Last One

Last night we closed Falstaff at the Portland Opera. :-(

Many thanks to my colleagues and friends in Portland for a magical month and some change - it's been an incredible time.

Portlandia - I will see you in about five proverbial minutes. :-)

Floating House

Henry, who filmed the preview featurette for Still Falls the Rain last year, has recently posted a short about some friends who built a house boat out in San Francisco.  The video tells the story of the moment they found out if their house would float or sink. There are some amazing shots of their house (which was recently profiled in the New York Times) floating across the San Francisco Bay.

ARCHIMEDES' PRINCIPLE –– short-doc from CLUBSODA on Vimeo.

Check it out - it's a little fun for your friday. 

Some Science About Music and Us

Coming from a scientific family with a great interest in music (and being a musician who is rather obsessed with music, myself), I found this little clip a rather fascinating moment while sipping today's morning coffee.

The Internet and Our Brains

The irony of posting this video here is not lost on me...

Falstaff Opens

Falstaff opens tonight at the Portland Opera.  If you want to catch a glimpse of what we've been up to these past few weeks - watch this little preview below:

A Love Letter to Portland

The Hawthorne Bridge at night

A couple of weeks ago over drinks, the General Director of the Portland Opera, Chris Mattaliano, turned to me and asked, "Listen, I know you love it here, but what exactly is it about this city that you love so much? I've been here for 10 years now, and this place is very much home to me, so now I am a bit biased towards this place.  I'm just curious, from a visitor's perspective, what is it about this place that draws you to it?"  It's been a question I have been pondering over the past few weeks that I've been rehearsing here in Portland.

One of the fire pits at my favorite Portland Happy Hour haunt - Nel Centro

Part of what I adore about this city is that it feels so familiar.  I've spent at least a little time here each year since 2005, so I know the city quite well now. I have a few favorite haunts that I love to visit each and every time I come, and it's extremely easy for me to settle into a routine here, as a result.  The city is quite beautiful, with a lot of amazing outdoor spaces to go for a walk or a run and catch a breath of fresh air.  The food and wine here are phenomenal.  So is the coffee. Also, one of my closest friends lives here, and so between the familiarity of the surroundings and the sense of community that I feel here with that  particular friendship, this place always feels a bit like a home away from home to me.  There is also something about this place that reminds me a lot of where I grew up Ann Arbor.  The city is filled with many liberally-minded academics and artist-types, and there is a sense of openness here that is quite special.  The people here are very laid-back and mostly easy-going, but they have an intensity and passion for their lives and work, as well.  It is easy to meet people and strike up interesting conversations at one of the many adorable places there are to eat, drink, and be merry.  And then, of course, there is Portland's mad obsession with Happy Hour.  

Angela Niederloh during rehearsal at the Keller Auditorium

My close, Portland-dwelling friend is a colleague I met during my first year in the Houston Grand Opera Studio, Angela Niederloh.  There was something about those years together in the HGO Studio that felt like we survived operatic boot camp together, and a more than decade-long friendship was forged during the fires of that experience.  We grew up at an exponential pace together artistically, musically, vocally, and personally during those years, and have been there, holding each other's hands at most every step along the way since as we have navigated the personal and professional ups and downs of the roller-coaster that is life.

Morning hike with Angie

One of the biggest blessings about this particular sojourn in Portlandia has been that I am getting the first opportunity in many years to sing with Angie again, as she is singing Mistress Quickly in our production of Falstaff which opens here tomorrow at the Portland Opera.  I mentioned this at the opera company's meet-and-greet towards the beginning of our rehearsal period for Falstaff, and elicited a giant chorus of "awww..." from the people assembled.  I can't stress the special-ness of this moment enough, though.  After running around the world, constantly changing cities and colleagues almost every week, it is a truly unique opportunity to be able to make music and share the stage for such an extended rehearsal/performance period with such a close friend of so many years.  It's not only been great fun, with many shared laughs about a variety of subjects (Angie is a master of witty, quirky humor), but also an incredible chance to reconnect with a trusted soul who reminds me of who I am, what is important, and what life, music, and friendship are all about.

