Hello All,
Well, here we are again. Back to the time when there's a snap in the air and the days are gilded with bright crisp sunshine, a time of shortening days, changing leaves and changing seasons. Oddly enough, for us singers, that means a season of 'newness' because it is the time when opera companies come to New York to hear auditions and cast for the following seasons. I have always looked forward to Fall, but I find this year a bit different: I have had a hard time getting back into the swing of things, feeling downright summer-like lazy!
What I suppose makes me feel so differently is that my summer was so busy, with so much to learn and perform at the Newport Music Festival. The Festival hosts a two-week marathon of concerts in all of the beautiful mansions in Newport, Rhode Island famous for their opulence and grandeur. It was really an amazing experience, and I had the chance to meet some really fantastic people and share a unique bond with those I worked with. It was an intense 14 days, which had its beginnings in New York City. I went in around a month earlier to rehearse (in one day) the 68 songs with the pianist that was assigned to me! Of course, we had one other meeting out at Newport and little catch-ups during the two weeks, while also performing and rehearsing with other musicians. This 12-hour-a-day schedule made the Decathlon look like a senior aqua-aerobics session. My main pianist was Tom Hrynkiw, an amazing fellow capable of technically handling anything thrown at him and play it at sight. Half my music was Poulenc songs, and the other, a conglomeration of songs in Russian, German Lieder, Italian arie antiche, a Mozart concert aria, and some corny but actually rather nice parlor songs in English! I had perhaps only 11 songs that I sang with other artists and the rest was with Tom. We started out quite well, although we had some "musicianly disagreements" and struggled to understand how to put our styles together. In the end, I can honestly say that it felt as if we had known each other all our lives. I can say perhaps my most impressive personal triumph was a little song called Baltunya (The Chatterbox), which reels off enough Russian to fill the pages of War and Peace in about 4 minutes! There were also other things like learning two songs cycles that were completely new to me at the very beginning of the Festival. These were assigned to another artist who did not end up performing them. That brought my total up to a smashing 79 songs! My big feature concert at The Breakers, Mahler’s Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen, (Songs of a Wayfarer) went amazingly well and, of all things, I actually got a terrific review for the Mozart concert aria that I sang at the beginning of the festival. I felt fortunate to be reviewed at all, since most of the time it is only the foreign artists that get reviewed, either making a North America Debut or perhaps giving an Opening Gala or Closing concert. I even got a mention in The New Yorker! You can see pictures from my Newport experience and others at Pictures from My Life.
The one thing I can say without reservation about Newport as a performer is, that it is not for everyone. There is certainly a personality type that thrives on that kind of experience, enormous workload and performance schedule. I thought I would certainly not be one of them, as I normally like a lot of rehearsals for recitals, especially when I don't really know the pianist either by their playing or personally. But what I discovered is that that particular atmosphere rather suits me to a tee; I loved having to be overly prepared and to expect the unexpected. I loved being able to wear a different dress everyday, sometimes two or three a day, as there were that many concerts going on that one might be involved in. And I loved being in such gorgeous places! Each Newport Mansion has its own appeal, and most certainly it adds to the feel and result of the concerts given there. We definitely had inevitable "Newport moments" (don't ask!), but all in all, I thought it was the most fun I've had in years, the most I've learned and the most I've grown as a performer for many, many reasons. The hardest thing about it for me was the fact that I absolutely adore the public, and I love to say hello to people that have come to the concerts. Sometimes with the schedules we had, it was really impossible, either because one was worried about talking and not having enough voice, or because you had to ‘book out of there’ and get to your next concert at another Mansion across town! Anyway - that possibly explains my slowness in embracing this very busy audition season! It is another energy entirely, and now that I have been into "The City" a couple of times, I'm getting my "mojo" back!
I look forward to performing with two groups and two conductors that are new to me this December - Chorus Pro Musica with Jeffrey Rink and the Providence Singers with Julian Wachner. Please check my Schedule to find out about these exciting projects!
I wish you all a wonderful fall and change of season. I wish you lots of rest as you ease your bodies back into the colder temperatures and as you prepare for what is not too far away, the Holiday Season! I know! Isn't that a crazy thought!
Lots of love and get to raking those leaves!!!!!
Diva G
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