Opera Vivente

What's Been Going On

2009-06-30T04:38:00.000-07:00

June 30, 2009 - So, first of all, let me apologize for the very long hiatus in posts. A variety of factors have contributed to this, but rather than bore you with that, I'll just give a brief update to what's been going on during the month of June and a quick glimpse of what will be going on in July.

During most of June, I was in Tulsa, where I was unfortunately reminded that unprofessional, unethical, and downright rude behavior still exists in this industry. I'm going to take the highroad here and consign the whole experience to "things that make John a sadder but wiser director". Moving on. . .

While I was in Tulsa, the OV family was hard at work sending out the end-of-season appeal letter (many thanks to those of you who contributed so generously), the 2009-2010 season brochure (thanks to Dave Cooper for the absolutely brilliant design), keeping the office running (thanks especially to Karen Pekala), writing grants (thanks Ellen and Jan Richter, and Kathy Kahler), and redesigning the website (if you haven't already done so, check out Inspired Revolutions chic and very navigable new look at www.operavivente.org). The website still has a few things to be added, but it's ready and waiting to take your ticket order for next season and/or receive your online donation.

July will mostly be occupied by two things for me: The Little Patuxent Opera Institute at Howard Community College and Artscape. The LPOI is the brainchild of James Bailey and Deborah Kent, two colleagues of mine who are very active in the training and polishing of young singers. As training and polishing, as well as offering professional opportunities, has always been central to what OV does, I'm very excited to be a part of this program which will culminate in a performance of various operatic scenes as well as a complete Suor Angelica at the end of the month. As far as Artscape goes, OV will be offering something a little different this year, a concert entitled "I Hear America Singing: A Musical Celebration of the American Spirit". This concert was developed several years ago for Londontowne, and I'm excited to be bringing it to Baltimore audiences on July 18th at 2pm and 5:30pm at Corpus Christi church. The singers will be Leah Inger, Jennifer Blades, Adam Caughey, and Jason Buckwalter. If you need a break from the heat and fried-dough eating that will lift your spirits, come check us out.

Okay, so look for more frequent posts from now on. I promise. Really, I promise, pinky-swear, etc.

See you at the opera!

Greetings from Tulsa

2009-06-11T10:22:00.000-07:00

June 11, 2009 - Hey friends. I'm here in Tulsa directing A Little Night Music for Light Opera of Oklahoma. I haven't been posting much, not because I'm swamped with rehearsals here (wish I could say that I was) but rather because OV is in the process of redesigning its website and evidently blogs are the hardest thing to transfer to I'm trying to not make Inspired Revolutions job and more difficult. Look for more regular postings when I get back in a couple weeks to Charm City. In the meantime, look for your OV 2009-2010 season brochures in the mail.

Whole Lot of Planning Goin' On

2009-05-20T08:54:00.001-07:00

May 20, 2009 - So here's what's going on at Opera Vivente. Lest you think that the hiatus in my blog posts meant that we were all on vacation here at the opera, I thought I'd just fill you in on a few fronts.

The 2009-2010 Season
Our season deals with fairy tales and the deeper currents that run under seemingly naive stories of good and evil. We open with Rossini's Cinderella (September 25, 27, October 1, and 3), a take on the traditional fairy tale which places far greater magic in a true and good human heart than in talking mice with surprising seamstress skills. Also, no fairy godmother but rather a wise philospher named Alidoro, so we'll be very safe from any Disney lawsuits.

The season continues in late winter with a brilliant distillation of Debussy's only opera by the French composer Marius Constant. Impressions of Pelléas (February 26, 28, March 4, and 6) takes place in the mythical kingdom of Allemonde and explores the archetypal psychic undercurrents of two half-brothers in love with the same mysterious woman. The music that accompanies this tale is filled with an achingly beautiful melancholy.

The season concludes with Mozart's perennial favorite The Magic Flute (May 14, 16, 20, and 22). Be prepared for a novel and distinctly Baltimorean perspective on this classic tale of a boy, his flute, his girl, and her mother (along with one of the most loveable sidekicks ever to grace the operatic stage).

Casting has been completed for the season and design teams are being assembled. Subscriptions are currently on sale (individual tickets go on sale August 3rd) and may be purchased over the phone (410.547.7997) with a credit card. Online sales should be available by the end of next week.

