Winding Down

Both the trip to Albania and the flurry of activity on this travel blog are winding down.  With the concert complete and after an amazing after-party, our producer, Mr. Tullamani, and his family took our remaining American contingent of singers (Matt Edwardsen, Thomas Fallon and me; Joseph Holmes had to head back to Boston to sing a gig) on a trip to Durrës.

In addition to sightseeing, we were treated to the most incredible meal of fresh Adriatic seafood.  Phenomenal.  As I said in my tv interview, when asked about what I will bring back from Albania, "about 5 extra pounds", as I patted my belly.

A city on the Adriatic Sea, Durrës is a small town where Albanian history is on display.  According to Wikipedia, "it has been continuously inhabited for 2,700 years.

Counter-Tenor Thomas Fallon takes in the view of the Adriatic Sea.

Town Hall, Durrës

The Mosque at the center of town

A short walk past a fence and a family of chickens leads to...

The Roman Amphitheater, still used for performances. (no lions)

The main street. Shopping, cafes and palm trees

Lights out, uh huh, dance dance dance

Despite my career choice, I am a bit of a hippie. That is why I absolutely loved a little device in my hotel room. In the picture below you see a small slot or cradle next to the door. I will be the first to admit that this could exist anywhere, but it was my first experience and it was great.

When I arrived at the hotel, I received one small key card that gained me access to my room. After fighting with the light switches, I finally realized that to turn on the power in the room, I had to put my key card into the slot.

When I left the room I would grab the key card and all of the power in the room including the heat would shut off. I had a, "well, duh!" moment. It seems like such a logical way for a hotel to reduce energy usage and help control costs. I hope this idea gains traction around the world! (If it hasn't already.)

Richard Scarry's Things that Go

It is always interesting to see different modes of transportation in a foreign country. Here are a few examples...

Notice the man on the bike, hopefully you can see the chickens... Ahem... Hanging out.

Rruga George W Bush

It was my single goal to find the road named after our recent President. Hopefully this is a clearer picture.

Achievement Unlocked!

Perambulation

And so today we had the morning off. Joe, my fellow tenor and new friend, and I took a walk through the nice, sunny streets of Tirana. We got to see several of the sites I had on my checklist. It is so exciting to have seen aspects of Albanian culture armed with only a map and a camera. The exploration has recharged my mental batteries and I am ready to enjoy tonight's final dress rehearsal.

These are the things we are fighting

I just learned that the deep Albanian affection for the United States began under President Woodrow Wilson, when he wrote an impassioned letter supporting the creation of the Albanian state as it was gaining independence from the Ottoman Empire.

I also learned that the Albanian Embassy in Tirana was the first one constructed by the State Department.

I made it out for a quick walk this morning. A couple of thoughts...

The traffic here is bananas. The best NYC cabbie would go home weeping with despair!

The National pride is palpable. Flags are everywhere. In conversations with our hosts and colleagues, the has been a real sense of optimism about the future of the country.

The musicians are remarkable. We raced through our first orchestra rehearsal last night and found our way through the music very well. It is nice to start off with a bang like that and then have two more rehearsals to truly polish the show.

I am going to have to do some extra workouts. The food here is delicious and because of our schedule we are eating dinner at 9 pm. Not my usual schedule!

Well, off to e embassy for our second Albanian lesson!

Post lunch break

Good morning, America. I know it is early for you. A couple of fascinating events today... After a brief rehearsal with our conductor and my wonderful colleagues, we went over to the American embassy for our Albanian lesson.

It was a good thing we had it, because I practiced in a couple of diction errors. In addition to learning the song, our teacher taught us a couple key phrases and greetings. When she mentioned the dative case, I flashed back to high school!

Tonight we rehearse with the orchestra for the first time. It has good to have a few moments to rest my weary brain.

I am locating our online publicity and I will post it ASAP. The concert is already sold out!

More Soon,
Eapen

Buon giorno a Milano

Good morning all,

It is nine thirty local time in Milan. The flight was good. Wine with dinner and I got to watch JGL in "Premium Rush."n wait, you aren't a fan of JGL? Go watch some of his new movies... I like them a lot. What made the movie so good was that it was set in NYC and respected the insanity of traveling the streets of the city.

So now I have a four hour layover and then a quick flight across the Adriatic Sea to Tirana.

I briefly chatted with a nice Albanian fellow here. Who is on the same flight to Tirana. We ended up having lunch together, talking about our families and about things to do and try in Albania. (The local moonshine was discussed for quite a few minutes!)

Rehearsals start at 10Am tomorrow. At 5pm we will sing with the orchestra for the first time!

Early

In the very first opera rehearsal I ever attended in my very first year of undergrad, the conductor gave a stern warning to all of us in the show.

"If you are not ten minutes early, you are ten minutes late,"

Those words are my mantra and allow me the freedom to be as early as I want. I find it comforting to be in a theater by myself well before the other singers arrive. Likewise, I am happy to get to airports early. If I am working with a new company, I usually tell them, "if I am not there by five minutes before rehearsal, then panic."

When I was younger and my voice was not as consistent, being on time was a way to show that I was a professional, despite my slightly weaker voice.

Today I am at least three hours early for my flight to Albania. I might be taking this a little too far, but no one was ever fired for being early.

I have no business singing that...

As I settle into learning my Albanian song for the gig in a couple of weeks, I still have to learn some other new rep.  One of the great things about a "Three Tenors"-style gig is that you get to sing music that you may (or may not) have any business singing.

Case in point:



I may not have any business singing this song, but I must say, it has always been a dream to sing it with a full orchestra.  And now, that dream will be fulfilled.

