NYFOS@North Fork 2023: Day 3

NYFOS@North Fork 2023: Day 3

Rehearsal today was a bifurcated experience for me. Of course my focus is on the cast—their vocalism, their musical accuracy, their sense of style, and (I never share this explicitly) their memorization. I’m there to guide them, and since we don’t have a stage...
NYFOS@North Fork 2023: Day 2

NYFOS@North Fork 2023: Day 2

Tuesday is a day of infinite possibility. The concert is five whole days away—a lifetime!—and no one is freaking out about memorization yet. Not that these three have anything to worry about in that department: they arrived with most of their material well under...
NYFOS@North Fork 2023: Day 1

NYFOS@North Fork 2023: Day 1

I reluctantly tore myself away from the lunch table today to begin rehearsals for my annual concert out here on the North Fork. This year we’re doing a program called 100 Years of Broadway Love. I chose the theme because I thought that it would have a user-friendly,...
Caramoor 2023: Finale

Caramoor 2023: Finale

The thing I most desired after our two concerts was a day to lie in bed, eat bonbons, and watch movies. Unfortunately, my schedule did not offer me such indolence. Wednesday, in fact, turned out to be a high-stress day. I’ll spare you the details, but by the time it...
Caramoor 2023: Day 6

Caramoor 2023: Day 6

Today was dress rehearsal, and after yesterday’s challenges things were looking up. Colin, who spent Friday holed up in his room, reported for work with every indication that he was back in the game. Indeed, he was feeling a lot better and he’d lost the green pallor...
Caramoor 2023: Day 5

Caramoor 2023: Day 5

Life is what happens when you’re busy making plans. Bénédicte and I rolled in with a schedule for the day—three songs we wanted to revisit before lunch, and the ever-elusive first run-through in the afternoon. No sooner had we gotten through the glass doors of the...