september 2005

September 2005

First of all, my family in Texas is fine. All of them, even the ones in Houston! Yay! Rita saved her wrath for other parts of our country. I'm happy to report it was a lot of wind-up for not much of a pitch in the middle of Texas! Thank goodness. However, there are still more than 300,000 refugees in my home state alone. How their lives can be put back together should be the next big question on our minds. Perhaps these disasters will force us all to think about our gas consumption and the plight of our nation's poor. Or not. The choice is ours. I'm happy to report that Texas has been pouring out the help generously for her neighbors, my family included. I hope the rest of the U.S. will open their hearts and wallets, as well!

So what have I been up to lately? I had a beautiful summer in Indonesia. Besides the intricate culture of Bali, we were able to take a side-trip to Yogyakarta to see Borobodur (an ancient Buddhist temple) and the Sultan's palace, among other sites. The mix of cultures, and how each island has adapted religions and traditions over the centuries were fascinating. Friend/conductor/pianist Peter Grunberg, John Nelson and Jan's mom Luttie joined us, as well. Our caretaker Emi did just that - - took great care of us. And the crazy dog at the house, Danny, kept us on our toes. I'm glad Tullio did not come along - it was not his kind of trip. There were too many street dogs and not enough café's for his taste.

Tullio, meanwhile, stayed with a lovely lady near home, who coddled him and saw to his every need. He was even allowed up on the couch at her house. She has three cats, a sweet big galumph of a golden retriever and a chihuahua named Bonito. Guess who's boss at the house? Of course, BONITO! He had a thing for Tullio, but Tullio curiously didn't seem to mind. Hmmmm - it makes you wonder. Anyhow, Tullio somehow overstretched a ligament in his hip jumping off the couch, and limped a bit upon his return home. I guess it's better than lisping... It's taken him a while to get over it. He has been, again, a huge hit at the opera here in Pittsburgh. He came to a run-through of my upcoming recital that I gave for some friends and rousted himself from sleep when the final applause started so he could come take his bow.

On a more positive note, Pittsburgh has been a revelation. My colleagues are so nice and so supportive. My Rigoletto, Irishman Bruno Caproni (of Italian parents, of course) kept me company on a trip to see Frank Lloyd Wright house " Falling Water," about an hour and a half's drive from Pittsburgh. It took us over 2 hours to get there, as we took two wrong turns and ended up backtracking on ourselves after we'd almost arrived in Ohio! But it was worth the trip. The house and the surroundings are so beautifully meshed. I wanted to move in right away!

Back in Pittsburgh, it was like old home week with the San Francisco "diaspora" in full force. The artistic director, Christopher Hahn; the stage director, Sandra Bernhard; coach, Susanna Lemberskaya; the stage manager, Rachel Henneberry; and head of makeup and hair, James Geier; all moved on from San Francisco to do great things. Even my Duke Frank Lopardo sang leads in shows I covered as an Adler Fellow. I threw a Mexican fiesta at the end of our first week, and got all the forces together. Everyone came, even the young artists. Jeffrey Wells, our dastardly Sparafucile and his lovely wife Jo Ellen made delicious guacamole and New Orleans pralines, in honor of that fallen city! (His family in Louisiana is ok, by the way. ) He performed with me in my European debut over 10 years ago, and they shared that very important chapter in my life with me. It is great to be reunited onstage again! The cast is rounded out by the talented Vanessa Cariddi, and many of the young artists from and in Pittsburgh Opera's impressive program.

Special mention go to our Countess Ceprano and my lovely "maid" Giovanna, who has a patch over her eye in our version. We can't resist talking to each other with a pirate's AAARRGH and calling each other "Matey!" I was able to hear all of the young artists in their "introduction" to patrons at the beginning of the season. What talent! Young Artist Jennifer Holloway (Giovanna), besides being beautiful and not even knowing it, has a gorgeous, big lyric mezzo, which I think will eventually move up to Wagnerian soprano. Give her 10 years of all the high pants role stuff... But that remains to be seen. At 5'10", she is commands presence right now. She'll be singing the title role in Xerxes in their showcase production. Tammy Tyburczy (Countess Ceprano) has a unique voice that will need to be molded and guided into the right soprano repertoire to show her off to her fullest. Not because it's difficult, but because it's so special! It's a full voice with a high extension and the ability to go up there with crystalline clarity. If they can keep her from singing any old generic lyric repertoire, and stay true to what really shows her off, she will take the world by storm. I can't wait to see... She'll be Romilda in Xerxes.

Our opening of Rigoletto went very well. The audiences here were enthusiastic, and we had a good time. At the party afterwards, I met up with a man I've been corresponding with for a few years now . Now, don't get the wrong idea... we didn't meet on an S&M chatroom or something! We met online when I entered a discussion about an aria of Aloysia Weber Lange, the sister-in-law of Mozart. Mozart wrote a ton of music for her. She must've been fabulous, as the music is wildly technically challenging. And it turns out, James and his wife SPONSORED my appearance here in Pittsburgh! They came in all the way from Alaska to see me. It was so great to finally put a face with the name, and get to talk face to face. They had heard me online in snippets, on pirated disks, and once in Brussels (in Benvenuto Cellini), but this was the first time we had met in person. What a treat.

For a city of its size, Pittsburgh has an out-sized arts scene, and funding, thanks mainly to the Carnegie and Mellon families, as well as some very generous local businesses. Gone is the Pittsburgh of yore, industrial and scary, and in its place is a thriving, clean, revived city. I am impressed.

More news when I get time to write! My voice teacher is in town, so we are working our hineys off to help me prepare for all of my upcoming projects. I hope your autumn is enjoyable!

^{last updated Thursday, September 29, 2005}