I will never be as cool as Mr. Sinatra, but I'll do my best with his "National Anthem."

Tirana Bound!

In four short weeks I depart for Tirana, Albania.

One of the best things about this job is that we are going to be there for a full week yet the concert is only a few hours long.  I expect that there will be numerous rehearsals and so I hope to use the next couple of weeks to try to decide where I'd like to visit and the sites I hope to see.  I'll be posting to a map.

If anyone has any thoughts or suggestions based on your experiences in Tirana, please let me know!  I love to travel based on suggestions.

One thing that I simply MUST do is get a photo with a street sign for Rruga George W. Bush, a road named (obviously) after our recent President.  I am a guest of the American Embassy and I am looking forward to finding out more about the histories of our two countries and how we have interacted through the years.

Upcoming Performance: Abraham in Abraham and Isaac (Britten) with Chelsea Opera

This coming weekend, I will sing the role of Abraham in "Canticle ii" by Benjamin Britten with Chelsea Opera.

I would have posted this earlier, but with Hurricane Sandy, there were moments when all wondered if the production would go on or not.  Luckily, all has worked out.  We lost a couple of rehearsals, but everyone is doubling their efforts to make up for it.

Find out details here:
www.chelseaopera.org

Also, I've been updating my tumblr, which is where I am now doing my role prep.  If you are interested in some of the questions and considerations that an opera singer deals with while doing an opera, feel free to check it out.

Light on Travel, Heavy on Work

Not many posts from the road lately.  I have been home in NYC and working around the city since January.  You can see posts and videos at my Facebook Page.

I am posting now because it looks like you (my blog readers) and I are going to go on a little trip to Albania in December.  I will be singing in a "Three Tenors" styled concert in honor of the 100th Anniversary of Albania's independence from the Ottoman Empire.

I will be singing, "Pourquoi me revellier" from Werther, "Dein ist mein gantzes Hertz" from The Land of Smiles by Lehar and "Una furtiva lagrima."  Additionally, I'll be joining my tenor counterparts for some fun medleys of popular songs.

The song I am most looking forward to singing is "Lule Bor", an Albanian folk song.  Take a listen:



If anyone who reads this blog knows Albanian, please let me know!  I want to be sure to be as authentic as possible.

See you soon!

Happy New Year! The 2011 Top Ten.

A new year begins and with it, a retrospective of 2011... all things random and joyful and in no particular order:

10.  The almost weekly walk around Chinatown.  Now that my older daughter is old enough to move herself around the city, I take both the girls out (almost always by myself) for some daddy/daughter time on Saturday mornings.  Typically, we take the train to the East Broadway stop.  First off, Tasty Hand Pulled Noodles for some takeout for Kitty. Then on to Hon Cafe where we eat buns.  The girls get their own Red Bean Bun and can put it down by themselves!  After that, sometimes a trip to Kam Man for grocery supplies.  I know that my girls are my own flesh and blood because they love to end the trip with a stop at Prosperity Dumplings.  (Prosperity seems to get a mention every year!)

9. Our seasoning of the year, Herbs de Provence.  This was re-introduced to us while visiting the countryside and our dear friend, Keith Irvine, an inspiration and mentor, and his family.  We lost him this year and will be sorely missed.  I am grateful for the continued friendship with his family.  It was an introduction by Keith and his wife Chippy, that connected me to the Putnam Chorale, where I sang my first Carmina Burana and the solo in Rossini's Petite Messe Solenelle.

8. Best friends.  I have three best friends from my childhood.  I didn't get to see all of them this year, but even all these years later, I get to spend time with them online thanks to video games and email and remain as close as ever.

7.  The recipe for "No-Knead" bread from the Sullivan Street Bakery.  This year, it has become a hobby to make it and to give it to friends as gifts.  The recipe is totally forgiving of imperfect technique and it looks beautiful when done.

6. The economic turnaround. The recovery continues and even though we lost even more great opera companies around the country, there are signs that a young artist can still have a career.  This year I was lucky enough to have more auditions for big houses and even a few job offers.

5.  Staying with the theme of the dismal science, Planet Money keeps me thinking about stuff that is entirely non-opera related.  I'm grateful for their insight and wit and for keeping my mind agile.

4.  Damascus Bakery has become a regular stop after our vaunted Trader Joe's speed-run.  The gentleman behind the counter gives my daughter one little cookie as I buy my favorite savory Syrian pastries.

3. New Friends.  I firmly believe that if I want to get anywhere in life, I want to surround myself with people smarter, more talented and kinder than I and then emulate them.  This year we met some incredible families in our neighborhood in Brooklyn.  The Mother Runner and her family has helped inspire me to cook at home.  Our dear new friends at St. Saviour's Church and the playgroup following the fantastic Family Mass on Sunday mornings are always up for a good time.  Grilling immediately following Mass? Despite the winter weather?  Sign me up!  And what about Ms. Maureen who swoops in to take the girls every once in awhile, giving us a chance for a moment of recuperation?  This list could go on and on and on.

2. The new expletives: Good Heavens!  Oh shucks!  If things are really bad?  Son of a Brooklyn Bridge.  Having kids has really ramped up creative cursing.

1.  Opera Fairbanks.  I not only had a chance to sing the role of Nemorino for the first time, but I also got to perform it with a spectacular cast, conductor, director and chorus.  The people of Fairbanks were as warm and wonderful as always.  This year was a totally different experience as I went up without the family.  I had an incredible time and, as always, grew as a singer, actor and person.