Summertime and the Livin' Ain't Easy

July 11, 2009 - As the child of two educators, summer was always a season when things slowed down dramatically, lots of time was spent doing nothing, and deadlines were something that didn't exist again until September (or at the earliest late August). Well, as an adult running a non-profit arts organization, summer is in some ways more hectic and demanding than the producing season. This is the time when the bulk of the planning happens. Casts are assembled and contracts are sent, bios and ads are gathered for the season program (this is often incredibly time consuming due to singers being all over the place in summer festivals, young artist programs, etc.), grants are written and submitted, rehearsal schedules developed and tweaked. The list goes on and on.

This summer, I've added another component to my already busy summer: The Little Patuxent Opera Institute, a fledgling training program for young singers based at Howard Community College. The group of 8 young women participating in the institute are putting on a program consisting of operatic scenes ranging from Claudio Monteverdi to Benjamin Britten on the first half and a fully-staged production of Puccini's Suor Angelica on the second half (the cast for this is being fleshed out by professional singers in the area). They are receiving what is often referred to as a "baptism by fire", having to cope with a huge range of styles in three different languages while polishing their technique and learning how to create character, move fluidly on stage, and convey emotion with their voices. Kudos to them all for their hard work and progress so far. If you want to know more about the institute, click here.

Also, next week I dive into rehearsals for our Artscape offering. More akin to our cabaret offerings, I Hear America Singing, interweaves readings from American history with music ranging from folk tunes to spirituals to Tin Pan Alley in a moving celebration of the American spirit. Click here for more info.

So if your summer schedule permits, come check out either The Little Patuxent Opera Institute, Artscape, or both. See you at the opera!