Morning coffee at my favorite riverside café haunt - Bean and Tree

I know I haven't written as regularly or very much here at this blog over the past while, and I must say that it's been mostly because I've been so busy running around from place to place - I've felt a bit like I've lost touch.  I've been doing a lot of concerts over the past few years, and as a result have found myself in a different city practically every week, without any time to ease into being there. Being so busy flying, settling into the hotel room, and running to rehearsal or a performance, I've not had a lot of opportunity to ask myself what I am thinking beyond when and where I need to be and what am I singing today. Being able to sustain a nice and stable routine here in such a familiar and loved place, for a few of weeks has been the ultimate luxury.  I've been able to find layers in rehearsal when I go to work, I've been able to find layers in life when I go to yoga class or just sit in my favorite café to write my morning pages, and I've been able to find a little bit of the beautiful balance between work and play.    Now, after a few weeks of that beautiful balance, I find myself at this page again.  Funny how that works.

The coffee at Mother's, my Portland breakfast haunt of choice

The icing on this wonderful Portlandia-cake is that we are about to open one of my favorite operas ever written tomorrow evening: Verdi's Falstaff.  In my opinion, it is the ultimate piece of musical theater - the music and the drama are inextricably tied, and it truly has everything: hilarity, beauty, sweetness, spice, drama - the list goes on.  It is a piece that reminds me how much I love being in the theater, as it is one of those operas that can only be fully appreciated by experiencing it live, in the opera house.  I want to wish my colleagues at the Portland Opera many thanks for a fun few weeks of wonderful work and all the best for a fantastic run and a great opening tomorrow.

And to the city of Portland - in the words of the Golden Girls: Thank you for being a friend.

Springtime sunset in Portlandia

The Great Pumpkin...

...has arrived at Falstaff rehearsal in Portlandia. Charlie Brown seems to be missing, though.

Falstaff

I've just begun rehearsals for Falstaff in Portland (one of my favorite places on Earth), and I see that Falstaff is already following me everywhere. Even into the bathroom of Little Bird Bistro in downtown Portland...

Rehearsal Space

My rehearsal space this afternoon. Not too shabby.

Happy St. Paddy

Happy Saint Patrick's Day, everyone! I never cease to worry that this can't be good for the Chicago River. A fun tradition, nonetheless...

Nemo

We found Nemo.

Fortune Cookies

Considering I had lunch with my by myself today, I find this somewhat confusing.

Britten in Boston

Rehearsing for Saturday's concert at Boston University's Marsh Chapel. It's such a luxury to make music with such good friends.

A Pep Talk

Thanks to my cousin, Anna, for sharing this with me.  I'm just passing it on.  

Waking Up in LA

After all that gloating about fleeing the arctic freeze back East, I woke up to this gloriously gloomy weather this morning in LA.

Karma is a bitch, they say...

UPDATE: That statement about Karma having been said - it looks like the sun came out in the end this afternoon...yay. 

More Moscow

As I get ready to head off to sunnier Los Angeles tomorrow (and try to figure out what time zone I'm in!), I thought I'd share a few more pics from Moscow...including a fortune from an Aeroflot fortune cookies I was fed on my flight back home...

Entering the Red Square

More pics after the jump!

Debuting in Moscow

It's been an incredibly fun week here in Moscow working on Hercules.  Our host has been the most amazing tour guide, showing us some of the sites and making sure we eat at some great restaurants around town, and my colleagues are a wonderful mix of friends with whom I have worked (and played) before, and new friends with whom I've enjoyed making music and getting to know this week.

All in all, it's been a fantastic musical start to the new year.

For those of you not in Russia, our concert tonight will be webcast beginning at 19:00 Moscow time (10:00am EST for those back at home in the US).  Watch us here (the top video is for faster internet connections, the lower one is for slower speeds).

