The Japan Opera Foundation Party, part III: Red Dragonfly

Sorry this has taken so long to complete, but, If you`ve been following me with this story, this is definitely the climax, so, read on...

So, after being asked to dance and being introduced to my partner, we introduced ourselves and tried to gage each other`s ability to dance, mindful that our own ability was questionable, at best. So, the soloists took the stage, and at the right time in the song, my partner and I strolled to the area in front of the stage and began to waltz (Not too bad, I must say). As we danced, we remembered that there were supposedly others that were supposed to join us. They never came. So, there we danced, alone, waiting, exposed... Finally, we finished, the crowd clapped, and we, red-faced, went back to whatever we had been doing before the dance.

So, on I went, talking to people I hadn`t seen in a while, trying to meet all the right people, opera-business-wise, that I should. Parties like this are always the same for me. There are times that are incredibly fun, where the conversation is lively, and times where, every body deserts you and you are left alone to look into space and chew on your hors d`oeuvres until someone interesting comes back your way. Well, during one of the less than enjoyable times, the same person that asked me to dance, asked me to join a group on stage to sing a few Japanese songs. The first of the songs, I didn't know at all. The second, I knew the first verse. I really wasn't very into the idea. But, one of the singers I knew and had been talking to at the time helped me transcribe some of the Japanese, so I was running out of excuses. At any rate, there was strength in numbers, I thought, so I thought I could just blend in with the crowd and mouth the words...

Wrong!

One one of the patriarchs of the company, Mr. Igarashi, called up everyone who was to sing, and taking the mic, began to lecture the company on proper Japanese diction, and singing technique, etc. He must be close to 80 years old, and is very passionate about singing, and very opinionated about how it must be done. His way. So as he is demonstrating how to form the proper "oo" vowel sound in Japanese, he looks behind him and catches my eye. And before I knew what was happening, he starts to gesture to me to come up and join him center stage. Reluctantly, I step up to the stage. He then has me demonstrate the proper "oo" vowel sound and then, drops the bomb. He asks me to sing the first song solo for everyone. I told him that I didn't know it, but that I knew the other one. So he said to just repeat after him. I gave it the old college try, but failed miserably. Finally he told me to join the others again. After we all sang the first song, he looks my way again...

Yes, he remember that I had stated that I knew the other song. So, he asked me to sing the first verse (which was all I had ever learned). (As a bit of a side note, the song, "Aka Tonbo", or "Red Dragonfly" in English, is the first song I had ever memorized in Japanese. After Tomoko and I were married, we used to take long walks. On one of those walks, I had asked her to teach me a Japanese song. This was the one she taught me. I believe that I memorized it in just one walk, though she may remember it differently.).

So, I, an American, sang the famous Japanese children's song, "Aka Tonbo" there, in front of many of the top opera singers in Japan. I was a bit nervous, but I think it went well. The crowd seemed to appreciate it and they very warmly applauded my performance. The rest of the singers on stage, about 15 in all, joined me and we finished the second and third verses together.

I will never forget the experience. It just goes to show, that you never know when obscure things you learned long ago, might just come in handy.

Japan Opera Foundation Party, part 2

I initially thought that the meeting started at 3:30. That's what I thought it said on my invitation. So, I got there about 3:20 (trying to do the right "Japanese" thing and be 10 minutes early, for once). Well, there were only two or three other people there (the room was set for more than a hundred). Well, 3:30 came and went and very few people had shown up and no one was there that I knew. Upon closer inspection of my invitation(which was in Japanese), the room opened at 3:30 and the meeting was to begin at 4. So, I was 40 minutes early. Who knew?
Well, in typical-for-anywhere-else fashion, the meeting ended up starting at 4:10. At this point, the room was filling up, but still nobody there that I knew, except for some of the leadership. The meeting turned out to be a yearly budget and accounting meeting in very difficult Japanese. But, somehow I got through it, and finally, Shimizu-san and his wife showed up(More about them later).
The meeting ended about 6:00 or so. On the way out, one of the ladies that works for JOF, asked me a very random question. "Do you Dance?" she asked in Japanese. I asked her to be more specific and what she really wanted to know was if I knew how to waltz. Well, I didn't know what to say. I told her that I "sort of" knew how, but that I was not very good. She said that it didn't matter and left it at that.
Well, after we had all gathered on the second floor, she came up to me dragging behind her a younger woman, not really sure how old she was. She then told me that she was my partner. I stammered around and asked her "What are we supposed to be dancing for?". She said that some of the singers were going to perform a scene from "Merry Widow" and that we, along with some other couples, were to waltz with our partners in front of the stage. (TO BE CONTINUED)

The Japan Opera Foundation Party, part 1: On the way to Omotesando...

