music! music! music!

Put another nickel in
In the nickelodeon
All I want is lovin' you and...

There's nothing like a maternal request to motivate an offspring into action again. I received email from Yo Mama this week, asking for my blog address again so she could save it in the bookmarks of the new computer she and Fa were forced to purchase after the sudden, catastrophic failure of their machine a couple of weeks ago. (Mom, I will answer your email after I make this post, so you'll have something to read when you get here!)

Most of what's going on with me at the moment revolves around the countdown to the opening of the wonderful new Renee & Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall at the Orange County Performing Arts Center. The concert hall sits right behind the theatre where I work, so I have watched it grow over the year I've been here. Now, the serenade of construction noise is about to give way to musical bedazzlement.

The Pacific Chorale is taking part in Friday's opening concert, headlined by none other than Maestro Placido Domingo. The Chorale doesn't have to do much -- the opening "number," which is our conductor's a cappella arrangement of the National Anthem, and a rendition of "The Promise of Living" from Aaron Copland's opera The Tender Land. I'm not sure where the Copland appears on the program, but I have a sneaking suspicion it's last. If it is so, then that will mean we have to wait through the rest of the concert -- probably offstage -- god, I hope offstage...

Then on Saturday evening we sing at the Pacific Symphony's first solo concert in the space. The Symphony and the Chorale are separate organizations. Both are in residence at the new concert hall, so it will be the "home" performance space for both of us. Whenever the Symphony programs a piece with a choral component, they borrow us. It's a very friendly relationship.

On Saturday we will all perform together the world premiere of a new work by composer Philip Glass. He's coming to our rehearsal tonight, starting in about 40 minutes, so I'm going to give you a couple of links to other news and then go get ready for rehearsal. Despite the fact that I have a head cold. Ah, timing is everything.

In other news...

Connor started school this week

Tripp Really Has His New Job, There's No Getting Out Of It Now

The Companion Bloggers have set out on a new adventure

This is the play I'm working on right now