steins swinging in the air - AWESOME

first visit to Wrigley Field - not impressed

Self Portrait at "the bean"

Partially eaten veal - yum!

If you don't know me, I love eating.  I must say that I have never been so excited about eating as I was last week in Chicago.  I had the above, veal covered with crab (seriously!? - I'm laughing, it's so exciting), and tried a variety of other foods like a crab cake that felt so good, some creamy key lime pie, the best shellfish I've ever had, and a couple glasses of wine.  I also ordered an entire goat's head, but they were out - shocking, since the only person I would ever expect wanting something as weird as a goat's head is my Grandpa.

awesome live blues

waiting to compete at NATSAA - very foggy

I had a great time in Chicago, but missed Joyce DiDonato's performance at the Kauffman Center in Kansas City over the weekend.  It will be broadcast nationally on PBS, but it serves as a great testament to this new golden age of Kansas City.  Joyce talked about it on NPR, but there is more happening in Kansas City right now than in most major metropolises on earth.  The greatest musicians are flooding in to perform at the new Kauffman Center, universally acknowledged as one of the greatest performing venues in the world.  One of the world's leading art museums is in Kansas City, the town is bustling with many other artistic events, and I just found out that chef Anthony Bourdain is airing a show next month in his new season of No Reservations, highlighting Kansas City.  That is likely my favorite television show. It is so rewarding to be in Kansas City right now.  It has made me incredibly busy, but the opportunities are incredible - I wouldn't be able to do what I am doing any other place.

This week, I will be working on a paper and heading to Manhattan, KS for a meeting about this year's Summer Choral Institute - something I'm very proud of.  Then I will be singing in a masterclass on Saturday with a professor at the Cincinnati Conservatory and will be performing Brahms' German Requiem in English on Sunday.  Believe it or not, that's a relaxing week for me!

For the next several weeks, I will be posting some recordings of mine, one each week.  The next three weeks, I will post the premiere performance of John Mueter's Three Volga German Songs.

Mary Magdalene Wars

Life is back to normal, for at least two days.  My Doctoral Recital was a couple of weeks ago, and I will be posting more about that next week, hopefully with recordings.  Now that the opera is finished, I enjoyed a nice evening with some of my family and after they left, my wife and I opened a bottle of wine and watched the Discovery Channel's new show "Frozen Planet".  It's pretty incredible by the way.

Tomorrow, I have the honor of singing the Star Spangled Banner at the National Championship game of the NAIA Men's Division I tournament. If you read this and want to go, let me know. I have an extra guest pass!  The game will be played tomorrow (Tuesday) at 8pm at Municipal Auditorium featuring the winners of Shorter vs. Concordia and Oklahoma Baptist vs. Mountain State.  Those games are played tonight.  As a side note, Kansas City's Municipal Auditorium has hosted more NCAA final fours than any other site - 9.  Second is Madison Square Garden with 7.

Then on Wednesday, I'm off to Chicago.  I will be competing in the NATSAA (National Association of Teachers of Singing Artist Awards) District and Regional Finals.  It is a prestigious competition, but it is incredibly difficult for several reasons.  

1.) All the singers are ridiculously good  

2.) Men must compete against Women

3.) We must submit a horrendously specific conglomeration of songs:

1 Operatic Aria

1 Aria from a mass, oratorio, requiem, or cantata

3 American, Canadian, or British art songs in English

2 songs or arias but no more than 2 arias that were composed before 1800

2 German Lieder or French Melodies

2 National art songs that are not German, French, American, Canadian, or British

AND an additional 3 songs or arias that fit within any of the previous four categories

AND 1 of these must have been written after 1950, and it cannot be an arrangement of a folk song

So, I have a collection of 14 songs - an entire recital of music (memorized of course).  If I were to sing the entirety of it, it would take me about an hour.  But in this competition, we are given 15 minutes, and the judges keep selecting songs that they would like to hear until I run out of time.  Only one person from our region of several states advances to the finals.

In case this is new - art songs are classically sung songs that aren't a part of a larger work (like an opera).  If they are from a larger classical work like an opera or an oratorio, they are generally called arias.  There are exceptions, but musical theater (broadway tunes) aren't a part of this competition.  Needless to say, in the world of "cultivated music", this is one of the biggest competitions.

By far the most annoying part of it all isn't the memorizing, but finding original scores for everything.  Even if it is something 400 years old and it is in public domain, you can't simply print it off.  All this means is that instead of fitting everything in a small black folder, I have to carry around a red Radio Flyer wagon with fifty pounds of music instead.

