Opera World Mourns Loss of Prolific Composer Kim Jong Il & More Operatic Christmas Gifts

Kim Jong Il (1942-2011)
Allegedly composed six operas and wrote the world's leading guide on operatic art "Kim Jong Il - On the Art of Opera"

Kim Jong Il - toy figurine

Beethoven - statue

Kim Jong Il (Dear Leader) was one of the greatest musicians in history.  He is arguably most famous for besting Tiger Woods as the greatest golfer of all time by hitting 11 holes-in-one on his first golf outing in 1994 on North Korea's only golf course.  Obviously, the game was too easy, and he subsequently retired after his lone golf round of 38 under-par.

Dear Leader was not only the greatest golfer in history, but he was also apparently the greatest defecator as his biography claims that he indeed did not relieve himself.  As is the case in golf, I suppose he gave that up since he was so successful upon his first try.  Dear Leader also can control the weather, invented the Hamburger, roller-bladed often, and wrote over 1,500 books in four years.

Dear Leader will be missed by many.  He often quit tasks that were too easy, or that he excelled in too much. But thankfully, he found hobbies that were more challenging (aka a hobby that he was the worst at). He spent most of his life working on these things that he was not proficient in, including being a Dictator and composing operas.  Despite his slight deficiencies, the opera world lost one of the greatest composers of our time - and certainly the least known opera composer since "The Abduction of Figaro" was discovered, written by the long lost and similarly talented composer P.D.Q. Bach.

Dear Leader's book, On the Art of Opera can be downloaded by clicking here.  Perhaps you are not ready to experience a glimpse of the divine, so I will spare you the pain and supply you with small quotes from his much beloved book, which I actually read.  I warn you not read too much, as His Central Brain's (that's a real title of his) glory will radiate your mind into a glorious yellow-cake weapons-grade uranium mush.

"Opera teaches a lot about people's life and struggle. That is why everyone likes opera."

I knew everyone had to like opera, but I didn't know why until now!

"Only opera art which champions the interests of the revolution and implements Party lines can be loved by the people"

I guess I was wrong; an opera about preserving "traditional marriage", capital punishment, and dissolving arts funding IS a good idea.

"For an opera to be popular, arias and recitatives must be replaced by popular songs and orchestral music"

As one blogger put it..."oh, like Mamma Mia"...that is an awesome opera!

"Dances must only be used in important scenes"

...like Grease

"Art for art's sake is pointless"

...spoken like a true artist!

"Recitatives are difficult to sing and awkward to listen to"

 Maybe he was trying to sing the English translations in the Schirmer opera scores

 "The lyrics are the main element of a song. Songs can be good or bad, depending on their lyrics.  All the texts of songs must be written in rhyming verse"

Two hours of rhymes are never a bad thing!

"Opera is a musical art but the audience, when enjoying an opera, pays attention primarily to the sets and backdrops."

That's unfortunate...

Other phrases of a genius:

"Songs form the major component of opera"

"Composers must never seek harmony for harmony's sake." 

"There should be a theme song in an opera.  The theme song must be a masterpiece in terms of both words and music.  It must be perfect" 

"The opera singer has to sing while acting and act while singing."

"Some singers who portray such villainous characters as a landlord or policeman should perform exaggerated, superficial actions, instead of singing well."

So, goodbye Dear Leader.  I think I speak for everyone when I say that you certainly deserved nothing of what you gained.  Those of us in the opera world would like to thank you for your overwhelming gift of ridiculous prose and hope you see the same deserving fate of Don Giovanni.

Now on to a happier topic!

OPERATIC CHRISTMAS GIFT IDEAS
click here to see gifts (1-5)

6. Wagner's Ring Cycle Bracelet - Do you have trouble remembering the plot to Wagner's 15 hour-long opera cycle?  Well, now there's an easy way to follow along at operabracelets.com.  They offer bracelets that tell the plot of the opera through colored beads and charms for over twenty of your favorite operas.  And they come with a description card so you can remember all 94 plot elements (that's right, I counted all the different beads and charms) and follow along like a rosary within Wagner's cylce of Das Rheingold, Die Walküre, Siegfried, and Götterdämmerung.

7.  Look like Wotan or Brünnhilde in this Walküre (Valkyrie) knitted hat in the Met's gift shop.

8. Swarovski crystal opera glasses.  These teeny tiny opera glasses start at $300 and contain 1300 Swarovski crystals.

9. Nothing says "You're a pretentious opera nerd" like the operatic stylings of Michael Bublé.  And, nothing says "Merry Christmas" like "pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death". In his new Christmas Album, he places himself on the Mount Rushmore of horrible classical cross-over recordings, certainly not overshadowed by the beloved Susan Boyle, with one of the worst  performed versions of Schubert's Ave Maria.  And with its gloriously horrific diction, this would be a great gift to give to those opera geeks of whom you are annoyed with, want to be mean to, or want a free diction coaching from (as in their rage, they will surely dissect all of this song's atrocities - you'll be sounding like an ancient Roman in no time!).

