What's goin' on?

Happy New Year (a couple weeks late) - here's the latest studio news:

• Winter quarter is in full swing at Music Center and our ensemble class is off to a great start. 19 fearless students are taking on scenes from Rossini's Cenerentola and Broadway hits Company and Title of Show, among others, as well as choral works like Lauridsen's lovely "Dirait-on". Everyone's been working hard to learn their music before staging starts next week. Mark your calendars for the concert on March 10th - you don't want to miss it! If you're interested in joining ensemble class next quarter, see me for more info.
  
• I've compiled a 20-minute vocal warm-up playlist for those of you without pianos to practice with at home. Let me know if you'd like a copy. And if you don't have a piano but would like to get one, Prosser Piano has student pianos available to rent for as little as $39.95 a month. (No, they didn't pay me to say that - I just like their stores and service.)
• Music Center is now on Facebook! Visit their page today and become a fan to keep updated on the latest news and events.
  
• I've added new links and a blogroll with some of my favorite and/or most helpful sites. If you have a favorite singing or music-related blog that I missed, send me the URL and I'll consider adding it to the list.
  

December performances

Tis the season for lots of holiday concerts! Here’s what your fellow students are up to in December, plus a few other fun shows:

Saturday, December 12th, 4 pm
The Gift of Music holiday recital
Music Center Recital Hall
Come hear Lexi Hagans, Achil Jackson and many other Music Center students sing holiday favorites old and new.

Saturday, December 12th, 8 pm
The Esoterics present CHIAROSCURA
St. Joseph’s Cathedral, 18th and Aloha
Hear an unforgettable program of choral music, featuring the rarely-performed Concerto for Mixed Chorus by Alfred Schnittke.

Saturday, December 12th, 7:30 pm
Northwest Chamber Chorus presents Comfort and Joy
Greenlake United Methodist Church
Deon Miyoi is a member of NWCC and their holiday program looks fantastic.

*****
Sunday, December 13th, 6:30 pm
Messiah Sing/Playalong
St. John’s United Church, 55th and Phinney
Warm up those “Hallelujahs” and celebrate the season by participating as a singer or instrumentalist in Music Center’s annual sing and play along of the Christmas portion of Handel’s masterpiece. Please bring a food or cash donation for the FamilyWorks food bank.

Sunday, December 13th, 3 pm
The Esoterics present CHIAROSCURA
Holy Rosary Catholic Church, 4139 42nd Ave SW (West Seattle)

*****
Wednesday, December 16th, 7 pm
Ensemble Class Concert
Come see Janessa, Jonathan, Arlene, Barbara, Achil, Donnie and many more Music Center voice students as they present an evening of scenes from opera, musical theater and the choral catalogue. This is a MUST-SEE event!

*****
Saturday, December 19th, 8 pm
Seattle Women’s Chorus presents Making Spirits Bright
Meany Hall, UW Campus
Arlene Havlark and the rest of the amazing SWC singers will knock your socks off at their annual holiday concert.

Sunday, December 20th, 2 pm
Seattle Women’s Chorus presents Making Spirits Bright
Meany Hall, UW Campus

*****
December 4-21, Fridays, Saturdays and Mondays at 8 pm
PIECES (The Authors Voice and Salome)
TPS Theatre 4, Seattle Center
Janessa Cummings Penn is currently starring in a one-woman show! The full description is available at https://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/81566; please note that the production may not be appropriate for children under 17.

Also, congratulations to Barbara Leigh on her November concert with Seattle Bach Choir and to Halle Townes who has been cast as Mrs. Potts in Ingraham High’s production of Beauty and the Beast. I love to see so many students involved in the community arts scene! If you’re not performing but would like to be, talk to me at your next lesson about preparing for auditions.

A prescription...for dehydration

An entertaining article (with recipe) from the November 22 Sunday Styles...

Shaken & Stirred

Barkeep, a Placebo on the Rocks, Please

By JONATHAN MILES

Published: November 22, 2009

Bartenders, normally dispensers of pleasure, have lately been playing doctor behind the bar.

