Coming Back

Apologies for the week-long hiatus. I tried to post a few times but wasn’t able to find my voice, as they say. I’ve addressed a lot of different topics here, but this blog, unlike many others, has never been an extremely personal vehicle. Well, personal maybe, but not private. So I couldn’t find a way to further address the loss of the five musicians at Indiana University. Because even though it was primarily a professional loss – aside from believing in Robert enough to bring him to Wolf Trap, I never really got to know him – the way in which I responded to this whole terrible thing was not as a colleague, but as a parent. And that’s a place I simply can’t “go” in this forum.

The Task Ahead

Life does go on, and perversely, the most urgent task feels heartless and callous. There are four roles in our summer season that are now unfilled. We start rehearsals for our first opera in two weeks, and it’s my responsibility to deliver up a full cast.

A wise colleague said in an email last week that we really should examine this whole “show must go on” thing. We’ve all been there. We’ve all honored someone’s memory by forging ahead and doing the best damn job possible. There’s significant truth and healing in doing so. But perspective must be kept and priorities must be clear.

We are fortunate to have an extremely loyal and big-hearted base of Wolf Trap Opera alumni. In the past they’ve helped us fill last-minute vacancies created by health problems and other emergencies. And it seems that once again, we will able to turn to an “old” friend. I’m being vague right now, but in a few days it should be official, and I’ll give you the details.

For the Love of It

Went down to University of Virginia on Friday to catch the Virginia Silhoo’ettes’ spring concert. (The Sils are a terrific group of young women that just happens to include my daughter.) As some of you know, I’m an unrepentant college a cappella junkie, and I’m addicted to the energizing and exhausting blast of youthful energy and talent that permeates these concerts.

Probably only someone who works in the music business could take the pleasure that I do in the way that these a cappella groups embody the best of amateur music. Preparing for careers in teaching, law, public service, and other areas, these singers just love to sing, and they throw themselves into it body and soul.

Bob Fincheimer Rules

On another family note… Happy Birthday today to my amazing 16-year-old son. He just happens to have a blog of his own, but because he’s a geek, it’s usually full of computer programming acronyms that I don’t understand:)