We are also working on our Artscape offering for this summer. On Saturday, July 18th at 2 and 5:30pm, Opera Vivente will perform I Hear America Singing: A Musical Celebration of the American Spirit. This program interweaves readings from American history with music ranging from folk tunes to spirituals to Tin Pan Alley. This event is free and open to the public, so come check us out at Corpus Christi Church on Mt. Royal Avenue.

I personally am also preparing to go to Tulsa on June 1st to direct Stephen Sondheim's brilliant A Little Night Music for Light Opera of Oklahoma. More on that once I'm there.

Gotta dash. As you can see, I'm very busy. See you at an upcoming OV event!

Glory to Our New May King - Tim Smith's Review

2009-05-05T06:13:00.000-07:00

May 5, 2009 - Just a brief post to bring your attention to Tim Smith's review. Click here to see what he had to say on his blog. There are still some tickets left for the remaining two performances on May 7th and 9th at 8pm. Click here to get your tickets.

Also, you can still purchase tickets to our gala on May 16th at the Winans Mansion (1217 St. Paul Street) by calling the box office at 410.547.7997.

A note from the director

2009-04-30T12:30:00.001-07:00

What an honor it has been to travel to Baltimore and stage a production for Opera Vivente! Albert Herring is a wonderful musical gem and (especially if you enjoy Britten's music) this is a must-see event for any opera lover. If you are new to Britten, this is the perfect introduction.

I was lucky to be given a dream cast full of vibrant, witty people - all selected by John Bowen - who have done a beautiful job combining the "over-the-top" and subtle acting requirements with the demanding musical score.

If you have never seen an opera in the OV space, try it out. The intimate surrounds of the hall are perfect for a piece like Herring. One actually feels part of the play. At last night's final dress rehearsal one gentleman was sitting next to the orchestra enclosure, but not far from the stage. He was obviously in a state of musical paradise, and went on and on about how he enjoyed himself. I asked him if he had ever seen this particular opera. NO! he stated, and continued with nothing but praise for the production's singers and orchestra. Quite a review!

It has been a wonderful experience being in Balitmore for 3 weeks. John is working in Tulsa in June to stage a "certain Sondheim musical in 3/4 time" which I am sure you will want to check out in future blogs written by Mr. Bowen.

See you at the opera!

Eric Gibson
Guest Director, Albert Herring
Artistic Director, Light Opera Oklahoma, Tulsa

Backstage at the Final Dress

2009-04-29T16:47:00.000-07:00

April 29, 2009 - So I'm taking a quick break from enjoying the final dress rehearsal of Albert Herring to post some tantalizing tidbits to whet your appetite to see the show. Here are some photos from last night's piano dress.

The village elders make an "interesting proposal" to Lady Billows.

Sid makes an "interesting proposal" to Albert and another to Nancy.

And Lady Billows takes Albert unto her bosom

with surprising results.

And here's a link to a little video taken just a half hour ago of Austin Nikirk, Veronica Page, and Collin Power, our amazingly talented young cast members. Click here to enjoy.

Performances are May 1, 7, and 9 at 8pm and May 3 at 3pm. Click here to get your ticket to the May King crowning.

See you at the opera!

Preparations for May King Crowning are Heating Up!

2009-04-23T09:25:00.000-07:00

April 23, 2009 - So things are really starting to come together for OV's last production of the season: Britten's hysterical comedy of manners, Albert Herring. (click here for tickets). Our first ever guest director, Eric Gibson, finished staging the end of the opera last night, so now we start the act run-thrus, the tech rehearsals, the sitzprobe (singers sit and sing with the orchestra for the first time), and so forth which lead up to what promises to be a glorious opening night on May 1st. To give you a little taste of the look of the production, click here to see our set designer's sketches and models. And to give you a taste of the opera itself, click here to see a video potpourri of excerpts from it.

Also, tickets are going fast for our annual gala fundraiser on May 16th from 8-11pm at the Winans Mansion (1217 St. Paul Street). Great food and drink, wonderful music, and a silent auction featuring items such as hotel stays, golf foursomes, books, tickets, posters, and more. Call 410.547.7997 to get your ticket ($100/person) today.