My favorite tidbit:

Consider the Flu Shot, a drink on the menu at Drop Off Service, a bar on Avenue A in Manhattan. It’s a mixture of garlic-infused honey, jalapeño-infused tequila, orange-lemon-ginger purée and a few drops of liquid echinacea. The Flu Shot — which is meant to be slugged, not sipped — sounds like a cheeky gimmick. But its creator, Signe Grant, is earnest.

“You’ve got your vitamin C in there, and the garlic is an antiviral, and the ginger is also an antiviral and an immunity booster,” she said. Ms. Grant is also the creator of another remedy, the Throat Coat, in which honey-and-pepper-infused vodka and B&B, a French liqueur, are combined in a snifter with a spoonful of honey. This one is meant for sipping, and is tasty enough for taking with symptoms or without — which is decidedly more than one can say about Robitussin.

I hate to judge before tasting, but I think The Flu Shot might work simply because after you drink it no one will come near you. These bartenders' hearts are in the right place, but if you're a singer coming down with a cold, drinking alcohol is generally a bad idea. Have as much garlic, vitamin C, honey or echinacea as you want - just hold the liquor till you're healthy.

On Staying Healthy

Fall and winter in Seattle seem to sneak up on us every year - the leaves change color, the air turns crisp, the rain begins...and within a week or so half the city is sick. I was just hit with the flu 2 weeks ago, and now the crud is making its way through the school, causing missed lessons and lingering coughs that make singing (or even walking up the stairs) a difficult task.

Living in a city that is damp for over half the year makes it nearly impossible to completely avoid illness; however, as singers we rely on our voices and really can't afford to be sick at any time. The best thing we can do is take preventive measures to lessen the chance of catching a virus and make sure we're in the best overall health possible. Most of these measures are pretty standard: maintain a healthy diet (lots of green vegetables, not too much junk), drink plenty of water, exercise regularly, wash your hands often, get enough sleep. Seriously, I can't stress enough the importance of getting enough sleep!

Every once in a while, though, you can feel something coming on. Is it a cold or just allergies? Do I need to drink more water or is my throat dry because I'm getting sick? For these occasions, I have a few favorite homeopathic tricks up my sleeve.

**Please note that these are observations based on my own experience and are not a substitute for professional medical advice. I recommend that you visit your primary care physician before embarking on a treatment plan, and always check to make sure that the remedy you choose does not conflict with any of your current medications.

Favorite over-the-counter cold/cough remedies

When I feel a cold or sore throat coming on, I swear by Anti - V Formula. It contains a potent form of echinacea along with astralagus root and reishi mushroom, and it tastes disgusting. But it really works for me, and has stopped many a cold before it started. (Couldn't stop the flu though.) I first took it two years ago when I had a throat infection that wouldn't go away; within a day and a half of taking this every 3 hours, it was gone. Love it!

Singer's Saving Grace is a natural throat spray that can really help with dry, scratchy throat. The mint flavor tastes sort of like Aveda products smell, but it makes my throat feel much happier and I'll put up with a lot of funny tastes for that.

If you've already got a cold, Umcka can help shorten the duration; I have several students who have great success with this product. If you decide to use it I'd recommend getting the alcohol-free drops so you don't get too dried out.

Sometimes you just need a lozenge. My new favorites are Halls Vitamin C drops and Ricola Honey-Herb, but I'm pretty fickle. Find your favorite flavor and keep a stash with you.

For more homeopathic remedies to help with sinus congestion, visit my March blog post about allergy remedies for singers. Whether it's allergies or a cold, the sinus pain and remedies are pretty much the same.

Sometimes you just get sick and there's nothing to be done about it but let the virus run its course. If this happens to you, do everyone a favor and stay home! No one wants to get sick because you were so dedicated to your rehearsal, lesson or class that you couldn't stay away. Take the time to care for yourself, watch some bad TV, get well and come back when you're healthy.

The Voice Box recommends

A selective listing of vocal performances 11/6 - 11/8:

Balagan Theatre presents The Full Monty

From MTI:

Seeing how much their wives enjoy watching male strippers during their "Girls' Night Out," unemployed steelworkers in Buffalo, New York come up with a bold way to make some quick cash. In the process they find renewed self-esteem, the importance of friendship and the ability to have fun.

Based on the 1997 film of the same name.