Here are a few pics from my week here:

Dress rehearsing Hercules at the Tchaikovsky Concert Hall

The view from the stage at the Tchaikovsky Concert Hall

Quote of the Day

“Singers and Musicians are some of the most driven, courageous people on the face of the earth. They deal with more day-to-day rejection in one year than most people do in a lifetime. Every day, they face the financial challenge of living a freelance lifestyle, the disrespect of people who think they should get real jobs, and their own fear that they’ll never work again. Every day, they have to ignore the possibility that the vision they have dedicated their lives to is a pipe dream. With every note, they stretch themselves, emotionally and physically, risking criticism and judgment. With every passing year, many of them watch as the other people their age achieve the predictable milestones of normal life – the car, the family, the house, the nest egg. Why? Because musicians and singers are willing to give their entire lives to a moment – to that melody, that lyric, that chord, or that interpretation that will stir the audience’s soul. Singers and Musicians are beings who have tasted life’s nectar in that crystal moment when they poured out their creative spirit and touched another’s heart. In that instant, they were as close to magic, God, and perfection as anyone could ever be. And in their own hearts, they know that to dedicate oneself to that moment is worth a thousand lifetimes.”

- David Ackert, LA Times

Thanks to my dear friend, Josh, for sharing this lovely quote today.   

Inspiring Monday Thoughts

Reminds me of this Robert Louis Stevenson quote:

“The best things are nearest: breath in your nostrils, light in your eyes, flowers at your feet, duties at your hand, the path of God just before you. Then do not grasp at the stars, but do life's plain common work as it comes certain that daily duties and daily bread are the sweetest things of life.” 

― Robert Louis Stevenson

Happy Monday. Oh...and as this is my first visit back here since the new year, Happy 2013!

A Quote for Today

“This will be our reply to violence: to make music more intensely, more beautifully, more devotedly than ever before.”

-Leonard Bernstein


Thanks to my fellow musician-friend and colleague, Ethan, for posting this today on his Facebook page.  It was the perfect sentiment for today.

Messiah Season Begins...

...at least for me...

YES Vivaldi

My favorite part of this (aside from how well she sings it) is how she rocks out on that German Latin...

Fog

The foggy view from home this morning...

Music and Life

Thanks to my friend, Steven, for passing this daily gem along today.

Sunsets

A California Post-Thanksgiving sunset last weekend.

A sunset from above...very pretty above the clouds...it was a pretty dreary day below.

Grateful

Saint Cecilia

On top of being overstuffed with turkey, there is much to celebrate today in addition to American Thanksgiving. Today is also in celebration of two of the things for which I am most grateful: Music and Benjamin Britten.

I love that Britten was born on St. Cecilia's Day, 1913 - it seems like his extraordinary life in music was destined from the moment of his birth.

A very young Mr. Britten

So, Happy 99th, Mr. Britten and Happy St. Cecilia's Day to all.

A stunningly beautiful performance of my favorite part from Handel's 'Ode for St. Cecilia's Day' sung by Lucy Crowe with Les Musiciens du Louvre.

...But O! what art can teach,
What human voice can reach,
The sacred Organ's praise?
Notes inspiring holy love,
Notes that wing their heav'nly ways
To mend the choirs above...

     - from A Song for St. Cecilia's Day, by John Dryden

Thanksgiving

My family has recently started a new tradition of flying West to gather for the Thanksgiving holiday - a tradition of which I very much approve. Being in my favorite part of the world is always something for which to be grateful.

Elliott Carter

I was quite shocked to receive the news of Elliott Carter's passing on Monday afternoon, which I know might sound strange considering that the composer was just shy of his 104th birthday.  I was lucky enough to meet him for the first time a little less than a year ago, shortly before his 103rd birthday as we worked on the world premiere of his new orchestral song cycle, "A Sunbeam's Architecture".

I feel incredibly fortunate to have spent the brief time that I did with Mr. Carter working on "A Sunbeam's Architecture" last year - it was a real honor and privilege to get to be the first person to sing a new work by one of the greatest American composers - of both this century and the previous one.  While I found the score to be incredibly intimidating at first, I quickly fell in love with the piece, as I felt that it melded the musical heart and mind perfectly.  Yes, it was complex and intricate, but rather than sounding dry, strange, and antiseptic - it was dramatic, riveting, and beautiful.