Playing Catch-Up

2009-04-13T12:39:00.000-07:00

April 13, 2009 - Whew! What a whirlwind of activity the past few months have been. Crazy times. Anyway, here's where OV and I are right now.

Rehearsals begin tomorrow for the final show of our 2008-2009 season. And we're closing the season with a madcap romp of a show: Benjamin Britten's Albert Herring. It's a hoot suitable for the whole family. This show also marks the first time in our history that OV welcomes a guest director: Eric Gibson from Light Opera of Oklahoma. Eric's a lively and talented director who will bring out every ounce of hilarity this show offers. Click here to get your ticket today! Tickets are going fast.

The other big thing occupying me right now is planning for the 2009-2010 season. After much deliberating, number-crunching, crystal ball gazing, praying, etc. the board and I arrived at a workable and fiscally responsible budget figure for the season (about a month later than we normally would have arrived at it but better late than never in the current environment) and so now it's "pedal to the metal" to try to get back on track from a scheduling standpoint. So here's our season:

Cinderella (La cenerentola for all the original language folks) by Rossini - September 25, 27, October 1, and October 3, 2009
Impressions of Pelléas by Debussy (in a brilliant evocative distillation by Marius Constant) - February 26, 28, March 5, and March 7, 2010
The Magic Flute (aka Die Zauberflöte for the above-mentioned group) by Mozart - May 14, 16, 20, and 22, 2010

Current subscribers will be contacted over the next few weeks to renew their subscriptions. Subscriptions will then go on sale to the general public on May 1st. Individual tickets will go on sale July 27th.

So things are "a-cooking" as they say. I'll be doing more posts about rehearsals for Albert Herring in the coming weeks.

See you at the opera!

OV Stimulus Redux

2009-03-31T10:32:00.000-07:00

March 31, 2009 - So here's the part of the $25 Helps OV Thrive Drive that I was downplaying when I was encouraging the "can-do" "many small gifts make a difference" attitude among supporters and patrons of OV. This company can indeed "do it" and "many small gifts do indeed make a difference" but only if there's 100% (or darn close to it) buy-in/participation in such a fundraising campaign. 30% of supporters making a small gift will not raise sufficient funds. Nor can we go forward in a fiscally responsible way purely on the "intention" of supporters to pledge funds. The flip side of the coin to the "if we get this amount then we can go forward" is "if we don't get this amount, we can't go forward". Now is the time that I need to be making decisions based on real $$$ amounts. So if you were intending to make a donation, now is the time to do it particularly since (cue trumpet fanfare here) we are currently in a "challenge grant situation". That means that, due to the incredible generosity of a few major donors, every dollar we receive in donations between now and the closing show of Albert Herring (May 9th) will be matched dollar for dollar.

So. . . .click here to take decisive action on this information or if you'd prefer, call 410.547.7997 to make a phone pledge. And thank you in advance for your generosity and belief in the future of Opera Vivente.

John Bowen

Updates on Various Fronts

2009-03-17T11:58:00.000-07:00

March 17, 2009 - The Coronation of Poppea closed this past Saturday with a completely sold out house. It was one of our most popular shows, and I already miss the wonderful group of performers who made it such a joy to work on. Next up is Britten's Albert Herring (May 1st thru 9th), a delightful comedy set in a small English village engaged in crowning a May King. Effervescent fun for the whole family. Click here to get a ticket.

On the audition front, my apologies to singers awaiting to hear our decisions about casting for next season. Budgeting has proven to be even more of an arcane science this year and so contracts have been unavoidably delayed. We're very close to sorting it all out though and singers will be notified very shortly. Thank you for your patience.

Finally, tickets are now on sale for our annual gala fundraiser, this year entitled When the Clock Strikes Twelve. It will take place on May 16th from 8-11pm at the beautiful Winans Mansion (1217 St. Paul Street) and will have a fairytale theme. Tickets are $100 and may be purchased by calling the box office at 410.547.7997. Everyone had a blast at last year's gala, so come celebrate and support OV.

Baltimore City Paper Review

2009-03-11T06:06:00.000-07:00

March 11, 2009 - Here's another review of our production, this one from Bret McCabe of the Baltimore City Paper. There's still good availability for tomorrow night's show (student rushers take notice) and some availability for Saturday night's final performance (advance purchase recommended).