This brings me to an exciting topic.  It is almost April!  That means that it is almost time to begin one of my most disturbing and most ridiculed parts of my blog.  In April, I start looking at the upcoming opera season, since most companies are winding down for the summer.  I get really excited about World Premieres and rate them from worst (2 Susan Boyles) to best (2 Pavarottis).  I get excited about it just as most get excited about movie trailers.

Of course, there are certain types of movies that you would always love to see, and then there are the chick flicks that are just a waste of time.  So too is the world of opera.  There are some concepts that I flat out love, and then there are some that don't get me excited at all.  That doesn't mean they're not good - chick flicks regularly win at the Golden Globes (not the Oscars though) - it just means that I get to post some funny pictures of Susan Boyle.

But the big story this year is all about Mary Magdalene.  Two of the most famous composers on earth are producing pieces in a war of Marys (Maries?).

John Adams' Oratorio "The Gospel According to the Other Mary" being premiered by Gustavo Dudamel and the LA Phil 

VS. 

Mark Adamo's "The Gospel of Mary Magdalene" being premiered by San Francisco Opera

I'll be tackling that Goliath in a couple of weeks, but until then, here's a short video on what the Gospel of Mary Magdalene is:

My Summer at Sugar Creek, Kansas City Symphony Chorus, & Planking

What an amazing last several weeks!  I had a great time at Sugar Creek, met so many wonderful people - it was hard to leave some of them knowing I may not see them again - but hopefully I will see them all soon.  The performances went great and the audience was very gracious.  The cast was terrific, the orchestra was superb, and the maestri and directors and stage managers all made the experience wonderful.

I have some incredibly exciting news about an upcoming gig, but I can't say anything publicly about it yet unfortunately.  It is so so so exciting though - certainly one that I will remember for the rest of my life!!  There will be many postings about it in the future, but until then I just wanted you all to be curious...

Yesterday, I auditioned for the Kansas City Symphony Chorus, which if you don't know, has expanded to over 160 members - that's larger than any of Robert Shaw's choirs.  I wanted to be a part of it this year because their season is spectacular, as it will be the first season in the new Kauffman Center.  We will be performing Brahms' German Requiem, Handel's Messiah, Mahler's Resurrection Symphony, and (wait for it) Beethoven's Ninth Symphony (the gates of Music Heaven open with six-winged fat, horned Brunhilde serphim operatically lauding the mere mentioning of the piece).  Plus, we will be performing some Wagner on the opening night Gala Concert of the Kauffman Center's Orchestra Hall on September 17.  This is a HUGE event featuring Yo-Yo Ma, Diana Krall, and Itzhak Perlman.  Tickets start at $500, so good luck with that if you want to go.  I am so thankful that I get to see and sing in the opening of what will be one of the world's greatest performing halls!

But on to some pictures - here are some memories of my time at Sugar Creek - remember I stayed on a farm...

The view driving up to my homestay - you wouldn't believe the view at night - so many meteors and other cool things that the city lights would flood out

Yeah, so...singers and farm equipment obviously go together...nevertheless, I was so curious about it all that Marv decided to show off his toys and tell me about how he works.  These combines, and for the opera singers out there combines harvest the crops, drive by satellite - perfect to within one inch!

Me in a wheel...something that I failed to mention on this blog is that Marv, the farmer, fixed my car for me after the starter broke.  If you remember, my wife and I recently had to buy a new car because her car broke, and here I was in Illinois with a broken Diane (my car's name) as well.  Thank you Marv!

Let's talk about the food around here.  IT TORE ME UP!  Not to make too many judgements, but it was obvious that the people up here are not too concerned about what they eat.  At this diner, my friend David and I got some breakfast.  Now, I always eat everything, and usually have plenty of room to spare (insert angry comments from women here) and I haven't gained any weight in eight years (insert more comments/cursing here).  I felt like death after nearly drowning in my tar pit of biscuits and gravy.  However David finished a plate of toast and eggs (you can barely see it but it is an entire dinner plate full of eggs) and a giant stack of plate sized pancakes.  By the end, there was only a quarter bottle of syrup left as well!  It was the greatest eating feat that I have ever witnessed!  The lady at the diner said people rarely finish the pancakes, let alone another plate of eggs and toast - leave it to an opera singer to push the boundaries of human achievement.  He later ran six miles...