10.  A bottle of wine. I know I was a little hard on #9, and if you actually give #9 as a gift, PLEASE give a bottle of wine to help with the anxiety.

Don Giovanni and Helicopters

I want to thank all of my friends and family who came to watch the opera this weekend.  It really means a lot to me that you made the trip to see my performance in Don Giovanni at the Conservatory.  I thought it went well, and I am excited to now have the time to begin work on other things.

For the most part, this week I will be trying to recoup from being in performance mode for so long.  Every day that I had to sing, I went through a specific routine of allergy medicine, coffee, bananas, sleeping at the same times, all to keep my voice in some kind of healthy shape.  It becomes a little neurotic at times, but it is all for the love of the art.

Thank you for all the comments about the "Lazy Person's Guide to Opera" posts last week.  I hope that you find some entertainment out of those, and hopefully I will be able to add to those in the future.  If you missed them, here are the links to the posts:

Sex and Death: A Lazy Person's Guide to Don Giovanni

A Lazy Person's Guide to Opera: Don Giovanni - Part 2

A Lazy Person's Guide to Opera: Don Giovanni - Part 3

A Lazy Person's Guide to Opera: Don Giovanni - Part 4

This week made me think a lot, not only about Don Giovanni, but opera in general and what the future of opera looks like.  I love to go to the movies and I caught myself searching for upcoming releases to see what I could be looking forward to: war movies, sequels to other movies that I like, movies from directors that I like, etc.  That lead me to think that this was probably how opera was received in Mozart's time.  I know we will never see that kind of reception for opera again, but perhaps there are some things to get excited about.

So, I did some searching online about some upcoming operas, just to see if I could feel the same excitement towards them as I do movies.  Keep in mind, that I am an opera freak, fully aware of the differences between movies and opera.  None of these have had their world premiere, but I tried to study them a little bit - this takes the place of a teaser trailer.  And in the movie critic (Roman Emporer) culture of thumbs up and down, I will set a rating system using Pavarotti Hankies and Susan Boyle - 2 Pav Hankies mean I am the most excited, 1 Pav Hankie means I am looking forward to it even though it may be weird, and a Susan Boyle means that it looks and sounds pretty strange to me.

So, here is my first review (keep in mind, this is just measuring my personal excitement - so there's nothing scientific about any of this)

Sonntag aus Licht by Stockhausen

This opera is premiering April 9 at Oper Köln (Cologne, Germany).  Out of a long list of premieres, it caught my eye because it was written by Stockhausen.  Stockhausen is one of the most important composers of the last 100 years, however he died in 2007.  So, to produce an opera after death - it is pretty intriguing.  AND, this is the last opera in a cycle of operas.  Each opera is a different day of the week - this one means "Sunday".  Stockhausen began writing the first opera (Thursday) in 1978, so this is a long work coming.  The operas are about the mythology that brought about the days of the week - gods, battles, love, and all.  Yet another exciting thing is the instrumentation and composition in the first six operas including: trumpets on rooftops (Thursday), eyebrow and nostril dances (Saturday), the first "modern orchestra" of synthesizers (Monday), the battle between Lucifer and Michael using eight loudspeakers (Tuesday), an opera for children's orchestra and children's choir (Friday), and the most odd of them all, a helicopter and string quartet - using four string instruments and four actual helicopters (Wednesday).  By the way, the whole opera cycle is about 29 hours long!

"Sunday" is the last opera of the cycle by Stockhausen.  It was finished in 2003 but this is the first time that it will be performed.  The story is about Eve and Michael, but what intrigues me are his inventive programming and orchestration choices. Scene two is called "Angel-Processions" and is written for seven choirs!  Scene four is called "Scents-Signs" and involves the release of fragrances as sort of a smell symphony.  And scene five (which I'm sure will be tortuously long) consist of a Hochzeit (a traditional Germanic musical form for the wedding celebration) for five choirs and one for five orchestras.  They perform them simultaneously in two separate auditoriums, and at various points, windows are opened to hear the other performance going on.  AND THEN, the performers switch halls and they do the whole thing again, so the audience has two different perspectives of the piece.

I am very sorry for the English speakers out there, but here is a German video about the music from the first scene that has many musical excerpts.  (I dare you to listen for longer than 15 seconds)

Ok, so for the rating.  I am not too excited about Stockhausen's music since it is pretty mathematical and not even close to tonal - the movie equivalent to a film being an hour of random color blotches instead of being a Disney animated feature.  But his ideas seem to be really neat, and I like mythology in art - it usually brings about some pretty awesome and imaginative things.  So, I will give it:

1 Pav Hankie

(It might put me to sleep, but I've never smelt music before)

Also, I have one more schedule update.  I will be performing the world premiere of "Shall I Compare Thee To A Summer's Day" by Betty Liang, an art song for marimba and tenor on April 17 at Grant Recital Hall at the Conservatory.

Last and certainly not least, THE KANSAS SENATE SUCCESSFULLY REPEALED THE GOVERNOR'S EXECUTIVE ORDER ABOLISHING THE KANSAS ARTS COMMISSION!

