Another operamission event in August

04. August 2011 · Comments Off on Another operamission event in August · Categories: Some Assembly Required

Yep … they’re at it again! It’s another “Assembly Required” event. This time it’s “puccinimission”!

In case you’re too lazy to click through, I’m gonna steal and post it here:


Assembly Required

• Cast members from — La Scala, the Met, the old New York City Opera, Teatro Colon, Glimmerglass, and all over

• Full orchestra, unrehearsed, assembled on the spot

• Hosted by — conductor Jennifer Peterson, directors Eric Einhorn (I), Jonathon Field (II, III), Marc Verzatt (IV), dramaturg Cori Ellison and live classical music weblog or twitter journalists to be announced

• Audience encouraged to interact digitally

• Live videostreaming via Ustream

Act I – Tuesday, August 16, 7-10pm

CAST: Roseanne Ackerley, Glenn Seven Allen, David Adam Moore, Michael Weyandt, Cory Clines, Lawrence Long

HOSTS: Jennifer Peterson, Eric Einhorn, Cori Ellison

Act II – Sunday, August 21, 7-10pm

CAST: Roseanne Ackerley, Sharin Apostolou, Ryan MacPherson, Kenneth Overton, Michael Weyandt, Cory Clines, Ryan Allen

HOSTS: Jennifer Peterson, Jonathon Field, Cori Ellison

Act III – Tuesday, August 23, 7-10pm

CAST: Kerri Marcinko, Caroline Worra, Ryan MacPherson, James Bobick

HOSTS: Jennifer Peterson, Jonathon Field, Cori Ellison

Act IV – Sunday, August 28, 7-10pm

CAST: Kerri Marcinko, Caroline Worra, Ryan MacPherson, Gregory Gerbrandt, Michael Weyandt, Kevin Burdette

HOSTS: Jennifer Peterson, Marc Verzatt, Cori Ellison

For complete details, click to view the Press Release.

Interested in playing in the orchestra? Click here to view the Call for Orchestral Players.

And click to make a donation to operamission through Fractured Atlas, our Fiscal Sponsor.

So I’ll be there only for Act II, as it’s all I could manage, but it should be loads of fun! I’ll get to meet a few people I yak with on Twitter, too!

You can see the singers here.

Così fan tutte: Some Assembly Required (Assembly Complete)

30. September 2010 · Comments Off on Così fan tutte: Some Assembly Required (Assembly Complete) · Categories: Some Assembly Required

Jennifer Peterson has put up a blog entry about the event that Dan and I were a bit involved in. Do read it — it will explain it all and you can see a number of links to various places (including here … thanks, Jennifer!) What fond memories I have of Così fan tutte: Some Assembly Required … and of course I wonder … will there be something new to assemble next August?!

Così fan tutte: Some Assembly Required

06. September 2010 · Comments Off on Così fan tutte: Some Assembly Required · Categories: Baseball, Opera, Photos, Some Assembly Required

Dan has posted a series of pictures from Così that are mighty nice. Check ’em out. He’ll have more later, I think.

I hope the event becomes an annual sort of thing. I hope I’m invited back, too. It was such fun.

Of course not everyone thinks it’s a good idea. A friend and colleague (who also says my blog is self-indulgent) thought it was an awful thing … the tweeting, the casualness … ah well. Can’t win ’em all, eh? I guess I won’t be seeing him at the AT&T ballpark* then, for the Opera in the Ballpark event. I’ll sure be there. I’m already dreaming of those garlic fries.

*I have yet to get to a game this year! Might this be the only day I manage to get to the park this year? Will I not see “my” Giants? That would be weird.

‘Così fan tutte: Some Assembly Required’

23. August 2010 · 2 comments · Categories: Some Assembly Required

You can find a few videos on YouTube of ‘Così fan tutte: Some Assembly Required’ … but I’ll post just a couple here for you to view.

