Ceremonial Music 101: So, the Pope resigned...

February has come to an end, and there are several very exciting moments on the horizon.  As many of you know, I have an obsession with ceremonial music and one of the biggest world events of the year will occur next month in Rome.

Pope Benedict XVI has resigned, but we can look forward to some awesome ceremonial music within the election of his successor.  Benedict is the first Pope since 1415 to resign, and interestingly of the 265 Popes in history, only 9 have resigned and 3 of them have been named Benedict.  One of these, Benedict IX (1012-1056) has an incredible history.  He was elected Pope as a teenager - he was from a powerful family that produced 7 popes!  Famously, he was the first actively homosexual pope, and even more amazing, he was pope 3 times.  He was eventually removed by force twice and but initially was convinced to resign by selling the papacy to his godfather, becoming the only Pope to sell the papacy.

Believe it or not, this is Pope Benedict XVI with the last pope to resign voluntarily, Pope Celestine V in 1294!

Nevertheless, this rare event brings with it some exciting and ancient traditions that display some of the greatest musical gems in history.

So here is what to expect

Interregnum - this is the time between popes.  Obviously, since Benedict XVI hasn't died, then there will not be the normal funeral that has preceded most papal elections, so for that matter I won't bother you with the music details of that.  Instead this period will be highlighted by the soon-to-begin Conclave, which must begin within 21 days of the vacancy.  They will begin the Conclave with a morning Votive Mass for the Election of the Pope.  The music for the mass will be performed by the Schola cantorum or the papal choir using the old Gregorian chant originating from the 8th Century A.D.

Unfortunately for many music history professors (and the Catholic Encyclopedia) who teach this incorrectly, Gregorian chant was not created by Pope Gregory the Great (590-604), but actually was a melding of several different chant traditions commissioned by the Carolingian Family in the 8th Century.  Charlemagne was a member of this family and once he became Holy Roman Emperor, this Gregorian chant spread throughout the Christian world and is still the basis for the most solemn masses of the Catholic Church.

For Catholics out there, because it is Lent (the period that leads up to Easter), you will not sing the "Gloria" in the mass, because it is banned if the priests wear purple vestments.  The Votive Mass for the Election of the Pope is one of the only times that the Catholic Church performs the Gloria during Lent as the vestments are red.  Here is the version performed at the papal conclave:

After the votive mass in St. Peter's Basilica, they will process to the Sistine Chapel to the chant Veni Creator Spiritus or Come Creator Spirit.  This 1,100-year-old hymn always begins the Papal Conclave:



The Vote - The College of Cardinals then vote by secret ballot and whoever receives a super-majority (more than 2/3rds of the vote) is elected Pope.  The ballots are then burned and white smoke billows out of the chimney for the public to see.  If no pope has been elected after a vote, a chemical is added to the ballots and the smoke appears black.

Sistine Chapel 

The Inauguration - At the Inauguration Mass of the Pope, he will receive his ring and pallium (a band of cloth around his neck).  All the Cardinals enter from the tomb of the first pope, the Apostle Peter, in St. Peter's Basilica and then parade out to the crowd of thousands in St. Peter's Square, while chanting the Litany of Saints - a short repetitive chant asking an enormous list of saints for their help and guidance.

St. Peter's Basilica

Altar in St. Peter's Basilica

The mass is chanted and special anthems and ancient hymns are performed   One exception to this great collection Roman Catholic music history is the recessional which in Benedict XVI's case was the unfortunate choice of Bach's Toccata and Fugue in D minor!  The oddest part isn't that he programmed a Lutheran's music for a Papal Inauguration, and I don't mean to give any disrespect, because it is a beautiful musical decision.  But, amid the American media clamoring and showing pictures when he was in the Hitler Youth and serving in the Nazi Air Force Reserve, perhaps a less angry Bach selection would have been sufficient?

THIS IS THE ENTIRE INAUGURATION - BUT FAST FORWARD TO 2:54:00 FOR THE "SCARY" ENDING

The Enthronement - The Enthronement is a mass celebrated at the Archbasilica of St. John Lateran, where the actual throne, or cathedra, of the Pope rests.  The Basilica of St. Peter is not the most important church in Catholicism, rather it is the nearby Archbasilica that holds the title of the highest ranking church.  Musically, there is one very interesting part of the Enthronement that has left a rather embarrassing mark. The original throne was called stercoraria and made of red marble. It was named that after the anthem that is performed during the Enthronement called "De stercore erigens pauperem" meaning "lifting up the poor out of the dunghill."

