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.
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