I wanted to share with you the events of last week's party sooner, but Pavarotti's passing put that on hold for a little while. Also, I was hoping to have some pictures to share with you, but, I have yet to find them on the JOF website(In the past, they have emailed those pictures to those who attended.), as I did not take a camera. But, as difficult as it may be, you'll just have to use your imagination. (ABOVE PICTURES FROM OMOTESANDO, TOKYO; LEFT-PRADA, CENTER-LOUIS VUITTON AND RIGHT-DIOR)

After church last Sunday, I had to rush to catch the 12:05 Super Hitachi train out of Taga station, bound for Ueno. I had no trouble making the train and got to Ueno Station in Tokyo about 1:35. I then found my way to the Ginza subway line, bound for Omotesando Station. I had never been to this station, but I knew that this part of town was famous for something: I just couldn't remember what. Well, climbing out of the bowels of the station and finding myself in the middle of Omotesando, I quickly found out. Fashion.

The station was located at the crossroads of a major intersection. As I began following the directions to the hotel where the party was to be, I began to pass several shops with very simple names. Louis Vuitton, Tod's, Prada, Gucci, Channel, etc. I soon realized that I was in perhaps the center for High Fashion in Tokyo. These were all real designer galleries. As I look around, I noticed that most of the people there were dressed very fashionably, with many models and designers walking around as well. I soon became very sefl-concious of what I was wearing. If you've ever been to Japan, you know what I'm talking about. When they do something, they do it right. If they ski, they have their own skis, matching ski wear, goggles and gloves, and take ski lessons. When they go to one of the centers of high fashion, they dress fashionably.

Anyway, though my clothes weren't super fashionable, they were new. I was, however, carrying a soft briefcase that was getting a bit ragged. It used to be all black, but had been a bit faded by the sun in places, and had a few small holes in the fabric. It didn't look good, but normally, I wouldn't care.

The other side of this story is that I was going to a party attended by Japanese opera singers, conductors, directors and producers, who, presumably, knew what Omotesando was famous for and were going to be dressed appropriately.

I knew I was probably dressed too casual, but I was too stubborn to pay for an entire new wardrobe, especially given the part of town I had ended up in. I could, just maybe, find a new bag, though.

So, with less than an hour to go before the party started, I started to shop for a bag. I really didn't want to pay any more than 3000 to 5000 yen($30-$50), so I thought if I walked further down the street, I might finally run into something affordable. Nothing doing. No matter how far I walked, nothing cheaper was presenting itself. I walked(timidly) into a few shops, but even the cheaper looking items were still more than I was willing to pay.

I had been walking some time the opposite direction from where the hotel was and was unable to find anything, so, I crossed the street and began to walk back. Nothing. By the time I was close to the block the hotel was on, it was almost 3 o'clock, and 30 minutes before the business meeting was to begin(which was to be before the party). I had just about given up, when, out of the corner of my eye, I spot a smaller store with several mono-color cloth bags and suitcases in the window. The store/gallery was called Kipling and it looked a little more affordable than anything I had found around there. I looked at some of the bags and, though the prices were better than other places, they were still expensive. The pressure had mounted, however, and I found the cheapest bag I could find and bought it. The shoplady explained to me that the store was a showroom so there was only one of each bag, but, they were for sale. She explained to me about the warranty, I transfered all of my things into the new bag and asked her to dispose of the old one. I think she thought I was crazy( I was a bit). So with my new bag slung across my body, I marched off to the meeting.

Luciano Pavarotti, 1935-2007

The world lost one of it's brightest, longest burning stars today. Luciano Pavarotti, tenor, died of a year-long battle with cancer.

This is a particularly sad day for me. I have admired him for so long. Listening to his rendition of "Nessum dorma" frequently brought a tear to my eye. No one packed more passion into his voice, or sang with more joy than Pavarotti. He was often derided by critics for being too popular(being a struggling singer, frankly, I could do with more of that.). He, however, won more fans to opera than any singer ever. His voice was a bridge to a world many never may have entered, had it not been for the soothing, vibrant, exciting voice of Pavarotti.

I don't remember when or where I was when I first heard him sing. It seems that it coincided with me "discovering" opera when I was in college. I remember recording "Nessum Dorma" on my answering machine. I remember fellow baritone and good friend Scott Langdon and I sitting around listening to him, either at home or in the car. We were in heaven. It was like discovering chocolate for the first time. Chocolate for the ears. Ear Candy. No one sang like him.

