Opera in (and after) school
My first opera experience was The Magic Flute at Portland Opera. I was a freshman in high school at the time, and a friend of mine was in the children’s chorus. She’d been cast as one of the three spirits and was very excited for her first …
Opera superstitions
Athletes and performers are famous for their superstitions. Mistakes are public and can be devastating, so it makes sense that they’d want a little extra help from luck. (If I make a typo while writing this blog post, I can just fix it. A soprano …
Dream opera seasons (again)
I love dreaming up opera seasons! I’m not actually managing an opera festival, so I am not beholden to petty concerns about what will sell tickets. I enjoy creating seasons with a strong theme, ideally with the opportunity for musical variety within that theme. Few companies actually …
Book review: A Song of Love and Death
Peter Conrad’s A Song of Love and Death sports a grand subtitle: “The Meaning of Opera.” Don’t expect the promised enlightenment—“A Catalogue of Opera” would have been more appropriate. The book freewheels through the canon, calling on both famous and obscure operas to support the author’s claims. Conrad …
An ode* to live streams
I set my alarm for 7.55am Sunday morning. When it chirps in my ear, I blearily reach for the snooze button. Come on; it’s the weekend! I catch myself just in time and grab my laptop—plugged in and waiting at the side of my bed—instead. Some quick …
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