Chicago skyline from a water taxi...

My brother and my mother planked at the Hancock Building in Chicago.  If you haven't heard of "planking" it is when you lie face down in a public place.  If you are wondering why people do it, it is mainly to be funny.  I love how the people in the background generally don't care what is going on.  Evidently everyone up in Chicagoland has social-blindness, we saw a man take all of his clothes off except for his tighty whities, and we were the only people staring.  That incident happened at Shedd Aquarium, where we also learned about the birds and the bees from the sea otters.

What diverse people...a shirtless man walking with his wife, a little girl and giant in the same picture (seriously he was significantly taller than 7 feet)......(I still can't stop laughing at this picture!)

Well, now back to the grind.  These last three weeks have made appreciate the opportunities that I have received so much and I feel so lucky to be able to be a professional musician.  My friends at Sugar Creek, I will hopefully see you again somewhere, sometime.  As for Kansas City - I'm excited to start my second year of my Doctorate, and participate in what will be one of the most exciting musical years of my life.

Stay tuned for my upcoming performance schedule...I won't post it until I can say something about the gig that I can't tell anyone about yet...(biting nails)

The Making of an Opera - "From Score to Stage"

Howdy folks...sorry for the long wait.  A few things came up during the week - exciting things - that I can't talk about at the moment, but as you know it is production week here at Sugar Creek.  Daughter of the Regiment opens tonight.  Here are two videos from the week. Until then, I have to go to a live nightly news segment...

ciao!

The Making of an Opera - "Raising the Dough"

Mental Health, Drill Sergeants, & Squillo - Opera in Chicago

Well, the week has been very eventful so far.  I sang on a publicity concert earlier today, which went relatively well.  The entire cast is now on site and we met the conductors and all the production staff.  The conductor of our opera, The Daughter of the Regiment, Joe Mechavich - who has conducted at Washington National Opera, Berlin, New York City Opera, and several other very prominent houses - is an incredibly funny person.  He has a vernacular all his own.

We have started staging as well - in a mental health center of all places...oddly appropriate for opera.  On the second day of staging upon arrival at the mental health center, we were informed that there would be a publicity event.  Because the opera is about a French Army regiment, we were to be instructed on appropriate military actions by two drill sergeants.  That was not necessarily what we came here to do, but it was for news coverage - so we had no choice.  It is somewhat funny because some of us are somewhat effeminate - especially in military terms - and two in our "regiment" had pink polos on.  It had the ingredients for a very funny publicity stunt.

Well, the drill sergeants arrived twenty minutes late.  And, yet another shocker.  The drill sergeants were retired veterans...from World War II.  Easily in their 80s, they were asked by our staging director if they could teach us how to march, salute, stand at attention, etc.  They said, "All they need to know is their left foot from their right foot".  Immediately, he yelled, "Uh-ten...uh!", and we stood at what we assumed was attention..."Leh...hace!", and we made a wobbly turn to the left....still no instruction.  "Foa!" "Aaah!"...and we marched in a circle in single file for about five minutes - taking a couple breaks for our drill sergeant to lean against the stool when he was tired of saying "eh, eh...eh, ah, eh".  That was it.  The conductors, stage directors, and production staff were trying to hold in huge bellied laughs the entire time - some near tears.  It was hilarious - most especially us marching in a circle for so long in a mental health facility.

The staging has been going well...it is very active.  There are bombs that will evidently explode and we must fly through the air, we march around all over the place, and I even have to pick up and carry the soprano lead at the end of her famous aria with another person.  I didn't think I would be picked to do that - arm strength is not one of my specialties.

Personally, this program has been incredibly beneficial for me.  I had another private coaching, and my recent vocal change has widely impressed the director of the program.  She said that I sound so much better than she remembered me in my audition last December...which is a good thing I suppose.  I have made a significant change.  My voice is now very very resonant with significant squillo.  It has lift, and I have eliminated much of the covering space that I had been singing with, as recently as a few weeks ago.  The high notes are easier, have spin, and a piercing ring.  I am very very happy with how it is developing.  Essentially, I am taking the baritone qualities out of my higher register.

Anyway, my coachings went so well, that I have now been able to get a private coaching tomorrow morning with Bruce Stasyna, who is in charge of the young artist program at Palm Beach Opera and Green Mountain Opera.  He was in charge of Minnesota Opera for seven years, and he conducted at Wolf Trap Opera - one of the most revered programs for young artists. I hope that it will go very well and perhaps something good will come of it.  I am very confident at this point, so I can only hope good things.

