I have decided to start a blog devoted entirely to my thoughts on current issues and sociological aspects of the classical music industry. Here it is! Please enjoy.
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Once I decided that a cameo was effective as a simple and elegant representation of a woman, I set about devising a way to create a cameo of my own profile. I found a suitable photo and edited it through Microsoft Word and Paint applications until I achieved the desired result. Here is the original unedited photo alongside the edited cameo: Using the Paint application, I created a frame using the circle/oval drawing tool. I wanted the frame to subtly integrate symbols representing my various disciplines. Ideally, a viewer would recognize only the cameo design at first glance, and the disciplines would reveal themselves within the filigree of the frame, clearly visible only upon closer inspection. Once the frame had been drawn, I cut-and-pasted simple silhouette symbols from public domain clip art. Clockwise from top, the symbols are: a stack of books to represent my background in historical research and library work, an artist's palette to depict my photography business and my involvement in gallery exhibits, a pen to signify my skill in writing, editing, and tutoring, and a harp, which is a universal emblem denoting music and musicianship. The clear advantage of this design lies in its versatility: it is simple enough to be reproduced in miniature as a logo for a letterhead, but complex enough to appear on a larger scale in a variety of arenas: on a website, or a poster, or any number of marketing materials. I'm happy to have found a design that represents my professional identity, and hope that it will catch eyes and start conversations, particularly at the interview table!
A periodic feature of the Peabody Opera program is an event showcasing new operatic works written by Peabody composers, known as Opera Etudes. This year, composer Stephen Edwards contributed his work to the program: a one-act comic opera in three scenes reflecting on the disturbing and tragic life of (the title character) Typhoid Mary and Dr. George Soper, the discoverer of her condition. I was cast in the role of Dr. Soper, alongside my colleague Cynthia Elkins, who performed as "Typhoid" Mary Mallon. The production itself was immensely fun; Stephen Edwards' libretto was packed with delightful one-line zingers and chuckles. Learning the music of a composer-colleague as it was being written provided a unique challenge, one that, I believe, enhanced my musicianship and accelerated my growth as a performer by leaps and bounds. I hope to perform this work again, as it has proven to be a rich source of athleticism for mezzo voices!
Last weekend I had the privilege of working as supertitle operator for the Peabody Opera production of Les Dialogues des Carmélites by Francis Poulenc, performed at the Lyric Opera House of Baltimore. It was an awesome experience working behind the scenes to contribute to this phenomenal production! I'll never forget cuing the final titles, which showed the text of the Ave Maria sung by the nuns before the opera's tragic and gut-wrenching end. It never failed; every time those slides came up, I had to blink away my tears so that I could see my score! Bravi tutti.
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