Bringing it

You are viewing the back of David Hanlon and the front of Evan Rogister, our line of first defense in the musical preparation of THE REFUGE. Here we were rehearsing the movement described in an earlier post, which we have since performed for a community group - this has happened with one other movement as well. David has been diligent in teaching this score to our Studio soloists, and together with Evan, to the musicians in our community who are participating. They are our resident experts on how to mic a sitar, how to balance a singer and a dan bau, and how to pronounce an anthem in Congolese. We would be hard pressed to do this work without them.

I write this in haste before running downstairs to the dress rehearsal of FILLE DU REGIMENT. This week will see auditions (Studio singers singing for agents and general directors of other companies), casting meetings, the beginnings of another large program, and another community performance of part of the REFUGE. In short, everything we've been preparing for is beginning to happen. We're bringing it - and the preparations for things two and three months down the road have begun.

We also welcome for the first time today our friends from the San Francisco Opera, who are holding auditions for their training program here. They'll audition in other cities too, as will we in their city in just a few weeks. We're all looking ahead to next summer and next year, checking on the progress of talented singers around the country, dreaming up what might come next...

...all while the daily work continues, I remind myself as I hear the orchestra tuning over my office monitor. Time to go!