Last friendly reminder

Folks, your listening assignments are due by 5pm tomorrow (jury day). Be sure you have your four hours of listening noted in your journal. You may paste YouTube links, or simply note CDs with singer, conductor, title, etc. Be sure your listening totals four hours or more, and describe what you listened to. This is not a formal essay: short notes regarding what you heard and how you learned from it is all that is expected. I hope you enjoyed this part of your semester assignment: if you didn't, let's talk. Break a leg tomorrow in juries, and know that we're looking forward to your singing.

Listening assignments

Darling voice students, remember that you are each required to listen to four hours total of classical singing this (and every) semester. Those of you who have posted YouTube links on your Google doc, thank you. Those of you who were at SNATS meetings when we watched The Audition, please email me to remind me how many hours you were there. Those of you who were at my Convocation get 45 minutes toward your listening assignment (I'll check attendance: feel free to email me if you'd like to be sure I know you were there). Those of you who would like a listening day one week from today on "dead day," please post here and indicate what time would work for you. I would be willing to do one hour, maybe two.

Remember that if you're singing an aria from an opera this semester, a great way to get at least some of your listening done is to listen to the whole opera, score or libretto in hand! It also helps you get a fuller sense of your character.

I'll see all of you at Callie and Micah's Excellent Adventure tonight. Love y'all madly!

WIDOW photos are ready

MERRY WIDOW pics are ready! Bring $1, and I'll burn a disk for you.

UAB wins second place at NOA

Congratulations to the 2011 cast of Amahl and the Night Visitors: you placed second in the National Opera Association opera production competition! It was truly a dream cast, and I'm truly proud of all of you. Bravi tutti!

NO viewing of WIDOW DVD today

Folks, we'll meet NEXT Tuesday (not today) at 3:30 to watch the DVD. See you in Hulsey Recital Hall for our last hurrah!

WIDOW DVD viewing

Darlings, the earliest we can watch a DVD tomorrow is 4:30. Please post here if that works for you, or if you'd rather wait till next Tuesday (Thursday this week is out, after all). Thanks!

WIDOW cast: From Les

Darlings,

We'll meet today at 3:30 to load the van and truck. Please spread the word!

This email arrived today from Les:

Thank you so much for the sweet notes and many kind words, but please don't forget that it was you who did the truly "heavy lifting" to make this production such a success. Beginning with your earnest study of the music back in August through your constant refinements in dialogue, timing, dancing and characterizations, you made this a show for everyone to love. In so many ways, comic opera is much harder to pull off than drama, and a good deal of that is the right sense of timing: your timing was razor sharp, which was confirmed by the energy of the audience reaction, particularly on Saturday night. Equally important, though, was your perseverance in musical preparation. While we had a few moments that were somewhat disconnected, it never felt as though we were headed for a "train wreck," because even when my focus had to leave the stage to deal with an ensemble difficulty in the orchestra, your consistently solid preparation made it possible for us to quickly find a convenient meeting place in the music. My heartfelt thanks to you all for allowing me to be a happy traveler on another wild and wonderful ride! Have safe and Happy Holidays.

Fondly,

~Les