UPCOMING SCHEDULE

• World Premiere - "Shall I Compare Thee To A Summer's Day" by Betty Liang - 5pm, Grant Recital Hall, Kansas City, MO 4/17
• National Anthem - Kansas City Royals vs. Cleveland Indians - 4/18
• Conservatory Finale  - Poulenc Gloria (probably on my top 10 favorite pieces ever) featuring the Conservatory Choirs and Orchestra - 4/23
• National Anthem - DOE Small Business Conference & Expo - Kansas City Convention Center - 5/10
• Administrative Director of the 33rd Annual Summer Choral Institute - 6/5-11
• National Anthem - Sporting KC vs. Vancouver Whitecaps - 6/25
• Sugar Creek Opera Festival (Chicago) - role: chorus/cover, opera: Daughter of the Regiment - 7/20-8/7
• Kansas City Symphony Chorus Auditions - tba

A Lazy Person's Guide to Opera: Don Giovanni - Part 4

It's opening night.  You're surrounded by over-perfumed women, their male dates following along as some kind of prized door-opener.  "Something's wrong here," you think to yourself.  "Men acting chivalrous, women aloof.  What madness has brought indignation and petty pompousness over us?"  Don't worry my friend; they are not speaking in tongues nor is this a renaissance fair.  You are at an opera.


Perhaps some aristocrats go a little too far with the snobbery, but more likely than not, you are standing too close to the wine bar.  If you turn around, you will see the other 1500 people who are attending the opera tonight in their jeans, with their iphones, sneaking in a boxes of Raisinettes and Junior Mints.  But, there is still something separating you from experiencing the opera as these people will.  Of course you know to try not to read the supertitles the whole time, and you will remember that operas are NOT movies, and you will be a snob, but how will you socialize with these people?

Tip #4:  Speak the Best Opera BS - Lingo of the Opera Elite


So here are several situations, and I will try to help you through them.  After all, it takes a lot of work to be a lazy opera-goer, so let's go through the basics.

First of all, you must know how to correctly pronounce the opera that you are seeing.  In this case, it is Don Giovanni.  You won't fool anyone if you pronounce it (dahn jee-oh-VAH-nee).  Do not pronounce the first "i" in Giovanni.  That "i" makes the "g" soft like "j" in English.  You should pronounce the opera (dohn joh-VAH-nee).  And if you want to be really proper, put a little space between the "VAH" and "nee".  Here's an example of an Italian person saying it.

Ok, you are about to go to your seat when the star of the show (possibly your friend?) sees you.  There's a crowd queuing to have their tickets torn so they can sit down.  How can you impress them? Say "Toi, toi, toi" to the opera star (sounds like "toy, toy, toy").  All of the opera geeks around will instantly know that you are a true opera expert. But what does it mean? Well, it is like saying "Break a leg!".  There are several ideas about how it originated, but it is traditionally seen as a way to imitate an ancient Germanic superstitious ritual where someone grabs you and spits three times over your shoulder to scare away demons.  I don't know if this has anything to do with it, but "toi" sounds like the beginning of the German word for the devil - "Teufel".  Another thing you can say is "Merde" which is a French cuss word (the 'S' word) but they use it like "Break a leg".  It's really a bad thing, but it means a good thing.  Or, you can say "In bocca al lupo" (een BOH-kah ahl LOO-poh), which means "in the mouth of the wolf" in Italian.  The opera singer would respond with "crepi il lupo" or "may the wolf die".  Any of these will definitely impress the opera elite.

So, the opera begins and you want to sound intelligent to the person next to you.  After all, you are spending a few hours together, and hopefully neither of you ate onions for dinner.  You probably shouldn't talk too much, but let's say a soprano has just screamed a high note for too long and is just showing off.  You are upset, because they're making the opera even longer than it has to be.  You lean over to your neighbor and say "What a Diva" (DEE-vah) - this literally means "goddess" and many times used negatively. But, if it's the tenor or any other guy you should call him a "Divo" (DEE-voh).

If  you loved a particular Aria (Ah-ree-uh), or solo, you should applaud first by clapping.  The next level of appreciation higher is yelling "Bravo" (BRAH-voh), and if you want to sound Italian, flip the "r".  Most people don't get this right, but you should only yell "bravo" for men.  If you are cheering a woman, yell Brava (BRAH-vah), a group of female singers "Brave" (BRAH-vay), or if you are cheering either a group of men or group of men and women yell "Bravi" (BRAH-vee).  If you want to give even more applause, throw some flowers on stage at the curtain call.  But that means that you have to plan this beforehand, so it may not be very genuine unless you, for some reason, carry around flowers to throw at people you love all the time.

The orchestra is playing in the pit and that guy waving his arms under a spotlight is the Maestro (MAHY-stroh). The people on stage who don't sing in the chorus and are just there for looks are called Supernumeraries.  And don't forget from the first tip, that all of the little segments that are played by the harpsichord and where the singer is speak-singing, that is called recitative (reh-see-tuh-TEEV).  Other than that, make sure you know the main characters, and you've got yourself a pretty successful chance of being one of the best lazy opera-goers around.

