pianist, opera coach, conductor, writer
“First day of school” – even after many years in this business, that’s always the feeling of a first rehearsal. Today we begin principal rehearsals at the Houston Grand Opera for Das Rheingold, the first installment of Richard Wagner’s monumental tetralogy Der Ring des Nibelungen. Houston is doing one opera each season for … Continue Reading →
Today I had a dream come true: I was a panelist on the Met Opera Quiz. We did our thing in the second intermission of Borodin’s Prince Igor (an impressive performance, with the Met chorus and orchestra sounding divine, and uniformly excellent singing from the soloists). The host of the quiz … Continue Reading →
I am thrilled to announce that in April, I’ll be conducting the West Coast premiere of Ricky Ian Gordon’s new opera, A Coffin in Egypt. The performances will take place at The Wallis Annenberg Center, and the centerpiece of this one-woman tour-deforce is the indefatigable Frederica von Stade. I’ve worked with … Continue Reading →
I’m settling in for a normal few weeks of teaching at UT: Italian classes, La bohème preparation, individual lessons. And also reviewing the score of Wagner’s Das Rheingold for my next project, the first installment of the Ring Cycle at the Houston Grand Opera. The company is tackling this seminal work for the … Continue Reading →
“The Rules of Engagement” was a hit! Fellow UT prof and wonderful baritone David Small and I inaugurated this program last night. We had been feeling good about it, and a very gratifying response from our crowd seemed to say that they found it effective as well. David sang beautifully … Continue Reading →