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Every time a baroque da capo** aria comes into the audition room, I think of this, our 14th #ASQoD* “We shall not cease from exploration And the end of all our exploring Will be to arrive where we started And know the place for the first time.” T.S. Eliot Much of our study and development is

Tonight, we are back home for a performance at The Barns by violinist Lara St. John. Lara is the Artistic Advisor for our 2017-2018 Chamber Music series, curated by my colleague Lee Anne Myslewski. When you work for the Wolf Trap Foundation for the Performing Arts, it’s not all opera all of the time. And

We’re taking a pause in the middle of the audition tour, to reconnect with our lives… Hence, the inspiration for the 12th #ASQoD* “If ya ain’t got it in ya, ya can’t blow it out.” Louis Armstrong Pretty clear, eh? And straight ahead into another quote: “I used to think of Sisyphus as the patron saint of the workaholic….Until

Today we enjoyed a mid-tour break, reviewing the auditions we heard to date, engaging in some more repertoire brainstorming, and catching up on office work. Here’s day 11 of #ASQoD* “I am not afraid of storms, for I have learned how to sail my ship.” Louisa May Alcott Ah, the storms of the audition season… Passing squalls of delayed

Sending this out to you after a strong day of auditions back home in Virginia. Loving being at The Barns – it obviously has the comforts of home, but it’s also an acoustical environment that is both honest and enjoyable. Here’s your day 10 of #ASQoD*. If the idea of auditioning strikes fear in your heart, this one’s

Day 9 of #ASQoD*, coming to you from our home base in Vienna, VA, where we are starting two days of auditions at The Barns! “At the still point, there the dance is.” T.S. Eliot Calm can imbue your music-making, and a helpful and healthy cycle can result. But it’s hard to “go there” when the

Day 2 of Cincinnati auditions is done. There was a strong showing from Studio Artist candidates from a whole range of schools, with the largest contingents from CCM, Indiana University, and University of Michigan. We had an interesting run of NSFW audition monologues this morning… some of them worked, some didn’t, but the preponderance of them on

Road trip today, from Chicago to Cincinnati! (With a required traditional stop at Crabby Mike’s BBQ in Lafayette, IN.) In the spirit of this Friday the 13th, I offer entry 6 in #ASQoD* “There is a crack, a crack in everything. That’s how the light gets in.” Leonard Cohen Wabi-sabi is the Japanese art of finding beauty