Voice Performance Class 3.29.19

All studios will meet together in HRH this week for Voice Performance Class. Next week: we will be in 312, 209, or both. Stay tuned!

Voice Studio Recital groups posted

The groups for the voice recitals are posted on my door. Please double check that nothing was inadvertently omitted. Cut and paste/copy and paste sometimes yields weird mistakes! 

If you would initial next your name, that would be terrific. Email me if there are any problems.

Thanks.

Performance Class March 22

All together in HRH...we may not get through everything, but we will do our best! Be on time, please.

Schedule through performance week

Hi folks,

Since today is cancelled, I thought I'd post a revised schedule, along with the email I sent you last week.

March 21, CANCELLED 

OFF BOOK from now on, no exceptions! March 26,  3:30-5:30pm: scene 2 and end of scene 3 (starting with Hermits entrance). Again, we won’t have Chris, but this is still an opportunity to refine your acting and get used to orchestral cues. Hermits, do what you can before Michael has to leave at 4:30. This is what we'd planned for 3/21.

March 28, 3:30-6 we will have Chris, so all called! Our lighting designer will either attend or I will be recording, so all bodies are needed. Run the show at least once. Lighting designer present.

April 2 and 4: TBA, based on Chris’s availability. Keep 3:30-5 free, at the very least...till 6pm on the 4th, please.

Tech week has been posted for months, so you know the drill. Here they are again:

Orchestra-only rehearsal on Monday, April 8 (7-9pm). This is not required, but might be very helpful if you’d like to hear the orchestra parts before you sing with them. 

Piano dress April 9 (6-9 pm: 5pm call for costumes and makeup)

Orchestra dress rehearsal on April 10 (6-9pm: 5pm call for costumes and makeup)  

Performances: April 11 and 13th (BOTH at 7pm: this is a time change you all agreed to! Make a note of it). 6pm call for costumes and makeup. Come earlier if you need the time to warm up, etc.

A few thoughts as you move closer to opening night:

Now is the time to experiment. I gave you very few “don’ts” in terms of gestures, but other than that, you all have tons of latitude. Try things within the blocking guidelines and the character discussion we had. From there, I can help you refine your work...bigger, smaller, what works, what doesn’t, etc. PLEASE don’t feel afraid to try something for fear it will be vetoed! You only find out if something works in context if you go for it unabashedly. And some things work or don’t work simply in accordance with what else is happening on stage. Trial and error is part of the process, and half the fun. Enjoy playing around!

Please be on time. We have such limited rehearsal time—twice weekly is really scant for any staged work—so I implore you to honor each other’s time. We are all spread pretty thin.

Remember that part of your memorization process is integrating the coaching we did. If it’s pitches we fixed, diction we refined, tuning we adjusted, or balance issues, be sure you’ve made all of those automatic. Please do not sing it the way you did in the first rehearsal! The reason we spent weeks working so specifically is so you’d bring those changes through the rehearsal process and to the final performance.

This is such a profound opera, and all if you have the gifts to bring something truly special to it. I challenge you to stretch yourselves. Conquering a tough piece is something you’ll never forget, and truly makes all of us better people.

Know that each of you is loved and honored.

Opera TODAY 3/21 cancelled

Hi folks,

Jeff just texted me. He's very sick. Today's rehearsal is cancelled.

Please continue drilling anything that needs attention, so that as few snags as possible are present on Tuesday. I will not be there, but plan on working whatever you didn't run this past Tuesday on that day.

Thanks!

Schedule this week

 Hi folks, I emailed you the schedule for this week and next over a week ago. Check your email if you are at all confused! Thanks.

Opera this week: changes!

Please read the times carefully and let me know if you gave any problems. This week we have Chris on Thursday from 4:30-7, so it would behoove us to make use of his limited time. We won’t have rehearsal next week during spring break, obviously.

Tuesday, March 5
3:30-4:30 finish blocking the opera with final scene (all called in Scene 3)
4:30-5 Hermits dismissed; review scene 3 until Hermits entrance

Thursday, March 7
4:30-7 all called; slog through entire opera!

Voice performance class 3/1

We will meet all together in HRH today, March 1.