Baltimore Sun Review

2009-03-10T07:06:00.000-07:00

March 10, 2009 - So the opening weekend of The Coronation of Poppea played to enthusiastic audiences and the remaining two performances are selling very well. Here's a link to Tim Smith's review in his blog Clef Notes. Just one note about the FTD Florist poses of Mercury. I didn't tell him to do them. He ad libbed them on opening night and was immediately chastised at first intermission. They were not present during the Sunday matinee. Everything else I'm happy to accept. Click here to get a ticket to see and hear the show for yourself.

Also, a reminder that the second installment in Opera Vivente's masterclass series is tonight at 7pm with counter-tenor Dan Bubeck. Tickets are $10 and may be purchased at the door (811 Cathedral Street, Baltimore, MD 21201). All are welcome.

Pictures from First Dress

2009-03-04T15:37:00.000-08:00

March 4, 2009 - Here are some beautiful photos by Cory Weaver of our first dress rehearsal last night to whet you appetite.

Click here to see it "in the flesh".

Be the Stimulus You Want to See in the World

2009-03-01T04:59:00.000-08:00

March 1, 2009 - We interrupt our regularly scheduled postings of behind the scenes video etc. for a brief manifesto. I promise to return to the other stuff immediately after this, but I need to get this off my chest.

Recently, there has been a lot of media attention on what part funding to the arts would play in the federal economic stimulus package. There has been great rejoicing over the fact that the arts survived the axe, and I certainly join in that rejoicing. However, one should be aware amidst the rejoicing that government funding has never represented more than a few percentage points in most arts organizations budgets AND many very worthy arts organizations (OV included) receive virtually no government funding. Couple that with the fact that arts funding, at least at the state level, can be cut with only the signature of the governor and one other officer of public works at any time once the budgetary year has begun and methinks that a case can be made for attempting to create a more direct revenue stream between patron and arts organization.

I can hear you saying, "Why, whatever does he mean?" and so I'll just talk about two recent phenomena that will help lead into my point.

Story #1: In December 2008, OV sent out an appeal letter simply stating that if everyone who had enjoyed our programming over the past year sent us $25, OV would be in the black and committed to returning next season with more great chamber opera. So many people wrote, emailed, Facebooked, phoned, etc. me to say how much they appreciated getting such a positive, "can-do" appeal in the midst of all the gloom and doom BUT only a small percentage actually got around to putting pen to checkbook or index finger to mouse to click on the donate button. To those of you who did respond to the call for action THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU for your generosity. It's because of you that we're even still here for me to make this blog post.

Story #2: My videos and blog posts relating to our upcoming production of The Coronation of Poppea have generated lots of buzz. People come up to me, or email me, or Facebook me telling me how much they are looking forward to this production, how beautiful everything looks/sounds etc. BUT have yet to actually purchase a ticket. According to my Facebook profile, 54 of my friends are attending, but a quick cross-check reveals that only about 5 of them actually have bought a ticket.

Artists are by nature creative people and incredibly adept at doing a lot with very little BUT even we can't survive on good intentions SO HERE'S MY MANIFESTO -

Don't think about buying a ticket, BUY A TICKET!

Don't intend to make a donation (and let me reiterate that ANY dollar amount is useful and appreciated), ACTUALLY MAKE A DONATION!

You'll be surprised at how "stimulated" you feel by actually, proactively supporting the arts. They repay your investment like virtually nothing else every time.

We now return you to your regularly scheduled programming.

How to Crown and Deify an Empress

2009-02-28T12:04:00.000-08:00

February 28, 2009 - Here's a rehearsal of the title moment of The Coronation of Poppea. Monteverdi throws in a deification by Venus just for kicks. Click here to view the video.

Also, while tickets are going fast for this fabulous show, there are still some good seats to be had. Click here to get yours today.

See you at the opera!

Another rehearsal video

2009-02-26T08:16:00.001-08:00

February 26, 2009 - Anyone who thinks that nothing happens in baroque opera should watch this. In this scene from the opening of Act III, Drusilla is wrongly accused by Arnalta of attempting to kill Poppea. She is arrested and is resolved to face execution at Nero's command to protect her lover Ottone (who is in fact the would-be assassin of Poppea, whom he formerly loved). Ottone enters and confesses that it was he who attempted to kill Poppea but only because he was commanded to do it by the Empress Octavia. Thrilled that Ottone has given him an excuse to divorce Octavia, Nero exiles rather than executes Ottone. Drusilla begs to be allowed to follow Ottone into exile and her wish is granted. This clip is too large to post directly into the blog so click here to view it.

