We're Still Here!

When there's time to blog, there's not a whole lot to report. And when there's a lot happening (euphemism for not keeping my head above the operatic waters), there's no time to blog.

Thus, this week-long silence.

Volpone

Nice web feature on WETA.org - go here to listen.
A week of indescribable ups and downs, putting this show on its feet. A tense tech week and bumpy dress rehearsal (no surprise there) led to a terrific first set of performances. Audiences just love this piece. Justice Ginsberg was there today, enjoying her favorite part of this opera - the courtroom scenes.

All photos by Carol Pratt.

The Judges

Celia

Birds of Prey: (L-R) Cornaccio, Corvina, Voltore

Erminella

Bonario

Mosca

The Moscateers (L-R) Epicene, Nano, Castrato

Big Daddy Fox

Death by Aria

Yesterday, our annual parade of party pieces for the Wolf Trap Associates. Not really "Death by Aria", as we fondly christened the event decades ago. Everything from verismo to Broadway, with a virtuoso Falstaff fugue ending by the Studio. Photos later.

Wait, There's More

It's been a series of long days broken only by a raucous 50th birthday celebration on Thursday. (And of course, now that I'm that old, I have the right to complain, right?)

Documenting a few days-in-the-life as a way of convincing myself that I'm tired not just because I'm old, and also to demonstrate to the loyal readership that the blog silence wasn't deliberate...

FRIDAY

9:30 - Facilitate radio interview with Volpone composer & librettist. (Sent unsuspecting colleague to Baltimore with the duo.)

10:30 - Practice the piano (a.k.a. omigod where are my chops) for lunchtime concert.

11:15 - Prepare for NEA luncheon

12:00 - Bash through arias and Falstaff finale at lunch concert. Escape with dignity reasonably intact.

12:45 - Make brief presentation for visiting NEA panel.

2:00 - Make corrections to supertitles for tonight's Volpone opening.

3:30 - Run through more arias for tomorrow's donor concert. Try to remember how to transpose. (Where are my chops? Did I suddenly get stupider now that I'm 50???)

5:00 - Ask intern to please do surgery on powerpoint presentation for preshow talk.

6:00 - Load supertitle corrections into the file. Negotiate with cranky projector

6:30 - Give a passing thought to what I might say at the preshow talk.

7:05 - Breathe sigh of relief as composer and librettist show up at preshow talk and happily dominate the conversation.

7:45 - Check in at box office. Only a few last-minute surprises.

8:05 - Enjoy opening performance, with exception of cranky supertitle projector that is cutting off some of the cues.

10:30 - Curtain. General rejoicing.

11:00 - More practicing for tomorrow's donor concert.

12:30 - Try to write notes for remarks for tomorrow's concert.

1:45 - OK, I've had it.

SATURDAY

10:15 - Open up the theatre. Check air conditioning. More time at the keyboard.

11:45 - It's as good as it's going to get. Change clothes and double-check notebook of music. Get cranky about being indoors on the most beautiful day of the whole summer.

1:00 - Brief Falstaff rehearsal

2:00 - Death by Aria. Lots of fun. Truly.

3:30 - Chat with patrons at reception, several of whom ask why I haven't written in the blog since Monday. :)

5:00 - Return to the office, work for a while, then decide to quit because I seem to be getting stupider by the minute.

7:30 - Decide to watch The Departed DVD with my husband while working on Carmen supertitles. Bad idea. Got totally lost in the movie. And heaven knows what effect it had on the titles.

10:00 - Tomorrow's another day.

SUNDAY

10:00 - Follow through on various arrangements for local transportation for visiting artists; picking up, dropping off, getting food, etc.

11:00 - More changes on supertitles and more negotiations with cranky projector. Think we have it figured out.

12:30 - Now the projector for the preshow presentation is cranky, too. I really have the A/V touch this weekend, it seems.

1:00 - Happily allow composer and librettist to do the preshow talk.

2:00 - Spend the entire Volpone performance on the steps behind the curtain at the back of the house working on the schedule for tomorrow.

4:30 - Volpone curtain

5:00 - Geni audition for Magic Flute

5:15 - Carmen run-through (Figured I'd better go to Carmen rehearsal soon, since the assistant conductor recently sent me this photo of their progress. Frasquita as Cousin It.)

7:30 - Carmen production team meeting

8:30 - My daughter made dinner!

9:30 - Export Carmen supertitles. Trim, tweak, tease.

11:00 - Blog!

Back in a day or two. Promise.