I hope you all go out and enjoy an opera near you.  Tonight is opening night for UMKC's production of Don Giovanni.  I hope to see you all there - maybe you can plan to bring some throwing flowers.

A Lazy Person's Guide to Opera: Don Giovanni - Part 3

I have figured out that people who don't like opera seem to have one thing in common - they don't know anything about it.  So, I've provided a few tips on enjoying opera: (1) Try not to read the supertitles the whole time! and (2) Remember, operas are NOT movies.  With today's tip, I hope to give you the secret to why opera is fun.

Tip #3: Be a Snob! - Appreciating and Expecting the Impossible

The funnest part about opera is that it is so difficult.  Composers know this, singers know this, and now you do.  Composers wrote difficult music on purpose, singers spend months preparing and training for the most difficult moments, which are usually no more than a few seconds long.  For the audience, this is GOLD!  No matter what, it's worth getting excited about.  If the singer performs the hard parts well, it's really exciting.  And if they completely fall apart in a difficult section, we won't admit to cheering for this but it is equally exciting nonetheless.

So, why be a snob?  Well, you're not really a snob - you're a fan.  And to be a good fan, you have to know what to look and listen for.  It's just like a basketball fan in a lot of ways.  You have to know strategy and technique and you certainly have to appreciate the half court shots and big dunks.

The most important part is knowing the music.  In this case, (Don Giovanni) Mozart wrote in a very clean and perfect style that's called the Classical style, which was the style during the Classical period (1750-1830).  So, not all pretentious, artsy-fartsy music is Classical, just the music in this period.  There's nothing too confusing about Classical music, so you will have no problem understanding what can be problematic for singers: high notes, holding a note for a long time, singing a bunch of notes really fast, jumping from low notes to high notes, etc.

So, let's try it out with a few moments from Don Giovanni.

Ok, now listen for all of the high notes that she has to hold out.  Each of those takes a lot of air, and as soon as she gets a breath she has to sing another high note.  And even when you think it's over, Mozart keeps it going - how cruel.  But this is very exciting - she sings this immaculately!  What an athlete!  Trust me, her abs are getting a huge workout.

I love Bryn Terfel, but this is not one of his shining moments.  This aria keeps me on the edge of my seat to see if (1) he can get all the words out and (2) to see at what point he passes out from not breathing.  Mozart was really mean when he wrote this.  It's only a minute and a half, but he gives no chances to rest or breathe.  It gets really exciting about halfway through when it sounds like it could end soon, but instead Mozart puts in a held high note, then teases us again, and keeps giving him all kinds of leaps and a bunch of words.  So, he barely stayed alive, but I sure was excited to see if he would make it.



I have to sing this aria in our production, and I have to say it is one of the most difficult arias I've ever had to sing.  I get so nervous watching him between 1:00 and 2:00, he looks like he's about to give up or lay an egg on the high note, then he has to sing all of those pesky runs.  Once again, Mozart pushes the physical limits of the human body, but Stuart makes it through.  Not everyone makes it with this aria.

Now you should be able to go back and listen to these again and have your own opinions, but a live performance is like nothing else.  Sometimes the most glorious and virtuosic music is made and it is so exciting.  Other times, it keeps you on the edge of your seat wondering if the singer is going to make it - honestly, I prefer the former but sometimes the tough stuff is just as exciting.

I only have one more tip to give before you can be a great lazy opera-goer, and since tomorrow is opening night (even though I'm not in it), I'll try to help you through one of the most important parts of going to an opera with Tip #4: Speak the Best Opera BS - Lingo of the Opera Elite.

A Lazy Person's Guide to Opera: Don Giovanni - Part 2

Welcome back!  Yesterday's tip, Try not to read the supertitles the whole time!, was just one attempt to help the laziest of us appreciate opera without falling asleep.  Today, I'd like to help those who are so lazy that they do not want to think at all when they are entertained.  Lazy, couch potato opera-goers are bound to have a tortured evening of grumpy attitudes and numb butt cheeks, daydreams will turn into day-nightmares (daymares?) all because they didn't do a little bit of homework beforehand.

Tip #2 - Remember, operas are NOT movies!

Don't wait to be surprised! There are few car chases, explosions, computer generated dinosaurs, or talking sponges in opera. You have to know what is going to happen.

Now for those who suddenly became upset because they can't be lazy anymore and actually have to try to enjoy something - keep in mind, you do it all the time.  Unless all you need is a kaleidoscope or baby mobile to be entertained, you use your mind all the time even when you are watching TV or a movie; art just requires you to use a little more than normal.