Beyond that, I will be hard at work again, but on Friday I will go through some specifics of "the business" and how this program fits in the whole scheme of things in the world of opera today.  It may be a little depressing - especially if the debt ceiling isn't raised - since a lot of companies are barely surviving the recession, but the future still looks bright...I'll explain why later.

SCHEDULE

July 20-August 7 - Sugar Creek Opera - Daughter of the Regiment - August 4, 5, 7 - Watseka, IL (near Chicago)

August 8 - Audition - Kansas City Symphony Chorus

When in Rome - Opera in Chicago

Finally!  It feels as if I have been waiting forever for all the gears to begin turning on this opera production.  The last several days have been quite relaxing...and for anyone who knows me at least a little bit would know how difficult this is for me.  I am a self-diagnosed work-a-holic.  As is normal with productions, we receive the next day's schedule a few hours before midnight, which would be horrible for my social life if I had one, but since all of my friends up here near the Windy City are in the opera, today's schedule graced us all.  I'm busy from 11am-10pm straight, with a few minutes free for meals...ah...(breathing a great healthy sigh)...I will have a fulfilled and happy soul tomorrow.  It will consist of a career coaching - that's probably a question and answer session with other professionals - and the first full musical run-through with the entire cast and we will stage the first numbers in the opera.

Up to this point, it frankly has been horrifically relaxing.  We have coachings and rehearsals, but then what?  My homestay is way out in a beautiful and quiet part of the country near a small town that actually had a locomotive coal powered passenger train pump through town.  Did I go back in time?  All the TV's in their house all change to the same channel, so whatever they want to watch, I have to watch it as well, even if I am using a different TV.  Unfortunately for me, it is stuck on the Hallmark Channel - Golden Girls marathon.  So, I haven't been watching TV.  The internet is only slightly better than dial-up.  (not to mention that the company has warned us not to drink the local tap water because it may be unsafe)  Besides these things, I'm certainly not the only one with stircraziness problems.  Many of us are over-workers who just can't seem to find a way to live at a slower pace.  So, us opera folk have figured out a few ways to enjoy our down time.

Most of the opera singers are actually staying in a rented house...a gigantic rented house.  The situation is very similar to any number of reality tv shows like Real World, Big Brother, or a much more tired and less tan version of Jersey Shore.  Perhaps it is like our own little Frat/Sorority House without hazing, toga parties, and anything mentioned in Animal House unfortunately.  Nevertheless, we did find a nearby bar/restaurant that has become a spot to relax after we are through, and don't forget McDonald's - they have free wifi for all of us that have internet unfriendly homestays.

As for the highlights of the last several days, I had another coaching.  It did not go so well, and I was a little embarrassed.  I usually pride myself in working my hardest all the time, and I was obsessively prepared for this program, the opera, and the special music for the opening night gala concert.  I'm not sure if there's an old adage about it, but demonstrating success is much more meaningful than appearing successful.  Because of my preparation, I have had almost no anxiety or stress, and consequently have been very confident.  But then there was this.

In addition to the Agony Duet and the Romeo and Juliet Duet to be performed for the gala concert, I was asked to perform a trio from A Little Night Music called "Soon" just a couple of days ago.  Well, I received the music only then, I have never heard it before. When I went in for the coaching, it was apparent that the director expected me to have the music already memorized.  Now, for those who don't know the song, it is freekin' tricky to memorize.  Well, they made me sing it until I memorized it in front of the director, coach, and the two other singers.  It was a little humiliating, but thanks to some great teachers in my undergrad and graduate days, I was able to memorize it in about 4 tries.  I'm not sure if they were impressed or upset about the whole thing, but I definitely learned about their expectations very quickly.  If I had known beforehand, I definitely would have had the piece memorized before the coaching.

At some point I will talk about learning French, but that has comprised most of our chorus rehearsals to this point.  Many of the vowels in French are unique (and ugly) but we have been doing incredibly well in this area in my opinion.  This is one of the funnest and certainly the most musically talented group of singers that I have ever been able to sing with before.  It is quite spectacular.

As I mentioned we have been very stir crazy, so what should we do?

