Good Review for Damnation of Faust

We got a pretty good review for our Wednesday performance.  You can read about it here.  It is Saturday and I’m doing my best to be in good shape for tonight.  I’ll be tired but I’m not coughing nor sneezing so I can keep my germs to myself.  Time to back to bed for more rest.  Have a great weekend.  Upcoming posts that are brewing in my brain include an essay on how you can use my current finger therapy and contraptions to get any information out of anyone and my thoughts on music critics.  Also, mom and brother coming in to town.  Plenty of material there too!  Stay tuned.  In the meantime, see you on Twitter and Facebook.

Updated: Friday Fermata – Singer Twitter Trip

Updated:  Instead of singing in Carnegia Hall tonight, I’m home sick.    So for anyone coming here to follow me on Twitter today for my Twitter Trip will have to be content with seeing my tweets – o’ whining instead.  The last thing a singer wants (besides being sick) is getting everyone else around them sick.  We have a busy concert schedule so we need to stay healthy!  This is the first performance I’ve ever missed in my entire career – (sigh).  Good luck to all of my friends singing tonight.  I hope to be descent by tomorrow for our last concert.  Now, back to bed.

Ever wanted to know how “glamorous” the life of a singer can be?  I kid.  It’s friday and I’m off to Carnegie Hall!  I’ll be updating live via Twitter the entire trip.  You can follow me by clicking on the Twitter Icon below or just follow me over on the sidebar where I have my tweets.  Have a great Friday and a great weekend!

Rehab, Rehearsals, and Comfort Coffee

Whew!  What a week!   I have my (only) second day of finger rehab and, people, it’s just a finger, I know, but I have to tell you, I never appreciated my hands until now.  All of your fingers are so interconnected that if one goes out, they all go out, like Christmas lights.   The only digit lucky enough escape the rehab is the thumb.  There is a level of distress with not having things “the way they used to be” that I didn’t expect.  Occupational Therapy is great because they address those concerns with you as well as your physical issues.  Anyway, treat your hands with care is all I can say – and don’t reach for cell phones or anything falling out of your hands (unless it’s a baby or a puppy).  Nothing else is worth it.  The five times a day torturexcises coupled with sheer exhaustion from back-to-back-to-back rehearsals makes me want to walk across the street for what I like to call Comfort Coffee.  It’s my new thing.  Not food, but coffee.  It’s cheaper and has fewer calories.  I may be developing a caffeine addiction, which I don’t think the finger therapist will be able to help with unless she says to “not curl your fingers around the coffee cup” or to “not use your fingers to grab your wallet.”  The problem is that Starbucks is literally 50 feet away from my office.  Woe. 

On a lighter note, the Philadelphia Singers , along with the Philadelphia Orchestra , is performing Berlioz’s Damnation of Faust this week.  We are performing at the Kimmel Center and Carnegie Hall.  I’m not only excited about singing the concert but also about getting another chance to go to New York and eat at a great restaurant that I discovered the last time I was there.

Comfort Coffee, anyone?

Monday Moment- My thoughts about audiences

I’ve already talked about what I loved about the Susan Boyle Video but I didn’t mention the audience, which was interesting in itself.  This reminds me of my trip to New York to see Guys and Dolls last month and the audience there – I’ll get back to that in a minute.  

As I’m sure you noticed, if you have been in, or gone to, classical or musical performances, how different the audiences can be.  Did the audience in the Susan Boyle video remind you of Parlimant or is just me?  Is this good?  Is it bad?  As shocked as I was with the openly vocal and negative response of the audience (was this just for television or for real?), I was torn with their reaction when she started to sing and when she was done.  As touching as it was to hear them eventually cheer her on, did it negate the heartbreaking behavior prior to that?  I would love your feedback. 

Now, back to New York.  Maybe it is me, but Broadway has always been a magical experience for me.  Now, as you know from my post here regarding the book, Making it on Broadway, it is not magical by any stretch, except by how the experience is perceived by the audience.  NEVERTHELESS, I draw the line at breaking out the movie snacks during the performance, which was what my seat neighbor was doing during Guys and Dolls.  As I started to look around, I noticed some people in cocktail dresses and others were in, well, sweats.  Really?  Will talking and heckling be next?  I shudder to even consider it.  It is an incredible feat to not only perform, but to produce a Broadway show, or any show for that matter.  Keep the twizzlers and sweat pants at home.

Weekend Wind Down – Instrument within the Instrument

As all singers know, whatever the body goes through, your voice is sure to be affected.  Dry air, allergies, sickness and, not to mention, everyday stress can take your voice down a notch or two.  The best thing, especially during the cold and flu season, is to stay as healthy as possible.  This includes eating plenty of the good foods that give us energy and build our immune systems, drink plenty of water, and exercise.   A fit, strong and flexible body is absolutely essential to overall well being.  Singing is demanding.  Try singing Carmina Burana without breaking a sweat!  I’m learning to find a balance with my exercise with cardio, strength, and flexibility.  This weekend, I started the New York City Ballet Workout DVD’s.  Through the workout, you not only gain flexibility, but incredible posture and relaxation.