My apologies for ignoring California. I had gotten the flu after the New York leg and thought I had bounced back. I was wrong, and it has taken me all of Ohio and California to feel human again. The good news is that things are looking up. Only about 2,500 miles and 350 arias to
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Mezzos: Who’s Singing What
If you want to know what the popular YAP audition rep is this fall, this is the place to be. This weekend, it’s the mezzos’ turn. The list was compiled at 34,000 feet, thanks to the miracle that is Gogo Inflight Internet. Here’s the jumping off point for all the lists: https://opera.wolftrap.org/aria-frequency-lists/. Countertenor, tenor, baritone,
Read MorePutting on our Midwest Ears
The view from the table this week in Cincinnati, from the back of the lovely Werner Recital Hall on the campus of the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music. Our pianist, as always in Cincinnati, was the peerless Donna Loewy; and our guest panelist Marie-France Lefebvre was a colleague of mine both at Washington National
Read MoreThe ‘Nati: Off to a Great Start!
I’ve been hearing auditions in Cincinnati for 18 years now, and happily so. But in recent seasons, Ohio has been the victim of overzealous, tight audition tour scheduling. We’ve blown in and out of here, sometimes arriving at dawn and flying out before bedtime, often squeezing in over 40 singers in between. When you tempt
Read MorePassing Through
We’re back on home turf for auditions at The Barns at Wolf Trap. We sailed in there on Tuesday morning and completely surprised our colleagues; evidently, in the frenzy of checking and verifying space rentals across the country, we had neglected to close all of the loops right here at home. No worries, though, for
Read MoreBoo
Some Halloween goodness from the WTOC on the road in Philadelphia. I found my costume robe and cane inside the light booth in the black box theatre. (Shh. Don’t tell. I put it right back.) Rahree, IvoryTickler and I were going to wear witch hats, but we thought that it might send the wrong message.
Read MoreNew York: Done, done and done
Approximately 43 hours of singing, including some Bernstein and Strauss at NYCO. A fabulous week of auditions, with some outstanding singing, both from folks who are contenders for this year’s roster and from others that we’ve flagged to watch for next year. We just fought our way down 8th Avenue with our irritatingly large amount
Read MoreCatching Up
We try to get together with Wolf Trappers in our various cities across the country during the audition tour. Last night: The Delta Grill in New York City. A lovely gathering of folks across the last 10 years’ rosters, with a special visit by an outlier from the previous decade :) (We sorely missed
Read MoreShoes!
It’s not much of a secret that my colleague Rahree is all about the shoes. Of course, we are in search of fabulous singing on this audition tour. But not inconsistent with that quest is Rahree’s lookout for classy and distinctive ladies’ footwear. It’s a hobby and a passion. She was sporting a pretty amazing
Read MoreSopranos: Who’s Singing What
If you want to know what the popular YAP audition rep is this fall, this is the place to be. Sopranos, you’re first in line. My completely unscientific conclusions? Well, I have no idea why so many of you feel compelled to sing Pamina’s breathtakingly-beautiful-and-supernaturally-difficult aria. And I’m alternately pleasantly surprised and relieved (I won’t
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