Orff Class, Circa 1981

After landing my first gig as tenor soloist in Carl Orff's Carmina Burana, my mind was flooded with memories of growing up in Rochester.  While my father was technically my first music teacher and taught me to read music and play the recorder, my first music class was at Hochstein School of Music. 

My parents tell me that I started Orff lessons at the age of four.  Margaret Fittipaldi was my first teacher and I remember learning basic solfege and the hand signals that go along with it.  I also remember a lot of time spent with other very young musicians playing on xylophones and metallaphones.  (Playing?  Banging madly, is a better description.)

After I grew out of those classes for small children, I joined the Hochstein Children's Choir.  It was through that group that I sang my first solo on the radio and also landed my first paid recording gigs.  I did a couple of radio jingles and I sometimes wonder if there is an mp3 of Milton Fargo's "Sandy the Christmas Cat" out there.  Internet, don't fail us now!

Happy New Year! (So it is February... so what?)

As 2010 draws to a close, I thought I'd share with you a family tradition (adapted here to my opera career).  Every year, my wife and I do a "Top Ten" list of our favorite things. Traditionally, there is no rhyme or reason to the list,  even the order is not subject to the typical laws of a top ten list.  After all, what makes a small, portable video camera better than Baker's Brand Chocolate Chips?  Darned if I know.

10.  Bronx Opera-  Again, Michael and Ben Spierman collaborate to create a truly memorable experience:  bringing to life Mahler's Die Drei Pintos to the stage.  I was in Musical America and the New York Times.  I even got some great bootleg videos.
9.  Moose-  Not only are they fun animals, I had the great experience of tasting moose roast on my trip to Alaska.  Delicious!

8.  The Public Library System all around the United States.  Nothing is more useful to a bored opera singer on tour.

7.  My Team-  Every opera singer has a team that helps them train.  It's a little like being an Olympic athlete but with a much higher resting heart rate.  In my case, I have a coach, a voice teacher and an agent.  Every day I'm grateful for their support and guidance.

6.  Chelsea Opera's Glory Denied-  I had the chance to sing an opera by a living composer, based on a book by a living author, based on an oral history of a family.  I had three degrees of separation between myself and the man I played in the opera.  The piece was musically interesting and challenging and I had the opportunity to socialize with the composer and author.  The Opera News review was a credit to the entire team.
5. Saturday Drive-bys to Sunset Park.  My wife and I have timed it out to the last second.  We can get from our apartment to Sunset Park and back.  Upon our return home we have a pork bahn-mi, spicy grilled tofu skewers and a bag full of Chinese pastries.

4.  Every year, we feature a seasoning.  One year we discovered the joys of salt and pepper, another Sri Racha.  This year's seasoning is Frank's Hot Sauce.  A new favorite on our homemade poached eggs, hash and soysage.

3.  Skilly Starter- from our Alaska adventure.  This sourdough starter has been alive for over a hundred years.  At least once a week we use it to make sourdough hotcakes for dinner.

2.  Trader Joe's-  About every other Sunday we hop in the car at about 7:45 a.m.  We drive down Atlantic to the new Trader Joe's and wait for it to open.  Shopping list in hand and we burn through the store, beating the incredible checkout line that forms by 8:30 a.m.  It is a family tradition and one of the few ways to have an enjoyable shopping experience at this incredibly busy store.

1.  Opera Fairbanks-  Not only did I have the pleasure of travelling to our 49th State to sing Don Ottavio with incredible colleagues, but I was able to bring my family up and make a whole trip of it.  We had the chance to tour, meet new friends and learn so much about the area.

Glory Denied review hits at Opera News

"In the role of Younger Thompson, the ardent and striking Leubner was particularly well cast. At times his performance called to mind Hollywood portrayals of military heroes, underscoring the disparity between Jim Thompson's grim homecoming and the glamorous reception he might have had. "  Abby Rosebrock, Opera News, Feb. 2010


Full article can be found here.

Salon

This past Tuesday, I had the pleasure of participating in a donor function for my upcoming show, Glory Denied.  Our producers organized a cruise for friends of the company.  It left from Chelsea Piers and went down to the tip of Manhattan for a view of the Statue of Liberty, then up the East River under the bridges.  We then turned around and headed home.

One of my greatest joys of being an opera singer is attending the parties.  I love to get dressed up and chat with new people.  I am always surprised at the interesting stories of how these guests and donors came to be opera fans.  Each story is unique and, while sometimes I may forget the name, I usually remember how they learned to fall in love with opera.

This particular event was made even more special by the attendance of the composer, Tom Cipullo, and the author of the book, Glory Denied, Tom Philpott.  Both shared insights into their work with the group.  After that, my fellow actors and I did readings from the show.

After the presentation, I was able to enjoy a glass of wine and have some interesting conversations.  Talking with Mr. Philpott, I learned a few details about Col. Thompson that helped organize some of my thoughts on the character.

I asked him how he felt about his work being turned into an opera.  When he first received a letter from Mr. Cipullo asking for permission to adapt his book, Mr. Philpott thought it might be a joke.  Surprising stories like this kept the conversations going both with the artists and with our guests.

I remember that my sister and I once bemoaned the death of the Salon as an evenings entertainment.  There was a time where people would meet and they would spend the evening talking about art and science and would perform music for each other.  As I walked home down 23rd Street, it felt good to know that I had just attended one.

Interview with Tom Cipullo, Pt. 4

I might get  a little to theoretical in these posts, but since theory is not my strongest suite, I am hopeful that we won't get too bogged down.

I have a list of themes in my book.  If I was talking about an opera by Wagner, I might call them "leitmotifs."  As we have been going through the score, if I hear another actor's line of music in the orchestra, I write the words down in that spot.  It is a clue as to some of the subtext that is going on in the drama of the show.  These clues don't necessarily give an exact opinion, they simply give a starting point for discussions among the cast and directors as to what we want to try to accomplish in the scene.

Happy Birthday!

http://www.wired.com/gamelife/2010/10/nes-25th-anniversary/
Today is the 25th Anniversary of the release of the Nintendo Entertainment System.  I know you are wondering, "Why on earth would an opera singer care about such a trivial thing?"  Well, over the years, I have learned a lot of valuable lessons from my video game hobby.  I'll be posting about my experiences as a gamer and how it has influenced my work as an opera singer.

Interview with Tom Cipullo, Pt. 3

As Mr. Cipullo is asked about his influences, I think back to a conversation that I had with a castmate that once we sorted out the challenges of counting measures and beats, the music of this opera becomes immensely singable.  There are all sorts of cues in the orchestra part that can help inform your entrances and cutoffs.  The learning curve was steep at first, but after awhile, I started to stitch large pieces of the show in mind.

I've only done a few modern operas.  As a younger singer, I sang the role of Kaspar in Amahl and the Night Visitors.  (Chelsea Opera took their Amahl to Los Angeles for my first touring show).  My first experience with a 20th century opera, though was Robert Ward's Roman Fever as an undergraduate music student.  It is a fascinating show and I played the smallest part, a waiter.  I also was not a terribly good musician at that point in my life and the counting and tonality were a constant challenge.  I wish I could say that I was amazing in the part.  I was simply o.k. because I was legitimately held back by my lack of musical discipline.

I'll continue to watch and post these video series.  They are a great resource for my blog and for my "book."

Oh, because you are wondering, the greatest "modern opera" experience so far?  Hanging 30 feet above the stage on a rope net as I was a sailor in the chorus of Billy Budd at Seattle Opera.  I could have seriously fallen on my head.  It was awesome.