SongFest ROCKS!
I'm just doing a quick post here to say that SongFest totally rocks and I'm loving almost every minute of it. I can't even begin to describe everything, especially now when it's late in the evening and I'm tired, so I'll try and sum up the big stuff:
1. I am in awe of Graham Johnson. Total, complete awe. For those of you who don't know, Graham Johnson IT in song accompanying. He's a fabulous pianist, a scholar with incredible depth of knowledge, a musician of depth and understanding like I've never seen. He is also a very kind and generous man.
2. Ricky Ian Gordon and Jake Heggie are two of the composers-in-residence here, and they are just swell guys. Very laid back and hands-on in their coaching sessions. Ricky gives everyone a hug when they're done performing. I am OK with that.
3. All the musicians here are superb. Really, there's not a dud among us as far as I can tell. Sure, I'm working with a couple of sopranos that are, shall we say, high maintenance, but they're solid musicians and essentially nice people so I can handle it. The soprano I'm doing the Harbison premiere with (not one of the high maintenance ones) is truly an excellent singer. (If you want to hear us, come to Raitt Hall on the Pepperdine campus next Thursday, June 21 at 7:30p.m.)
4. Daniel is handling everything beautifully. He traveled well...for the most part (I'll save the saga of installing the car seat at Budget car rental for another day) and is having such a good time trekking all over campus with his Oma and flirting with the cafeteria staff he barely even notices when I'm around. It makes me a little sad, honestly, but I'm glad he's having a good time.
5. The Pepperdine campus is stunningly beautiful. It's also stunningly hilly, making going anywhere with a stroller a bit of a pain. We're certainly getting our exercise.
My brother arrives tomorrow with his camera and laptop, so it's possible I'll have more to share with you soon.
1. I am in awe of Graham Johnson. Total, complete awe. For those of you who don't know, Graham Johnson IT in song accompanying. He's a fabulous pianist, a scholar with incredible depth of knowledge, a musician of depth and understanding like I've never seen. He is also a very kind and generous man.
2. Ricky Ian Gordon and Jake Heggie are two of the composers-in-residence here, and they are just swell guys. Very laid back and hands-on in their coaching sessions. Ricky gives everyone a hug when they're done performing. I am OK with that.
3. All the musicians here are superb. Really, there's not a dud among us as far as I can tell. Sure, I'm working with a couple of sopranos that are, shall we say, high maintenance, but they're solid musicians and essentially nice people so I can handle it. The soprano I'm doing the Harbison premiere with (not one of the high maintenance ones) is truly an excellent singer. (If you want to hear us, come to Raitt Hall on the Pepperdine campus next Thursday, June 21 at 7:30p.m.)
4. Daniel is handling everything beautifully. He traveled well...for the most part (I'll save the saga of installing the car seat at Budget car rental for another day) and is having such a good time trekking all over campus with his Oma and flirting with the cafeteria staff he barely even notices when I'm around. It makes me a little sad, honestly, but I'm glad he's having a good time.
5. The Pepperdine campus is stunningly beautiful. It's also stunningly hilly, making going anywhere with a stroller a bit of a pain. We're certainly getting our exercise.
My brother arrives tomorrow with his camera and laptop, so it's possible I'll have more to share with you soon.
Comments
Play well!
continued good vibes to you and family!
I wish so much I could be there for your Harbison premiere!!