The Full Monty
Balagan Theatre
Friday, November 6th - 8 pm
Saturday, November 7th - 8 pm
Sunday, November 8th - 2 pm
Tickets $12 - 20, available at brownpapertickets.com

*****
Tacoma Opera presents The Daughter of the Regiment

From Tacoma Opera:

Boys meets girl. Boy sings a bunch of high notes. Boy loses girl. Girl sings a bunch of high notes. Boy gets girl. Everyone lives happily ever after.

This comedy about a young woman raised by a French regiment is that simple, that sweet, and that utterly delightful.

The Daughter of the Regiment
Tacoma Opera
Friday, November 6th - 8 pm
Sunday, November 8th - 2 pm
Tickets $12.50 - 62.00, call 253-627-7789

*****
Tacoma Little Theatre presents Lend Me A Tenor
LAST WEEKEND

From TLT:

It’s 1934 Cleveland. Saunders, the general manager of the Cleveland Grand Opera Company, is expecting Tito Morelli, the greatest tenor of his generation, to appear for one night only as Otello. Through a hilarious series of comic mishaps, two Otellos end up running around in costume with two women chasing them in lingerie. For ages 13 and older.

Lend Me A Tenor
Tacoma Little Theatre
Friday, November 6th - 7:30 pm
Saturday, November 7th - 2 pm (Actor Benefit), 7:30 pm
Sunday, November 8th - 2 pm
Tickets $16 - 24, call 253-272-2281

Catching up

Whew! The end of October really flew by, and between coachings, dress rehearsals and recitals (congratulations to all the participants!), there wasn't much time for blogging. Getting back into the groove, though - check back this week for a post about staying healthy during the raging cold & flu season, as well as the latest edition of The Voice Box Recommends. In the meantime, enjoy this intriguing version of my favorite autumn song. Iggy proves that it's not how great a singer you are, it's how you deliver the song that counts.

Obama On My Mind

This Thursday Seattle's Langston Hughes Performing Arts Center will begin previews for their US premiere of the topical musical Obama On My Mind, written by London-based expat Teddy Hayes.

From Hayes' website:

OBAMA ON MY MIND is a musical comedy about a peculiar group of Obama campaign workers in a small American town and how these weird and humorous characters panic when Sarah Palin comes into the presidential race causing Obama to fall 20 points behind in the national polls.

This is a musical in the style of classic American musicals like “A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum”, “Damned Yankees” and “The Music Man”, with lots of energetic dancing, catchy songs and great fun.

The soundtrack ranges from pop to gospel to soft rock bringing together a cast of 11 loyal, obsessive and plain peculiar personalities striving to get their man into the white house.

In a statement given to Broadway World, LHPAC Artistic Director Jacqueline Moscou said, "In the arts, opportunity is often fleeting and timing is everything. The election of Barack Obama was an historic moment in American history and resonated around the globe. This cross-Atlantic artistic collaboration with a Black American living in London is current and needs to be presented now. Like last season's Bobbie & Jerome, Obama on My Mind continues my commitment to seek out new voices and present new works. And I am thrilled to have cast this show entirely from within the Seattle community."

The show ran March 5 - 21 in London; most of the reviews I found didn't mince words, calling it "opportunistic even at its most syrupy"(The Guardian) and noting that there were "chances missed to give the hard-working cast more substantial characters."(Times Online) A common complaint in the reviews I read was that the characters were reduced to broad stereotypes. MusicOMH reviewer Sam Smith was kinder, observing that Obama On My Mind was "strong on characterisation." He added that "certainly, by the end, I doubt there was a single audience member who didn't emerge singing the catchy title song to themselves." (You can hear the title song for yourself at Hayes' website, sung by the gifted Ruby Turner - whether it's the song or her voice, there's no arguing that it is a catchy tune.)

I'll probably see this show for a few reasons: it's the US premiere; I firmly believe in supporting local theater; and after reading the London reviews I'm just plain curious.

Obama On My Mind
Langston Hughes Performing Arts Center
Previews October 15 - 22
Show runs October 23 - November 15
Showtime at 7:30 pm (10/24, 10/31, 11/7 at 2 pm)
$5 - 22.00
Tickets available at Brown Paper Tickets

Reviews of the London performance:
Guardian
The Londonist
MusicOMH
Times Online