Le Nozze di Figaro at Xi'an Conservatory

I was able to spend a most of one wonderful month in Xi'an at the Conservatory, helping them to prepare for performances of Le Nozze di Figaro by W. A. Mozart.  I am excited that they are taking on this big challenge which will benefit students and teachers.

Presenting an opera is a big project and takes cooperation from so many people.  The benefits are that over time as a school or Conservatory will have another way to evaluate their best singers and performers.  It gives the students to use their mind in a different way to create not only musically, but dramatically.  I guarantee that the students will figure out quickly how to act,, sing, and  perform.  As a teacher it is always gratifying to see students grow and understand that reaching for perfection is also very satisfying.  I am excited to see the performances in a few short weeks.

Master Classes in Kunming and Xi'an

It has been a busy two weeks with Master Classes in Kunming and Xi'an.  I must say that I have enjoyed both cities and the experience a great deal.  I was impressed with the lovely, helpful people, history, beautiful weather and food!  I was also very happy with the talent in both cities.

When I go to a city I always think, "can this city present an opera?".   The reason I think this is because I am a singer and want to spread Western Opera anywhere I can. I think if a city has an opera company or regular performances through the local university or conservatory, it gives students or local professionals a goal to reach. Through this goal they must keep working to improve their abilities. It gives them performances.  It gives them hope.

I was impressed with the local singers and pianists in Kunming: the university also has some very talented faculty.   I think the Conservatory in Xi'an is very forward looking and is committed, through their fine faculty, to truly support their students.  I enjoyed the talent level there and the interaction with the wonderful faculty.

I will go train singers in Italy next month for two weeks.  I enjoy very much mentoring and helping young students.  I hope through my experiences in China and my international experience that I can continue to try to find opportunities for them.

True Artists

In the past week I have seen two of the top mezzo sopranos singing today in concert; Joyce DiDonato in Hong Kong and Elina Garanca in Guangzhou.  What I have appreciated is not only their fine voices, but their style, musicianship, and how the characters they portray become so clear to us as a listener.

As young singers, and other mere mortal professionals, we worry about our sound, our technique, but are we truly understanding how many other facets of performing are also important.   Don't get me wrong, I love loud, healthy singing! But when we get a 'total package' of pianissimo, thundering high notes, a phrase properly on the breath and presented with feeling, understanding, and a committed choice of presentation, we then are listening to a true artist.

I was able to hear two such artists this week.

Rehearsals at the Met

I have been rehearsing the role of Dancaire in Carmen at the MET and the 1st performance is February 6th.  in the 7 days of rehearsal before the 1st performance, I will have worked maximum 16 hours on the production.  This means 16 hours in the opera house in the rehearsal room, individual coaching,  and the final 2 rehearsals on the stage.

This is a very little amount of time.

The reason we have so little time is because it is an old production and only so much time is reserved for rehearsals.
We must remember that not only is Carmen in Rehearsals, but also Don Giovanni, and La Donna del Lago.  Also,  The Tales of Hoffman, Iolante/Blackbeard's Castle, and The Merry Widow are currently playing.  This means that the opera house is extremely busy, and there are only so many rooms that can hold a large rehearsal and also share those spaces with the other operas.

What you must do is be as prepared as possible as we will only run the scenes 5-6 times before opening night.
The process is such that we are talked thru the scene by the assistant director, and we work through the scene with music.  We are then critiqued by the director and adjust the spacing, put more ideas and motives into our work, and then work thru the scene again.  Some artists have ideas and we share with each other and work out the blocking (movements)..  The we run the scene again.  After a couple times we should be ready to go.

This is the level that a professional singer must work at, especially when we have a very short rehearsal period.

All of these things will help you get acclimated to the new time zone and within 2 days your body can be back to normal.

Traveling challenges for a singer

Traveling in this modern world becomes a challenge for today's singer.  We travel by wonderful modern jets, but we are put into a cabin and in close proximity with so many other people, some who travel when not healthy.  This air that we all breathe within the airplane carries many germs, and at high altitudes also becomes very dry, which does not help us to keep our throats and noses moist to help us fight of any illnesses that may be wafting thru the air.

We also at times travel great distances, remaining on an airplane up to 16-18 hours if traveling internationally.  So how do we stay healthy, and also deal with the accompanying jet-lag when flying between continents?

What I have done over the years is develop a routine that works for me, and helps me come off the plane in fairly good physical shape.  Indeed, in the past I was able to fly 10 hours, arrive and in an emergency, sing well the same evening of arrival.

My travel secrets:

1.  When possible, stay up late the night before so that you sleep a great deal on the plane.
2.  If possible, avoid some of the starches in some of the airplane food like the bread and butter.  I generally will avoid the starches/carbohydrates when possible.  This helps to keep you away from the bloated feeling that you might get when flying.
3.  Get up and walk and stretch minimum every couple hours between naps.
4.  Of course, drink lots of water on the plane.  Also, make sure your seat is an aisle seat because if you are drinking lots of water, you will need to visit the toilet frequently!
5.  Take a medicine that will moisturize your throat; something like Mucinex, Robitussin or Mucosolvon.  This will help your immune system fight off any bugs in the air.
6.  When you arrive at your destination, you might nap on the bus or train into the city, but once in the hotel or home, do not sleep until after 10pm at night.  In the morning get up at a realistic hour (after 8 hours of sleep hopefully) and do some exercise.