Not the Worst

If you had not heard, we are getting a little snow in New York City right now.

It is still early in the morning and I am getting ready for our "sitzprobe" for The Astronaut's Tale.

 "Sitzprobe" translated from German means "sitting rehearsal".   I swear, I will lay off the quotes for now.  Let's just call it The Sitz.

The Sitz is one of the most important rehearsals because it is an opportunity for the singers to collaborate with the conductor and instrumentalists without moving around on stage and wearing costumes.  A good Sitz gives the musicians an opportunity to fix musical issues in advance of the stress of tech and dress rehearsals.

As I look back the window, I wonder if this is the worst weather I have ever experienced on the day of a rehearsal.  I see a white out of wind and snow and I have to travel on the 7 train (above ground) to the G train (below ground) to get down to BAM by 1 p.m. today.  The walk to the 7 train takes at least 10 minutes and I will have to stand on the platform for awhile before the train arrives.

As bad as this is, I think that the worst day was losing multiple rehearsals with Chelsea Opera to Superstorm Sandy for our production of Abraham and Isaac.  During that run, I was stranded at my apartment in Brooklyn and had to put on my running shoes and run across the Manhattan Bridge, through lower Manhattan and up the West Side to get to rehearsal on 68th Street.  It was a surreal experience.

I expect that today will be one for the record books as well.  I will give myself plenty of time and wear my new ski jacket to keep warm.

For all of you on the East Coast, I hope you are home, drinking cocoa and watching Netflix.  I'll be snapping pictures as I go through this exciting day.