But since we are being lazy, and we have run into the dilemma of wanting to see an opera (in this week's case Don Giovanni) here's some help - a very very very brief synopsis of the opera (there are longer ones out there, but let's not get carried away and run the risk of becoming bored).  Here are just a few background things before we begin - it is set in Seville, Spain in the 17th century, the opera is the story of Don Juan (Don Giovanni is the Italian name for Don Juan) who has slept with thousands of women, the music was written by Mozart, and there are many main characters, but to help all the lazy people, I have cut them out to help with the confusion of it all.  (And for the opera lovers out there - please forgive me, but the opera is several hours long and I can't give EVERY detail)

ACT 1
Don Giovanni loves sex.  He tries to rape a woman, but kills her father in a sword fight (the Commendatore) who was trying to save her.  Later, Giovanni runs into a crazy girl.  He's hooked-up with her before, and doesn't care for her anymore.  Giovanni then finds a couple on their wedding day and goes after the bride.  When he gets caught trying to rape her, all the main characters attack him, but he escapes when Mozart makes everyone stand and yell for five minutes.

ACT 2
Giovanni now has the hots for the crazy girl's servant.  To get to the servant, he switches clothes with his friend who lures the crazy girl away.  Giovanni and his friend deceive an angry mob and all the main characters, because they switched clothes. Afterwards, Giovanni is in a graveyard when a statue of the Commendatore comes to life and says that his death will be avenged.  Giovanni thinks it's a joke, and invites the talking statue to dinner.  At the dinner (and in our production, an orgy), the statue arrives and tells Giovanni to repent.  Giovanni doesn't, and the statue drags him to hell.

(There is actually a little "moral of the story" ending after that, but we're not doing it, and it's kind of corny anyway, so we'll just skip that part.)

There you go.  Now you have a very brief idea of what to expect.  Since I spoiled the story for you, you don't need to read all the supertitles and you can spend time enjoying the music and watching the sex scenes and deaths. I know it is difficult and painful to learn new things, and that is no different for an opera lover, but tomorrow I will let you in on a little secret that us opera folk have figured out: Tip #3 - Be a Snob! - Appreciating and Expecting the Impossible.


And for some extra practice in opera-going, I hope you will attend our production of Don Giovanni at the UMKC Conservatory, Thursday March 17-20, 2011!

Sex and Death - A Lazy Person's Guide to Don Giovanni

It's performance week for Don Giovanni!  I am very excited to perform my first opera with the Conservatory this week.  Tickets are only $13, and it will be full of sex, violence, Italian words, really old music, Tim Burton-esque designs, supertitles, and hopefully a few laughs. So, if you are interested and are in the Kansas City area, please visit us.  Like I mentioned last week, the opera is double cast, so I will only be performing on Friday at 7:30 and Sunday at 2:30 at White Recital Hall on the campus of UMKC.

Because it is a special week for me, it will be a little different for my World of Opera blog.  Every day this week, I will have a special something about Don Giovanni.  So please check back every evening for a little entertainment and some insight into what this opera is all about.

Today's post:
SEX AND DEATH - A LAZY PERSON'S GUIDE TO DON GIOVANNI

Ok, so I understand.  You don't know Italian, you don't like to read, and you think three hours of classical music can get a little too boring.  I get it, you're lazy.  I'm here to help you out though.

Tip #1 - Try not to read the supertitles the whole time! (supertitles are like subtitles in movies, but appear above the stage in operas)

I know the opera is in Italian and you want to know what is happening.  Go ahead and glance up there a few times, but for goodness sake, if you find yourself reading the whole time, you are on a dark and torturous path towards the worst kinds of sleep - the kind often experienced in high school statistics class and ends with an embarrassing snore or drool.  Reading the libretto, line by line, slowly over three hours is something you can avoid simply by understanding the plot and knowing when to look up at the supertitles.  First, you have to understand how the opera is set up.  Mozart's music is REALLY old and it follows a pretty strict form.  There are recitatives and arias or choruses.  The recitatives (or recits) are where most of the action occurs.  You should probably read the recit supertitles so you know the little details in the story.  Recits kind of sound like spoken dialogue, and it has very little accompaniment.  Pretty much any time that there isn't an aria or chorus (any time that there isn't a lot of music going on) that's a good time to read the supertitles.  As for the arias and choruses - don't feel like you have to read the supertitles all the time.  Most of the time, not much is going to happen: a singer sings "I love you" in about twelve different ways, and the other person sings "It's not you, it's me" twelve different ways.  For these moments, go ahead and watch and enjoy the beautiful music, sword fights, sex scenes, descents into hell, etc.  That's the fun part of the opera.  Let's have some practice:

Come back tomorrow evening for tip #2: Remember, Operas are NOT Movies, which will include a two paragraph lazy person's synopsis of Don Giovanni.

As for the arts crisis in Kansas, the state Senate is voting on Wednesday at 2:30 to repeal the executive order by Governor Brownback, which eliminated public funding for the arts in Kansas.  Please visit the Kansas Arts Council website to see what you can do to help in a last minute push to help overturn the order.

Also, Happy Birthday to the late Albert Einstein - one of the greatest minds in human history, and whose birthday happens to fall on Pi day (3/14 - Pi is about 3.14).  And a small unrelated note to those wanting a recording of the Monteverdi Vespers, you should hear from me later this week.  I had more people interested than I expected - sorry for the delay.

