A quick note today to call out tonight’s UNTRAPPED performance with the National Orchestral Institute + Festival. Our partnership with NOI+F is built on a beautiful synergy between their work with the best young orchestral musicians in the country and our commitment to emerging opera singers. And during rehearsals (photo above from last night), it’s common
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There’s a lot of talk these days about digging deep, being attentive to detail and texture, and staying present in the moment. I spend most of my days in dogged pursuit of mindfulness (which I realize is a dismaying contradiction), and I work in an art form that is seriously in love with its big
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I was honored to be part of an important discussion on NPR this weekend, It’s archived here: Shout-out to the two amazing, strong and smart emerging singers who shared this experience with me – Leah Hawkins and (WTOS alumna) Aleks Romano! More to come on this later in the summer, as we approach our Filene Center
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In preparation for his Art of Pleasure recital at The Barns this coming week, Steve Blier is enjoying introducing the comedic pleasures of Tom Lehrer to a new generation of singers. A Harvard-trained mathematician, Lehrer moonlighted as a songwriter until his career as a purveyor musical satire threatened to outstrip his life as a math professor….
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When Steven Blier asked his cast, ““What pleasures beyond the obvious ones (food and sex) do you want to sing about, and what songs bring those pleasures to life for you?,” this song was one of the surprise answers. It turns out that “Lola” has something most rock songs don’t have: a terrific lyric that tells
Read MoreThe NYFOS Song of the Day blog continues with its preview of The Art of Pleasure, coming up at The Barns next week. In today’s installment Steve Blier takes a clear-eyed yet affectionate look at operetta. Click through and listen, you know you want to… Franz Lehár: Schön wie die blaue Sommernacht
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Many musicians have seen this meme. And it’s not untrue. But I would posit that there’s another layer beneath the top two. We haven’t even started staging for our first production, and our season opening recital started rehearsals last night. But even those readers familiar with WTO might be surprised to learn just a sampling of
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Steve Blier arrived at the Trap yesterday, and the luxurious sounds of The Art of Pleasure are filling the building! We’re doubly fortunate that Steve is writing about this show on the NYFOS Song of the Day blog. From today’s installment: The opening section [of The Art of Pleasure] is devoted to songs about the seaside and the
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I’m admittedly sheepish about the fact that my emergence from pre-season blog hibernation has been prompted by internet clickbait. Nevertheless, here we are on the cusp of the summer, and the blog shall now resume brimming with information and excitement! But before it does, we must take a moment to talk about Yanny and Laurel. If this makes no sense
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The 2018 Filene Artists Visit Wolf Trap’s website for performance listings to see what these amazing young professionals are singing this summer! Shows go on sale to the general public on February 17. (Wolf Trap members have access to tickets starting next week… I’m just sayin’…:)) SOPRANO MEZZO-SOPRANO TENOR BARITONE BASS-BARITONE / BASS Introducing the 2018
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