There’s a great opera parlor game that involves naming characters who have a great bearing on an opera plot and are referred to in the libretto but who never actually appear. We’ve gone one better – in The Inspector, it’s the title character who never shows up. No matter, for everyone onstage spends the whole
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WTOC Name Dropping, Texas Style
I spent the week in Houston, in a bit of unplanned time on the piano bench, coaching some young singers. (The jury’s still out as to whether that was a good idea, but it’s behind me now, and I survived.) In these few minutes before I desperately try to catch up on all of my
Read MoreBoston Part 3: More Inspecting to Come!
Before I left Boston on Friday, I paid a quick visit to the office of Boston Lyric Opera. In a lovely bit of synchronicity, the city that is home to the studio that recorded and engineered our upcoming Inspector CD is the same place that will host that opera’s second production. The Inspector opens April
Read MoreMaking the Magic
I took the commuter plane to Boston this morning. My fellow travelers were rocking their suits and heels, but I was happily clad in jeans. Dress code for recording studios is blessedly relaxed, and I get to spend my day helping producer Blanton Alspaugh* and composer John Musto make the magic. We’re at Soundmirror in
Read MoreWhere We Come From
Now that was something. I’m not given to superlatives. I’m a fan of quietly shepherding and shaping something until it speaks for itself in the most eloquent way possible. Whether it’s my own kids (who are two of the best people on the planet) or the artists we work so hard to support (who do
Read MoreHomecoming: Matt Boehler
Fortunately, it doesn’t feel as if Matt ever really left us! He’s of the most recent “vintage” on our alumni concert, and he returned just a few months ago to create a memorable Adolfo in the premiere of Wolf Trap’s newest commissioned opera, The Inspector. Matt’s WTOC roles included Sweeney Todd, Leporello in Don Giovanni,
Read MoreHomecoming: Robert Orth
Bob has the honor of single-handedly representing the first decade of the WTOC on our upcoming alumni concert. And I can think of no one more capable:)* We had the amazing good fortune to collaborate with Bob earlier this year when he created the role of Mayor Fazzobaldi in Wolf Trap’s newly commissioned opera, The
Read MoreHats
Today, a guest post from my partner in crime, Lee Anne Myslewski, the WTOC Administrative Director. (Although as you’ll see below, that job title is barely sufficient…) The Inspector, the opera that we started this whole crazy season with, has an aria about shoes. (I like to call it my aria…we acolytes of Imelda treasure
Read MoreShooooooooooooes
The Washington Post has run a preview piece on The Inspector. I’m happy to see a light shone on this wonderful new opera and the Wolf Trap Foundation’s commitment to supporting the creative spirit! (I do end up sounding like a bit of a plucky frontier wife, with my “can-do” attitude, but I won’t complain.
Read MoreINSPECTING: Meet the Mayor
Signor Fazzobaldi is the Mayor of Santa Schifezza. (loosely translated: filthy disgusting town) Lucky guy. Actually, it has turned into a pretty good gig. By the time we meet him, Fazzobaldi is pretty happy with the mix of bribery, graft, fraud and racketeering that makes up his life. He must have taken this backwater town
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