I will miss him.

The Last 13 Years of Music(Japan. Years 1-26 are below.)

Early in the coming year, I will pass a milestone. I will have lived 1/3 of my life in Japan. In the coming paragraphs, I will attempt to briefly tell of my musical career here, more than 6000 miles away from my country.

I arrived here about six months after my wife, Tomoko, and daughter, Megan Anna (We met at Oklahoma Christian). I was finishing up grad school(or so I meant to) and Tomoko and Megan Anna came ahead of me and moved in with her parents.

The first six months or so, I worked in an English language school teaching students young and old conversational English. Word spread that I was a singer, and through introductions by friends, I met some other musicians in the city. After some singing and planning, I had my first recital inMito City. One of the sopranos also owned a restaurant that had a decent piano. A nice little place, really. I performed on a night the restaurant was closed, and sang just about all the songs I knew, it seemed. It was a good start and I was introduced to many other people, besides. By the next year, I was singing Germont in "La Traviata" in Japanese(See pic. above (bottom). The next year, Marcello in "La Boheme" and a small part in "Tosca". Next, came Carmen" (Escamillo, Above(Top), two productions of "Hansel and Gretel" (also in Japanese), one month apart, and Sharpless in "Madam Butterfly" . From 1999, I also have performed with the Mito Bach Collegium group as baritone soloist semi regularly, singing chorales, cantatas and masses. From 2002-2005, I sang at the annual New Years Gala celebrations at the Hitachi Civic Center, in Hitachi City. All the while, I was singing in several other concerts, etc., throughout the year. All of these operas and concerts took place within Ibaraki Prefecture, mainly in the three cities of Mito, Hitatchi and Tskuba.



In the Spring of 2001, I auditioned for the Fujiwara opera company(http://www.jof.or.jp/), a professional opera company which has been in operation since the 1930's(It is one of two opera companies which operates under the parent organization of the Japan Opera Foundation(See above link). I was accepted into the company and performed my first roll in Tokyo in December of that same year. I played one of the six Deputati Fiamminghi in Verdi's "Don Carlo". It was certainly the biggest opportunity of my life. The Cast included Barbara Dever, mezzo soprano, Roberto Scanduzzi, bass, Franco Farina, tenor and the legendary Renato Bruson, baritone, pictured here with me backstage. All of the leads were either American or Italian and all were of international reputation. If that wasn't enough, on opening night, and in the New National Theater in Tokyo,then Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi was in attendance on the same day my wife and oldest daughter were there, too. It was very special. But...

Fujiwara didn't call again for two years. Then, in the summer of 2003, I got the call to play the part of Paris in Gounod's "Romeo et Juliet". This time, I had a name and was on the poster. The leads weren't quite as famous, nor was the theater as nice, but it was a great experience none the less. We performed in Ueno Bunka Kaikan(Ueno Cultural Theater). As providence would have it, Dr. John Fletcher, a college music professor of mine from Oklahoma Christian University, and his family were in Japan and were able to attend. Again, great. But...

The company has fallen on hard times. It has been in the national news for it's financial troubles. I attended their yearly party(see next post) and am optimistic once again about my future with Fujiwara and the Japan Opera Foundation. I look forward to auditioning for them this November and showing them where I am in my vocal developement.

Welcome!

Welcome to my second attempt at maintaining a blog site. My first attempt has been on hold to say the least, but this one, I pray, will be more successful. I am dedicating this site to my life as a "professional" singer-my performing schedule, ticket information, and general commentary on music and musical life, here, on the beautiful island of Japan-to benefit those of you who have supported me through the years and continue to attend my performances. I am truly humbled when people want to hear me sing. May I never let you down!

My first 13 years of Music

I was born in St. Charles, Missouri, USA, which sits on the opposite shore of the Missouri River from St. Louis, MO. I grew up in a singing family. We always sang together in the car on the way to and from church, which often took 30 minutes or more. We were (and still are) members of the Church of Christ, a body which traditionally has sung a'capella. So, good singing has always been a passion of mine. Also, I had an uncle who was in a college choir. He was a very talented tenor and sang solos with the group. I used to listen to their records, even in elementary school. Uncle Jeff was a big influence on me as a young boy.

