Opera by flashlight

Opera Grand Rapids has started the staging rehearsals for Pagliacci at an empty old storefront that we have christened Franks Rehearsal Hall and Crafts. We have used Franks a couple of times in the past, the last time being during a blizzard three years ago when only one heater was working in the entire space. Last nights rehearsal added to the lore of Franks when the power to all businesses (and traffic lights) went out on 28th street at Breton. We were scheduled to work through the big scene at the beginning of the opera which involves the adult chorus, kids chorus, principals and extras (aka supers). Instead of staging in the dark, we used a couple book lights and flashlights to go over music for an hour before determining that the power was not going to come on in time for us to get any work done. Maestro Lyall has asked that we extend tonight’s rehearsal an extra half hour to make up for some of the time lost. We only have use of this space through Friday night and there is an entire opera to stage by then so we need all the time we can beg, borrow, or steal.

Another Monday Night of OGR Rehearsal

We worked on a lot of Act 2 of Pagliacci last night. Since there was much to go over, we didn’t have a chance to review Act 1. There was a point where Maestro Davis divided the chorus up into men and women to work separately on our parts leaving the women in the care of his assistant, Bill Bokhout, as he took the men into a side room of the church. It is very helpful to have that intrinsic focus on our words and music that we may have missed if we are looking at 4 parts all at once. Robert Byrens, our piano virtuoso, also helps with correcting our Italian and we do need a lot of help. There are times when Robert stands up from his bench and says “We need to fix something here…” because our pronunciation is beyond recognizable. All together I feel it was a very effective evening with our time well spent on delving deep into the score.

There were a few announcements: on a sad note, Henry Jansma who was a long-time Opera Grand Rapids supporter and supernumerary died after collapsing at his home back in December; and on a happy note, Ashley and Art Wallace (both members of the OGR Pagliacci chorus) are pregnant.

New Year and I resolve to learn Pagliacci.

We had our second music rehearsal for Pagliacci on Monday and will continue to have weekly rehearsals until Maestro Lyall comes into town and we start staging. This week didn’t go as well as expected and we disappointed our Chorus Director with our lack of preparation as only a few people could sing without looking at their scores. I have been recording our rehearsals so I can use that along with my keyboard to study at home and hope that by next week I will have Act One memorized. We don’t have a lot of music to learn, and the Italian isn’t hard, but some of the rhythms are tricky and the true Altos are not appreciating the notes at the top of the staff which must be held for 4-6 bars. We also had some turnover in the chorus. Life tends to interrupt art at times and people are forced to decide between the two. Stacey Urbin has joined the Mezzo/Alto team and we are happy that she is singing in her first show with Opera Grand Rapids.

My future office.

Update on The Betty Van Andel Opera Center: it looks like we will be moving the office on the Monday after Pagliacci closes. Wow! That is going to be crazy! I have started boxing up things in my office, but can’t do too much since we are in production and need to use all our resources. This is also the time of year when we announce our next season and offer our current subscribers the opportunity to renew their seats. Moving the office and announcing a season in the same breath is mad! This insanity makes Pagliacci an even more appropriate show for the time. If you see one of us in pancake make-up wandering around Fulton Street humming Vesti la giubba, just point in the direction of BVAOC and send us on our way.

Pagliacci

Pagliacci

Who doesn’t enjoy a crazy, murderous clown? I have always thought clowns were a bit creepy, so this show ought to reinforce my opinion. I have searched YouTube for performances of Vesti la giubba and my favorite is a Coke commercial where a little boy is watching from backstage and walks out to hand Canio a Coke to make him feel better. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xAUDHxDYMMo) You have to see it; it’s absolutely adorable!

We started music rehearsals for the chorus last Monday. There are 40 choristers and it is nice to have more people both for the voices and the camaraderie. We had about half this number in Cosi fan tutte, and not much to do in performance, so a lot of chorus members were bored during the long rehearsals the week of the show. In fact, we almost got in a lot of trouble when a baritone started a debauchery game of “Name that tune” which resulted in too much laughter in the theater while the principals were staging. It is always a good idea to keep the chorus busy or we will find trouble.

