Campbell Vertesi

I did some early spring cleaning on my computer tonight, going through old files that I don't need anymore and the like.  I found some of my old recordings, from the very first concerts I gave in Vancouver.  At that point I had been studying with Joseph Shore for all of a year and a half, and had quite recently switched to one of his students (Eric Hominick) when Maestro Shore moved away.  I was a complete baby to singing,  and to music.

And in many ways, I was a better singer than I was when I left IU.  Actually, there is an honesty, an ease and a clarity in the sound that I am working very hard to recapture NOW, almost 6 years later. 

Sometimes, the best way to advance is to return to the beginning.

The Lucrezia Project (whose website I designed) is being performed this weekend.  If you haven’t already, check out the website (now with information!).  If you’ve seen the site already, check out the webcast of the performance… and if you really want to get into it, there’s also a webcast of the round-table discussion (in which I was a panelist!) that preceded tonight’s performance.  

Note: As of this moment, those stream links don't seem to be working.  It’s not my fault though, and I can only hope that they get fixed by the time you read this. 

All sorts of news!  I've spent the last 3 days in transit from Mendocino to Cincinnati... as you can guess, it sucked.   But I'm ahead of myself.  I last posted after the opening night of Rigoletto.

My day off was delightful and relaxing. I finally got to spend some quality time with my camera on the bluffs (see new pictures here), got drenched by a couple of waves, watched a spectacular sunset, and generally relaxed. The best part of the day was finding out that this trip had been a success - after the first performance, the artistic director offered me Sarastro in their 2009 Zauberflöte!  To be asked back is a very good sign in my books, and I happily accepted.  So now I'm booked for a solid month in the distant future.  There was some talk of other, nearer possibilities, but nothing firm so mum's the word.  Sorry!

Then it was on to performance number two - closing night.  Having done theatre work (and Central City with it's incredibly long runs...) it seems so funy to call the second night closing night, but it's pretty common in opera.  Even my Dayton Opera gig is a three show event!

Despite some personal politics backstage - which will remain personal for the sake of those involved - the entire cast pulled off a solid show. A fog had rolled into town about 2 hours before the show, throwing everyone (except Moore, our experienced Rigoletto)'s sensations of their throats off-kilter.  Casey (the duke) in particular walked on feeling like his throat had just committed ritual suicide... I don't know how he felt after his first sing ("Questo o Quella"), but seconda me if his voice was dead, it was doing a great job from beyond the grave. 

In fact, we all seemed to respond similarly.  Because we were worried about our odd-feeling throats, we all gave that extra little bit (ok, we pushed), and it made a very positive difference in the house.

There was one typical stage mishap, which threw the Storm Scene off.  I got a little carried away telling Maddalena to "rattoppa quel sacco" (mend this sack), and threw the cloth in her face, almost bowling her over!  Poor Kristina: I don't know if she got her next line out or not - either way, it was muffled in a pile of cotton!  After that, we were all a little wary, but the scene went by without any serious derailings.

Overall, I was very happy with my experience with Opera Fresca.  I learned a lot, my voice grew tremendously, and I made a good enough impression (ha! got THEM fooled...) that I've been asked back for a larger lead role! On the way home,I decided to make this the model for every show I get, in terms of my goals for success.

And now, the moment I've been postponing for so long - it's recording time! We had some piano difficulties, so unfortunately neither of the Storm Scenes recorded well enough to post.  I do have the Act I duet however, which makes this the first recording of myself I've posted in what, three years?  I'm not Cesare Siepi, but I'm proud of my progress.

But enough chatter - here's the recording! Don't spend it all in one place.