If this is torture, chain me to the wall...

My first shot at a major role in NYC took place at Bronx Opera. I sang the role of Tamino in Mozart's The Magic Flute. I had one of the most awesome costumes ever. It was inspired by the clothes worn by Indiana Jones- bomber jacket, khaki pants and boots. None to shabby.

As you can tell, being an opera singer has its benefits. Here are the "Three Ladies"- Paula Roediger, Paula Jean Rocheleau Hernandez and Elizabeth Perryman- after they saved me from the dragon.

You can hear my act 1 aria on my fan page on Facebook.

Step 3- Buy a Book

So far, my process is not much different than any other opera singer, but it is at "step 3" that, as someone once said, things get a little weird.

Now that I have translated the show word-for word and started speaking the lines as I would a mantra, the next step is to breakdown the character and the first step of that is to write out a character road map. I love those old essay books with a marble cover. I have small but growing stack of them on my bookshelf and each one is dedicated to one or two opera roles.

I start by finding the first scene that my character is in. Taking Barber as an example, I sing the role of Count Almaviva. He arrives in the very first scene of the opera, disguised as a poor student. I then map out what happens in each scene, why exit the scene, where I’m going to, how long I’ll be gone (based on the time frame of the opera, not in real life), what I’ll be doing while off stage and what brings me back for the next scene. Many times, this information is in the text that I sing and that is sung to me.

It can sometimes be a bit of detective work, if my character is travelling somewhere or is doing something off stage that will be discussed in my second scene. I repeat this process as I go through the whole show, writing the information down in my notebook. I try to use my own words, paraphrasing so that I make the road map as personal to me as possible. I continue this process, through every entrance and exit of my character until I reach the end of the show.

An example of this is in Marriage of Figaro. While singing the role of Don Basilio at my apprenticeship, I discovered in the course of my studies that Basilio is sent to Seville at the end of the second act to find out whether Cherubino is actually there, fulfilling his position in the army. The director and I discussed whether or not Basilio should come back on stage in at the end of the third act. Just for fun, I figured out how long it would take to go from the Count's estate to Seville and back (on horseback) and threw in some extra time to actually get the info. It wouldn't have worked out to make the trip based on the length of the third act, but I could enter as if I had just come in off the road. It was a silly diversion, but it was fun to discuss the possibility. It also allowed us to stage the opening of Act 3 and how, at the curtain, the Count could send me off on my errand to Seville. Confused? That's just one piece of the plot for a secondary character. It's complete irrelevant to the plot of the show, but it is a detail that makes for some interest. It was my fervent wish that someone who was a fan and knew the show cold might realize that little detail.

The next step is to try to list out all of my character’s objectives in the show. What does my character want to get out of each scene and what tactics does my character use to achieve these goals and does my character achieve the goal?

Tactics lead to adverbs. Am I creeping quietly? Am I swaggering drunkenly? How many adverbs can I list out for those different scenes? How can I make the scene as specific as possible? How many options can I find and internalize so that I can bring a variety to rehearsals and we can settle on details?

I also list out any specific things that other characters say about me and anything that I say about other characters.

It's at this point that things get really fun. I like to figure out a bit about the history of the opera- what time period is it set in? what were the major historical events going on at that time? I also like to go to the internets and try to find pictures to print out and tape into "the book." It helps to find a portait painter from that time period and get appropriate pictures. You can also find old photos of locations in the play or paintings.

I try to do the same research for the composer and figure out what was happening in the world as the opera was being written. Was the composer political? Was this a response to some event?

After rehearsals start, I use the book as a diary, jotting down ideas from colleagues that I find appropriate and informative. On more than one occasion, those comments have come back to help me in later performances of the role. It's also a great way to reminisce about past shows.

Fairbanks Highlights

Continuing my updates about gigs past, I just wrapped up my first Don Ottavio in Opera Fairbanks' production of Don Giovanni. I've posted a couple of tracks on the Facebook page, "Dalla sua pace" and "Il mio tesoro."

Non-singing highlights from the trip:
-Trying moose for the first time

-Chena Hot Springs

-Taking the Riverboat Discovery tour- I'm not usually a fan of tourist activities and this one defied all my expectations. It was informative, witty, interactive, and so much more. I can't recommend it enough for visitors of Fairbanks.

It was a great experience to be up in Alaska and be a part of the show. I have a couple of big posts about some of the exceptional experiences.

By the way, the wig I was was legendary. It ended up being more popular than I was-- castmates wanted a picture with the wig, audience members wanted its autograph and many people seemed to think that I looked a bit like Inigo Montoya. I'm a fan, so I take that as a huge compliment.

Step 2- Talking the Talk.

Barber of Seville is a prime example of an opera that lives or dies by “recitativo.” Recitativo, or “recits” for those in the know, is a monologue or dialogue that is sung, usually over a harpsichord or continuo. It is used to further the plot and explain the action and it usually gives a bunch of facts and information- fast and furious- to the audience. Since it is simply dialogue there is very little repetition of lines, as you might find in an ensemble which is accompanied by a full orchestra. When done with "zhuzh", they basically liven up the whole proceeding of an opera.

Note: I use many of the same rules that I apply to recits to the ensembles.

At this point in the process, I don’t look at notes or rhythms of the music at all. Instead, I just say the words out loud, over and over, and just get used to saying them.

The goal of this step is two-fold: I found fairly early on in my career that if I wasn’t able to speak the words with the correct diction and with the right inflection and intent, it was impossible for me to learn the notes and rhythms with any integrity.

The other goal is to is to figure out the ways that you can riff on the meanings of the recits. I can find that if I speak the sentence over and over, I can wring out different implications of the line depending on how the scene plays out. For example:

My cat DIED and I am despondent.

My CAT died and I’m despondent.

My cat died and I’m DESPONDENT.

Silly, but remarkably effective. It’s a great way for me to keep the lines fresh as I sing them and during big ensembles where you sing the same stuff over and over again, it helps take your mind off the occasionally brutal vocal lines.

Yes, I’m that guy standing in the back of the train muttering to himself. Don’t worry, I'm mostly harmless.