“Your voice is not an instrument, it is a…
weapon!” So says James Harp, Artistic Director & Chorus Master at Lyric Opera Baltimore. Of course, the human voice is also capricious, delicate, & vulnerable to colds, allergies, & all...
View ArticleI have a tambourine…
& I’m not afraid to use it. Well, maybe a little bit. It is commonly said that opera singers can’t act, & sometimes with good reason, but we are expected to give it our best shot. These days,...
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I get paid to play dress-up. Oh, yeah, and sing.
When I was a kid,”dress-up” was undoubtedly my favorite playtime activity. I had a huge stash of my mom’s old costume jewelry & purchased more of the stuff (plus various used bridesmaid’s dresses)...
View ArticleDoctor, it hurts when I sing!
Okay, not really – not at the moment, anyway – but I got you to click on this blog post! Performing artists often face unique work-related health challenges. On Saturday, March 24th, MedChi will...
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Breathing the same air
It was a first for me. I have never before been to the opera when a singer gave an encore of an aria in the middle of the performance. I guess it depends on the opera, and an opera buffa certainly...
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Une Voyageuse Fabuleux
The Charles Theater is presenting The Metropolitan Opera’s live HD broadcast of Massenet’s Manon tomorrow & I’ll be on hand to greet audience members, hand out “swag”, & enjoy the show. Not...
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Sugarman
Noêl Coward has Elyot say in “Private Lives”, “It’s extraordinary how potent cheap music is.” Well, I think most music is potent, cheap or not, and I was reminded of this all over again when I went to...
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What’s the difference between an amateur and a professional?
A paycheck. Okay, that may not work as a joke, but it’s food for thought for all of us who love creating art of any kind. Some may think I’m oversimplifying in making such a statement, & perhaps I...
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A gala event
Never mind Shakespeare’s play within a play in Hamlet, on Saturday night WBJC had a party within a party at the BSO’s Opening Gala. In a corner of the lavish tent adjacent to the Meyerhof, making a...
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Revisiting Sugarman
Just after I returned from Africa last August, my writing professor at UB (Marion Winik, whose interview I posted here last week) sent me an email asking me if I had seen the film, “Searching for Sugar...
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In Stitches
Two years ago, I got into historical reenacting and docent work. I owned a lot of vintage clothing at the time – still do – but nothing remotely appropriate for Georgian or Regency events. I found a...
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Opera Goes to the Movies, 1935-Style
It’s less and less common to see classical music represented in popular culture these days, especially in a positive sense, so imagine my delight when I recently saw that Turner Classic Movies was...
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Topsy-Turvy Summer Fun at Young Vic
It’s probably no surprise to our listeners that all of WBJC’s announcers have off-air performing experience as singers, actors, or instrumentalists.With that in mind, I’m delighted to announce that our...
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Home for the Holidays – and Potentially Missing Ten Million Dollars!
Baltimore actress Kay-Megan Washington has scored something most performers only dream about – a major role in a movie! “The Christmas Lottery” begins airing on BET, BET Her, and streaming services on...
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