Cast!

Well, I'm thrilled beyond belief!! We just found out the casting list for the fall and winter productions, and I have a lead role in one of the winter operas!

Madame Silberklag/Silverpeal is a youngish diva who is auditioning for an impresario. Unbeknowst to her, the reigning (aging) diva is also being courted by this man. There's a catfight and some high fireworks singing. Bester Jüngling is Silberklang's aria, which she actually uses in the opera to audition. The piece itself has gained a life apart from the opera and is frequently used in recitals and concerts.

While it makes me a little uncomfortable to play such a catty, arrogant character (It's challenging to play someone I find so inherently distasteful), the music is fantastic. It's Mozart, and the opera's name is, aptly, The Impresario. And I plan to put on some stilettos and find a way to revel in the snootiness of this woman :)

Hooray!

~Hope

It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World

Just got back from the Opera America Conference in Houston, TX. What an incredible event! I met so many amazing people, from stage directors to general managers to board members, and I learned a ton about both sides of opera (business and performance.) More to come on that later...

For now, though, I'm in the thick of final exams and papers. After chatting with people and attending events for 15 hours a day from Wednesday through Saturday this past week, you'd think I'd have a bit of time to rest :) But my flight landed at midnight Sunday (after 12 hours of traveling), and I stayed up till 4 am finishing a project due Monday. Today was my audition for the fall operas/musical and a keyboard audit. Tomorrow is my Medieval History final, and Thursday is music theory. I'm coasting on a thin veneer of sugar and caffeine, desperately trying to substitute techno music for coffee. We'll see how this goes.

May your week be more restful than mine! And if you're getting sleep, catch an hour for me, will ya?

~Hope