Thank you, Knoxville!

This is a sleepy, poorly edited post. Please excuse.

Thanks to the people of Knoxville for a great stay. You've got a lovely city with genuine and friendly people. A special thanks to the folks at the Hampton Inn.

I would be remiss if I didn't acknowledge the audience of Friday night's performance. That was the wildest opera audience I have ever experienced. Our comedy (masterminded by James Marvel) was over the top, but carefully timed and expertly executed. I asked James about turning up the wacky to 11 in an opera such as this. He lived here for a number of years and knows the audience. We wouldn't have used so many contemporary references or slapstick moments in New York or...Pesaro, but this audience, many of them first time opera goers showed their appreciation in a way I've never seen. All of the "opera virgins" I talked to said they are definitely coming back next season. So, is it a bad thing to turn up the comedy to a level that offends seasoned opera audiences - while preserving the voices and the music and the storyline - if you are bringing in new audiences in the long term?

I'm off to New York in the morning for NYFOS. There may not be any postings, but please, if you are in Manhattan, come to see this very special program May 4 and 6 in Merkin Hall.

best,

Andy