Like every week, I have some schedule additions again.  I will be performing the Star Spangled Banner at the Kansas City Royals baseball game on April 18 at 7:10 PM versus the Cleveland Indians and I will be performing the Star Spangled Banner and O Canada for Sporting KC's soccer game on June 25 at 7:30 PM versus the Vancouver Whitecaps in the beautiful and brand new soccer stadium in Kansas City.  I am a HUGE Major League Soccer fan, and I am really excited and honored to perform in only the 3rd game in their new stadium and being the first to sing Canada's National Anthem in the stadium, which will be broadcast nation-wide in Canada.

New Sporting KC Stadium

UPCOMING SCHEDULE

• Don Giovanni (Don Ottavio)- Conservatory Opera - 3/18 & 20
• Wichita Symphony Orchestra Naftzger Young Artist Auditions - 4/2-3
• National Anthem - Kansas City Royals vs. Cleveland Indians - 4/18
• Conservatory Finale  - Poulenc Gloria (probably on my top 10 favorite pieces ever) featuring the Conservatory Choirs and Orchestra - 4/23
• National Anthem - DOE Small Business Conference & Expo - Kansas City Convention Center - 5/10
• Administrative Director of the 33rd Annual Summer Choral Institute - 6/5-11
• National Anthem - Sporting KC vs. Vancouver Whitecaps - 6/25
• Sugar Creek Opera Festival (Chicago) - role: tba, opera: Daughter of the Regiment, maybe Little Women as well - 7/20-8/7
• Kansas City Symphony Chorus Auditions - tba

March Madness

What an exciting time.  Don Giovanni is opening next week at the Conservatory and I should be hearing back about my audition with the Lyric Opera of Kansas City soon - it seems like I am constantly looking forward to something. Even if there is bad news, there seems to always be something to get excited about.

The Conservatory opera, Don Giovanni, will open next Thursday and I am very excited for it.  Our preparation has been stellar - I am still trying to get used to the level of proficiency that is expected.  I am very excited that there is always someone trying to push me further.  On the other hand, it can get mentally draining at times.  I have learned so much about dealing with these situations, and if anything, it has made me take time to appreciate when I can relax, because they mean business here.  Hopefully, I haven't had too many "tenor" moments to make anyone frustrated.  I feel bad for my wife who will one day have to deal with both my "tenor" moments and "senior" moments (she probably already does deal with that).

The opera is double cast, which means that there are two complete casts.  I will be performing on Friday, March 18 and Sunday, March 20.  As part of the role of Don Ottavio, I am singing two arias (in addition to many recitatives and ensembles) that will hopefully be amazing - one of them is legitimately one of the most difficult things that I have ever had to sing.  I will give lots of information next week on that.

Also, I had my costume fitting.  We have been having a difficult time with costuming and other aspects of the production for various reasons and I won't go in to those details, but it was the location of the costume fittings that was a surprise.  The costume department is in the Kansas City Underground.  Literally right underneath downtown Kansas City there is a giant abandoned salt mine with hundreds of businesses.  You can drive right down into it from 31st street and it is HUGE.  It is a very daunting drive though - definitely not for the claustrophobic

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Last Saturday, I was the tenor soloist for a production of Haydn's Lord Nelson Mass, with a 200 person choir and orchestra.  But what really blew me away was the venue.  It is one of the largest churches that I have been to in this part of the country.  It was in Independence, MO at the world denominational headquarters for the Community of Christ.  There are two venues there, the auditorium - which on the outside looks like a mix between New York's Grand Central Station and Basketball Arena (enormous to say the least).  And the temple, which I posted a picture of last week.  It was probably one of the very best performing venues I know of or have ever performed in.  It was spectacular with a giant spiral-cone roof (I later found out that you can walk an enormous spiral staircase to the top!).  To put it another way, it was like there were two capital buildings across the street from each other.

I have a secret passion for architecture, but I will spare you the nerdy-ness of that for now.  As far as the concert was concerned, it went very very well.  The orchestra was incredible and the choir was so vibrant and energetic.  It really is an exciting piece with war marches and large choral blocks of sound that can't help but send goose bumps down your body.  I had a brief "freak-out" moment however.  In a small quartet section, I breathed in and the back of my throat dried up very fast.  I needed to cough really loud, but forced myself to fake a couple of words until it subsided.  I have never had something like that happen before.  Luckily it wasn't a solo line and it happened at a point that other voices and the orchestra were doubling what I was singing.  Nevertheless, it was scary - and it kept my blood pumping at a nice rate for the rest of the piece.

Also, this week I received the recording of the Monteverdi Vesper's Concert from last December with a chamber group made up of members from several ensembles including the St. Louis and Kansas City Symphonies.  I practically had solos in every moment (except the two all female movements).  I have put together some highlights of my solos from the piece (these are just some of the things that I did, there are many more awesome choral movements that aren't featured here - if that's what you're in to).  If you are interested in getting a complete recording, please shoot me an email at bryanpinkall@gmail.com.  Remember this is REALLY old music - 400 years old - and the style and ornaments are weird at times, with weird instruments.  Hopefully you will find it interesting.  We spent a lot of time trying to figure out some of these performance techniques.  Another interesting part was that the singers move during the piece to different parts of the church and sing from different areas giving echo effects and other exciting elements.  You should be able to tell in the recording what a difference it makes.  I find it really interesting and exciting!  Enjoy!