I have witnessed some beautiful things out here in Illinois - some of the most beautiful natural sights that I have ever seen in my life, very honestly - and many of the others out here have said and witnessed the same.  I just have to mention yet another odd but fascinating thing being out here on a farm.  With the hundreds of wind turbines in the middle of many acres of corn, a bright yellow bi-wing crop duster was flying within a few feet of the ground and making high arcing loops up and around and between all of the turbines.  It was something spectacular, first because it appears incredibly difficult, and second because the turbines were so tall that it made the plane seem like a toy or a fly or better yet, a swallow eating mosquitoes - flying low to the ground and swooping back up before making another dive.

SCHEDULE

July 20-August 7 - Sugar Creek Opera - Daughter of the Regiment - August 4, 5, 7 - Watseka, IL (near Chicago)

August 8 - Audition - Kansas City Symphony Chorus

Night Brilliant Tone - Opera in Chicago

Well, reality has hit like a ton of bricks - in a good way.  I have had several coachings already.  They have gone somewhat well.  One that I had yesterday really has helped in many ways.  Helen Todd, the director of the opera program at Sugar Creek, had me sing through some things.  She was very blunt and honest, which is sometimes a tough thing for people to hear, especially for me.  But, I have made some small but radical changes as of late.  People have always complained to me that I have sounded thin in the past, and so I created a more robust sound, but other things have suffered for that - most noticeably the squillo of my high notes.  Squillo refers to the brilliance of the tone.  Well, with one small change, I have been able to sing so easily with great depth.  I have had to make myself not be so athletic...I can overdo it sometimes with force.  Ever since that ego check, my voice has been in great shape.  I am very excited for some other performing opportunities coming up to show this new sound off, and get used to the feeling of it all.  That is the only way that this will become habitual.  Very honestly, I feel like a tenor for once.  With my voice, there was always something that was too baritone-y or too young, but now I feel like it is in a great high, ringy place.  I am excited to show it off this fall at the Conservatory.

I sang a recital last night that seemed to go well.  The oddest part was that there was a giant window behind where we were performing that you could look out into a parking lot and the neighborhood.  At one point, a homeless-looking man slowly walked from the far end of the parking lot towards the window at a very slow pace.  Upon reaching the front of the parking lot - now just across the street from our performance - he made a right turn and walked along the sidewalk until he was out of view.  All the while - the entirety of his walk - he was picking his nose!  He had no idea that right across the street 50 people were watching him the entire time while an aria was being sung.

My home stay, as you may know, is way out of town in the middle of a corn field with hundreds of gigantic wind turbines surrounding it.  This has made my living situation incredibly relaxing.  I haven't watched TV since I arrived, which is an amazing feat in itself.  At night, the fields light up neon green with millions of fireflies - it's one of the most incredible things you'll ever see.  The turbines, which rise hundreds of feet into the air, all have a red light that blinks on their top.  These hundreds of turbines all blink in unison.  It is quite a nice place to be...and the stars at night are incredible!

That's all for now, I will be back every other day or so...perhaps with video sometime...but I have been very impressed with the artists here, and the support.  It is great to hear so many positive comments from everyone.  I am very excited for not only the near future but what my voice has in store in the long run.  And all the singers out there can attest, it is awfully difficult to be critical of yourself and enjoy the outcome.  It's one thing to do something right once, and yet another thing to repeat it.  Right now, I am so excited that something has stuck, and it is working well!

The Naked Traveler - Opera in Chicago

People have a hard time explaining the little events in life, like why watermelon or the smell of rain are so good.  In the grand scheme of things, these are the things that define how we see the world.  The large events like weddings, birthdays, and vacations are only markers in time.

For months I had known that I would be leaving for Chicago to sing at Sugar Creek Opera.  The weeks leading to it were more indefinite.  I practiced and memorized my music, not truly knowing any expectations that they would have of me.  The days before my trip were intended to be relaxing, as I was making myself more confident in my work with many hours of practice under my belt.  Then a little event changed things.  My wife’s car broke down.

Many have gone through the dilemma before, but we needed a car soon.  We only have two, and I was planning on driving to Chicago.  Her car was great: it had air conditioning (mine does not), it was small and had great gas mileage, and it had a sunroof.  On the other hand, was the fact that we spent about $2,000 on it within the last year, and it was getting up there in car years, and miles.

We decided to get a new one.  And after going to several dealerships, we found the one that we wanted.  It perfectly fits our little family – the Nissan Cube.   Of course it is funny looking, but we think it is beautiful. What we didn’t know was that it would be so difficult for us to get a loan.  We have always lived within our means, and credit was never a good thing in our eyes, especially being on the generational hind end of the stock market crash.  Who could ever have trust in the one thing that has set our generation back so far.  Nevertheless, this unfaithfulness in risk kept us from getting a decent loan.

