Thank you, Pat! I was SO sick that weekend but you know, I almost think I gave
a better performance because of it than I would have if I'd been 100% healthy.
Reason being - I had to accept the fact the perfection was not an option - I'd
been coughing for 2 days (and cancelling wasn't an option, since (a) the income
had been budgeted for and (b) I was replacing someone else) and my lower
register was somewhat compromised. So there was no way I could attain the
perfection that I had occasionally found in my studio at home; and I had to
accept that. So I had to rely on the fact that I knew the piece really well and
the technique that was still salvageable, and just go from there. Plus, I had
found out on Thursday (before the Saturday orchestra rehearsal and Sunday
performance) that they had left the words "In English" off my contract and had
to relearn the 3 arias in English! The good thing about that being, I could
sing in my native language and know exactly what I was saying when I was saying
it without making that mental adjustment of translating. (The bad thing
was that it changed where I had to take breaths.)
I also had a major near-catastrophe on the morning of the performance - I
discovered that I'd left the score in the rental van that I'd used for the NATS
auditions on Friday to transport my students up to UW-Stevens Point. (I had not
unpacked the car on Friday night, so I had multiple things to carry.) I called
Alamo and said, "I left music in the car I returned," and was told it was at
lost & found and they were closed for the weekend. I explained my situation and
the girl said, "Oh, my G*D. I'll call you back in 5 minutes." Five minutes
later she called me to tell me that she had the music in hand. She actually
walked it out to me in the baggage claim/passenger pickup aisle in front of the
airport so I wouldn't have to park and come in!!! Kudos to Alamo!!!
Christine Thomas,
Mezzo Soprano
"I love to sing-a, about the moon-a and the June-a and the spring-a!"
----- Original Message -----
From: Patricia M Smith
To: vocalist-temporary@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Sunday, December 08, 2002 9:13 PM
Subject: Re: [vocalist] misc.
Mark: My husband & I saw "Galileo, Galilei" @ the Goodman in August & thought
it was terrific! I would suggest to everyone on Vocalist who has an opportunity
to see it be certain to go. We found the music to be atypical for Philip Glass
in that is is quite accessible. We were actually wondering previously what Mark
had been up to. You sang a "Messiah" performance several years ago with the
Downers Grove Choral Society, a community group in which I used to sing.
Christine Thomas: BTW, you were an awesome alto soloist when DGCS did the
first three parts of the Bach "Christmas Oratorio" last month!
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