So I was at rehearsal the other night, rehearsing my death scene (as one does if one is in an opera), and I decided that it was time for a good prank. Death scenes are such downers, and we needed to lighten the mood, especially after hours and hours of tiring rehearsal. So when I […]
Category Archives: Singing
Infamous Gigs – Revenge Singing Gone Wrong
I wasn’t sure if this was a package deal or not, but I had auditioned for this conductor in New York and I had been hired to both sing in a new opera, as well as for a special one-time only, one song concert of revenge, and so I agreed to do these things. Contracts […]
The Only Time I Ever Walked Out of an Audition
I used to go to auditions all the time. Sometimes I wasn’t feeling great. Sometimes I was running late and ran into the audition room breathless and stressed out. I always sang anyway, even when maybe I shouldn’t have. “Hey,” said youthful arrogance, “even me at less than 100% is still better than everyone else, […]
Infamous Gigs: Exclusive Okee Dokee Brothers Edition
Last night my children and I had the extreme honor and privilege to see the Grammy-award-winning duo The Okee Dokee Brothers perform their first ever Vermont show. It was a beautiful evening out at Bread and Butter Farm, and though they always have marvelous music and fantastic food there, last night just seemed extra special. We […]
Recording the Counterpoint Album
We did it. After two days, 17 1/2 hours, 22 songs, 16 singers, countless takes, and infinite caffeine, we recorded an album this weekend. You may recall that I was previously involved in a Kickstarter project to raise money for a new recording of Pete Seeger songs with choral group Counterpoint, and this weekend was […]
Infamous Gigs: My First Time on Stage
You know, I wasn’t always going to be a musician and performer. It took a couple of excellent teachers who saw potential in me to give me the courage to discover one of my greatest passions, and even then it was almost a disaster. When I was in 8th grade, the high school was auditioning […]
A Death on My Watch
I have been to some funerals in my life: all four of my grandparents’, my great grandmother’s, and more recently my cousin’s. All have affected me in some way, but I have never lost someone geographically close to me before. I have lost friends from high school, and old teachers, but these were people I […]
Infamous Gigs: The Crazed, Lute-Crackin’, Bag Whackin’ Butler
Sometimes, despite all of your careful planning, rehearsing, and memorizing, things can go wildly out of your control. There’s nothing you can do to avoid this. No number of back-up plans or contingencies can protect you from that most dreadful of earthly problems: other people. This is the story of the only time my voice […]
Infamous Gigs: My Wife’s Boss
Everyone there knew I was a singer. Her co-workers would ask my wife what I did for work, and she would tell them that I was a singer, and they were all very impressed. She would also tell them that I was a very good singer, but I don’t know if they believed her. I […]
Infamous Gigs: The Postal Museum
It all started because my good friend Mim, with whom I attended high school, moved down to D.C. and got a job at the Postal Museum. What?! Have you never heard of the Smithsonian National Postal Museum?! Then you are not a true museum nerd, D.C. buff, or semi-professional philatelist! Because, though it is not as […]