The Papal Cathdra (throne) at St. John Lateran

The Coronation - I will be very interested and excited to see if this happens, because no pope has had a Coronation since Pope Paul VI in 1963.  It was a tradition held for nearly 800 years and it involves some very interesting traditions and music.  The Coronation would begin at St. Peter's with a blast of specifically silver trumpets playing Gounod's Himno Pontificio as hundreds of priests, bishops, and cardinals enter down the center aisle and following them the new pope is carried down the center aisle wearing no less than 8 robes on a platform chair surrounded by the Swiss Guard and large fans of feathers!  Meanwhile a long chant of various psalms called the terce is sung.  As the pope is carried on his chair, he is stopped 3 times and a bundle of weeds is burned before his feet, and the procession continues.  The long chant is still sung while all the pope's robes are taken off at the altar so he can wash his hands.  Then 8 other robes are placed on him along with gloves, ring, and hat (Mitre).  Keep in mind the chant is still continuing while all 120 Cardinals individually kneel and kiss the pope's ring one at a time, and finally the procession and the chant is finished.  Poor musicians!

The Pope carried during the Coronation

For musicians, the Coronation is very exciting because it has featured the same mass setting since the 16th Century, and one of the most famous pieces of Renaissance music, Palestrina's Pope Marcellus Mass.  Here is an excerpt of the Sanctus.

The entire ceremony is completely filled with music and the grandest ancient gems in music history - even the readings from the Bible were sung and all the prayers were sung.  During the preparation for communion, the Silveri Symphony was performed by a choir of trumpets.  The highlight of the Coronation was the crowning of the Papal Tiara to the words: "Receive the tiara adorned with three crowns and know that thou art father of princes and kings, the ruler of the world on earth, the vicar of our Savior Jesus Christ, to whom is honor and glory through all ages"

Obviously, being crowned Ruler of the World has its problems in this modern era and the Coronation hasn't been performed in 50 years, but as a musician, it would be great to see a massive event like this only so we can have a better record of its tradition in this modern era.  Only 3 have ever been filmed.

The gigantic papal tiara

If you want to learn more about Ceremonial Music, browse my past projects on the Olympics and other ceremonies right here on my blog!

GRAMMY Videos coming soon!

Be sure to check back in the following days for two episodes of my blog coverage of the GRAMMY's including video of us going crazy after our victories, video of the red carpet, and video from the after parties.

IT'S GRAMMY WEEK

See below for a Photo Plot of "How the Camel Got Its Hump"

I am ultimately excited for this week for a couple of reasons - I will be attending the Grammy's and hoping the Chorale can take back some hardware, but mainly for the chance at an actual vacation!  I have had to travel quite often in the past, but it is always stressful and "business" related.  This time, I will be able to enjoy life!  Thank you to everyone who have helped us out so we can attend and dress like belong; we are so thankful for you!

I will be providing a lot of updates (hopefully) via facebook mostly through pictures.  If you are interested in following, my profile is facebook.com/pinkall

Of the several events planned for the weekend, I will be attending a rooftop cocktail at sunset in downtown LA on Saturday with a record company.  Then on Sunday, I will attend the GRAMMY Pre-telecast Awards Ceremony and Reception, the Red Carpet, the Primetime GRAMMY Awards Ceremony, and Wolfgang Puck's GRAMMY Celebration Afterparty.  You can follow all of these events live at http://www.grammy.com/live this Sunday starting at Noon O'clock Pacific Time.

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As for other news this week, our neighbors had a kitchen fire, burning-up their microwave oven, and filling our place with the most vile and bitter smoke.  Unfortunately, this directly led to my sinuses becoming unbearably packed with gunk.  I normally would not mind, but I had a voice competition the following day.  I nearly cancelled, but I have never cancelled in the past and I didn't want to break that record even though I had a tough, up-hill battle.  So what were my strategies to overcome my smoke damaged voice?

