Campbell Vertesi

Seems like in the last 24 hours, all the important people at Sarasota Opera have discovered this space. Some are friendly to the idea; at least one is a longtime reader,  and fellow blogger to boot.  That's not to say I get carte blanche to write what I want.  Our famous Artistic Director Victor Derenzi asked/told me (you can never quite be sure with him) very directly not to write about him or his opera company.

OK Maestro, you're the boss.

But I'm still going to write about what I'm learning here.  So far, a lot of it can be summed up thusly:

I am an artist.  I may not be rich or famous, I may be a baby in this art form, but I am still an artist.  I make my own artistic decisions, and you're not going to like all of them.  I bring something unique and special to the stage, and no one will take that away from me.

 I'd like to encourage all my opera singing friends to consider that little mantra.  How do you make your artistic decisions?  Do you cede all your power to coaches and teachers, asking THEM to make decisions for you? Do you ever made musical choices that you KNOW some people are going to hate, but you love?  Or do you make your choices based on what you think auditioners will like?  

Because in the modern industry, most singers DO cede all their power away, along with all their money.  I'm not suggesting that teachers and coaches don't have (very) good information to offer; but I AM suggesting that it's OK to disagree with them.  You SHOULD disagree on several points, if only because you're a separate individual. You SHOULD NOT try to second guess the auditioner, to make yourself fit a nice pretty little box of what you THINK they want to hear. 

What I've really learned here is that what audiences and auditioners want to hear is NOT a pretty little box.  They want to hear an individual with a unique sound, a distinct take on the music, and an overwhelming passion for their art form.  EVERYONE responds to that.  

And that's what I've learned in my first week.  Mr. Derenzi, if I've mentioned anything I shouldn't, please let me know and I'll take it down.  No one wants to be a mamaluke.

One of the CCM classes must have had a session on artist websites today, because I found a worksheet sitting in the lounge. It had all sorts of interesting advice on building your website, including explanations of dynamic versus static sites, what sort of expenses to expect and that sort of thing.  (I noted that they recommended having separate design and hosting, which cuts my hosting service out of the picture... fools!)

One of the comments was on blogging on your site.  Keep it professional, they said.  No behind the scenes, backstage stuff.  No casual talk on your blog: keep it professional, and reserved.

Obviously I don't operate that way with my own website, but I thought I'd open the floor to comments from other singers.  What's your take?  Does "professional" necessarily mean "remote" and "formal"?  Do you prefer a website with just announcements and some kind of formal personality, or one with a casual - dare I say "vernacular" - feel? 

An intrepid commenter left me a link for the MetBlog today... apparently they're blogging their rehearsal process for The First Emperor, the newly commissioned work by Tan Dun. Is this Gelb at work? Or something going on under his radar? In any case, I like it.

But wait till you see the spring project I'm working on. Holy crap. It'll combine so many of my favorite things - Bryn, Opera, the Internet, streaming, blogging... it's gonna be sooo badass it' hard to describe. So I won't describe it - YET. You're just gonna have to wait.

Nice to know that I'm not the only one anxious to bring opera into the age of New Media! Pinchgut Opera, a small company in Sydney, Australia, is blogging their rehearsal process for Idomeneo. Simple, but effective. If I lived anywhere in Eastern Oz, I'd be there!