Out in the West Texas town of El Paso...

There was drama! Its only been 3 days since my arrival in El Paso and people have already had to be moved to hotels from their home stays! This is why I HATE home stay situations. As one of my colleagues so elegantly puts it, sometimes you need to be able to take a dump with the door open and then watch TV in the kitchen in your panties! Hahaha! Its true though! We singers are an interesting breed that need our privacy. I think that all the issues have been resolved here in West Texas. It seems the primary problem is lack of air conditioning! Many people have swamp coolers that I guess are supposed to work fine when its in the upper 80's and very dry...but when its 104 and humid, they dont do shit! So, yeah...note to self: Never stay at a home with a swamp cooler when its hot - not to mention the mold and mildew that they spawn! Ugggh!

Other than issues of staying cool at night, El Paso is an interesting place surrounded by beautiful mountains. I'll have to get out today and take many pictures. It really is beautiful here, and the house that I am staying in is gorgeous. The cast is very nice and I am sure that there are 2 or 3 that will become good friends. :o)

I have the day off today and tomorrow! Woohoo! It seems that I should figure out how to sing a few sections in this opera that are being held captive by the "Rhythmic Police" ...not to mention retrain the brain to sing all melodies 10x faster than I have learned them / ever heard them. Hmmm...that should be interesting.

On the road again...

Its been three months on the ranch preparing music, analyzing poetry, memorizing text, and spending time with my lovely family. This past week that all ended with the kick start to my '07-'08 season. I guess it truly is hard to find summer work once out in the real world of singing. I think it had been something like 12 straight years of apprentice programs or summer music festival-type things until this past summer of pool lounging, dog training, and lawn mowing. Dont get me wrong, I absolutely adore these things, they just dont pay all that well.

I have thoroughly enjoyed the past 4 days being in the quaint little town of Rhinebeck, NY. I wish that I had my cable that connects my camera to my computer so I could post some pictures...I guess you'll just have to wait! Anyway, the Bard Music Festival takes place just north of Rhinebeck on the beautiful campus of Bard College. I had the pleasure of performing a lovely set of songs by Arthur Sommervell entitled MAUD yesterday afternoon. The concert was well attended, and I see that I got a favorable review from the opera-l folks....although the reviewer mistook my baritone for a young heldentenor! I must say thats a first!

Following the concert and a lovely lunch with my manager and her husband, I hopped in the car and headed South to NYC. I am preparing my first Amonasro in AIDA, which starts rehearsals one week from today!! So, needless to say I am having coachings today and tomorrow here in NY to prepare before heading back to Bard for one more concert this coming weekend. Woohooo! I have to say that I love being busy.

Ok, so...in the next month I have one more concert at Bard, 2 performances of Amonasro in Aida, and will begin rehearsals for Enrico in Lucia at Arizona! ...just the way I like it. :o)