Post Tender Land - into Macbeth

Dear Readers,

2 weeks and 4 shows since the last post, we find out protagonist hard at work in new endeavors... let's take a look*:

A few days ago a gentleman in the opera house stopped me. He asked "Shouldn't we be saying 'The Scottish Opera'?" Of course my response was: "But which Scottish opera would one assume? I'd think Lucia ... or maybe Donizetti's Scottish opera:  Maria Stuarda..." The list goes on and on with other composers, but really - what would you think? It's important to keep in mind that the opera world doesn't maintain the theatrical superstition surrounding "Macbeth." In fact, I don't know any opera superstitions - we're a practical bunch, aren't we [he says, cheekily]?

O.K. not the best story to start this post - but its an effective way to transition from Aaron Copland's The Tender Land to Verdi's Macbeth. Between productions I found myself again at Detroit's Assumption Grotto Church, this time for Easter services singing the tenor solos in Schubert's  Mass in Bb and Mozart's Regina Coeli.

Tomorrow will be a full day. The Michigan Opera Theatre Studio will sing a Shakespeare in Music concert at the Detroit Institue of Art. Shakespeare concert sounds familiar, doesn't it? My final recital as a doctoral candidate at the University of Georgia was a Michelangelo and Shakespeare concert - those in attendance might remember. I'll be adding both a duet from Romeo et Juliet, and MacDuff's aria from Macbeth to my Shakespeare and vocal repertoire.

Here are some more photos from the Copland:

*I thought that was a cute way to start the post...