My Second 13 Years of Music

When I was 13, in the fall of 1982, we moved to New Mexico. A year later, in high school, thanks to my church, many friends and their families, I found that God had blessed me with a talented voice. I began singing with friends in an a'capella quartet at church, joined my high school chorus, and with the help of one of my best friend's mother (thanks, Judy), discovered musical theater. My senior year, I made my musical lead debut as Joseph in "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat", and later that same year as Matt in "The Fantastics". Oddly enough, I went to high school in Gallup, New Mexico, far from the theaters of New York or the Glitz of Hollywood. It just goes to show that God does all kinds of great things with the meagerest of people in the most unlikely places. Along with other successes in "Solo and Ensemble" competitions ,New Mexico All-State Choir appointments and having performed one of the bass solos in Handel's "Messiah", I had found my career and decide to pursue a music degree at Oklahoma Christian University.

Although I was confident in my ability to sing well, I quickly learned that I was at a disadvantage academically. Though I had some experience, I was still largely an untrained singer, both in technique and musical theory. I had never studied the piano(or any other instrument), and didn't even read music very well. My first year at OC was a struggle. I failed to pass rudimentary music theory, thereby starting my college career "in the hole", so to speak. I even failed a semester of voice due to my lack of discipline. I quickly learned that I would have to do more than just make a pretty noise with my throat and that I would have to start meeting my teacher's expectations if I were going to even make to my second year of study. Outside of classes, I gained experience through performing in the fall musical, singing in the Chorale (directed by Dr. Ken Adams) and Chamber Singers choirs, and in other solo opportunities. My second year was MUCH better.

Enter Dr. Mark Hornbaker. Mark was hired my sophomore year as voice teacher and director of the Chamber Singers, as well as other full-time music professor duties, etc. He became my teacher and we quickly hit it off. Under Mark's nurturing and mentoring, I recovered from my first-year woes, and quickly established myself as one of the best voices the the university had to offer. I give a lot of credit to Mark(as well as Dr. Adams) for setting my feet on a path to success as a singer and musician. He built up my confidence and gave me numerous performance opportunities. He also introduced me to the world of Opera(and I still haven't recovered!)!!

My first year with Mark, I sang Mozart and Puccini for the first time(Mozart has become one of the constants in my musical life). In my second year, I made my operatic debut as Papageno in and English translation of Mozart's "The Magic Flute(Zauberflote), with full Orchestra, conducted by Dr. Adams. I was bitten, and though I had some success in musicals, made the decision to pursue Opera from then on and made it the major goal of my career. The following year, we performed scenes from "The Marriage of Figaro" and "La Boheme". My fifth year, we staged "Figaro" again, but this time in it's entirety, with full orchestra, with me in the title role....

After finishing up my work at OC, I applied to and auditioned for Oklahoma City University's graduate music program, received a full scholarship and graduate assistantship and began work towards a Master of Music/Opera performance degree. I began studying voice with Larry Keller.

At OCU, I sang in seven productions, ranging from musical theater, to operetta and, of course, opera. I was cast mostly in "buffo" rolls. I played Orgon in the American opera "Tartuffe" by Kurt Mecham and Don Alfonso in Mozart's "Cosi fan tutte" (To Kristin Chenoweth's Despina) my first year. My second year, I didn't miss a performance. I sang in all four performances, most notably as Dulcamara in "L'elisir d'amore" and lesser roles in "Most Happy Fella", "Mikado", and "La Perichole". My final roll was as Mr. Gedge in Britten's "Albert Herring" in the fall of 1994.

In the spring of 94, I also was accepted into the Tulsa Opera Apprentice program and for three weeks, traveled around to numerous schools in the area promoting the current production of "Le Nozze di Figaro" by Tulsa Opera through performing scenes and arias from the opera for students. In May of that same year, I was accepted to attend Opera in the Ozarks at Inspiration Point, a fine arts colony. We put on three productions in two months from auditions to final performances. The first month, we rehearsed our roles, needing to be off book after week 1, and the second month was devoted to repetoire theater-style performance, with a different opera performed each night. I was cast as Don Alfonso in "Cosi" and as Fredrik in Stephen Sondheim's "A Little Night Music". But after week 1, the baritone cast as Germont in "La Taviata" decided, along with his teacher, that the roll was too much for him. So, we switched rolls,he as Don Alfonso and I as Germont. So with a week lost, I started learning the roll and opened just two weeks later. Along with an additional chorus roll in "Traviata" and Fredrik in "Night Music", it was a lot to handle. But, when you live there and do nothing but eat, drink and breathe opera, magic can happen. It remains one of the defining moments of my career and a summer I'll never forget.