 My recital is just 8 days away, so my life is very full of practicing! I'm really excited about the dramatic depth of Robert Fleming's "Confession Stone," which follows the life of Christ through the eyes of his mother, Mary. I haven't experienced motherhood myself, so I am drawing on memories of my younger brothers and cousins to put myself into her life. Fleming's setting is a particular challenge because there are frequent changes of tempo and dynamics within an otherwise simple texture. There are also places throughout the cycle that allow for rhythmic freedom and rubato, which is fantastic as a performer but also places a significant responsibility on the shoulders of David and myself. I'm excited for the performance but also glad to have a little more time to refine everything!
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This announcement is long overdue! I'm excited to report that I will be moving to Iowa City in August to begin a master's degree in voice performance under the tutelage of Professor Katherine Eberle! I'll also be teaching my own studio of undergraduates as a TA, which will be such a thrill and a great learning experience. I've got some church services on my summer calendar and am also planning a recital of some fabulous art song by John Harbison and Robert Fleming, so I'll update the site with details as soon as I have them! In the meantime, I'm going to enjoy my last few months in Lawrence.
The good reviews for our production of "Nixon in China" keep rolling in! Here's one from KC Metropolis, with a particularly complimentary review of the three "Mao-etts": Kristee Haney, Holly White, and Jennifer Powell!
We had a fabulous opening of "Nixon in China" last night at the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts! Read our review in the Kansas City Star. My favorite moments: hearing James Maddalena sing "News Has a Kind of Mystery," dancing the night away in Act 1 Scene 3's "Cheers" chorus, and being a rabid reader of the Book in "I am the Wife of Mao Tse-Tung." Next performance is Wednesday night...can't wait!
The alt-classical scene in Portland, OR was featured in a Wall Street Journal Article this week. Among those quoted in the article is my choir director from Lewis & Clark College, Katherine Fitzgibbon, who is also Artistic Director for Resonance Ensemble, a professional choral ensemble in Portland. Check out the article and also take a look at the Resonance web page to see what they're up to!
This fall I had new headshots taken with photographer Laura King. In addition to being ready for auditions, I used the images to update the home page and bio section of the site! Check out Laura's work at her website!
I've had a nasty cold for the last 2 weeks that is finally lifting so it's good to get back to practicing! Sadly I was not able to perform on Jason Charney's recital but soprano Kristin Newbegin came to the rescue and delivered a fabulous performance! I'll be keeping "How the Ginko Got Its Smell" in my music binder, though, so keep your eyes peeled for a future performance!
Very neat discussion of expeditions to the South Pole on NPR's Talk of the Nation program today. My favorite arctic explorer, Nansen, even gets a mention! Guests are Edward Larson, author of An Empire of Ice: Scott, Shackleton, and the Heroic Age of Antarctic Science and David Wilson, author of The Lost Photographs of Captain Scott: Unseen Images from the Legendary Antarctic Expedition.One of the things that drew me to the Fram expedition was the variety of disciplines that these explorers made strides in: biology, geography, photography, even global warming! I'll definitely be checking these books out.
You can listen to the program here. You can now listen to my chamber opera, White Horizon and all seven songs from the cycle Snapshots by clicking the titles in this post or finding them in the Selected Works section of the site.
I'm having a fabulous time working on Jason Charney's "How the Ginko Got Its Smell," an art song for mezzo and piano that I'll be performing on November 6 as part of his composition recital. The process of working on a contemporary piece is so rewarding...when you start off you're not sure how it will all sound, but as you put together the pieces the shape of the composition emerges and you can start to play with it. You can check out Jason's website here.
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