Conservatory Auditions

What a week it has been!  Thank you to everyone for your interest and support and well wishes!  For those who didn't see, you can read the big news by clicking here.  But, now it is on to more preparation and rehearsing.  I have been adding more to my schedule, which is very exciting.  I will be singing on some lunch time Bach cantatas, punned as "Bach's Lunch".  Oh, musicians...you make my sides hurt!

Also, on Saturday, I had the Conservatory Auditions for the upcoming opera season.  They are planning on La nozze di Figaro (the Marriage of Figaro) by Mozart, La Tragedie de Carmen by Brooks/Bizet, and a night celebrating the music of Carlisle Floyd directed by Metropolitan Opera conductor George Darden. I won't hear any results until later in the week, but weeks ago - since I'm primarily a Mozart-type tenor - I expected to compete well for the Figaro roles.  Well, it was later suggested to me that I should offer something higher and more lyric, obviously hinting that I shouldn't count out the role of Don Jose in Carmen.

So, I went out on a limb and prepared Questa o quella from Rigoletto, an aria that I have done many times - and for the record, do not enjoy it, but recognize that everyone else does (ugh!).  If they want to hear my high notes, they get most of what I have to offer in that aria.  My lesson and coaching times are at 10 am (which is preposterously early, I know) but it is nothing that Mr. Coffee and I can't tackle.  I say that because I have generally been preparing to sing that high aria early in the day, and I scheduled to have one of the last audition spots in the afternoon on Saturday.

On the audition day, I went to the Conservatory early, to practice some Bach stuff for another gig later in September.  By the time I was done practicing, my voice was in super high mode.  I waited for my audition, walked down the rows of the house and on to the stage after handing my music to my coach.  And boom, my voice was rocketing pretty high.  I am not sure if anyone noticed, but I sang the wrong verse.  I knew most people wouldn't realize it if I finished the verse with the correct high note.  Incidentally, I botched it exactly as Franco Corelli did in this recital.



I have always thought that Pavarotti sang this aria better than anyone that I have ever heard (and I have heard MANY).  The way that he approaches the very end is incredibly impressive - with easy and power (on an "ee" vowel no less).  It's stupid good!



Like I said, if you don't know the piece or paid enough attention, you wouldn't know that Pavarotti sang the correct verses and Corelli didn't.  But, when I sang, besides the switching of verses, it was probably one of the best times that I have performed it.  After I finished, the opera director said, "wow...well...I guess we'll hear your other piece as well".  And then I sang En fermant les yeux from Manon...messing up a few times on the diction. (thank you France for your simple language) And that was it, we then talked for a little bit about if I would be comfortable with the Flower Aria from Carmen, and I said that I would be fully confident in it.(secretly pretty excited because it is not too likely that a voice like mine would do Don Jose too often)  So, now we'll wait...  I have a callback audition tomorrow evening.  Here is a recording of the flower duet - in case you don't already know it.



As for my once-in-a-lifetime opportunity with the Kauffman Center Grand Opening, I have found out more information about the event, like costuming and set design.  I am hesitant to put anything online about that yet, in case they want to keep that secret as well, but it will be very exciting (and sexy) indeed.  That's all I will say for that right now...(ha ha, now you're probably very curious).  The first rehearsal is tomorrow afternoon, so I am very excited for that!

Lastly, I am planning a recital - a date has yet to be determined - but it will be a memorial to my ancestry, the Volga Germans, who 70 years ago were expelled from Russia by Stalin beginning the Forgotten Genocide.  All were either displaced, deported, or purposefully starved - over 300,000 died initially in the genocide and untold numbers (millions perhaps) died in Siberian labor camps.  To learn more, visit http://expelledgermans.org/volgagermans.htm

To remember them, my ancestors, I will be performing music of the region, which was greatly diverse and unique in Western Civilization as it was a crossroads between the east and the west.  Most of it will be Western music influenced by Eastern sources.  I'll have music by Bach, Rimsky-Korsakov, Cui, Ravel, and a special collection, a world premiere, of Volga German folk songs in a more modern musical language, written especially for this recital by another musician with German ancestry.  As soon as I finalize the dates and whatnot, I will be publicizing this.  I hope some of you in the area will be able to come.

Check back daily for more updates...I have something special planned for later in the week!

SCHEDULE
(still working on this - there's a lot to keep track of!)

BIG ANNOUNCEMENT

I will be a featured soloist (Tony) in an ensemble performing "Tonight" from West Side Story, at the Grand Opening Event of the opera house at the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts - featuring Placido Domingo, among others - on September 16, 2011.  Tickets are sold out (they were so cheap to begin with - see below for details).  The following was my initial post (that I got in trouble for posting too soon - oops!) about the event, fully uncensored for everyone's enjoyment along with many articles.

