Friday, April 17, 2020

April Update - COVID-19

Dear Readers,

Thanks for checking in amid this global pandemic. All is well in my inner circle of life, and I assume - as you are here reading - that you too are well. I'v lost several friends to the virus, which is beyond tragic. I am not planning to use this platform to lament and curse the loss of my friends, nor will I use it to eulogize. My intention is to share positive energy, I think that is what they would have wanted. They were, if nothing else, sources of positivity in my life. 

Following two successful performances as Nicias in Thais with the Maryland Lyric Opera, I flew to Detroit. A beautiful reunion for a wayward studio artist. It had been 3 years since I was last at the Detroit Opera House working for Michigan Opera Theatre, what a treat. It truly felt like a home-coming. Three weeks later we put up a fantastic production of Gianni Schicchi/Buoso's Ghost.

I flew home to New York where I recuperated and convalesced. It's about that time that the United States started taking the pandemic seriously. My partner Yiselle Blum returned from her travels and we fled from New York, avoiding the epicenter of the virus outbreak, and have been sheltering-in-place in Vermont since the 15th.

It's now been a full month up here, all of my engagements have been cancelled or postponed.
No Il Tabarro or Nozze di Figaro with Maryland Lyric Opera. I am still waiting to hear if Sugar Creek Opera will cancel or postpone. The show isn't scheduled till August, but as we are all taking this day by day, it seems bleak.

In all honesty, I have not been using the time productively. At least not to my standard. I am without my bass, without a piano and for the first few weeks Yiselle and I were bouncing around form place to place. Now that we're settled I've started working on a few projects. Part of the positive energy that I want to share with you, dear Reader, is in the form of my forward vectors of energy: my projects.

I think it is an ideal time to re-visit my doctoral research. My document on the vocal music of Bottesini has been collecting dust on the shelf, and though I am cited on wikipedia, not much has circulated about the research. I've just completed a guitar transcription of one of his songs! Keep your eyes on the look out for "Tutto per me sei tu" text by Madonnina Malaspina. Hopefully, by the end of the month I'll have several transcriptions done and can present them to you.

I am also working on Nozze di Figaro as though my engagement wasn't cancelled, and working La Boheme back into my body and voice.

Who knows what life will be like on the other side of this chaos, but until then stay safe, stay home, stay healthy.

Please drop me a line or a comment to check-in and let me know that you're doing well.
Best to you now and always,
Joe