Tickets for this production are going fast. Poppea requests your presence at her coronation. Don't disappoint her. Click here to purchase tickets.

Glimpse of a Rehearsal

2009-02-20T14:05:00.000-08:00

February 20, 2009 - This week has been filled with a lot of intense musical and staging rehearsals, so I haven't had much time to post anything to the blog. Today, I had a chance to shoot a little video of a scene in Act II where Nero shows that intimacy with the emperor doesn't always turn out as one would expect. Enjoy.

Performances are March 6, 8, 12, and 14. Click here to purchase tickets.

What the Plebs are Wearing

2009-02-11T06:40:00.001-08:00

February 11, 2009 - Well everyone liked the imperial raiment so much that I thought I'd show you what some of the "lower classes" are wearing in our upcoming production of The Coronation of Poppea.

First up, Ottone, the good man that Poppea dallied with before she "traded up" to Nero.

And then there's Drusilla, one of Octavia's ladies in waiting, who loves Ottone and ends up getting herself in trouble because of that love. Ladies beware of lending your boyfriend your clothes - I'm just saying. . .

Then there's the horny little servant couple (there's always one of those in the best operas, right?) Valletto and Damigella (spoiler alert - Valletto is actually that randy little god Love).

And finally there's two comic servant parts Arnalta and Nutrice (both female characters played by tenors - a favorite gender-blending trick of 17th century composers and playwrights).

Imperial Raiment

2009-02-05T07:10:00.000-08:00

February 5, 2009 - As part of the design element of The Coronation of Poppea coming together, our wonderful costume designer Jennifer Tardiff has produced some stunning sketches. Please to enjoy the sketches for Nero,

his no longer desired wife Octavia,

and his goodtime girl Poppea both before and after coronation.

Auditions, Poppea, and Galas, Oh My

2009-02-03T07:58:00.000-08:00

February 3, 2009 - Just a brief post to update you on what's been going on here at OV recently.

Auditions - second round of auditions for the 2009-2010 season will be held this coming Friday and Saturday. Final casting decisions will be made shortly thereafter.

The Coronation of Poppea - beginning total immersion in this sublime and luxurious baroque masterpiece. The music is so transcendently beautiful that it can take you breath away. Click here for an example: the final love duet between Nero and Poppea. Possibly the hottest music ever composed. Click here to buy a ticket.

When the Clock Strikes Twelve - details are firming up for OV's annual fundraising gala, this year with a Cinderella/fairy-tale theme. It will be held on May 16th from 8-11pm at the glorious Stanford White-designed Winans Mansion (1217 St. Paul Street, Baltimore, MD 21202) which has been meticulously restored by Agora Publishing. Tickets are $100. Call 410.547.7997 to get more details or to purchase a ticket to one of the most fun parties in town this spring.

See you at the opera.

Un Séjour Quebecois

2009-01-27T11:16:00.000-08:00

January 27, 2009 - Last week I put on my "church musician's" hat and went to St. Hyacinthe, Québec (about 40 minutes outside of Montréal) to inspect the new LeTourneau organ which will be delivered to Emmanuel Episcopal Church (where I am organist and choirmaster) in about 3 weeks. The instrument is glorious and it was well worth putting up with all the snowy, slushy, grimy yuckiness of the Canada in January to visit it. Also had dinner at a fabulous restaurant called Au Pied du Cochon which had an entire section of the menu dedicated to foie gras preparations. Definitely not for the vegetarianly minded diner.

On the OV front, I'm pleased to announce that the children's roles in our upcoming production of Albert Herring have been cast. Veronica Page will sing Emmie, Austin Nikirk will sing Cis, and Collin Power will sing Harry. Thanks to Mairee Pantzer and the Children's Chorus of Maryland for providing such fine young musicians. I look forward to working with them.

The Coronation of Poppea is fast approaching. Get your tickets now to see this decadent masterpiece! See you at the opera!

