When I Rule the World

City Opera Director Has Eyes on Bayreuth.

Hmmm.

Podium Time

Those outside of the industry may not be familiar with Tessitura. Not "the general pitch level or average range of a vocal or instrumental part in a musical composition" according to dictionary.com, but the arts enterprise software, originally developed by the Metropolitan Opera, which handles ticket sales and fundraising tracking among a myriad of other things for non-profit arts organizations.

I just returned from their annual conference, which was very useful, but that's not what I want to discuss. I had the pleasure of conducting the Tessitura Chorus in one selection at the opening festivities and what I assumed would be just fun, was more than that. The quality of the singing was quite high and I was disappointed not to have more time performing with this talented group.

Talking with other people in arts organizations, I was struck by the number of very talented people who decided for whatever reason not to pursue a career as a performer (or composer, or author), but to translate that love into a career in arts administration. The number is not inconsiderable, and I guess I shouldn't be surprised since that's the route I took. But it is reassuring that many of those who work so hard to create an environment for the creation of art are so passionately committed to it in multiple aspects of their lives.

Disaster

I was visiting my old stomping grounds in
Brooklyn the other day, when I discovered this monstrosity that had apparently had grown through the roof of the building next to the one where I used to live.

Now I'm no expert in architecture, but would common sense and good taste indicate that if you wanted to add a floor to an existing building, you might want to do it in the style of everything around it. In a neighborhood filled with historic row houses and brownstones, it looks like the top of a factory. Unfortunately this part of Carroll Gardens is not in a historic district and so the owners can do pretty much what they want.

But God it's ugly.

Shifting focus

I've been doing some thinking recently about this blog. I haven't been updating it frequently and have been considering ways that I could revive it.

I was visiting my mother last weekend and reading some old NY Times Magazines that she had lying around and came upon this article about Emily Gould, a blogger and purveyor of Emily Magazine. I have to say that I admire her courage (foolhardiness?) in putting her personal life out there for anyone to see. It proved not essentially wise but I also realized that I've been very sparing in the personal thoughts that I have chosen to share on this blog.

I intentionally have kept away from controversy and in giving opinions that could possibly offend anyone. Being a professional in the opera world I've shied away from opinions about singers, productions, and personalities in the fear that it could be detrimental to my career. I've also spent a lot of time (bending over backwards like a contortionist sometimes) in avoiding politics.

I've decided to open up the range of topics that I'll write about here and to share a little bit more about me. Most people who know me, know that I am nothing if not discrete and I most likely will not share too many personal details, but my thoughts are something else. My life experiences are not limited to opera and while no one may care, I've decided to start talking about these things in this blog in the hopes that it will make it just a little more interesting to read.

So if you are reading this, you might see some more activity and more topics. I hope you find that it's worth reading.

Food for the Soul

In the recent BBC Music Magazine (yes I get it) the cover CD contains performances of works premiered at the Proms. One of them is "Epic March" by John Ireland which was first heard at the 1942 Proms. It was the first year in the Royal Albert Hall after the Luftwaffe bombed Queens Hall.

It then struck me how a work could not only be composed during those years, but how anyone could have the fortitude to mount a music festival in the middle of a war which saw the destruction of so much of the city.

So when anyone comments that the arts as being elite and a luxury, I will point them in the direction of 1942 and tell them they have nothing to complain about. Britons in the Second Wold War saw music not as a luxury, but is a necessity. It is food for the soul and it is how a cultural will be judged.

And then I'll shut them down.