This first gives you an example of what was done during the first half of the evening; this is a sample of what the recitative would sound like if the singers were to sing in perfect rhythm what is written rather than the way they are normally done, in the more believable, conversational, flowing way. Note the huge difference!:

I missed this lovely portion of the opera … but you can hear Cory Tiffin on first clarinet, whom I met a year ago when he came to San Francisco

clarinets – Cory Tiffin, Boris Shpitalnik
bassoons – Daniel Liao and Berke Hi
Ferrando – tenor John Carlo Pierce
Guglielmo – baritone Gregory Gerbrandt

I would love to see “Some Assembly Required” become an annual event, doing a different opera each year (I wonder if it might be easier to assemble one that uses a smaller orchestra?) I would love it, too, if Jennifer would have me back. And of course I would love it if it worked with my schedule. (Psst, Jennifer … I rarely have anything in August!) I think this could really grow into something great.

I’ll end with my two faves from Act 1
from Part 1 of ‘Così fan tutte: Some Assembly Required’
at the Gershwin Hotel, Aug 17-22, 2010:

Act I, No. 9 Quintet “Di scrivermi… ogni giorno!”

CAROLINE WORRA – Fiordiligi
JENNIFER BERKEBILE – Dorabella
BRIAN ANDERSON – Ferrando
JAMES BOBICK – Guglielmo
DENNIS BLACKWELL – Don Alfonso

Fiordiligi – soprano Caroline Worra
Dorabella – mezzo-soprano Jennifer Berkebile
Don Alfonso – baritone Dennis Blackwell

Figures there would be no oboes in my faves, eh?

If Dan gets some more pictures to me I might just post them later today or this week at some point.

Wednesday at MOMA & Così, Over & Out (for me, anyway)

19. August 2010 · Comments Off on Wednesday at MOMA & Così, Over & Out (for me, anyway) · Categories: New York 2010, Opera, Ramble, Some Assembly Required

Dan and I went to MOMA yesterday. It was wonderful, although of course we didn’t come close to seeing it all. I did get to my favorite rooms, and enjoyed Starry Night. I took pictures of various contemporary works that included music in some way or another. But taking photos of paintings really doesn’t work all that well. Still, I’ll post a few here. Because.

After that we met up with my brother Timothy, his wife Margaret, as well as Brandon and Lia. What a wonderful dinner at a vegetarian Korean restaurant! But what a shame that Timothy and I had to race out, missing dessert, because we needed to get to the Gershwin Hotel for Così. (This reminds me, I never DID get a picture of the Gershwin hotel, which has a rather interesting entrance. Oh well!)

No pictures right now … I’m too tired to go through them, and I think I should attempt to get to bed before 12:30 this time. Perhaps I’ll get some up later. Time will tell!

Only today left for New York City fun. We head home Friday. This really has been a very fun trip, and I can’t believe it’s about to end. I’ll be happy, though, to get back home.

There’s no place like home ….

Tonight’s The Night …

17. August 2010 · 2 comments · Categories: New York 2010, Some Assembly Required

… as is tomorrow …!

Am I excited? Yep! Am I nervous? Not yet. I’m hoping I won’t be, but we’ll see! I’m hoping to meet up with at least one person beforehand for coffee, if I can get my act together; we were at the Metropolitan Museum of Art for most of the day and I’m rather exhausted! It’s “feet up!” time for now.

The Così event seems to be getting some good attention. Here is a list of links I’ve found:

operamission’s ‘Così fan tutte: Some Assembly Required’ is getting all sorts of fun attention. How cool is that? Here are links

New York Post

The New Yorker

Indian U’s Events Calendar

Broadway World

New York Times

Cabaret Hotline

Broadway to Vegas (scroll down)

Saturday in New York City

14. August 2010 · Comments Off on Saturday in New York City · Categories: New York 2010, Ramble, Some Assembly Required

Not really oboe-y at all … but I thought I’d share my day with you:

Today was quite a busy day. It began with a walk. We were going to get my latté and Dan’s cappucino (somewhat late, as we did sleep in) at The Birch, next door to the Gershwin Hotel, where Così will take place. We were meeting up with Jennifer Peterson, who will be conducting Così. Dan will be taking photos on the nights I’m playing, so he was checking out the venue. The coffee was a great way to start the day, as was meeting Jennifer.

From there Dan and I took a train* to the Museum of Natural History. We had lunch there (by this time it was after noon) and later Brandon met up with us there. We checked out the dioramas, fossils, and meteors, among other things. After that we walked a very short walk to Central Park, and had a brief visit there. We took a train to High Line Park, and walked. And walked. From there we walked and took a train to our dinner destination of Veselka. We had a most scrumptious dinner with Brandon and Lia. I think we arrived back at the hotel at about 10:30 or so. One long day, but very fun.

My back held out, but there were times when it was unhappy. Fortunately I can usually find a place to take a seat for a while. The weird thing was that my left knee has decided to be pesky. But that’s life, eh?

I’ll post pictures later. I have to download some from my camera, and I can’t do that at the moment.

*While I want to call it a “subway ride” I suspect “train” is the word a true New Yorker would use. I’m using it because it’s shorter. 😉

“Così fan Tutte: Some Assembly Required” …

11. August 2010 · 5 comments · Categories: Opera, Some Assembly Required, Videos

… is in The New Yorker!

Read it here

Gotta love Così! The overture is quite fun to play. It’s interesting to hear the different takes on YouTube. The tempi can vary greatly. I prefer the first part sort of slower, but not death-like, and then the second tempo is fun to play when it flies! All my opinion, of course, and I can’t say what Jennifer Peterson will be doing … but I’ll certainly do whatever she asks! I’m quite excited about this.

I do know we won’t play it like this first clip 😉

Wanna Play? (Repost)

31. July 2010 · 2 comments · Categories: Announcements, Some Assembly Required

(Putting this up again. Because.)

Call for Orchestral Players –

operamission is presenting Così fan tutte August 17-22.

A reading orchestra is being assembled for four sessions to jam through Mozart’s opera Così fan tutte with a spectacular cast of singers at New York’s Gershwin Hotel on 27th St & 5th Avenue.

Qualified players of the following instruments are invited to sign up:

flute
oboe
clarinet
bassoon
horn
trumpet
timpani
violin
viola
violoncello
contrabass

Players may participate in any number of sessions. We will cover 30-40 minutes of music in each session.

Four hosts – a conductor (Jennifer Peterson), a stage director (Ned Canty), a dramaturg (Cori Ellison) and an Italian language master (Marco Nisticò) will lead the audience through the musical and dramaturgical assembly of the work.

Parts will be available in advance. Final seating & chair assignments are at the discretion of the conductor.

Four three-hour sessions

Act I, Part 1 – Tuesday, August 17, 7-10pm (7:30 downbeat)
Act I, Part 2 – Wednesday, August 18, 7-10pm (7:30 downbeat)
Act II, Part 1 – Friday, August 20, 7-10pm (7:30 downbeat)
Act II, Part 1 – Sunday, August 22, 4-7pm (4:30 downbeat)

To sign up, contact Jennifer Peterson at operamission in one of the following three ways:
email – operamission@gmail.com
twitter – http://twitter.com/operamission
website – leave a comment here at www.operamission.org

Facebook event ‘Così fan tutte: Some Assembly Required’ displays full details, but a facebook RSVP is unofficial if not confirmed via one of the above three media.

Thanks!

Wanna play?

Seriously … it’s Così! C’mon … you know you wanna! 😎

(Psst. Someone you know will be doing the 17th & 18th.)

Lovely announcement of the event

Playing L’Elisir, Warming Up On Così

28. July 2010 · Comments Off on Playing L’Elisir, Warming Up On Così · Categories: Opera, Some Assembly Required

I’m rather excited about this. So while I’m playing second oboe in Elixir, I’m usually warming up by playing the first oboe part of Così. Really. Gotta love that music! I’ve always loved Così. The overture is great fun for oboe. Ironically my favorite two arias are ones with no oboe. Go figure. But that’s okay; sitting there wrapping myself in the music is just fine by me.

Elixir is so fun, though, and when we begin the rehearsals my mind does switch over just fine. Donizetti is fun. I can’t say it’s close to as rich as Mozart, or as … well … incredible. But it’s fun. And fun is good. I currently feel a need for fun. I’ve been in worry mode, and I really enjoy the distraction of Elixir.

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