Downtime? What Downtime?

2009-01-19T09:06:00.000-08:00

January 19, 2009 - Because opera companies (particularly opera companies in geographic locations prone to that cold white stuff falling from the sky) rarely produce shows during January, the general public has the idea that this must be "downtime" for us. Well, here's a little snapshot of what OV has been engaged in since the start of 2009.

1) Working out final details of the design, construction, and load-in of the set for The Coronation of Poppea. This is a more complicated process than you might think (and it has not really been made easier by the economy) involving bringing artistic sensibilities, budgetary realities, and space usage logistics all into one harmonious whole. Here's a sketch of what audiences can expect when they attend.

2) Auditioning children for the roles of Emmie, Cis, and Harry in our upcoming production of Albert Herring. So far I've heard kids from The Handel Choir of Baltimore Children's Chorus, The Children's Chorus of Maryland, and The Peabody Children's Chorus. Final casting decisions will be made by the end of this week. This piece is a delightful comedy for families. Britten wrote very well for children's voices but expects a high degree of musicianship from the kids so auditions are taken just as seriously as those for the adults.

3) Setting repertoire for 2010-2011. More of that in later posts, but yes, we do actually plan that far in advance and there are many companies that plan even further ahead.

4) Writing proposals for Artscape 2009, grants for funding, blurbs for press releases, etc., etc., etc. Well at least that undergraduate English major of mine is coming in handy.

5) Planning all things of an orchestral nature for the 2009-2010 season. Thanks Jed, JoAnn, and Michelle for your valuable input.

6) Auditioning singers for the 2009-2010 season. For some reason, this is not as time-consuming as it has been in the past since singers are inexplicably not auditioning as much as in the past. I say inexplicably because my instinct would have been that, with companies cancelling auditions, productions, and seasons, more singers would be going after the opportunities that still exist. Oh well, guess it's good to be reminded that none of us have a crystal ball.

The list actually goes on, but I hate to belabor points. So back to the "to-do" list.

Stay warm and see you at the opera!

The Case for the Arts

2009-01-13T06:55:00.000-08:00

January 13, 2009 - I was going to blog about what's going on at OV today but I simply had to disseminate this post (click here to read it) from the development goddess Penelope Burk. It's moving and should remind all of us in the arts why we do what we do and the essential role we play in the lives of our patrons. Amazing stuff. Thanks, Penelope.

And after reading, please know that the season to "show your love" has not come to an end. You can still donate online (or via the phone or via mail) and if you aren't in a position to send money, please consider other ways in which you can help OV with time, talent, or useful items (office supplies are always welcome). Have you hugged your opera company today?

I wish you all a wonderful 2009 filled with all the things that make life worth living.

Travelogue

2009-01-06T10:40:00.000-08:00

January 6, 2009 - Just wanted to give a brief account of my travels during the "twelve days of Christmas". My partner and I departed Baltimore at 9pm on Christmas Day and landed at London Heathrow Airport on Boxing Day aka The Feast of Stephen that Good King Wenceslas was so fond of looking out on at about 9:30am. We got a car from Europcar (caveat emptor - don't ever rent from them since they quote you an amazing price and then nickel and dime you to death when you return the car) and drove 5 hours roughly due west to Newport in Pembrokeshire, Wales. The rest of Boxing Day is a bit of a blur given jetlag, etc. but we did manage to stay up long enough to have a lovely late brunch at a fantastic restaurant called Llys Meddyg (more of this in a bit).

The next day, we drove down to St. David's to visit our friends David and Freya Dixon at their gallery (The Albion Gallery). David does amazing, evocative watercolors and Freya is an absolute goddess with textiles and handmade papers. If you are ever in St. David's be sure to check them out on Non Street, just around the corner from the fantastic St. David's Cathedral. Unfortunately, both David and Freya were sick so the visit was a bit truncated but it was still lovely to see them. That night we went back to Llys Meddyg only to find out that they were completely booked for dinner, so we and our friend Frederica Chapman headed over to the Royal Oak Pub for some pub grub and one of the most surprisingly (given the pub aspect of the place) delicious ginger sponges I've ever tasted. We also happened to meet the Mayor of Newport having a pint at the bar.