My music room is painted and put in order, but I need to sort through all my music and get it filed neatly by genre before I will be satisfied. For now I can rehearse my Pagliacci music and the concert pieces I will be playing on my flute at the end of January. I am still using a keyboard and may give up on the idea of a piano since they require a lot of care and I don’t have the resources to keep up with the never-ending tunings.

Now we have a break for the holidays and return to music rehearsals on January 4. I hope to have the music we worked on memorized by that night so I will be off to a good start. The Opera Grand Rapids office is closed from Christmas Eve until the 4th and that gives me a lot of time to work on my music room as well as my materials. As long as I don’t procrastinate, it ought to be a productive time.

Final Dress for Cosi

Last night was our final dress rehearsal for Cosi Fan Tutte and it went rather well. We are very relieved to finish in less than three hours which was doubtful when we started rehearsing. The principals really carry this show and it is definitely a group effort. The two couples are absolutely adorable and Despina (Abigail Nims) is cunning, charming and silly all at the same time. One of the funniest scenes is when the men drink poison and are revived by Despina in disguise. Jeremy Kelly and Norman Shankle act up the melodrama as Sarah Jane McMahon and Phyllis Pancella fret and flitter upon the stage. The chorus only pops in a few times and are not all that integral to the storyline; but then, the story is a bit shaky as it is so it doesn’t really matter if a group of townspeople are there for a reason or not. Don’t think too hard about Cosi Fan Tutte, just sit back and enjoy the music and antics of the show.

Costume Fitting

On Monday we had our last chorus music rehearsal for Cosi fan tutte before heading to the rehearsal space next week. The costume shop is up and running in an old storefront at CenterPointe Mall and the chorus has been fit. My costume is brown, beige and orange with a brown and green hat. It isn’t the prettiest outfit, but it doesn’t itch or pinch so I won’t complain. Tracey pinned up my skirt and took in the waist of the belt and vest so I am sure she will have it looking great by our dress rehearsals the week before the show. We won’t be wearing wigs so I need to think about how to do my hair with my hat. When I started singing with OGR we had wig and make-up people for every production. Now, our funds have been cut to the point where the chorus brings in their own make-up and we do our own hair styles. I prefer to do my hair and make-up unless my character is a Geisha (Madama Butterfly) or Spanish Gypsy (Carmen). It isn’t difficult to do a Peasant look.
Our Production Manager, Cat, is getting our rehearsal space ready for the principals to start practicing this weekend. The principals should be getting into town today and will be welcomed with a dinner party at the Irwin’s house tonight before the two weeks of chaotic rehearsal starts. The weather is cold and rainy today and may snow by Sunday night which makes for an unpleasant welcome to Grand Rapids. On a more pleasant note, ArtPrize is finishing this weekend and I hope our visitors will get a chance to see some of the great art we have on display around the city.

Women Are Like That

Così Fan Tutte.
Thus do all women.
Mozart’s comedy opera portrays women as being fickle and untrustworthy creatures which, back in the day, was an acceptable theme. Today, the feminist in me feels insulted, but then I calmed down and realized that it is all just a bit of fun. And we plan on having some Victorian-era fun!
The chorus began music rehearsals last week where we discovered that we have a very small part in this opera and that our rehearsal times will be less than normal. This makes blogging about the show a little more difficult. We went through all the music and pronunciation last Monday and now we have been entrusted to work on our own to memorize everything by the next time we meet. Recently I changed my “computer room” over to be a “music room” so I do have a space to work with a keyboard (still looking for a piano) at my house. I also play flute and piccolo in a concert band so it is nice to have my music set out and my instruments readily available for when I can find the time to practice. A friend suggested that I paint the room green because every performer needs their own “green room” so I hope to get it painted and everything put in its permanent place soon. I’ll try to post a photo when I have it all completed.
On another note (pun intended), the Betty VanAndel Opera Center is taking shape. We have walls and the electric lines have been moved so that the second floor construction can start. We plan to have the building ready for Porgy and Bess rehearsals at the beginning of 2010. In the meanwhile, our beloved Dunham’s store has been rented so the Production Manager is back to finding a suitable space for staging rehearsals