We are just hanging around this morning and having a relaxing time before the activity starts... we are leaving soon for a NYE celebration at the Hammer's house this evening, so we will be dressing up a bit. Also there are some provisions to be prepared by each participant so that the hosts don't feel like they have to make everything. This year we are contributing a few bottles of champagne, Maggie's famous nachos, Duncan's guacamole, and my caesar salad made in the bowl with homemade parmigiano, anchovies, lemon, Worchestershire sauce, and a fresh egg (the classic recipe from the Joy of Cooking). As well I'm going to try a new appetiser that our friend Matthias always makes: stuffed bacon-wrapped dates...
I am also optimistic that the same is true for opera singers, that the best years are still ahead. Certainly I feel like I am singing well these days, and Bruce agrees, having seen the two Messiah performances in Newfoundland. I really wish that I had access to him more often as a good pair of ears, and someone who knows my voice and what it can do better than anyone else. He really helped me a lot in Messiah, and I am looking forward to singing our No Tenors concert with him and Dina in the coming year (see below).
We plan to stay over and have breakfast together, then go for a nice long group run to clear out the cobwebs and start the new year off in an active way.
Speaking of running and activity, I took a look through my smartwatch records to see how this year stacked up. It was a pretty good year, actually: I have done training runs in Spain/Africa, Belgium, the Netherlands, France, England, France, Germany, Ontario, and Newfoundland. I haven't come close to my distance and speed records set back in 2017 while marathon training with Lawrence, but I did manage to set a new record for my fastest 1km, at 4:31 minutes, this November. As well my average kilometrage was around 20 a week, with a total kilometres run of 1036 in the year, which is not too shabby. I seem to have found a good equilibrium of taking two days off in between runs to let my body recover, and I luckily haven't had any injuries; let's hope that continues in the new year.
I have been gradually increasing my distances into the middle teens, and hope to run the half marathon distance again this year. My 50th birthday is coming up this November, so I will change from the 49-and-under group to the 59-and-under. It might be my best chance to make the podium in my age group, so that is something to think about. In the last race of the year (last weekend) out of a field of 229 runners I was 44th overall, and 10th in my age group (Lawrence was 3rd!) so it's a realistic goal. There seems to be some evidence that non-elite runners tend to peak in their 50s, so who knows?
I am also optimistic that the same is true for opera singers, that the best years are still ahead. Certainly I feel like I am singing well these days, and Bruce agrees, having seen the two Messiah performances in Newfoundland. I really wish that I had access to him more often as a good pair of ears, and someone who knows my voice and what it can do better than anyone else. He really helped me a lot in Messiah, and I am looking forward to singing our No Tenors concert with him and Dina in the coming year (see below).
The other thing that I think has helped a lot this year is the teaching. While it has been very challenging and often exhausting vocally, I think that the regular demands to be a good example to students has made me be much more diligent about my own technique and form, and I hope that translates into being a better vocal technician in performance. It also has meant a bit more financial security, which has been nice.
I did a little review of gigs this year: here is the list, with the teaching ones in italics...
I did a little review of gigs this year: here is the list, with the teaching ones in italics...
- New Year's Eve gala Luxembourg Jan 12
- AMIS solo and ensemble festival Brussels Jan 26
- Vaughan Williams Dona nobis pacem BOZAR Feb 16
- Choral workshop European Commission Mar 3rd
- Rossini Petite Messe Solennelle Bruges Mar 9th
- Bach John Passion Amsterdam Mar 23rd
- Bach Matthew Passion Bruges Mar 30th
- Bach Matthew Passion Hamme Bach Plus Apr 14th
- Bach John Passion Gran Canaria Apr 18th
- Mass for Bach and Luther in Thuringia Apr 22nd
- Belleville Choral Society Apr 28th
- Voice lesson for M. Roberson Apr 29th
- Mendelssohn Elijah Toronto Apr 5th
- Choral workshop European Commission Jun 16th
- Bach BWV 147 Minimes Jun 23rd
- Started with Hello Dolly Aug 28th: rehearsals four days/week until end of November
- Currende early music polyphony Abdij Tongerlo Sep 21st
- Memorial Services Abbaye de la Cambre Brussels Sep 23rd
- Choral workshop Minimes choir Oct 6th
- Mozart Requiem BOZAR Oct 13th
- Mozart Requiem Liege Cathedral Oct 19th
- Haydn Nelson Mass Brasschaat Oct 20th
- 2 requiems Haydn Schubert in Oostburg NL Nov 3rd
- Bach B-minor mass Brussels Nov 10th
- Brahms German Requiem Brussels Nov 16th
- Hello Dolly Nov 21st, 22nd, 23rd, 24th
- Masterclass Memorial University St. John's Dec 5th
- Handel Messiah Newfoundland Dec 6th, 7th
- Bach BWV 40, Christmas Oratorio Brussels Dec 16th
That's quite a lot of work, and a lot of it was repeat business or came from relationships that I have been cultivating for years.
