An inspiration to me, my students and anyone who has ever heard the timeless German Lieder.
Friday, May 18, 2012
Saturday, May 12, 2012
Spring 2012 Newsletter
Spring 2012 Newsletter
"To sing or not sing?"
Romeo, Don Quixote, Warren Jones, Steven Blier and other great men
Record Release
Summer, Song and Seattle
Lots of new audio
Spring is in the air. And so is the pollen. I hate to complain of allergies, but I know most of you reading this know just what I'm talking about. This Spring I've got them bad. "How bad," you ask? I will tell you:
This weekend was the 15 biennial Marguerite McCammon Voice Competition at Ft. Worth Opera. I flew down there from Maryland where I had been working the past week, woke up the morning of the first round and could not sing, I could not speak. As luck would have it I drew the #2 spot who sings first thing in the morning. I was faced with a touch choice: go out there and try to sing, not 100% certain your voice will work, or cancel. I decided to give it a shot. I was not pleased with my performance and went back to my hotel certain that I would not advance to the finals. But I did. Revived with another chance I took good care of my voice, came back the next day, gave a performance that everyone was pleased with and won the audience favorite award.
I returned here to Annapolis where I am rehearsing for Romeo and Juliette. Performances are May 18 and 20 with Annapolis Opera. I sing the role of Mercutio who steals the show, has a daredevil sword fight and dies. Here I am singing Mercutio's aria: "Ballade de la Reine Mab." Keep in mind Mercutio (named after Mercury, the Roman god of speed) runs back and forth across the entire 40-foot stage, dances, hurdles over furniture, swings his sword and teases Romeo all while singing this whirlwind music and telling the story of "The Fairy-Queen of Dreams."
My return home will mark in unofficial start of Summer, though for many of us it has felt like Summer for weeks already. I finished my first year teaching at Brown University. I have a terrific studio of students, a few are concentrating in music, others who are preparing to be leading scientists, publishers, historians and humanitarians, all who are dedicated to the beauty of their craft. All of them, I will add, practice! Brown provided me with some performing opportunities of my own: I got to sing Franz Liszt's nearly-never-performed oratorio The Bells of Strassbourg, a setting of a poem by Longfellow in the original English. In the spring I teamed up with organist Mark Steinbach to perform his arrangement of Gustav Mahler's 5 Ruckert-Lieder on the 1903 Hutchings-Votey organ. We also had the privilege of coaching this cycle with Wolfgang Holzmair when he visited campus.
Mark and I also recorded excerpts from concert standards including the Brahms Requiem,
Faure Requiem and Five Mystical Songs of Vaughan Williams.
A lot of you have asked - the answer is 'yes, I am riding the Pan Mass Challenge.' Thank you for your continues support.
Fall is an exciting time because not only do I return to Brown but I get to sing some of the greatest works in my repertoire. Alexander Platt has invited me to sing the Copland Old American Songs with his Marion Philharmonic. Most of us sang these at one time or another in our student days, but how many of us get to sing them with orchestra?!
Then on November 3 I return to New York to sing a Carnegie Neighborhood Concert with pianist Warren Jones in a new program we're calling "The Quest: Don Quixote and other Wanderers." Program will include Vaughan Williams' Songs of Travel, songs by Schubert, some American traditionals and originals and of course Ravel's classic Don Quichotte a Dulcinee. Maybe, just maybe there'll be an "Impossible Dream" at the end.
from a 2009 Horne Foundation cruise live recording with Jerome Tan, piano
the ship was rocking - literally!
That magical concert was followed by several more: New Year's Day with the Cape Cod Symphony (come back and see me again New Year's Day 2013), A Modern Person's Guide to Hooking Up and Breaking Up (now affectionately known as AMPGTHUABU) with NYFOS first at the new Calderwood Hall at the Isabella Stuart Gardner Museum in Boston, then at NYFOS' home at Merkin Hall in New York City. For those of you who came, thank you for sharing this racy, beautiful, loving program.
The new Calderwood Hall at the Isabella Stuart Gardner Museum.
There is seating on all four sides and a third balcony (not shown.)
Corinne and I enjoyed a refreshing trip to Camden, ME. While there I sang Carmina Burana with Bay Chamber Concerts and I got to meet two special, talented soloists: Daniel Stein and Suzanne Nance. The following weekend was a grand Carmina with the Albany Symphony, and guest conductor JoAnn Falletta. Those of you who have had the privilege of working with her know of her incredible passion, precision and charm. I will return to Albany next Spring to sing my first Jesus in Bach's St. Matthew Passion.
2013
Somewhere in all this I have got to get my procrastinating baritone self over to Europe and audition for some houses and show them what I've got? Right? Well there won't be much time for that because at the end of January I start rehearsals for La Bohème at Seattle Opera. While there we will hold a record release party for American Portraits, songs by Jake Heggie, Stephen Paulus, Lori Laitman and of course, Tom Cipullo. Donna Loewy and I recorded this for GPR Records last May. Next will be a return to Dayton Opera to sing the role I have sung more times than any other, Cout Almaviva in Le Nozze di Figaro. From there it is back to Knoxville where I will sing my favorite role, Dandini in La Cenerentola. The future hold many more exciting musical projects including Harlekin at Seattle, more recitals, the annual Andrew Garland and Friends benefit concert and my return to Boston Lyric Opera in a lead role. Stay tuned for more details.
Another heartfelt 'congratulations' to Steven Blier and James Russell who got married on April 28 in New York. Corinne and I were honored to be at the celebration.
Thanks for reading and listening.
- Andy
More music:
Faure: Requiem, "Libera Me"
Brahms: Requiem, Mvt. III
Faure: Requiem, "Hostias"
"The Call" Ralph Vaughan Williams
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