1. I warmed up two pots of hot water with my coffee maker and drank it all - this is a trick I learned after traveling often and having to sing on the same day as your flight arrives.  Many times plane flights can dry out your vocal chords due to the environment in the plane cabin, so lots of warm water is a great remedy for many voice ailments.

2. Don't over-practice.  It's tough to keep yourself from warming-up if you're in bad voice, but if your voice is swollen, using it too forcefully can cause more friction and damage your voice even further.  Warm-up soft and very slow, while drinking all that warm water!

3. Blow your nose! This goes for everyone who sniffles at all.  If you are a singer and sniff up your snot every time it drains, you are just packing gunk in your sinuses where you need air to vibrate when you sing, plus you can inflame your throat if you swallow and cough up all that mucous.  Sniffling may be an habitual problem for some people, but blowing your nose will help you breathe easier, give you an easier and more resonant production of sound, and make it more enjoyable to sing.

As for the result of the competition, well, I was pleased that I was physically and vocally able to complete the audition.  It went better than I expected - I didn't win, but I tried as best as I could given the circumstances.

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And now for your amusement, here is a Photo Plot from the opera for children that I was in "How the Camel Got Its Hump" by Leah Pulatie

The lovely "orchestra" begins the Overture

Prologue - Royce wants us to act out his favorite story, "How the Camel Got Its Hump"

The Ox, Horse, and Dog have to work hard at the beginning of the world and the Camel isn't helping!

The Animals plead with the Camel to help out

"It isn't fair, Camel, that you aren't helping us out and we're doing all the work"

The Horse has an idea - to ask the Camel nicely

The Horse pleads with the Camel to help - but the Camel ignores everyone saying only, "Humph"

The Horse has an idea - to go to the Man for help

The Animals bring a formal complaint to the Man about the Camel

The Animals plead with the Man to help

The Animals make a formal complaint to the Man that it isn't fair for the Camel to be lazy

The Animals pout because the Man won't bother helping

The Camel, who only says "Humph," protests any work - he even finds going on strike to be too much work!! - but he sure feels lonely and would like some friends

The Ox hears a strange sound...it might be a genie!

The Animals summon the genie

The Animals summon the magical Djinn of the desert to help

The Animals summon the magical Djinn

The Djinn, a genie, has appeared!!

The Djinn performs magic tricks

The Animals plead their case to the Djinn

The Djinn will help out the Animals!!!

The Animals find and capture the Camel in the audience

The Camel is captured by the Animals and the Djinn

The Djinn of the Desert helps the Animals and gives the Camel a giant hump

The Camel gets his hump!

Ox teaches Camel how to work

The Camel decides to help out his new friends with his new hump

Finale     

Lesson - You'll get the Cameelious Hump if you don't lend a hand!

Finale

Curtain Call    

Excitement!

Life sure has its means of pushing you along.  I remember growing up, my dad asking me "what's wrong," and in the likely case of responding "I'm bored," he would say, "well, do something."  Now to be fair, my brother complained about being bored more often than I did, but I would just sit around depressed wondering why I didn't have something to look forward to.  One thing always leads to another, and we somehow ended up in time-out for fighting.  Boredom = Trouble.  Even today, when I get bored, I immediately find something to do.  This unfortunate compulsion has led to many months of performances, the stressful completion of my doctoral exams, and several seasons of Mad Men on Netflix.

The latter end of 2012 was definitely the most stressful and least boring of my life, and now after a long month off, I am back to furiously not being bored.  Last week, as you may recall, I performed in a children's opera, "How the Camel Got Its Hump".  It was a terrifically cute production, and most importantly the kids loved it!  Essentially, we told the Rudyard Kipling story in a 35 minute opera, where we opened a giant toy box and played "Make Believe."

I'm a sad Horse because the Camel won't help the other animals with their daily chores

Now that it is finished, my days are becoming increasingly involved in accomplishing other goals.  I have been furiously applying for jobs at colleges and universities all over the place.  I am preparing for a recital and several major Bach-related solo performances.  And yesterday, I was asked by the Kansas City Symphony to perform on six educational concerts, similar to what I did last year, starting in April!  I always love a chance to perform with the Symphony and in Helzberg Hall.  Amazingly, I will perform at Helzberg Hall 10 times in a span of only 4 weeks!