Sunday we hiked hiked through Ty Canol Woods in search of St. Brynach's Cave, a site where legend has it St. Brynach lived and communed with angels on Carn Ingli (Welsh for Mountain of Angels). For video of this little expedition, see my Facebook profile. They were taken with my Flip, another amazing little bit of gadgetry that I love almost as much as my iPhone. (Thanks to my godson Conor for giving it to me and Bill for Christmas.) Sunday night we ate dinner at a new restaurant back in St. David's called Cwtch (which means "cuddle up" in Welsh). The meal was okay, but the dessert (a warm bread pudding made with the traditional Welsh fruit bread known as Bara Brith) was amazing.

Monday, we were determined to dine at Llys Meddyg so we had made reservations and boy howdy was it worth the effort. This place is absolutely fantastic on every level. It's worth the trip to West Wales just to eat there. And evidently it's also become a bit of a celebrity hotspot. We sat at the same table where Keira Knightley has sat. Pretty hot, right? Anyway, definitely plan on going there if you're ever in even the remote vicinity of Newport.

Tuesday morning we left Newport and took a beautiful (but quite long) drive over the Brecon Beacon Mountains to Chipping Campden in the Cotswolds. We stayed at a lovely hotel named Cotswold House. Accomodations were fantastic; food in the hotel's bistro (except for the Christmas Pudding) was not so great. Seems the pattern on this trip (except at Llys Meddyg) was so-so meal, totally boffo dessert.

Finally on Wednesday (New Year's Eve), we drove into London, dropped the car off at Europcar (where the aforementioned wallet raping occurred) and got a taxi to the Sheraton Park Tower Hotel. Room was great, but the meal (a whopping 99 pounds sterling prix fixe 7 course festival of pretentious crap at the restaurant named OneOOne) was completely dreadful. Guess that will teach us not to make advanced plans for New Year's Eve in London. An unfortunate end to what had been a lovely trip. Oh well, can't win them all I guess.

Okay, so the next posts will be about all the exciting OV stuff that's coming up. See you at the opera!

Year End Wrap-up

2008-12-22T10:24:00.000-08:00

December 22, 2008 - Well as promised (or threatened depending on your perspective) here's my 'Highlights of 2008' post. There were so many wonderful things on stages this year that I'm not going to pick any complete shows to single out but rather more personal moments that brought a tear to my eye, tickled my funny bone, or in some other way inspired me to keep doing this crazy thing called opera. So here they are in no particular order.

1) David Walker processing down the aisle of Emmanuel Episcopal Church followed by 'angel dancers' from the Baltimore School for the Arts at the end of Opera Vivente's production of Dove's Tobias and the Angel.

2) Noune Karapetian stepping triumphantly at the last minute into the role of Violetta for Granite State Opera and reducing us all to sobbing wrecks in the final act of La traviata.

3) Ryan deRyke delivering a spot-on lounge lizard version of 'The Toreador Song' during Cabaret de Carmen for American Opera Theatre.

4) John Weber and Monica Reinagel singing the transcendently beautiful final bars of Britten's Abraham and Isaac at Pope Pius X Roman Catholic Church.

5) Tony Wilson of the Baltimore School for the Arts choreographing the madcap cast of Orpheus in the Underworld in a 'hip-hop CanCan'.

6) Meredith Ziegler's Dorabella 'toasting' with Ross Benoliel's 'mothy' Guglielmo in Granite State Opera's Così fan tutte.

7) John Dooley being the most perfect colleague and friend any director could ever wish for, no matter what the role.

8) Jennifer Blades revealing the 'dark underbelly' of the North Pole in 'Surabaya Santa'.

9) Erica Cochran channeling Tiffany 'New York' Pollard for Eurydice thereby giving me a professional excuse for my addiction to 'trash TV'.

10) Frédéric Rey getting in touch with his inner rapper and cabaret singer.

Okay, there are actually way many more than these, but I don't want to fatigue the blogosphere. So, let me just say to all the amazing people with whom I've had either the privilege of working or the pleasure of hearing - Bravissimi! Thank you for your artistry and passion.

Finally, I will be out of the country for the week between Christmas and New Year's in a remote, wild, and beautiful location on the west coast of Wales and I won't have access to any technology so this will be the last blog post until after New Year's Day. Don't read anything dire into the interruption.

Happy Holidays!