Salamanders, Pizza, Opera and Cows!

     Last Saturday, before our Pasquale rehearsal, I was having a cup of coffee by the pool when I noticed something at the bottom. At first I thought it was a small toy, but when the tail moved and it walked I realized it was a salamander. I carefully got it out, put it in some water and took it up the mountain, near to where we have rehearsals at Sugarbush. In honor of the opera I named him Ernestino ;)

     

    Don Pasquale rehearsals are going great and today we have our sitzprobe, how exciting! It's so much fun working with this cast. Emily Duncan-Brown is singing Norina, Brian Wehrle is singing Don Pasquale, and David Castillo is singing Malatesta. Scott Parry is directing and Bruce Stasyna is conducting. The cast might be small, but we are mighty! This is such a fun opera, but also challenging. I feel like I'm singing one big long high note all the time! What a great challenge. I gotta say that rehearsing at the Sugarbush resort it's a big plus. There is nothing like singing surrounded by beautiful mountains, rivers and wonderful, clean air!

Bruce Stasyna (conductor), Brian, Emily and David

     Today the gang and I headed over to the farmers market in Waitsfield, VT-what a treat! Brian, David and I helped ourselves to some oven-brick-pizza, it was amazing. I got myself some Vermont maple syrup, a great dessert wine and a handmade wine stand (and also a few other nice handmade things for my wife and family...shh!)

Bill Brauer

     We also had a surprise for Bill Brauer. Bill is an amazing local artist who painted the poster for Green Mountain Opera Festival's production of La Boheme. If you are in the area or even as far as Boston, you gotta come a see the opera. There is an all star cast, including Mary Dunleavy as Mimi, Richard Troxell as Rodolfo, Jordan Shanahan as Marcello, and Eric Kroncke as Colline. They will be joined by the program's emerging artists, including Natalie Polito as Musetta, Philip Kalmanovitch as Schaunard, Geoffrey Penar as Benoit and Alcindoro, and Joshua Bouillon as Parpignol. Of course, you gotta come see Don Pasquale, too. Come one day to Don Pasquale and the next to La Boheme, the perfect balance of comedy and drama.

Broadway concert at the Round Barn Farm Inn

     Our "Broadway" concert at the Round Barn Farm Inn was a great success. We had a great turnout and the audience loved it! We had a lot of fun singing some great tunes.  Let's not forget the cows from across the road, they had a great time too!

Emily Duncan-Brown, Jennifer Szeto and Geoffrey Penar

Happy cows love Broadway!

Here is a one of my favorites, el maestro Kraus! What a voice! What an interpreter. This just makes me happy :)

One of the reasons I sing is Pavarotti

I'm singing in the clouds...literally

Old Sugarbush Ski House, built in 1958.

 





  I am now in Waitsfield, VT, singing at the Green Mountain Opera Festival. It is wonderful here; great people, great place, and great music.We are rehearsing at the Sugarbush Ski Resort at top of the mountain. For the past few days it has been cloudy and rainy...literally surrounded by clouds.

     I'm very fortunate to be here. The caliber of singers is outstanding and the best part is that we all get along :) Both the artistic director, Taras Kulish, and the emerging artist director, Bruce Stasyna, brought in a splendid group of singers.
     Last week we had a "sing in" at the Round Barn Farm Inn. I was blown away by all the singers. I have never been around such a large group of singers where everybody is so gifted and such fine artists. We raise the bar for each other. Both, La Boheme and Don Pasquale will be excellent shows.

     Warren and Waitsfield are beautiful towns, perfect if you like riding your bike. There are lots of hills and riding on route 100 is not for the faint of heart, so bike carefully! Nevertheless, I always ride my bike to the store, about 12 miles total. A few hills here and there on the way there...they are keeping me in good shape. Did anybody say tacos? Yes, there is a great taco house called The Mad Taco. They have the best burrito I ever had, the "wet burrito." It's a burrito covered in their homemade sauce, so it's a crossover with a chimichanga-out of this world!
     One last thing. The costume shop. I've never seen a better located costume shop. This one is in the basement of a beautiful farm house, overlooking fields and gracing cows. Needless to say, the costume ladies are some of the happiest I've ever seen!