As many of you know, this past weekend, I performed in benefit concert Scared for Good, which raised funds for FriendshipWorks, Habitat for Humanity Haiti, Literacy Volunteers of Massachusetts, Women’s Lunch Place, and YMCA Training, Inc. While I’ve never performed anything composed by Richard Wagner before, I was happy to make my first attempt for a good cause–or in this case, five. To my pleasant surprise, today, someone emailed me a link to a review of the concert by blogger A Proper Bostonian. While I had a great time, it is nice to read others enjoyed the concert just as much. The paragraph pertaining to the “Ride of the Valkyries” was appropriately humorous:
Finally, he [organist Harry Huff] pulled out a horned helmut for Wagner’s Ride of the Valkyries. Having spent too much of my life managing a well-bred chamber-music series, I always think of this piece as Kill the Wabbit. Usually it’s instrumental in the versions we hear on TV and elsewhere; we don’t get to hear the Valkyries’ vocals. But four black-robed and horn-helmeted sopranos marched stone-faced to the altar and gave us their battle cry. Three of them were robust and looked the part. The fourth was petite, with short braided pigtails under her helmet. But her fierce expression — as the quartet tried repeatedly to burst our eardrums — made hers the scariest song of the evening.
Can you guess who the one with the “short braided pigtails” and the “fierce expression” was? I’m not telling.
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Yesterday I performed “Ich folge dir gleichfalls” from J.S. Bach’s Johannes Passion as part of the worship services at Boston’s Old South Church. The other members of the ensemble were good friend Sam Ou, cello, and young parishioner Will Palmer, flute. It went well, I think. I was confident in my performance, had a good time while singing and feel the piece was well-received by the members of the congregation, including an interactive baby in the second pew that freely gave commentary. Minister Nancy Taylor thanked me for my contributions at the end of the service with kind compliments. Nice!
postscript: I neglected to mention that our ensemble performance was preceded by a ringing cell phone prelude. Most apropos of a church service, don’t you think?
Three good things happened tonight while I was at rehearsal:
- I received a voicemail message from the casting director booking me for the Massachusetts Lottery commercial. Yay! A subsequent call arrived from wardrobe, providing me with instruction on what to bring to tomorrow’s fitting.
- The director assigned me “Ich folge dir gleichfalls” from J. S. Bach’s Johannes Passion, a lovely little ditty I’ll sing on March 15. So, if you will be in the Boston area at that time, come and listen!
- I received an email about Fate Scores, indicating early good press. See that photo there at the top of the article? A good-looking photo, right? Well, that’s my dear friend Albert prominently featured, but that photo wouldn’t exist if it weren’t for me. I took it! Yay me! (Say, 77 Square: Movies: Blog: what about some credit, eh?)
Now, all I’ve got to do is get rid of this nagging, wheezy cough I’ve picked up and I’ll be golden.
 It’s amazing to witness the way the mind and memory operate. I was riding the bus this afternoon when suddenly, for no apparent reason and with no obvious cue (perhaps it’s all this focusing on performance I’ve been doing), I began to recall concerts I had participated in as an undergraduate student–concerts I have not thought about in some time.
Internationally-renowned operatic soprano Gilda Cruz-Romo was a faculty member who coordinated concerts each semester in which students could sign up to present one aria in order to obtain public performance experience. She would decide the order of performance and frequently the concerts were two hours (or more!) in length. I made it a point to participate in every one I could and I think I still have the programs to prove it.
I remember the first conversation I had with her. To participate in these concerts, one had to make an appointment and visit her in her studio … Read more »
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