Another schedule addition (sort of).  I will have a short solo in the Poulenc Gloria concert in April.  This is one of my favorite pieces of all time.  And I have just learned that the Royals wanted me to perform the US and Canadian National Anthem for the Toronto series.  Unfortunately, it already conflicts with SCI in June.  Hopefully, I will be able to sing another time.

UPCOMING SCHEDULE

• Don Giovanni (Don Ottavio)- Conservatory Opera - 3/18 & 20
• Wichita Symphony Orchestra Naftzger Young Artist Auditions - 4/2-3
• Conservatory Finale  - Poulenc Gloria (probably on my top 10 favorite pieces ever) featuring the Conservatory Choirs and Orchestra - 4/23
• National Anthem - DOE Small Business Conference & Expo - Kansas City Convention Center - 5/10
• Administrative Director of the 33rd Annual Summer Choral Institute - 6/5-11
• Sugar Creek Opera Festival (Chicago) - role: tba, opera: Daughter of the Regiment, maybe Little Women as well - 7/20-8/7
• Kansas City Symphony Chorus Auditions - tba

Top 10 Musical American Presidents (and other stuff)

Well, if I'm counting correctly, I'm in the middle of my twenty-first consecutive year in public school, and I am completely ashamed that I missed one the few sacred opportunities to sleep in on a school day.  After over 200 college credit hours, I still fail to read the syllabus to see that we do not have class on President's Day.  Oh, what could have been!

When life gives you lemons (or when ineptitude gives you lemons) make lemonade! And so in that spirit, last week we celebrated the historical anomalies of the canonized, and this week, I would like to celebrate our greatest Presidents, but this list will be configured not by their historical importance, but purely based on their musical taste and talents.

OUR GREATEST PRESIDENTS (based purely on musical talent)
10. Dwight Eisenhower - Although not necessarily musically talented, he had an ear for the divine.  He released an album during his last term in office that was filled with the music he loved including pieces by Bach, Strauss, Verdi, and Gershwin.
9. John Quincy Adams - He would have been higher on the list if he played anything other than the flute.  Guys just don't look good playing the flute - how embarrassing!
8. Bill Clinton - He also released two albums featuring the music he loves most - albeit less intellectual than Eisenhower - but he moves up the list because he plays the saxophone.
7. Chester Arthur - Even though he was president for only a few months after the assassination of President Garfield, Arthur should be considered one of the greatest presidents, because he played the most "American" of instruments - the banjo.
6. Woodrow Wilson - What can top the banjo?  Well, a more difficult instrument.  Wilson played the violin.
5. Harry Truman - Now we are getting to the true cream of the crop of presidents.  Truman was an accomplished pianist and frequently played Mozart, Beethoven, and Chopin for visiting heads of state.
4. Richard Nixon - Now keep an open mind here, but Nixon was certainly one of the greatest presidents for two reasons: (1) He was an accomplished pianist and composer and (2) he played the accordion.  He would have been a perfect guest artist for The Lawrence Welk Show.
3. Thomas Jefferson - A true musician, Jefferson played the cello, violin, and clavichord, loved the up-and-coming Haydn, and declared that music "is the favorite passion of my soul".
2. Warren Harding - Harding was said to have played every instrument besides the trombone and clarinet.  Obviously, he or his historian is being very cocky, so I cannot give him the top spot, and realistically, there is no way that he could have played EVERY instrument and somehow miss the incredibly common trombone and clarinet (which are incredibly similar to many other instruments).  So, Harding is dropped to #2 for lying.
1. Franklin Roosevelt - Certainly the greatest president of all time, not for his courageous leadership through the Great Depression or World War II, but because he could play the organ.  I have awarded him the #1 spot based purely on intrigue.  As we all know, Roosevelt suffered from polio, which left him paralyzed from the waste down.  And we all know that to play the organ, you have to use your feet to play the pedal keyboard.  So, until I hear otherwise, I find this EXTRAORDINARY and he's certainly worthy of being our greatest president.

HONORABLE MENTION
Abraham Lincoln - He enjoyed opera and the new American music of Gottschalk, but his favorite tune was "Dixie".  I don't understand how this was not a conflict of interest, plus "The Battle Hymn of the Republic" is MUCH better than Dixie.  Can you imagine Lincoln singing "I wish I was in Dixie, Hooray! Hooray!"?
Barack Obama - He has opera on his ipod, but has much more rap.  And since I'm making this list, there's a substantial penalty for liking rap.

