Like a Rock

 

One of the wonderful (and yet, often troublesome) aspects of being in this biz called “show” is that it is a very very small world. Example: I recently went to a birthday party for my friend, Julia, who studies at the University of Houston and naturally I ran into three people I knew, one with whom I had gone to Michigan, and those whom I didn’t know at least had many mutual acquaintances.  That’s always my favorite awkward moment… when you realize you know someone in common but don’t know if you share the same opinion of said person.  It’s always a bit of a verbal ballet (which is about the only kind of dancing opera singers tend to know) we all do to figure out what level of dirt telling we can get away with.  Which, by the way, the scale of “dirt telling” for singers basically has a base line of about 6 on a scale of 1 – 10.

Yet I digress.  All this to say… with as much traveling around that we all do for auditions, performances, lessons, etc. it’s not uncommon to see old friends pop up outta the blue every now and then—which brings me to the point of this blathering. 

A small opera company here in Houston, Opera in the Heights, is doing a production of Mozart’s Cosi fan tutte and my friend and studio mate from Baylor, Sarah Beckham, is performing (the hell outta, btw) the role Fioridiligi in one of the casts.  I haven’t seen Sarah in about seven years, the last time being when I went to audition at Boston University… an experience I mentioned previously back in February when I took a small vacation to the northeast.

 

In addition to Sarah as Fioridiligi, my friend, Zach (who was mentioned in one of my favorite posts ever but has thus far eluded being photographed) is performing the role of Ferrando in Sarah’s cast and Jennifer is the Despina in the other cast. I unfortunately have conflicts with Sarah and Zach’s performance dates so I was able to go to the final dress rehearsal with Jennifer and the above picture is from the casts’ post-performance drink session.

Thought it’s a bit of short notice, if you want to listen to some live performances from Cosi by Zach and Sarah you can tune-in to Houston’s Classical 91.7 (streaming online here) for today’s edition of The Front Row at NOON.

And, as a bit of a parting shot—and because there’s not really anything she can do about it—my absolute favorite picture of Sarah evar!

 

Artist: Bob Seger  / Album: Like a Rock

P.S.: A little back story behind today’s post title.  As Sarah is not from Houston, the company has put her up with a host family and the “father” was at the final dress as well.  He came up to her at intermission because he had to leave after the first half and the conversation went something like this:

Man: Sarah! You sound so fantastic… just spectacular!

Sarah: Oh thank you!!

Man: I especially loved the, hold on one second… I really like that one song, wait a minute I wrote down the name of it… that part where you sang by yourself, where IS that paper—oh here it is.  My favorite song of yours was that “Like a Rock” one, that was just great!

The adorableness of this is that “like a rock” is the translation “Come scoglio,” which also happens to be one of the most famous arias from the opera and like, ever… but as some of you southerners may know, is also the name of that song from the Chevy truck commercials.  So for your listening pleasure (and because I think everyone should listen to the aria at least once), here is lady Renee Fleming rockin’ out some Mozart.

 

P.P.S.:

Take Her to the Mardi Gras

 

I mentioned in a previous post that I got stuck in Boston with my friends Sarah and Jennifer during Mardi Gras five years ago.  And I gots the PROOF!!

 

MISS YOU!!!!!!!!

Artist: Harry Connick, Jr./ Album: Harry on Broadway, Act I

Look at Washington!

 

Well folks, by the time you read this I will hopefully be making my way towards our nation’s capital-- that would be Washington D.C., not Austin for all you Texans.  Last year when I went to New York for auditions I got bumped from my flight back and was compensated with a free round trip ticket.  I kept thinking I would have a reason to use it, but as the expiration date began to loom I decided I’d just book a weekend vacay to Washington!!

“Why D.C. in February?!?!",” you might ask yourself.  Let me count the ways:

1.  It’s a city full of free museums and monuments!!!! If you read my blog with any consistency then you are probably aware I’m a bit of an art geek so… it’ll be heaven.

2.  However, freedom doesn’t come without a cost as Thomas Jefferson once said.  Or maybe I’m thinking about Toby Keith?  Spiderman? At any rate, our nation’s museum is a huge tourist draw so I chose February for three reasons, all of them equally selfish:

   a. It’s not cherry blossom time!!!  As beautiful as it may be, I don’ts have times for it or the crowds.

   b. I’m taking a guess that the cold weather will also deter any big school trips from non-D.C-ers

   c. Congress isn’t in session.  I don’t know if that has anything to do with anything except fewer people at work?

3. None of my very close friends live there. Ergo… none of them can be upset I’m not going to see one and not the other.

4. If I had to make a list of favorite cities in the States, D.C. would be at the top top! And why not visit a favorite city?

I’m also counting this trip to Our Lady of the District of Columbia as my first time to go there as an “adult” (technically not true, but more on that later).  I went several times in high school with my parents and once for a program and loved every. single. moment!  One of the huge bonuses of going at the time was that our then U.S. Congressman, Jim Turner, also happened to be a family friend from Crockett and his wife, Ginny, remains eternally as the epitome of a consummate hostess.  (Case and point… when a young Pleasant Baker was asked what she wanted to be when she grew up, she would always offer an emphatic “GINNY TURNER!!!!!!”)

On the steps of the White House!

 

The last time I was there was five years ago almost to the date (I know because it was Mardi Gras at the time) when Jennifer and I went up to Boston to audition for Boston University’s school of music.  Unfortunately, there came up a big cloud of a blizzard and we were stranded for an extra day in Bean Town.  Luckily for us we were crashing at our friend, Sarah’s, a BU student at the time who had gone to Baylor with us and didn’t have to worry about finding another hotel room. 

THERE WAS NO WAY WE COULD HAVE KNOOOOWWWN!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

 

Here’s the “technical” part I mentioned earlier.  The flight they were able to put us on later had a lay-over in D.C. and when departing from there to Dallas an announcement was made that we weren’t going to be able to take off due to malfunctioning blah blah blah lame excuse left on the runway for an hour.  Because of all the previous weather related cancellations we wouldn’t be able to leave again until morning so I said to Jennifer:

Me: Hold on, let me call my congressman!!!

Jennifer: (Not knowing I know ‘em) Ha ha okay, RIGHT!! … … … Wait, seriously? I don’t think that’s exactly how “contacting your local representative” works. You can’t just call the Capitol switchboard and make a hotel reservation.

Me: No no, I got this.

Jennifer: I’m so confused right now.

So… Jim came and picked us up on his way home from work, Ginny had a fresh meal waiting, and they even took us down to all of the monuments to do some quick sightseeing, seeing as how Jennifer had never been to D.C. before.

WWII Memorial

 

Abe.  (Honestly)

It was a bit of a whirlwind of a trip, but memorable nonetheless. Now I can’t wait to go back with all the time to spare, the patience of an adult, and a much greater interest in art and history than ten years ago.

Artist: Michael John LaChiusa/ Album: First Lady Suite