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Growing up, I was always captivated by the grandiose productions of the Olympics, the Three Tenors specials on PBS, and even the high school marching band.  In these I dreamt dreams and felt feeling that led me to forget the world and live within an imagined box of extremes.  I shot the game winning basketball shot in the NCAA finals, I sank an eagle putt to win the US Open, and I had an awesome police car and chased down bank robbers.

But as I got older, the realization never really came, that my impossible dreams were just of my mind and couldn't actually happen.  Of course I knew failure very well.  Even though I wasn't the best basketball player didn't mean that I couldn't live the excitement of sinking the game-winning shot in my head.  The dream that I could be like Pavarotti or be like Tiger Woods always was possible to me.  And in a way, when I would get great opportunities later in life, my reaction to them was always more muted than what I imagined as a kid.  So I stuck to my imagination - it was much more exciting than the glories of the real world.

I had a childhood infatuation with marching bands - the power, the militaristic uniformity, the emotion from the music.  In high school, I auditioned to be the drum major (I didn't get it).  But, as a small kid, if given that opportunity, I would have made that as important as life itself.  As a child, if I had known that I could be the high school drum major, I would be proud and nervous and excited that I had a future capable of something so great.  I tend to forget the simple enthusiasm.  I forget that I have had many accomplishments and projects that I should give the full joy of my youth - even to the things as simple as auditioning for the high school band drum major.

Recently, a small bit of news, an opportunity, arose that caused a flood of these childhood emotions of pride, nervousness, excitement.  I don't believe I ever said "yes" but instead I said that I was "horribly excited" for the opportunity.  Of course I meant "yes", but it never came out that way.

Here in Kansas City, what will likely be the most expensive performing art center (about half a billion dollars) and one of the most architecturally complex structures in the entire world will open in September, with the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts.

I have been trying my hardest to find a performance opportunity there, in their inaugural season.  Performing there is not the only part that I was wanting to do.  I knew for about a year - with the rumblings and rumors around the arts circles in KC - that Placido Domingo (and for those under rocks - he was one of the Three Tenors) would be singing at the Grand Opening event.  It was then announced early this year that there would be two Grand Openings, the first for the opera house and the second for the symphony hall and would feature Placido Domingo, Itzhak Perlman, Diana Krall, and others.  It would certainly be one the most important music events in the nation this year, but I can not afford a ticket.

(I guarantee you'll know the end of this, even if you've never gone to an opera)

The offer that was presented to me in the phone call - seemingly out of the blue - was to sing the role of Tony in the "Tonight" scene from West Side Story at the Grand Opening of the opera house at the Kauffman Center.  My mind exploded!  I immediately knew the importance of the event and who all would be singing with me.  I would be performed would be performed with the Kansas City Symphony under the baton of Michael Stern along with a large company (about 50) of singers and dancers.  More information flooded through the phone conversation, including that it is being produced by a Hollywood production company - presumably filmed, recorded, lights, etc.  The performance will take place on September 16, with rehearsals beginning on September 11.

Beyond the shock of the news, it took a long time for me to realize that I would be on the same concert as Placido Domingo along with other great artists.  The tickets alone, which range from $1,000 to $70,000, are enough to pressure any performer to taking a quick shot of tequila, trying to forget that people actually will pay that much to hear you sing.  And, shortly into the scene, Tony begins his solo with the "tonight" theme. The thought of it is still so exciting - I would be singing a solo at the grand opening of the opera house at the Kauffman Center, with the KC Symphony, a full house that has paid out the wazoo to be there, 50 singers and dancers, a Hollywood production company, and with my name on the same program as Placido Domingo - the most famous living opera singer, and one of the greatest tenors in history.

This is an amazing opportunity, that I will not waste, and I will live it with the passion of my childhood.  Who knows what the future holds, but as for right now, I am so excited to live in the moment - just like a kid.

So, now that the world knows, I will be posting press releases (so far they haven't been updated since earlier this year) about the other performers and all the events involved with the opening of the Kauffman Center.  I hope this will make Kansas City a great destination and capital for music.  I am so honored and excited to be a part of it.

CHECK OUT THE LINKS AND PHOTOS BELOW:

Opening Gala Press Release
http://www.kansascity.com/2011/08/23/3094607/kauffman-center-gala-producers.html

Information About Grand Opening Tickets (good luck!)
http://www.kauffmancenter.org/events-tickets/grandopening/

Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts Wikipedia Page
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kauffman_Center_for_the_Performing_Arts

Kauffman Center Pictures from July
http://web.me.com/rein4kc/Site/Kansas_City/Pages/kauffman_pre-open_tour.html

Kauffman Center Official Website
http://www.kauffmancenter.org/

NPR Kauffman Center Blog
http://soundandglass.org/