The prospect of performing the song cycle was an intimidating one to say the least.  There are many musicians who are fanatically devoted to Carter's work, and, as they have devoted so much of their musical careers to deciphering his insanely challenging and intricate scores, they also happen to be some of the greatest musicians I have ever encountered.  The ensemble that was formed for the premiere of his new cycle, which was at a special concert at the 92nd St. Y celebrating his 103rd birthday, was filled with these devoted "Carterians", and putting the piece together with such an elite group of musicians was a nerve-wracking endeavor, indeed.  Even more nerve-wracking was the prospect of Carter coming to rehearsal - I was horrified that I would do something wrong.  For me, singing a composer's work for them often feels like a daunting responsibility. Composers entrust us with the products of their hard work and these pieces that are expressions of themselves.  My worst nightmare is to let them down while delivering their message.  This sentiment was only intensified singing for a master like Elliott, who had been working with the world's greatest musicians for well over 80 years at that point.

It turned out that working with Carter on his piece was a lot of fun.  It was a real treat to see all of these veteran, masterful musicians gathering around Carter, all posing for pictures with him like a throng of teenage girls vying for a picture with Justin Bieber.  Despite being 102 years old, he was very eager to work.  I found him to be much like his music - his mind and ear were sharp, incisive, articulate, and charming.  For me, the most insightful and inspiring part of the whole experience was getting to hear him talk about his vision of the piece.  He said, "I chose these poems because I thought that E.E. Cummings was trying to describe a young man full of enthusiasm - excitable and passionate - who is so concerned with his love affair that he resented the fact that the war took him away...so the general thing is that this has something that is exciting and lively..." and then he smiled and quipped, "That's what an old man says, anyhow."

When he said that, I looked down at the score in front of me, and thought - this was not the music of an old man by any means.  It was the music of a young, passionate man full of energy and emotion.  It got me thinking about the adage, "age is a state of mind."  Clearly this incredible master of 20th and 21st century composition was a man who was young at heart - with an insatiably curious mind, and an energetic passion for his work.  The secret to his longevity seemed clear to me.  He just kept moving forward, focused on the work before him, unstoppable.

My "crazed fan" photo op moment with the master.

There are wonderful remembrances of him from this week's issues of the NY Times here and here.

Today's Horoscope

This was my personal horoscope waiting for me in my inbox this morning.

Your horoscope for November 2, 2012
	From any point of view, you are entering a terrifically fruitful period, nicholas phan. Today's aspects especially align to promote results, momentum, and fulfillment. Let's hope that you will know how to preserve your integrity in the face of all the invitations that will be made for your company in the near future.

Let me just say: I really am hoping this is true today.  It sounds like a lovely day is in store.

Connecting

Why don't more of us classical musicians think about this when we perform?



The full NEC commencement speech is here.  It's worth a read.

TED Talk of the Day

Post - Sandy

The view of the island where I live in NYC post-Sandy...

The credit for this pic goes to tweeter, Inga Sarda-Sorenson.

It was just such a stunning photo of home, I had to post it.  

Hope you don't mind, Inga...

Hilarious moment of the day

"You know, when I hear deaf people speak - "

"Those weren't deaf people - they were foreigners."

"What!?!?"

"They were speaking Swedish or Norwegian or something."

"They sounded deaf to me."

Debate Party

The best place to watch a debate - in a cabaret/experimental black box theater.

Habit

I paraphrase a nugget of wisdom I heard in a master class I observed led by the flutist, Emmanuel Pahud, this morning, but it went something like this:

"...This is precision work...it is important to do this, because when we don't pay attention to these details, we begin to do things out of habit...and all habits are bad habits. Music is meant to be expressive. When we do something out of habit, it has no expression."

Amen, amen, amen.

Happy

Why hasn't EVERYONE seen this movie?

Watching it was the best 76 minutes of my day today.

Today's Muses

A few pics of our muses for tonight's concert at (le) Poisson Rouge in NYC.

The dynamic duo - looking quite handsome, I daresay.

A barely legal Dennis Brain. 

(I think he's 17 in this picture...so I guess still illegal in some places?)

Dame Edith Sitwell, in all of her eccentric glory.

 (I LOVE this picture of her - is she getting her hair set? Is she on the set of Star Trek?)

 Osian Ellis working his magic and looking very intense, indeed.

Looking forward to hopefully seeing you there!

If you're not in NYC, be sure to catch us online here starting at 7:30 NYC time tonight!