I also was invited back to perform and record with the Simon Carrington Chamber Singers in June.  It was an amazing experience last year, our next album will be released in the Summer, and I cannot wait to perform again with some of the area's best singers and with one of the world's great minds for choral music!

If that wasn't exciting enough, I and several other Kansas City Chorale members had a Skype session with our managing agent about the Grammy's next week (I can't believe it's already so close!).  It is an interesting and exciting experience as we received our red carpet schedules, press releases, a list of talking points for interviews, and the list goes on.  It will certainly be unforgettable and I will have LOTS of updates on my facebook page - www.facebook.com/pinkall - as well as on this blog.

BUT that isn't even the most exciting and certainly not the most unexpected news lately - the most unexpected news being that I stepped ankle deep, both feet, socks, and shoes, in wet cement.  The most exciting news is that I had an interview this morning with the Organizing Committee for the Olympic Games via Skype from Moscow!  I applied in August for a leadership or Director position within the area of Ceremony Music and Protocol for the next Olympics in Sochi, Russia. They are the Winter Olympics of course - but it is a somewhat unknown location to people on this side of the pond.  Sochi is on the coast of the Black Sea and even in winter it is warm and green with palm trees and all.  Many of the outdoor events will take place on the slopes of the adjacent mountain ranges while the indoor events and ceremonies will be held in the beautiful coastal resort city.

The interviewer was efficient and asked questions from "Why do you want to be a part of the Olympic Games?" to "Describe a time where you went beyond what was asked to complete a task."  The group interviewing me was in Moscow, which meant that I was awake VERY early this morning to catch them during work hours.  I was very happy and excited to take part, so some of my answers were...well, I could have given infinitely long answers on some topics.  They wanted to know my organizational habits, accomplishments, skills, thought processes, and even what makes me angry.  They even paused to find some quite specific supplemental questions to ask including, "Have you ever performed in front of large masses of people?", "Are you afraid of large masses of people?", "Are you afraid of heights?", and "Have you been a part of a large scale production or media event?"  I have had many great experiences in the recent past and have a working knowledge of what they are needing.  Hopefully, they will want me on board.  I thought the interview went really well, I thought they were very interested in my responses, and I'm very excited and anxious to hear back from them.

With so much excitement and so many things to look forward to, I shouldn't get into any trouble anytime soon!

Inaugural Review, Camels, and the Grammy's

As much of the world spent today, the day of the 57th Presidential Inauguration, at work or if they are lucky, at home watching TV, I spent it trotting around like a horse in rehearsals for the premiere performance of "How the Camel Got His Hump", an opera for children based on the Rudyard Kipling story.  It is incredibly cute and I hope to get some funny pictures of us all: Camel, Ox, Dog, Genie, and a Man.  Of course the Man doesn't have much of a crazy costume, but everyone else is dressed up as their characters as if we are all kids pretending to be these animals.  We grab our props from a toy box and hopefully, our audience of kids will feel like we are pretending right along with them!

Likely the most impressive feat of our performance is that most of us have learned and memorized the opera within just a few days!  It's a little embarrassing to admit our collective (and personal) procrastination, but if you step back, that's pretty good work for a small group of singers and honestly, if there are any teenage singers out there who read this and can't memorize their 3.5 minute long piece after 2 months of practice - it's not that languages are difficult, it's probably because you are great at procrastination and haven't practiced memorizing lately.  I procrastinate more than I should (as do most teachers and singers), but it takes an efficient person to make a busy performing schedule work.  You better learn how to memorize quickly!

Anyway, stepping off my high horse and on to another much higher horse, four years ago we saw some incredibly influential musical moments in the Inauguration of the first African-American President of the United States.  First, Aretha Franklin sang "My Country, 'Tis of Thee" in a rather mediocre attempt, though important example of the influence of jazz on western music, further giving it to the British as this "American" tune is actually the tune to the National Anthem of the United Kingdom, " God Save the Queen."

