It is astounding to me to look back and see that almost two months has passed since my last blog. The Merry Wives of Windsor - which I'd have to say is the biggest event of the past two months (for me) - was such an incredible experience. I learned so much about myself as an actress and a musician. Something I learned from production week was how well I truly learned Alice (and thus how capable I am of preparing and performing a role). I have learned numerous opera scenes and opera choruses, but being prepared to create the heroine of a story is something else entirely. There were hours of carefully researching the story and character info, days of practicing difficult parts of music, and hours of text repetition to create believable speech patterns in an effort to create a cohesive persona.... and this was done in under two months... AND I DID IT. I know that many people do this - that's sort of what being a soloist is - but I was so excited to have my first experience as a lead. There is something so invigorating about creating your own interpretation of a human being from scratch. There are so many important things given to you when you're trying to create this persona, but it is your job alone to truly combine all of your outside sources into a viable person. I could not have asked for a better first [lead] role. Alice is so spunky that she was easy to identify with and make my own. Our stage and music directors along with a very supportive cast helped create an exciting and creatively open environment for me to work and it truly helped me succeed. It is an experience I will always treasure and it's an experience I am eager to have again.
After all of the excitement from The Merry Wives of Windsor, I was anxious to get my next adventure underway. Over the past three weeks I have sent out four audition requests and received a positive decision about an audition a few months ago. One of the neatest things about being a musician is trying to piece together your own work... This also happens to be one of the more stressful aspects of being a musician.
Some of the smaller companies in the Philadelphia area are holding auditions soon and I have sent out materials hoping to hear from them. If all goes well I will be singing for ConcertOpera Philadelphia. They are a great local company which prides themselves on being both "Singer friendly, [and] Audience friendly" (COPA). It would be great to work with them. If you'd like to learn more about them, click on the link here => COPA. Another exciting thing that has come on my radar is the beginning of the Opera on Tap Philadelphia Chapter. The concept behind Opera on Tap (which was founded in Brooklyn) was to bring opera to the public and show it as the living, progressive art form that it is. Having lived in Boston during Graduate school, I became acquainted with friends or acquaintances of mine that had become involved in this group. I was dismayed after moving home to find that I couldn't be a part of a local chapter in Philly (because there didn't seem to be one). Until..... I found the website and it looked like there was activity beginning. It turns out that OOT Philadelphia is doing one of their first gigs this month and I am overjoyed to be a part of it. This is a great way to bring opera to places you might not expect (restaurants, bars, etc...) AND a great way to get in touch with local singers. I will make sure to post more info as I get it. If you want to find out more about Opera on Tap, make sure to visit the link here => OOT.
There are some exciting things coming up and I will make sure to tell everyone as soon as they are official.