MONUMENTALLY MISSING THE LIST
John F. Kennedy - He was not a music lover, even though his wife was.  In an interview, Jackie answered for her husband saying that his favorite song was "Greensleeves".  Once again, I cannot take you seriously if your favorite song is Greensleeves, Pachelbel's Canon, rap, or anything requiring you to say that the best part is the "beat".
George H.W. Bush - Frankly, this comment is wrong in many ways:  "When I need a little advice about Saddam Hussein, I turn to Country Music." - George H.W. Bush from 1991

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This week should be very exciting!  Tomorrow evening I will be singing in the Conservatory Singers choir concert at a beautiful church in town (more information at the end of the blog).  We will be preforming a Bach cantata among other liturgical pieces, including one of the most difficult pieces I've ever had to sing: Arvo Paart's De profundis.  I have sung his music before, but he is a modern Minimalist composer.  His music is very chant-like, slow, and meditative - but this piece is substantially difficult because of virtually 10 minutes of singing a high E to high B (this is the very top of my range - and to do it for so long is incredibly difficult).  It should be a great concert for any liturgical choral music lover.  And, by the way, can you imagine what Bach's church must have been like?  The music is so intellectual, his musicians were probably some of the best musicians of their day.  There is something very gratifying about singing Bach because it does require so much of my mind to determine what is going on and how I am part of the mix.  There are so many details, that just performing to the best of my ability, I feel very accomplished.  To me, and to most classical musicians I think, this is much more fulfilling than plugging in the electric guitar and belting away, because the music itself rewards perfection.

Also, this Saturday I will be auditioning for the Lyric Opera of Kansas City.  Their next season is their first in the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts, and I would do just about anything to be a part of their season. I will be auditioning for the apprentice program, comprimario roles, and the chorus.  I am so excited!!

Also, I found out this week that the Lord Nelson Mass by Haydn that I will be singing the tenor solos in will be performed with choir AND orchestra.  So, if you like loud sounds and/or appreciate Thomas Jefferson's taste in music, you should plan on attending (more information at the end of the blog).

Opera rehearsals are still in full swing.  I'm learning the art of being a weak man (go ahead, laugh)...  Very honestly, it has been very difficult (again, I'll wait until you're done laughing).  But, even though being a man that sings the very highest parts, who is also a little too skinny and still looks like a boy, I have a difficult time not getting emotionally involved (ugh, I'm not saying I need to cry or anything like that).  Oh goodness, this is a very self-degrading and emasculating paragraph, but my role in the opera is to play a weak young man (Don Ottavio) who is going after a powerful woman (Donna Anna) who is being wooed by a murderer and rapist (Don Giovanni).  Giovanni kills Donna Anna's father at the beginning of the opera, and Donna Anna wants my character, Don Ottavio, to seek revenge and kill Giovanni.  I of course am scared and actually in disbelief that Giovanni actually killed her father.  Anyway, throughout the opera, I have to let Donna Anna be more controlling in the relationship, and as an actor, I have to keep myself from being mad.  I am REALLY good at being mad - thanks to my relationship with sports - so it is hard to suppress this.  Not to mention the difficulty of relaxing my wrists when I'm using my sword in my arias (believe it or not, it actually is very difficult). --What an embarrassing paragraph! Let's just stop right here.  Here is a link to a Washington Post article someone just sent to me describing the oddities and challenges of acting in opera. If you have the time, it is a great read especially for aspiring singers and performers.

Finally, to give you an update on the arts situation in Kansas, a House sub-committee voted to repeal the Governor's order to abolish the state's public arts organization the Kansas Arts Commission, but the full committee voted to retail it.  Hopefully the Senate will abolish the act for good, but there are still many people out there, even arts enthusiasts, who are misinformed and politically motivated.  Please visit the Kansas Art's Commission site to find out how you can help, and as always please visit and attend your local arts and music events.  This week I visited the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art and spent two and a half hours just on the first floor!  I saw paintings by Picasso, Degas, Monet, Dali, and almost every famous painter you can think of.  They also had an Ancient Egypt exhibit with a mummy!  I will definitely be going back to see the second floor and their modern art galleries. But the coolest things are the giant shuttlecocks on the lawn.

UPCOMING SCHEDULE

• Conservatory Singers Concert of Bach Cantata No. 4 "Christ lag in Todesbanden" - 2/22 7:30pm Village Presbyterian Church, Prairie Village, KS
• Kansas City Lyric Opera Auditions - 2/26
• Tenor Soloist - Lord Nelson Mass by Haydn - Operation Breakthrough Benefit Concert at the Community of Christ Temple in Independence (where Jan Kraybill is the Principal Musician - she's one of my favorite people in the whole world) - 3/5 7:30pm
• Don Giovanni - Conservatory Opera - 3/17-20
• Wichita Symphony Orchestra Naftzger Young Artist Auditions - 4/2-3
• Conservatory Finale  - Poulenc Gloria (probably on my top 10 favorite pieces ever) featuring the Conservatory Choirs and Orchestra - 4/23
• Administrative Director of the 33rd Annual Summer Choral Institute - 6/5-11
• Sugar Creek Opera Festival (Chicago) - role: tba, opera: Daughter of the Regiment, maybe Little Women as well - 7/20-8/7
• Kansas City Symphony Chorus Auditions - tba