I forgot I had a blog!

Oh dear.  That's a terrible sign! If the blogger forgets to blog, no one can be blamed for forgetting he has a blog...

I am currently in a mental No Man's Land.  Due to severe allergies, I had to withdraw from the beautiful Show Boat production in Washington, D.C. I was very, very sad to go, but there was really no other choice.  I just couldn't do my best work.  On the positive side: I got to go home and spend quality time with my family.  In fact, my wonderful wife Tina threw a Cinco de Mayo party for me the night I returned!  That was very cool.  (And her Margaritas are awesome and that is not a euphemism for something else.) Plus, I was able to be at USC for Juries, and Honors Convocation, and Commencement!  And I have been able to meet with most of my students for lessons.  But at the same time, I know the performances in DC are going on without me.  So I have a strange mixture of feelings: I feel like I'm supposed to be somewhere else,  I feel like the hunter coming home with no food for his family, I actually feel guilty for leaving the production (an emotion that our Board Certified Behavior Analyst daughter Erica says is a completely useless), I have a deep sense of loss because I value performing so highly (and money rather highly),  I'm happy to be home, and grateful to have time with my students, and I'm preparing for my next project - Don Giovanni in Aix-en-Provence.  I'm hoping it will feel like I've moved on when I start rehearsals in Aix.  

I am, meanwhile, so proud of my students.  Five of them received advanced degrees today. Robin Wyatt-Stone, BM in Vocal Performance; David Castillo, MM in Vocal Performance; Melissa Kaplan MA in Communications; Samantha de Leve, MA in Communications; and Ana Guigui, DMA in Vocal Arts. Attending Commencement today reminded me of the importance of these degrees and just how much work they represent.  I feel a huge responsibility as their teacher to make sure they are prepared for their life path after they leave the security of USC, and that they represent USC well as they go out into the greater world. I also remember with great fondness the day our son, Marc, graduated from USC with a BS in Music Industry, and I got to hand him his diploma and shake his hand! That was a once-in-a-lifetime moment.

Rod

Final TEMPEST in Québec City

Getting ready to leave lovely Québec City.  This is a gorgeous city, and the second year of the Québec City Opera Festival has been a resounding success.  Our fourth and final performance of Thomas Adès' The Tempest is tonight.  It's a spectacular and beautiful production by Robert Lepage (who's from here). The public has been extremely enthusiastic. (but there is a strange absence of reviews...is Québec too remote for critics? There is an easy nonstop flight from NYC...)  Adès is conducting, and in addition to being a brilliant composer, he's a damned good conductor!  My colleagues have all been wonderful: all great singers, but more importantly, really good people.  In my experience, the era of misbehaving opera divas is largely a thing of the past. Maybe I'm just lucky. My wife Tina (definitely NOT a diva) was with me for the final dress and the first two performances, and it was wonderful.  Since she left I feel rudderless, like a dog who suddenly lost his companion. Kind of pathetic, really.  The role of Prospero is the most challenging role I've ever done. Don't get me wrong: it's a great role, but I'm onstage almost the entire opera, and the first act is constant singing for 53 pages! Plus, it's filled with high A's, G-sharps and G's; as well as low G's, G-flats and a low F; written in every conceivable dynamic from "ppp" to "fff" in every part of the range.  I enjoy using my voice to it's full capabilities, but any guy singing this role will tell you it stretches the limits!  This production will go to the MET in the Fall, where I will be covering Simon Keenleyside - who created the role in London in 2004.  First time I'll be covering a role since 1988, I think.  But I want to get back to the MET after an 8-year absence, so I'm hoping some opportunity might arise??
I can't wait to get home!  But my time there will be short, as I'll be going to the Orcas Island Chamber Music Festival, in the San Juan Islands off the coast of Washington State.  I will be premiering a beautiful new song cycle for baritone and piano trio called This is My Beloved by my friend Jake Heggie (who will play) as well as other Heggie compositions, some Schubert, and a concert that includes Broadway selections. Should be a wonderful two weeks!

Spring Has Sprung

Cosi Fan Tutte with the New York City Opera was a great experience and we got stellar reviews. Gorgeous weather in So Cal. Enjoying mountain biking in our local hills with my brother-in-law Mark. My students at USC have been very busy with recitals and performances in various operas, and the Spring semester is almost over. I'm boning up on my Sweeney Todd for Saint Louis Opera Theater, and working "Prospero" back into my voice for Thomas Adès' The Tempest in Quebec this Summer. He will be conducting it, so I'm looking forward to that because I saw him conduct in NYC and he's really good!

Semester winding down

The Fall 2011 Semester at USC is almost over. The mornings in SoCal have a bit of frost. The damaging winds have abated, and I am LOVING seeing so much of my wonderful wife, Tina. Ive been working on "Prospero" from Thomas Ades' "The Tempest. Definitely one of the most challenging roles to date. Also, Don Alfonso for the NYCO Cosi fan Tutte this Spring. I'm M/C and narrator for the Charles Dickens Dinner at the L.A. Millenium Biltmore tomorrow night. A GREAT way to get into the Christmas mood!

NYC Post-Thanksgiving

It seems that NYC is just waiting for winter to come. It's mild weather today, but I can already imagine the streets and sidewalks and cars covered in snow, people bundled up in gloves and scarves. We seem to be in a holding pattern...

Check out my son's movie trailer!

The music in this movie trailer about surfer Jamie O'Brien is my son's band AMERICAN ROYALTY. That's him singing. I really like it. Hope you do too!

Sweeney Todd

Sweeney Todd is a fantastic role. Following in the footsteps of Len Cariou, George Hearn, Thomas Allen, Bryn Terfel, and Johnny Depp is a distinct honor. Stephen Sondheim: my hat is off and I am bowing deeply to your greatness. This is a masterpiece.