This bit of wisdom has been making the rounds. If you haven’t already seen it, click and listen. Seriously, do it. It’s one minute and 55 seconds long. Not surprising, any of it. But how easily we tamp down this truth to a place where we can’t see it. Malcolm Gladwell’s 10,000 hour rule also
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Save the Date(s)!
A Blog Exclusive! We will spend the next month fleshing out the details of the WTOC repertoire and casting for next summer, and our season announcement is scheduled for February 2, 2013. But those of you in the DC area (and any of you far-flung readers who are hardy opera voyagers!) may be interested in
Read MoreNo, Thank You
Is the sting of rejection threatening to spoil your holiday spirit? Surf on over to Backstage.com for 26 Reasons Why You Didn’t Get the Part. A brief selection from the list: 1. You’re too tall. 2. You’re too short. 11. You’re too serious. 12. You’re too funny. 17. You remind the producer of his sister,
Read MoreAudition Tour 2013: The Final Word
I think I’m done spouting audition facts and advice for another year. Gotta move on. Here’s the last gasp. Enjoy! GEEKY DATA! The complete Aria Frequency Lists for the 2013 season audition tour are now available for your enjoyment. Check them out to see which arias are being offered most frequently. AUDITION PIANIST DISCUSSION Check
Read MoreBack To my Roots
OK, I admit it. I’ve been cheating on you with some newer, sexier blogs. (Well actually, one blog and one podcast.) But truth is, I miss you. Even though it’s been fun pretending to be a fancy Huffington Post blogger and a smooth-talking iTunes podcaster, it’s also been pretty exhausting. Those Huffington Post people expect
Read MoreThank You for Being Nice?
I owe the singers out there some final aria lists from the audition tour, but I need a few hours to crunch the data, and I can’t get to it for another few days. (Currently preoccupied with data of another sort, the budgetary kind…) What I do seem to have time for, though, is this
Read MoreOur Ears Are Full
The blog comes to you today courtesy of my colleague and audition tour partner in crime Lee Anne Myslewski. OK. For all of you who sing, or tune into the blog and say “I think that the tour sounds like so much fun!” I will agree with you – it is fun – but here’s
Read MoreEverything I Need to Know About Life I Learned On the Audition Tour
One of our Chicago audition spaces prides itself on “self-regulation.” That’s a euphemism for having a lot of signs on the walls. (this year’s haul at left) Being surrounded by rules brings out the order-obeying conformist in me, thrusting me back to my school days. (In which I was a straight-A student, not because I
Read MoreOpera Stars in the Lone Star
We just finished up three days in Houston. Great colleagues, amazing singing, and absolutely beautiful weather! Day 3 came complete with a fire drill that forced us out into the sunshine for an extra half hour. We didn’t really mind :) (Photo right above, during the evacuation; and right at bottom, after the two opera
Read MoreVolpone Takes Texas
I spent a very happy election night at the Shepherd School of Music at Rice University, enjoying the dress rehearsal of Volpone. Premiered at Wolf Trap in 2004 (and revived in 2007, in a production that went on to receive a GRAMMY nomination for its live recording!), composed by John Musto with a libretto by
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