Without the help of an awesome hat, Kelly Clarkson took the honor of singing this great American song and did so with great freedom.  The arrangement was somewhat bland, but Clarkson managed to sing the song without screaming too much...something that I often complain about when it comes to her recordings.  So, congratulations Kelly, and I was most thankful that she kept her embellishments simple.  It seems backward, but the simpler one sings in the non-dramatic sections, the more dramatic the high belting becomes.  Many people don't realize that there is a formula to get that "wow" factor...don't just sing, think and sing.



My biggest complaint was that of the "Battle Hymn of the Republic" performed by the Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir.  Perhaps President Obama enjoyed the piece, and while the singers displayed better vocal acuity and intelligence than the Mormon variety of tabernacle choirs, and even if I selectively forget their vomiting of "Hallelu-JUH" as most high school choir teachers would correct on the first day, the arrangement was corny and predictable - not unlike a routine from a Disney on Ice Spectacular from the late 1980s.  So, good job Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir but I give no props to the arranger of the piece.

And now to the best moments of the last two Inaugurals.  From 2009, John Williams' "Air and Simple Gifts" was performed by Yo-Yo Ma, Itzhak Perlman, Gabriela Montero, and Anthony McGill.  Actually it was a fake performance since it was too cold to perform live - it was too risky for the stringed instruments.  Nevertheless, it was the first classical quartet ever to be performed at an Inauguration and it payed homage to the creator the "American" quartal harmonies and Shaker tune associated with Aaron Copland, one of the greatest Nationalist composers of Americana.



Believe it or not, I have not been drinking and I intend to give my biggest praise to someone singing the National Anthem NOT in the classical style, but in our crazy virtuosic pop/jazz style.  Beyonce provided a stellar performance at today's Inauguration.  Her version of the National Anthem exhibited great vocal technique and variety, showing great freedom at times, and most importantly demonstrating her vocal prowess.  Her voice is healthier than Whitney Houston's was and showed the virtuosity and musical intelligence of Ella Fitzgerald.  I can only hope that her delicate style would take the place of the belty screams of most female popular singers of today's recording artists.  I can assure you of this however, Beyonce's career will last longer than most because of her technique  I have a feeling that when I go to the Grammy's in a couple weeks that I will witness several singers who should take the time to learn a thing or two from her.



Lastly, my wife and I are gearing up for the Grammy's.  The Kansas City Chorale is up for two Grammy's, we have our tickets, and my wife bought her dress last weekend.  Her Ralph Lauren dress and my soon to be discovered suit will be seen here with my Grammy coverage beginning in two weeks as well as on any red carpet TV coverage if we are mistaken for someone famous.  We will be at a cocktail event on the eve of the Grammy's and we will attend all the award ceremonies on the day of the Grammy's.  The majority of the awards (including the classical categories) will be handed out during the first ceremony which you can watch online (I will provide you with a link later on) and the rest will be part of the larger ceremony at the Staples Center which you can watch live on CBS.  Afterward, we will attend Wolfgang Puck's after-party where many of the biggest celebrities in Hollywood and music will attend.  I am very excited, but my wife is VERY excited.

In the meantime, take a look at the Grammy Classical Music Nominees and view my updated performance schedule on the black bar above - I'll have more details to discuss in the future, including a job interview with the Organizing Committee for the Olympic Games next week!  Things couldn't get any more exciting...or adventurous...or stress inducing!

The Top 10 of P.D.Q. Bach

Happy New Year to the opera world!  I apologize for my absence as I have been waist deep in applications for college positions.  The paperwork is ridiculous in some cases, but I am a fierce and dedicated worker - hopefully I will have some exciting details to announce in the future!

In other news, exciting football games have engulfed my life recently, along with uniquely horrible national anthem performances.  All the while, I am about to overdose on J.S. Bach.  I originally intended to perform a lecture recital on a Bach cantata, but I have since decided to throw in some Vaughan Williams into a semester consumed with preparing Bach's B Minor Mass, where I will be the tenor soloist at a performance at the Kauffman Center in Kansas City on my birthday - April 28, and a couple weeks prior to that I will act as the Evangelist in Bach's St. John Passion.

But with that said, and since it is still my vacation for a couple more weeks, I would like to write about another famous Bach other than J.S. and C.P.E. Bach or any of the J.C.'s - but rather, the great P.D.Q. Bach.

