Birthday Wonderfulness and subsequent weekend

I had such a lovely birthday!  Got up earlyish and went for breakfast at Bottega Louie--pictures on previous post--with Wanda, Kristine, Reverie, and Nathan.  It is about .7 miles away and the return walk is uphill so that helps us justify all the sweets!  We took our time and were late for our 9:15 class by Lisa Saffer on American Music but I learned a lot once we got there.  I learned about composer Clarice Assad (jazz musician) and heard "Touch Me" by Tom Cipullo for the first time.  I will definitely look at both of them in the future and maybe even on my fall recital.  Lisa had some great advice:  "Know about the composer, know the text, know the composer's idea of the text, and know WHO YOU ARE."  So many of the masterclasses are focusing on text--of course I have always considered text important but am being reminded about how absolutely central it is to truly finding the core of the song and having something to say with it while giving your utmost attention to the markings in the score.  Singing is hard!  Which is what makes it so enticing...

Jake Heggie's masterclass was at 1:00--I can not begin to tell you how charming this man is, and I learned so many songs of his that I will definitely be learning and assigning my students to sing.  I loved "A Question of Light-Place de la Concorde" for baritone and his setting of "He's Gone Away" is also so lovely.  Jake talks in depth about the poet, the circumstance of his writing the piece, what he was thinking, and then digs into the score with the performers: length of final pitches, breath marks, dynamic changes, ritards or lack thereof, etc.  In every case it was remarkable how much better the piece sounded when it was performed as it was indicated in the score rather than as the duo changed it!  Jake is a largely kinesthetic clinician as well--he walks the singers around the stage, moves them out of the "dead spot" in the crook of the piano, and demonstrates how he wants a phrase realized by showing it through gestures.  He uses humor, he is genuinely interested in the performers, and insistent that his music be realized in the manner that he intended it.  What a fascinating man.

The highlight of my day was...get this...Jake Heggie singing happy birthday to me while on bended knee!  I'm not kidding.  It was awesome!  And other people sang along as well. Yippee!!!  I was practically swooning afterwards!  I'm not sure how to post video, so this picture will have to do.

After that fabulous experience, I didn't think it could get any better.  HA!  The seven mentors--Wanda, Kristine, Reverie, Lock, Kerry, Nathan and I--had a "Sense Memory" class with Michael Rader.  It was introduction to some Stanislavsky exercises we could use with our students.  "Been there done that" I thought.  HA!  Suffice it to say here in public that all seven of us along with Michael had an incredibly profound 1.5 hours together and I don't think any of us will ever forget it.  We all truly bonded then, and think were all freed up to really start soaking up new ideas.  Wanda has told me "my heart is open" and I know it to be true.  I'll need to journal privately to capture the details.  Here is the fabulous Michael:

Michael!

Nathan, Reverie, Kristine

Wanda, me, Kerry

Wanda helped make my Bday so special!

OMG baked/fried potatoes!

After that unexpected experience, there was nothing to do but go out and celebrate!  To The Blue Cow for a lovely dinner (I had  curried cauliflower and baked then fried potatoes--YUM) and drink (Rum Manhattan- YUM).  I love restaurants in LA-many of them are indoor/outdoor where the two areas just flow into each other.  We were inside the restaurant but it was totally open to the 72 degree weather and beautiful sky.  Really, it was a special evening, topped off by some kind of wonderful cake which I've forgotten the name of but which we all shared.  And just when I thought it couldn't get any better.....I went to "Follies" by Stephen Sondheim!  I'll write more about this experience later but Patricia Clark, Elaine Paige, and Ron Raines and really all of them were so amazing!  I am so, so, so, so, so glad that I got a ticket.  I sat in the mezzanine, and the theatre had tons of leg room unlike Broadway so it was a perfect evening.  

At the Ahmundson Theatre--entire Broadway Cast except Bernadette. 

Good view!

The entire music center--Walt Diseny Hall, Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, Ahmundson Theatre and all the grounds in between-is so exciting and beautiful.  The Bolshoi was dancing that night as well so the grounds were bustling with lots of people.  "Follies" was to close the following day so it was basically sold out-I got a good deal online though I would have paid just about anything to see this gem of a show.  Great tunes, great story, great costumes, amazing acting, singing, and dancing, and just a great concept.  Thoroughly awesome!

So, birthday over.  But good friends both new and old, lovely gifts (Nathan got me a raspberry tart!), great music, beautiful weather, Stanislavksy, Sondheim and Jake Heggie.  I will never forget it.


June 9--always kind of a sad day b/c June 8 is over!  Quickly, because it is late...  Emily Dickinson texts class with Lisa Saffer in the morning after a breakfast burrito in the cafe.  I must say I am not as drawn to her poetry as I feel I should be, though of course many of the settings were stunning.  Lunch in the cafe on the campus (we get $18 a day in the cafeteria! It goes pretty fast but you can get some fun stuff (salad bars here are amazing, with artichoke hearts, heirloom tomatoes, and several choices of greens).Attended Margo Garrett's "French Song" class, which was wonderful wonderful wonderful!

We heard Gounod, Duparc, Debussy, and Bizet.  Wonderful music, brilliant mind, motivated and inspired students, great recital hall.  This is my roommate at the piano bench.  Margo is very kinesthetic with the pianists, and it always seems to help.  I left just a bit early to practice for my coaching with D'Anna Fortunato.

Lovely good sized practice rooms, nice Steinways.  It's fun to practice here!  


Can't finish!  Too tired!!!!  More later!!!


In the meantime.... Teasers for what is to come!