Posts Categorized: 2013 Season

Feed the Flame

I used to think that having a career in the arts provided some level of immunity to burn out. When I would hit bottom (as I did regularly…), I dismissed it as a sign of weakness. After all, if I am fortunate enough to do what I love, and the work is itself a thing

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Abundance

I am besotted with this opera written by a man in his 80th year. Verdi knew in his bones how difficult both life and art could be, yet he chose at the end to immerse himself in laughter. He had a palpable affection for this flawed knight whose appetites are laughably huge and whose self-confidence

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But Wait… There’s More…

I thought I had caught up on July. But I missed reporting on the musical geeky goodness that was Lucky Thirteen! Jeremy Frank, pianist and opera coach extraordinaire, pulled together a free evening of music inspired by this lucky anniversary year of 2013. He and four singers honored composers born on the 13’s (Verdi, Wagner,

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Stages of Healing

A Wolf Trap Opera summer seems to fly by at the speed of light, and in just 10-12 weeks, there’s little time to burn. But in the middle of the swirl of early July, three of our singers (Kiri, Andrea and Speedo) and I spent two afternoons at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in

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Music & Art

Last Thursday took us offsite, to The Phillips Collection in Washington D.C. We’re in our sixth season of Vocal Colors – one-of-a-kind concerts in which our artists pair songs with artwork from the permanent collection of the museum. As is typical of these projects, last week’s performance featured composers from Debussy and Rachmaninoff to Paul

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Spotlight on the Studio. Where It Belongs.

Sunday afternoon brought a chance for the 2013 Studio Artists to shine. And shine they did. What a terrifically talented, generous and strong group of people.  Bravi tutti. Il barbiere di Siviglia (Rossini) Act II Trio: “Ah qual colpo…Zitti ziti” Rosina – Grace Newberry  /  Almaviva – Brian Yeakley  /  Figaro – Brian Vu Così

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Traviata Liveblog (Laterblog): Rearview Mirror

Well, that happened. And it was better than it had any right to be. I’m still not quite sure how to talk about it without sounding insufferably enthusiastic. But it was a magical night, from all perspectives. We inhabit a long-standing, venerable and demanding art form. The pressure to hit all of the marks is

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Traviata Liveblog: 42 Hours to Curtain

Overnight rehearsal #2. Projections, props, light cues. Assistant stage managers “light-walking” until the sun comes up. Putting the Keurig machine into motion at 1:45am. Quiet in the theatre, with middle-of-the-night slow modulated talking into headsets.

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Traviata Liveblog: 49 Hours to Curtain

We’re in the Kennedy Center Concert Hall for the “Sitzprobe” – when we bring together all musical elements: National Symphony Orchestra, Washington Chorus and Wolf Trap Opera. I’m a musical animal, having entered this business through my life at the piano. The shaping and shepherding of lights, costumes, sets and projections is exciting to be

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Traviata Liveblog: 68 Hours to Curtain

Ian Anderson loads out of the Filene Center, and Verdi moves in. Welcome to Wolf Trap. In order to tech opera – to focus and cue lights and projections – you need darkness. Ergo, overnight rehearsals are a reality of amphitheater opera. The obvious negatives (goodbye, normal sleep cycle…) are mitigated by adrenaline and by

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