Buona serata opera lovers!
I hope everyone enjoyed their Wednesday and found a way to have music be a part of their journey today. :) I certainly did! I listened to my favorite mix on my way to rehearsals this morning and I even got to sit down for most of the ride! (Rush hour commutes can be very full)
Today was the most jam packed day we had yet! New York Dramatic Voices hosted a masterclass with Elizabeth Blanke-Biggs and Michael Recchiuti. If anyone is unfamiliar with how a masterclass works, fear not! I am here to explain! In a masterclass a master teacher (or teachers) give a musician a coaching in front of other musicians for the benefit of all musicians present. It can be slightly nerve wracking the first few times you participate, but once you figure out they are only trying to help you be successful, it makes it much easier and more fun to make the mistakes and allow them to help you get better! Every participant of the Winter Intensive sang for our master teachers today and the knowledge of all of our rep and how how to individually help each of us was wonderful.
Outside of the masterclass today, we continued the rigorous schedule of coaching and staging rehearsals. With only two weeks to get the scenes concert together, everyone needs to be on their A game to make it happen. To help us be the best artists we can be, our Assistant Stage Manger, Kimun Kim, lead us in our acting and movement class today. He taught us how to find our centers and keep our balance on stage no matter what character we are playing. What type of movement works best for you production- angular or circular? He also taught us how to move and be inspired by our costars. I'm not sure what the inspiration was for Artist Samantha Nahra (pictured below). Was it my packback on the floor that inspired her, or the masterclass, 45 minute Flamenco dance rehearsal, followed by a 60 minute Valkyries working out in the gym rehearsal, that inspired her to take the shape of an exhausted rhombus collapses on the floor? Definitely my backpack...
So far, everyone has been on top of their game and has exceeded expectations. It’s shaping up to be a wonderful show! I hope you will come see it if you are in the area!!
Tonight I am doing one of my favorite things. Taking in live theatre! No, I am not going to the Met... yet. I am going to one of the many musicals that are showing on Broadway! I’m headed to the revival of West Side Story tonight, which is currently in previews and won’t officially open until later in February. I’ve heard there have been some updates to the show and I’m excited to see what they have done with it!
This is where I would tell you I am about to do more score study, but tonight I am taking a break from score studying to go see the show!
Buona notte lovelies!
Kristen