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: