We always have an Assistant Conductor for opera, and that person usually gets to conduct two performances. We work very little with that individual until the shows; he or she might conduct as much as one act at a rehearsal, but sometimes we don’t get even that. It can make the first performance … um … interesting!
Tonight the AC was at the helm and I thought that things went fairly well. I did notice, though, that the performance was 5 minutes longer. That’s a pretty big difference in time. And no, it’s not that I am that clock conscious, but I do time our first few performances so I know what to tell the family if I’m to be picked up (as happened tonight) rather than driving myself to and from work. When the AC comes in I then like to check to see how different the time is. I just find it interesting and, today, it was sort of important since I wondered how long my family would be waiting in the car. It’s a great luxury to walk out of the hall and see my ride right there at the door, and they were patiently (?) waiting for me tonight, 5 minutes after I said I’d be out.
In Other Fascinating News:
Tonight we had an added heater in the pit, located right in front of the first row of woodwinds. It’s been so darn cold in The California Theatre pit that one woodwind instrument was even binding and a key wouldn’t close. Finally some wonderful person from upstairs brought us a heater. Woo hoo! For once my hands weren’t freezing! It was a bit odd, though, that when the heater clicked on the stand lights would dim, and then when it clicked off they’d come back up. I kept fearing that, finally, something might short out and we’d lose our lights all together. That would have been interesting … and I’m sure the show would have been more than 5 minutes longer.
There’s never a dull moment in pitland. Or so I pretend.
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