Liebe Grüsse aus Deutschland! I am writing from Germany, where I am currently traveling a bit and doing some auditions. The ever adventurous life of an opera singer!
I am excited to make a long overdue announcement here that I will be making my debut with Atlanta Operathis fall. I will be singing Colline in Puccini’s masterpiece, La Bohème, with performances Oct. 2, 5, 8, and 10. I am also thrilled to be joining fellow alumni from both schools where I did my undergraduate and graduate degrees. A fellow member of the Wolfpack at Loyola U. New Orleans, Bryan Hymel will be singing Rodolfo. Timothy Kuhn, another of the many talents coming out of Indiana University, will be singing Marcello.
Sounds like a middle school game, no? Well, it’s just about ALMOST as much fun.
In the build up to the VOX Showcase at New York City Opera last week, I was featured on the NYCO blog with a round of questions. Check it out for insights into the mind of a red headed American bass.
I’m very pleased to announce two appearances I’ll be making in the near future. First, I will be happily joining the New York City Opera family in two scenes for their VOX opera lab on May 1st.
“New York City Opera’s VOX is an exciting opera lab of new works that offers American composers and librettists the opportunity to hear their works with a full orchestra and excellent artists. Every year, VOX presents up to twelve new, previously un-produced works from both emerging and established composers in orchestra readings that are free and open to the public.”
3:20 pm Revolution of Forms
Anthony Davis & Dafnis Prieto, composers
Alma Guillermoprieto & Charles Koppelman, librettists
5:00 – 5:30pm Acquanetta Michael Gordon, composer; Deborah Artman, librettist
Then, on May 21st and 23rd, I will join the Baltimore Concert Opera forA Flight of Verdi, singing Sparafucile in Act III from Rigoletto and smaller supporting roles in scenes from La Traviata and Otello. These performances will be conducted by Stephen White, who just made his Metropolitan Opera conducting debut with Verdi’s La Traviata. We are in good hands!
My good friend Brendan Cooke began this company a few short years ago in the wake of the closing of the Baltimore Opera Company. His hard work along with the wonderful enthusiasm and support of the opera community and fans alike are making this an organization to watch and enjoy as it progresses with already impressive momentum, bringing a high caliber of performance to its audiences.
For an inspirational pitch for the future of opera, watch this video of Brendan addressing the audience of Ignite Baltimore with equal parts humor and sincerity.
I just received a new CD of songs by Peter Flint on which I sing one called Grass on a text of Carl Sandburg. I really like the song and am very pleased with how the recording came out. For information on the music and how to purchase, visit www.avianmusic.com
GRASS
by: Carl Sandburg (1878-1967)
ILE the bodies high at Austerlitz and Waterloo,
Shovel them under and let me work–
I am the grass; I cover all.
And pile them high at Gettysburg
And pile them high at Ypres and Verdun.
Shovel them under and let me work.
Two years, ten years, and passengers ask the conductor:
What place is this?
Where are we now?
I am the grass.
Let me work.
Have a listen.
Grass by Peter Flint
text by Carl Sandburg
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I am very pleased to be joining the New York Virtuoso Singers for an amazingly unique and interesting program of contemporary choral music. Not only we will be singing in English, Latin, German and Portuguese, and some sort of ancient greek, we’ll be accompanied on different pieces by a trombone choir and what is said to be one of the best saxophone quartets in the world, The Raschèr Saxophone Quartet.
In a program of contemporary choral music, the ensemble of singers will only be 12 people, so it should make for a beautiful and intimate sounding of these very complex and intriguing works. Furthermore, the acoustics in the beautiful church where we’re performing are fantastic. This should prove to be a unique and rare musical experience of the utmost caliber.
The Details:
Music for Choir and Saxophones
January 31, 2010 • 3 PM
St. Ignatius of Antioch Episcopal Church, NYC
Pre-concert talk with The Raschèr Saxophone Quartet at 2 PM
For a Google Maps look at the location, click here.
A Gripping Tale of Blackmail and Lies that Threaten to Send an Innocent Young Woman to her Death . . .
I am very much looking forward to singing a fantastic role in Susanna, an oratorio by Handel on the apocryphal tale of Susanna and the elders (Book of Daniel). This is the same story on which the great American opera, Carlyle Floyd’s Susanna is also based.
I will be joining the Hudson Valley Singers and the New York Metamorphoses Orchestraas the 2nd Elder with two awesome arias among other numbers and a whole mess of bad intentions. Performances are on Sunday, January 10 in White Plains, NY and Saturday, January 16 in New York City. For more information, visit the Hudson Valley Singers website.
I am very much looking forward to returning to the role of Ignaz Semmelweis in this performance with American Opera Projects at the Galapagos Arts Space in the “Dumbo” area of Brooklyn. It’s a great piece and a wonderful role for me.
AOP presents the true story of Dr. Ignaz Semmelweis who battled the
19th-century European medical establishment and his own personal demons to convince the world he had discovered what was killing mothers at a horrific rate.
This a really cool, unique venue. Enjoy cocktails in a space with an ultra chill vibe and lounge seating over water! You can check out their photo tour here.
I’m very happy to announce that I have recently joined the roster at Pinnacle Arts Management and am now working with John Miller. May it be a long and fruitful partnership.
I will be singing the role of The Player in a workshop performance of scenes from this Opera in Progress. Based on the play by Tom Stoppard, the opera is being written by Herschel Garfein. These performances will be conducted by Steve Osgood and directed by Mark Morris. For more info on the performances, check out the American Opera Projects website. Friday, November 20 & Saturday November 21, 2009 – 4 PM
Mark Morris Dance Center
3 Lafayette Ave.
Brooklyn, NY 11217
Well, it’s just about ALMOST as much fun.
ILE the bodies high at Austerlitz and Waterloo, 
