Thursday, May 20, 2010

My Big Day - May 17, 2008




It's taken two years and three days, but I finally got a photo ( a print, that I had to scan with my new printer)of My Big Day, aka, the concert production of Samson et Dalila that I put on at the Lutheran church where I sing.

For people who perform operatic roles all the time, this may not seem like much, but to me, let's just say it was a big expletive deleted deal, to quote Vice President Joe Biden.

It was as big a deal as a prom, a wedding, or a senior recital.

Ever since my life was changed forever on February 15, 2004 when I sang "Mon Coeur" in a Valentine's Day service at the Unitarian Church, with my oft-discussed mentor as my strongman , I had a little plan in the back of my mind to sing the role of Dalila somewhere, somehow.

This just sort of fell into my lap. The Lutheran church was having a concert series as part of a capital campaign so I put Samson et Dalila in concert on the schedule. We didn't have a chorus or a ballet, or an orchestra, just three singers (the bass, who did yeoman duty in three roles, isn't shown here) and a fabulous pianist.

I don't know if the role is a totally perfect fit for my voice - the tessitura is a bit low and at the end of 45 minutes of singing I had to open my mouth and sing a high B flat (had me in mortal terror for six months but thanks to chugging a quart of Muscle Milk I actually did it) but the role sure is a totally perfect fit for my personality and I had a ball.

For a variety of reasons, I haven't had the energy to try this again with another opera, but my wheels are spinning now, and if I don't get cast in someone else's production, I am going to come up with something.

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