P.D.Q. Bach is known as one of the most prolific plagiarists in music history. Here's a look at the genius of P.D.Q. Bach with these top ten compositions.  I have to say, moments of this will be funny to music nerds and not very funny if you don't know much about classical music - but for the music freaks and geeks out there, here you go:

10. Tocatta et Fuga Obnoxia

9. "The Farmer on the Dole" from Four Folksong Upsettings

8. Sonata for 4 Hand Viola

7. Bach Portrait

6. 1712 Overture

 5. "Eine Kleine Nichtmusik" (with theme subtitles!)

 4. The Seasonings an Oratorio

3. The Abduction of Figaro - click here for the full opera

2. "Erotica" Variations, for banned instruments and piano

• Theme: Windbreaker
• Variation I: Balloons
• Variation II: Slide Whistle
• Variation III: Slide Windbreaker
• Variation IV: Lasso D'Amore 
• Variation V: Foghorn, Bell, Kazoo, Gargle

 1. New Horizons in Music Appreciation (although not a composition of P.D.Q. Bach, this was his attempt to make classical music exciting)

"I Saw Three Sheeps", "Hoppy Chreesmahs/Wah ees Ovah" and other Operatic Christmas Favorites

Hanukkah is over, Christmas is on the horizon, and I am searching for a jobs.  The overbearing Goliath called life grows ever larger as it falls, appendages spread, toward a colossal belly flop over me, floating in a pool of latent and static dreams awaiting life's tidal wave onto the burning concrete deck of the job market.  Hmm, maybe I got caught up in that analogy...nevertheless, I have some great excitement ahead before I feel the full brunt of life.

Tonight, I am doing a run-through of the libretto for the premiere of a children's opera, "How the Camel Got Its Hump", from the story by Rudyard Kipling.  I will certainly have more information on this soon, but it will be the cutest show ever.

If you didn't hear already, I am going to the Grammy's in February as one of the ensembles that I sing with, The Kansas City Chorale, was nominated for multiple Grammy's!  And again, I ask you all who read this blog, to consider donating by clicking the link on the black bar above, to help me fund my trip to LA.  The Chorale had several concerts last week and we were followed by photographers and television cameras.  Actually, the attention is a little awkward, as you may imagine.  Most people when they realize that photographers are taking pictures of them, they make a conscious effort to look normal while continuing in awkward conversation - a little like being a supernumerary on stage.  However, I just can't be the normal, lazy human that I usually am.  So, with photographers always around us on the performance day, I couldn't text, check Facebook, hum through some music, talk to others, stare out a window, or sleep in a chapel pew without a photographer there.  With cameras around, it's hard not to become paranoid.

Also last week, I had the privilege to sing carols at a very fancy Christmas Party at the River Club in Downtown Kansas City.  Four operatic singers, including myself, stood outside as the limousines pulled up and the aristocracy flooded out amid what I assume are incredibly important Real Housewife arguments over grudges and insults about their personal chefs or tabloid articles.  We also sang as the guests were escorted to their seats for dinner.  There were about 50-70 guests and the decorations were all of the late 19th Century Gilded Age - making caroling in tuxedos a perfect match for the occasion.

Sunday, I put in a 12 hour marathon singing in 3 church services, 4 rehearsals, and 2 concerts in the evening at Village Presbyterian Church for their annual Christmas spectacular - Tidings of Joy!  Village Presbyterian Church is one of the world's largest Presbyterian congregations; thousands attended and the concert had 150 singers, orchestra, and LOTS of Christmas music.  It was highly emotional however due to the shootings in Connecticut.  A music teacher friend of mine lives only 5 miles from that elementary school in Connecticut and like most of you, my mind has been caught up in all the media.  I inadvertently caused a Facebook war due to my wish of America becoming more like Western Europe and banning assault weapons, which have no practical use other than to kill many things.  As an American, I am 100 times more likely to be murdered by a gun than someone in the UK, and 150 times more likely than someone in Japan (according to the most recent United Nations statistics).  On top of that, it is probably easier to purchase an assault weapon than to get proper mental health help as was detailed on NBC Nightly News.  With that said, I was crushed to hear of the death of so many little kids - I hope America can make a serious effort to become a more civilized society in the wake of this carnage.  At our services this weekend, the most touching moment wasn't the singing of Silent Night, which always causes lots of tears, but of the last verse of Away in a Manger.

