UAB Opera wins first place at NOA!

Congratulations to the UAB Opera cast of BURNING FIERY FURNACE: you have won FIRST PLACE in the National Opera Association opera production competition. Remember how difficult it was to put that piece together...and the gratification you felt afterward? I couldn't be more proud of you. Even if we hadn't won, it would have been all worth it: but this is the icing on the cake. You are the reason I love my job! Bravi tutti.

Janet Hopkins

Hi folks,

As you scatter for Thanksgiving, remember that the day we return--Monday, November 28--is Janet Hopkins's master class from 3-5 pm. Your USGA dollars are at work: enjoy this wonderful class and ask any questions you may have of this fantastic woman. Also, she is available for lessons the following morning. Sign-up times are on my door.

Happy Turkey Day!

NO OPERA TODAY

In fact, no opera until we watch the DVD on December 1. Happy Thanksgiving!

MAN OF LA MANCHA CAST LIST

CAST LIST

(Understudies are indicated in parentheses)

Cervantes/Don Quixote	Charles Daniel
Sancho	Shane Bloemetjie
Aldonza	EmKay Whatley
Governor/Innkeeper	Joe Hardy (Gregg Stuart)
The Padre	Micah Brooker
The Duke/Dr. Carrasco	Gregg Stuart
Maria, Innkeeper’s Wife	Allison Davis
Antonia	Callie Courter
The Barber	Jake Hemminger
Pedro, Head Muleteer	Logan O’Brien
Anselmo, a Muleteer	George Griffin
Jose, a Muleteer	Jeremy Ryan
Juan, a Muleteer	Dominique Hector
Paco, a Muleteer Tenorio, a Muleteer	Brett Kilgore Bennett Alldredge
Housekeeper	Valencia Callens
Fermina	Allison Davis
Moor	Logan O’Brien

Thanks to all who auditioned: your time and talents are appreciated. Our first cast meeting and read-through is 3pm (not 2!) on Friday, December 2 in the Choral Room. Please check the blog regularly! Thanks.

Janet Hopkins returns!

The master class with MET diva Janet Hopkins will take place Monday, November 28 from 3-5 pm. This is the day we return from Thanksgiving, and is a great opportunity to work on a jury piece. Please notify your teacher if you would like to sing for her.

Miss Hopkins is also available for private lessons at a reduced rate on Tuesday morning the 29th. You may sign up for half hour or hour slots. If the times are filled or don't work with your schedule, please email me and I'll see if she can work at additional times. She plans to arrive midday Monday.

Don't miss these events, open to all UAB students and sponsored by USGA.

MAN OF LA MANCHA CALLBACKS: location change

MAN OF LA MANCHA callbacks will take place in Hulsey 308 instead of the recital hall. For new folks, this is the same place you did the original audition. See you there!

CONGRATULATIONS, Amahl cast!

Folks,

Thank you for your work on AMAHL. The performance at Southside was a lovely finale to this weekend's performances. Bravo to the chorus: you did your best singing, and even when your backs were turned to me in this new space, you were together. Shane, you resolved all "box" issues, sang beautifully, and established age in a very believable way even without a beard. Charles, you were consistently wonderful and your aria brought tears to many in the audience. Ryan, your elegance and resonant sound were perfect for the character. You and Charles had several wonderful moments of interaction: during Shane's aria in particular, I enjoyed watching all three of you being beautifully engaged. Hap, you were charming, and improved your comic timing as the shows went. Jess, you sounded more like yourself on Sunday and sang well in spite of your illness. You were also fully engaged dramatically throughout. Micah, you were rock solid every time and helped make for a very believable fight scene (Jake, you did too). Joe and Ally, you brought something truly special to the dance and were absolutely consistent. All of you grew as a cast and as a team, and for that I thank you. Taking responsibility for your part of the process--whether moving sets and props or paying attention to where the focus needed to be on stage--is part of becoming a real professional.

We'll watch the video on December 1st during opera time. Enjoy your time off until then, and do attend Janet Hopkins's master class the Monday after Thanksgiving during SNATS time. She will also be available for lessons Monday and Tuesday morning for $50/hour. Sign up times will be posted when her arrival time is confirmed.

Congratulations, and love y'all madly.

AMAHL final performances

Nice job last night, folks. Chorus, you were particularly wonderful! Here's the plan for the next two days:

Tonight, same call. My office should be cleared out by 6:05, so that everyone is at warm-up in HRH at 6:15. If you don't feel the need to be dressed before warm-up, that is fine: being present and participating in group warm-up is the important part. You'll be finished by 6:45 or 7 at the latest.

Please stay out of sight of the audience before the show and during intermission. It not only ruins the effect, it breaks your concentration. No friends or family backstage; bask in their admiration afterward. The best way to use your time before the show is by reviewing your score, running text, and working with props. Don't waste your energy.

After the performance, spend a while visiting with your fans, then move all props and set pieces to the loading dock. We'll load the truck tonight. All costume pieces must be on the clothing rack, which will also go into the truck. Everyone must help: we're a team, and anyone not working to help will have a reduced grade.

Tomorrow: 1pm call at Southside Baptist. Be on time: again, teamwork. Unload the set and props, then we will do a quick check of Kings' and Shepherds' entrance timings. Afterward, same drill as tonight: visit with the audience, then we load the truck. We return everything to Hulsey, then gather for final attendance. Then, at long last, to YoMO??

Looking forward to tonight,

Dr. Kris

AMAHL Tech Week

We're in the final stretch! Reminders:

Sunday, 5pm all called. Load in the set as quickly as possible so we can work with it. Kings, you'll work with beard makeup to be sure it looks as we hope. We'll run the show if we have time, then everyone except those in the Gala will be dismissed.

Tuesday, be ready to START at 3:30. Move very quickly from choir to get the props (everyone must help), move the set into position, and get into costume. This is also a photo shoot!

Wednesday, noon Convocation performance, 11 am call. Full costume and makeup.

Thursday, again be ready to START at 3:30. Move very quickly from choir to get the props (everyone must help), move the set into position, and get into costume. If needed, this may function as a second photo shoot. This will be a run of the show including the Gala portion, so bring your diva wear so you get used to the costume change. We will have a camera crew arriving shortly after 3 asking for a Christmas greeting for President Garrison.

Friday, 7:30 performance, 6pm call. Everyone be sure to strike all props and hang your costumes after the show.

Saturday, 7:30 performance, 6pm call. After the performance, we will load everything into the truck so Sunday isn't a huge rush for those of you with church jobs.

Sunday, 3pm performance, 1pm call at Southside Baptist Church. Everyone MUST be there at 1 to load in the set: we will need all hands on deck.

Friendly reminders: no one is excused or allowed to be late for any reason from now on. Tech Week is all about teamwork and everyone is valuable and needed. No one is dismissed after performances until every costume and prop is accounted for. Be sure to check your props and your costumes for any problems before and after every show: if you carry it onstage, it is your responsibility to check it. Let me know immediately if there are any problems (or anything you think may become a problem). If I don't know about it, I can't fix it!

Thanks for your great work this semester, folks. I'm looking forward to a wonderful run!

MAN OF LA MANCHA callbacks

Thanks to all who auditioned for MAN OF LA MANCHA. I will need to hear some musical numbers from some of you before making final casting decisions. Since AMAHL opens this coming week, callbacks will be on Thursday, November 17 starting at 3:30 pm in Hulsey Recital Hall. I will email some of you individually, indicating which song(s) I would like you to learn and if there is something specific that I want to hear in your preparation. To those of you not called back, this does NOT necessarily mean you are out of the running for a role! Thanks for your time and your patience.