Mefistofele and Don Jose

Dear Readers,

What an absolutely incredible week I've had.

I apologize for the delay in updating you all about Wednesday night's Mefistofele.

A success!!

Wednesday night, November 6th, I made my debut as a soloist at Carnegie Hall. Wednesday night was not only first time in several years that Boito's Mefistofele was presented in New York, but also the 10th year anniversary of The Collegiate Chorale's Side-by-Side program.

I, along with a handful of my high-school friends, was a member of the side-by-side program that takes high-school students and offers them a chance to sing in the Chorale mentored by one of the members.
I was honored to be selected as a representative of the success of the side-by-side program. It was pleasure to take the idea and bring it from the choir to the front of the stage.

Mr. Eric Owens, Mr. Arturo Chacon-Cruz, Ms. Juliana di Giacomo and Ms. Teresa Bucholtz were outstanding singers. I really felt like a young boy in Disney with such great singers and a great orchestra under the direction of James Bagwell.

I really feel impotent in my ability to express how positive and rewarding this experience was.
I can't thank Maestro Bagwell, Julie Morgan and the entire Chorale enough for making this dream possible.

Some details:
I was given my own dressing room (pictured below!). The dressing rooms at Carnegie are fantastic. They are acoustically well balanced, long, and have two enormous windows which over look 56th street (sadly at the building where Patleson's music store used to be). I had piano, a bathroom with a shower, two full length mirrors, a safe and closet space. It was clean and very modern looking.

All of the back stage crew were friendly and supportive.

The hall is a dream to sing in, it deserves its reputation.

Some photos to whet your appetite:

Outside of my dressing room after the show

Joe Brent as Wagner; Arturo Chacon-Cruz as Faust (Act I)

Eric Owens; Me; Teresa Bucholtz

Isaac Stern Auditorium / Ronald O. Perelman Stage

Thursday morning I boarded my 8:00 am flight to Atlanta with a lay-over in Charlotte.
My best friend and colleague Richard Block collected me from the airport and we drove strait to Carmen rehearsal.

"No rest for the wicked"... no rest for the weary??? I think you know what I am trying to say...

We had our sitzprobe that Thursday, Friday was a final staging rehearsal and tonight, Sunday our wandelprobe.

Carmen opens this Thursday, Nov. 14th.
It's going to be a great show: Marisan Corsino is Carmen, I'll be singing Don Jose, Elizabeth Slaten as Micaela, Christopher Voss as Escamillo, Richard Block as Zuniga, Avery Draut as Frasquita/Mercedes, Everlyn Shreves as Mercedes/Frasquita, Evan Tyor as Don Cairo and Ben Boskoff as Remandado.

I'll have a small, private concert tomorrow and rehearsal for the UGA President investiture ceremony.

Busy busy!!!!

Follow the links below for reviews of the show:

http://parterre.com/2013/11/08/diabolical-variations/comment-page-1/
http://schleppynabuccos.blogspot.com/2013/11/choral-excellence-free-ricola-and-eric.html

Thanks for reading,
best
Joe