Outside of my normal Christmas craziness, I want to leave you with some of my favorite operatic Christmas youtube hits/blunders.

Grammy Bound!!!

Last week, I performed my Doctoral Recital with works by Britten, Vaughan Williams, and Hoiby at the Conservatory.  Of all of the responses that I have received from the concert, the majority of them have either been "wow! congratulations" or have been in the "it was long enough" category.  For what it's worth, I didn't feel overwhelmed and generally enjoyed my experience but I cannot speak for the audience, except that of the three people I could see through the bright lights - one was sleeping, one was very ecstatic, and the other was my reflection against the recording studio window, so it was a difficult room to read!  Even so, I was so thankful for everyone who attended and for all of the support.  I think it was an interesting concert of varying styles of singing and artistry.  I cannot thank my accompanists enough, Natalia Rivera on piano (who is playing at the Kennedy Center this week!) and Kelley Tracz on oboe (who is a good friend and great musician as well!).

After the recital, my wife, parents, and I went to the beautiful Christmas-light-covered Plaza in Kansas City to have some cheesecake.  After eating, we drove back home where I neurotically updated my iPhone to see the Grammy nominations.  I blindly walked upstairs lost in my iPhone.  My wife walked in the front door and my parents were on the ground floor as I stood against the railing of our balcony overlooking the living room, and with calm but pressured excitement, I said "oh! my! god!"  I read the Grammy Nominations out loud.  One of the ensembles that I perform with, the Kansas City Chorale under the direction of the immaculate Charles Bruffy, has been nominated for the 2013 Grammy for Best Choral Performance, Best Engineered Album, and Producer of the Year - Classical.  I couldn't believe the news.  Little do I know about how the world of music operates, I honestly did not expect that the Chorale would be nominated, not because the quality of the music isn't sublime, because it is and singing with the Chorale has been one of the most musically rewarding experiences of my life, but there are many other fantastic ensembles all over the place.  Because of the great competition, there are long odds when it comes to the Grammy's, just ask Justice Beaver...I mean Justin Bieber.  Even though he is incredibly famous, he didn't receive any nominations.  And unlike Justice, we are going to the Grammy's!

The Grammy's will be February 10, 2013 in Los Angeles.  The majority of the awards, including the ones for our categories, will be awarded at the Los Angeles Convention Center with a ceremony beginning at 1pm.  The event will be broadcast live on the internet at cbs.com and grammy.com.  After the ceremony, the nationally televised event (CBS) will be held later that evening from the Staples Center where several of the more recognized categories are announced.  We will be attending both of these events.  I will certainly keep you all informed about what we are doing and who we will be wearing!

I will be recording this whole experience with as much interesting video as I can.  And, I cannot complete this blog post without thanking my wife, who deserves to attend such a prolific event. Of the truly prestigious events that I have had the privilege to be a part of, my wife rarely gets the opportunity to attend.  I sang at the Grand Opening gala of the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts, as many of you remember, but the cheapest tickets for the event were $1,000 and sold out nearly a year in advance.  She obviously was not able to be a part of that and she rarely gets to travel with me to Chicago or New York or wherever I go, but she will be able to go with me to Tinseltown.  I still cannot believe to any real extent that I will actually be at the Grammy's and that the Chorale is nominated for multiple Grammy's, however it will cost me a great amount of money to attend one of the biggest events in Hollywood.  Tickets are expensive, not to mention the hotel, flights, clothes, haircuts, car rental, food, and events all require significant money.  Plus, I have to pay bills and get through the holiday season with presents for my family.

With that said, around 1,500 people read my blog every day and even though I have a link to accept donations, I have never received a donation, not that I ever expected to profit from this.  I only ask that in this holiday season, if you have ever received any entertainment or learned anything from my postings, if you still owe me for a round of golf, or perhaps if you lost a million dollar bet to me because you said "literally" as part of your "fact", that you would consider helping my wife and I attend what may be a once-in-a-lifetime event for us.  The "support this blog" button is on the black bar above this post or you can CLICK HERE.