Hours turned into days and we only had a few left to get a car before I was to leave.  An offer at 18%, an offer at 9.9%, and then the weekend.  On our last effort, we were able to get a miraculous rate of 3.9% and then turned to the dealer and completed the process.  This was all encompassing for several days ranging from great excitement to incredible humiliation that we lived a respectable and financially responsible life, which is evidently a bad thing.

our new car model

But, this meant that I would be driving to Chicago in my car - the car without air conditioning.

"Diane" - my car

It is the middle of summer and it is hot.  One of the hottest times that I can remember.  I left Kansas City at noon, with a half gallon of Gatorade.  All the windows are down in my car, and I have most everything packed in the trunk to keep it from melting or bursting into flames.  Going on the interstate with the sun beating down on the opposite side of the car wasn't too bad for the first few hours.  However, as I went further east, it became muggier and the heat index became horrifically bad - probably the highest that I've ever experienced in my life - 117 degrees.  

Well, what should a person do?  I was sweating through the Gatorade quick, and grabbed a bottle of water and drank it.  The heat was too much, yet I needed to get to Chicago.  So, I did what any man would do.  I drove in my underwear.  I'm not sure if that is indecent, but I had to do it.

I stopped a couple of times to take some allergy medicine since the blowing wind and pollen made my nose run - particularly not enjoyable when it feels like you're at the gates of hell.  Stopping in Hannibal, MO - home of Mark Twain - I threw some shorts on and ran into a gas station.  I bought another half gallon of Gatorade and my brain, with its quirky desires, talked to my stomach and beautifully conjured an idea.  I would buy frozen Pizza Pockets to eat for lunch.

I jumped back in to the car, perfectly timing my mid-driving undressing to happen while I was directly over the Mississippi River, opened the box of Pizza Pockets, took out the plastic bag containing the frozen tears of heaven, and set it on the floor mat of the passenger side directly in the sun.

I downed the half gallon of Gatorade and within 30 minutes or so, the Pizza Pockets were nice and warm - just as I was.  Of  course a gallon of anything will make you naturally take some needed breaks at least a few times, but upon the horizon my savior awaited, growing as I approached and whose canopy blocked out the sun right at dinner time.  My savior, the shade of a single thunderstorm, significantly cooled my trip, taking the inside of my car from a 70 mph blast furnace into a more comfortable 70 mph blast furnace.

I passed along the south side of it, and rounded it around to the east.  Beyond that storm lay the prettiest country you can imagine.  I took US highways to my destination, a small farm south of Chicago.  The ditches were filled with purple and yellow wildflowers, miles and miles of corn fields that smelled strongly of sweet corn as I rushed by (I was nearly crying from the pollen, but it was beautiful).  The land is nearly flat, like the Kansas farms I saw growing up, however they were so green - not the golden landscape of my home.  Perfectly white and grey farm houses and barns top the small hills in the middle of a sea of corn - no trees.  The grey-bellied, white-capped thunderstorm stood behind them to my west in the otherwise clear blue sky.  The base having a roll of clouds encircling the storm like a hula hoop with a backdrop of red and yellow rain shafts as the sun set.  And as I approached the farm, hundreds of gigantic wind turbines stood amid the farmland.  It was beautiful.  Beautifully perfect colors, everything so clean.

It was a great way to end the trip.  My host family is very gracious as well.  I immediately took a shower upon arriving.  The storm cooled the air enough to dry all my sweat, which unfortunately makes a person feel really sticky - especially the pit on the opposite side of my elbow oddly enough.  Notwithstanding any of my problems, my new home should be a peaceful place.

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Today, after a drive into town, I have my first day of coachings and have been able to meet all the people who I will work with for the next week.  I am somewhat nervous but generally excited to find new friends and to hopefully have an unforgettable experience.  My hopes are high.  I am so thankful, even after 1 gallon of Gatorade and another half gallon of water and the obviously uncomfortable near nude 8 hour journey, that I am able to do what I love.

More to come...My second coaching went really well and I have been asked to perform the agony duet with another tenor in a small concert tomorrow evening...

SCHEDULE

July 20-August 7 - Sugar Creek Opera - Daughter of the Regiment - August 4, 5, 7 - Watseka, IL (near Chicago)

August 8 - Audition - Kansas City Symphony Chorus