Celebrate Good Times

If you are in New York City on Monday, October 15 - we're celebrating the release of 'Still Falls the Rain' at the nightclub, (le) Poisson Rouge.  Myra, Sivan and I will be performing selections from both our Britten albums  Special guest Richard Deane of the New York Philharmonic and Atlanta Symphony will also be joining us for one special number.  We'd love it if you could join us to raise a glass or two to Britten!

Doors open at 6:30, and the music will start at 7:30.

Info and Tickets are here.

And for those of you who are not in NYC on Monday night, you can watch us live online here.

Award

I think that when most people think about the University of Michigan, the first thing to probably pop into their head is Big 10 football and the giant stadium that dominates the corner of Main St. and Stadium Blvd.  After that, there are a slew of impressive academic branches to the institution that surely spring to mind, too.  Growing up in Ann Arbor, it seemed normal to me that the Alums of the University often referred to John F. Kennedy's quote in which he called Harvard "The Michigan of the East" - the town is justly proud of the institution that defines it.  One of those branches of the school of which I am very proud to be an alumnus is the School of Music, where I received my Bachelor's degree in Vocal Performance roughly a decade ago.

Today, I am in Ann Arbor to receive the Paul Boylan Award - an award that recognizes "outstanding accomplishments and significant contributions in the field of music, theatre or dance to a recent graduate (within 10 years of graduation) from the University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre & Dance."  There are a lot of fantastic and highly accomplished fellow alumni to choose from when it comes time for the School of Music to decide to whom they wish to give this award, so I am deeply honored to be receiving it today.

Since my family moved to Ann Arbor when I was only 2 years old, and I remained there until I finished college 20 years later, to say that the University of Michigan School of Music had an indelible imprint on the foundation of my musical life is an understatement.  I was running in and out of the School of Music building multiple times a week from the ages of 10 - 22 for everything from violin lessons, viola lessons, youth orchestra rehearsals, youth choir rehearsals, my first voice lessons, theory and music history classes, diction classes, opera rehearsals, and more. It was the hub of my musical education from the moment I decided I wanted to be a professional musician around the age of 11 until I embarked on the first steps of my professional career.  

I often tell people that most of what I needed to know, I learned at U of M.  I don't think that is an exaggeration - I quite literally grew up there.  The musical foundation that I learned there has served me well through every up and down of this musical life, and while I have been lucky enough to have many additional mentors since, I am forever grateful for the incredible faculty at Michigan who took me under their collective wing, taught me the value of a curious mind, a disciplined practice, and inspired me to reach for the stars.  Without them none of this would have happened, and I wouldn't be the musician and person that I am today.

Happy Coming Out

I am able to wish everyone a Happy Coming Out Day just in the nick of time...can't believe I almost missed it...

Here's a lovely video about coming out from the folks at The Stranger:

Still Falls The Rain

'Still Falls the Rain' was released yesterday...oddly enough, it was a rather Still-Falls-the-Rainy day here in New York City yesterday, as well. It seemed rather appropriate and was hopefully an auspicious sign...

If you haven't already, you can order your copy here:

Waiting for the Plane

Kale

I became obsessed with kale this week. Am I the only one who feels phenomenal after eating it? I'm obsessed, I tell you.

Starchy Heart

Yes, folks, that is a potato he is holding.

Simple Pleasures

People often ask me, "What are you thinking about while you are sitting in front of the orchestra, waiting to sing?"

Tonight, I was thinking about how the bassoon countermelody - when the violas first come in with the Ode to Joy theme - in the last movement of Beethoven's 9th Symphony is one of the most happy and joyful countermelodies I've ever heard.

It makes me smile every time I hear it.  I daresay, it is my favorite part of the Ludwig's 9th Symphony.

How Cool Is This?

Congratulations, Alan. You are a true master.

Pre-Ode-to-Joy Run

Where the Canadian government magic happens...

Québec looks pretty across the river...

Close Encounters

The ceiling of the National Arts Centre in Ottawa makes me think a little bit of Close Encounters of the Third Kind.

Sweet

Somebody loves me.

Small

Oh Canada...you are so civilized with your small sizes that are actually small.

Yes, Autumn, Yes.

Duly Noted

Thank you, Jenny Rivera, for passing this along.

And thank you, Janet, for the kind reminder to get back to it.  I needed that.