I would greatly appreciate your generosity if you have the means to help.  And I promise I will keep everyone updated with all of the events surrounding the Grammy's.  In addition, if you are interested in hearing our ensemble, the Kansas City Chorale has a concert tomorrow, Tuesday December 12, 2012, at Asbury United Methodist Church at 7:30.  We had a great crowd yesterday and the concert will just be astounding!  I would expect that I will be able to announce other events in the future as there is plenty of press surrounding the Chorale, a television crew followed us at a concert yesterday and I have been told of other upcoming press as well.

In addition to the Kansas City Chorale, the Kansas City Symphony and Joyce Di Donato were also nominated for a Grammy for their PBS production last summer at the Kauffman Center, and the UMKC resident ensemble Eighth Blackbird was nominated for two Grammy's.  Kansas City is dominating the classical music world, and I cannot be more thankful for being at the Conservatory, in the Chorale, and living in this wonderful town.

And just in case you didn't get the Justice Beaver thing, it was a parody from the NBC show The Office.  Here is the real Justin Bieber singing a little opera on the David Letterman Show:

Bryan Pinkall's Doctoral Recital - Britten, Vaughan Williams, Hoiby

If you are free this Wednesday and if you are in Kansas City - well, you should come hear what should be a great recital.  I will be performing three song cycles: On this Island by Benjamin Britten, Ten Blake Songs by Ralph Vaughan Williams, and Four Dickinson Songs by Lee Hoiby.  As for the poster, well it is much more effective in the hallway than in a jpeg image on the internet.  Unfortunately, the printers messed up printing my posters, so if you were at the Conservatory and thought "I cannot read that poster!", don't worry, it'll be fixed tomorrow.  I just wanted a plain bright sign that could jump out amid bulletin boards filled with lavish pictures of headshots, pastoral scenes, and church interiors.  Here is some info about what will be on the concert:

On this Island is a Benjamin Britten song cycle of Wystan Hugh Austen poetry about the magical isles of Britannia.  This was Britten's first published song cycle for piano and is an incredibly eclectic setting of poetry from one of his favorite poets.  Austen and Britten met in 1935 working together in a GPO Film Documentary and their encounter immediately inspired Austen to write poetry dedicated to Britten who composed them as part of this song cycle.  The most exciting part of this cycle is the variety of songs:

1. "Let the Florid Music Praise" is a bright, neo-baroque anthem to the Empire
2. "Now the Leaves are Falling Fast" is a hurried, rhythmic piece inspiring images of the blustery wilderness in Winter and musical inferences to Schubert's lieder
3. "Seascape" is perhaps the most characteristically Britten of the set, displaying careful musical descriptions of the seas crashing against the white cliffs of Dover.
4. "Nocturne" is a vignette depicting the debaucherous but unconscious world of sleepers
5. "As it is Plenty" is a cabaret-like moment satirizing the middle-class businessman and his problems

Ten Blake Songs by Vaughan Williams is a very unique set of duets for voice and oboe with unaccompanied movements for solo voice.  The text is derived from several of William Blake's poems within Songs of Innocence and Experience.  It is a song cycle that allows for incredible detail in its simplicity as the oboe adds a musical persona, feeding the artistry of the voice and text.

Four Dickinson Songs by Lee Hoiby is a peculiar song cycle that delves deep into the mind of Emily Dickinson and her poetry.  This rarely performed and recorded song cycle shows the mastery of Hoiby's collaborative and dramatic piano accompaniment as it vividly reproduces the images that Dickinson describes.

1. "A Letter" is simply set to that of a brief letter from Dickinson to a prospective teacher.  She curiously and lightheartedly talks about her family, including their misunderstanding of her artistic and inquisitive nature.
2. "How the Waters Closed" is a stark and vivid description of a drowned boy  whose only remains are a floating hat and jacket.
3. "Wild Nights" is a rapturous song of sexual passion
4. "There Came a Wind" details in glorious description the terror and resolution of an enormous storm

Please come to Grant Hall at the UMKC Conservatory.  This is a different hall than what most are expecting.  The venue itself is on the second floor of the building Grant Hall at 53rd and Holmes.  Don't be late! 7:30 THIS WEDNESDAY - I hope to see you there!