On deck for 2020:
- Bach BWV 14, BWV 157 Brussels Feb 16th
- Homilius Passion Binkom March 7th, 8th, 14th, 15th (role debut)
- Vaughan Williams Five Mystical Songs and Sea Symphony Toronto May 3rd
- Beethoven 9th Symphony in NL Jun 12th (role debut)
- No Tenors Allowed Stirling Ontario Oct 24th
- Bach Matthew Passion Osaka Japan Oct 31st, Fukuoka Nov 1st, Tokyo Nov 3rd (Japan debut)
So you can see that there are no teaching things formally established yet for 2020, but some are in the planning stages. I have already confirmed at least one private student at St. John's and there is talk of having me conduct the choir a couple of hours a week, so that will be a nice way of continuing what I have started with those talented kids. As well I have received some interest from amateur adult students, and I had contact with a conservatory about teaching student professional singers, so we will see what comes from that.
I am glad that there are some slow times in the calendar as I need to prepare for the future... I have plans to present the other big Schubert song cycle Winterreise with Dina, probably in February of 2022, and it's never too early to start looking at something that big. As well, the only times that we can easily rehearse together will be during the next few periods when I am back in Canada, so I would like to have at least part of the cycle ready to work on by this May 2020, and then do another part of it in October 2020 while we are doing the No Tenors project. The Schubert will be performed in the beautiful Isabel Bader Centre in Kingston, and Bruce has offered to read the poems in translation in between each song, so that we can dispense with printed translations. It's also will be wonderful to bounce my singing off his spoken word interpretation, and it will make it much easier for me to sing the cycle without having to read the texts in between, which can make it quite tiring.
Also those slower periods are times when I need to seek out new audition opportunities. As I wrote above, many of the concerts that I was lucky enough to perform this year came about through repeat business, but those can't be taken for granted every year. No matter how happy a collaboration might be, audiences demand novelty in their soloists, and so it's a good thing to keep changing things up. There is a new general director at the Flanders Opera, and I have some connections at the Comische Oper Berlin that need to be explored; there are other opera companies where I need to audition again after an absence of several years. 2020 has to include some exploration of new repertoire and a return to speculative auditions. I think that my recent meeting with van Dam is also a good point of departure for looking at more of the romantic French opera repertoire for baritone, and who knows where a collaboration with him might lead. As well, I have enjoyed delving more deeply into early music, and recent successes in that repertoire might be pointing me toward more exploration of opera from the time of Bach, and even earlier. There are lots of internationally acclaimed early music interpreters on this side of the pond, and my upcoming Japanese tour looks good on the c.v. so it's a good idea to try to build upon that.
Also those slower periods are times when I need to seek out new audition opportunities. As I wrote above, many of the concerts that I was lucky enough to perform this year came about through repeat business, but those can't be taken for granted every year. No matter how happy a collaboration might be, audiences demand novelty in their soloists, and so it's a good thing to keep changing things up. There is a new general director at the Flanders Opera, and I have some connections at the Comische Oper Berlin that need to be explored; there are other opera companies where I need to audition again after an absence of several years. 2020 has to include some exploration of new repertoire and a return to speculative auditions. I think that my recent meeting with van Dam is also a good point of departure for looking at more of the romantic French opera repertoire for baritone, and who knows where a collaboration with him might lead. As well, I have enjoyed delving more deeply into early music, and recent successes in that repertoire might be pointing me toward more exploration of opera from the time of Bach, and even earlier. There are lots of internationally acclaimed early music interpreters on this side of the pond, and my upcoming Japanese tour looks good on the c.v. so it's a good idea to try to build upon that.
Now I have to start preparing things for tonight. Best wishes for a happy, healthy, and prosperous 2020!
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