It's a busy summer. It has been fun to hear so much news... especially from you, Audrie and Amy... I think it has been really fun the read the overwhelming amount of blog posts that you two have been posting. It's funny because whenever I come home and have more than ten messages in my inbox, I know that one of my sisters has been blogging that day! haha!
Alisha has been working her bum off this summer. I'm so proud of her and he schedule is only going to get worse. Between her full time job, her practicum at Alpine Hospice, and her upcoming summer classes, she's a busy girl. She does so much. It's amazing to me.
The season at the opera company is going well. We are all finished blocking all the productions as of yesterday. The schedulers are really on the ball this season, and we generally have our rehearsal schedules up to three days in advance, which is much better than it has been during past seasons I have worked for this company. For those of you that are contemplating coming to a show... feel free to hit me up for discount tickets. I think I should be able to save you up to 50%. If you're not able to, don't feel bad. I'm going to be doing this for the rest of my career, so I'm sure you will have the chance to see me perform at some point. And... for those of you that want a recommendation on shows to see... many of you expressed interest in The Sound of Music... it's going to be very good, and I have more stage time than the other shows, but I don't sing at all. It's a speaking role, still it's going to be well done. I can also recommend Barber of Seville... it is a comedy, and from the rehearsals I have been in and seen, it is going to be hilarious!! It's sung in Italian and contains lots of really well known music... (you know the bugs bunny cartoon where he is the conductor and he is holding the singer's high note forever until his face turns red? that is this opera).. I'm not in Guys and Dolls, but I'm really excited to see it.... also lots of familiar tunes, and some great singer-actors... and La Traviata is a classic by Verdi. If you want to be musically moved, come see it. It is a tragedy, however, so don't be expecting a happy ending... and this one may be a little bit more dry for younger ones. It's all about showcasing the voice... not so much about moving the story along quickly.
Right now, as Alisha mentioned, I'm knee deep in researching grad schools... and have a long list currently... we'll see to how many I can actually afford to apply, but I have opened a dialogue with several voice/opera dept. chairs and things are looking up. It looks like I will have a good chance of getting a assistantship or fellowship at some of the schools I am considering... we will see. Thanks to a generous scholarship from Craig Jessop and the USU Dept. of Music, I am going to be able to afford to apply to more schools than I expected... it's just a matter of travel cost now, as I will have to travel to each school for an audition. Right now my list includes Arizona State, Univ. of Cincinnati, Florida State, U of Texas, U of Oklahoma, Indiana University, Rice University, Bard College Conservatory, USC, Yale, University of Kentucky, Michigan State, University of Michigan, Wisconsin, New England Conservatory, Boston University, Ithaca College, and the Juilliard School... a lot of these schools have prestigious and competitive programs that offer free tuition, books, living, etc. to anyone that gets in. They choose a small number of singers, and give very specialized attention, and you don't have to pay a dime... so something like that would be a best case scenario. I'm clearly going to have to narrow down my choices, but I am going to wait until they announce audition dates. Most schools hold their audition around the same time (Between November and March) and I have a slew of schools in the NY/Boston area, a lot in the midwest (Michigan, Indiana, Ohio, Wisconsin), and a lot in the TX,OK area... so I could potentially knock out two or three auditions in one trip... We will see what will happen. The only other snag is that it will be during my student teaching semester that I have to travel... I've been told, though, that this happens a lot, and they are very flexible with student teachers that are looking to further their education.
Also... if you live in these areas... don't be surprised if I hit you up for a free place to stay this winter! (That means you Abbey and Andy)
It's been nice living in a big house all summer with no annoying girls. It's very relaxing to be here during free time. We love it.
Oh... 3 more things...
1) I will be performing with the Cache Regional Theatre in a production of The Scarlet Pimpernel in September. It's an AWESOME show, and I will be singing the role of the bad guy (who has the best songs in the show... really powerful stuff) and I am really impressed with the leads that were cast... all very good performers. This will piggyback my Utah Festival Opera season, with rehearsals starting even before the season ends, so I'll be a busy guy.
2)I'm reopening my voice studio. Now that I'm done with my performance degree, I should be able to get more students. I'm going to be teaching out of the Book Table (a book/music store here in Logan) that runs a small music school in their basement. It's convenient because theres a music store upstairs, and they take care of all the $ collection and cut me a check once a month. I had to raise my fee though, because they take $3 off the top of each lesson fee for the use of the facility... it's pretty well worth it, though.
3) The USU School of Music previously belonged to the College of HASS (Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences) and on July 1st, they are forming a brand new College of the Arts!!! This is very exciting because it means more funding and more recognition... which could bring better recruitment, facility improvements, etc. Dr. Jessop, our dept. head was made the dean of the new college, and my voice teacher, Cindy Dewey is the new interim dept. head. It's sad because she will have to give up a lot of students, and she is the best teacher at USU, by far... but she said that I will be able to continue with her for my final year... which is good. I also applied to be a student senator representing the new college in the Executive Council Senate. The senate plays a large part in the allocation of funding for the different colleges and departments. I have very strong feelings about it, so I thought I would try to see if I can help make a change. It's just maddening that the university allocates over $250 per student that pays fees to athletics, and the music program gets a whopping 75 cents per student. I feel like the educational value system is just skewed when it comes to arts programs... and I understand that football and basketball bring in a lot more money to the university than music, or theatre, or other fine arts, but it's frustrating that a money maker receives so much precedence over an art that truly edifies and exalts the human spirit... and then they expect to have a marching band at their games... it just goes to show how truly important the musical arts are to this society and culture.... sorry for the rant, but it was on my mind.
I hope you are all well... much love.
Anthony
Oooh!!!!! I COMPLETLEY agree about the athletics fee!!!!! And I think you should go to Wisconsin so that if I get into Minnesota we can still be close-ish to each other. It'll suck not having you close for the times we hang out... or late night dinner runs, and stopping to see you at the hotel... Sad day!
ReplyDelete