NYFOS@NorthFork 2022: Day 6

NYFOS@NorthFork 2022: Day 6

A picture is worth a thousand words. Here’s a little gallery from dress rehearsal this afternoon.  One moment of special interest: Shelén did something so touching today during one of her songs that I was suddenly overwhelmed by emotion. I thought I’d be able to keep...
NYFOS@North Fork 2022: Day 5

NYFOS@North Fork 2022: Day 5

Friday’s always a tricky day in these week-long residencies. I want to keep moving the artistic process forward, while simultaneously instilling confidence and protecting the singers’ vocal resources. It’s not a great idea to exhaust them 48 hours before the show. ...
NYFOS@North Fork 2022: Day 4

NYFOS@North Fork 2022: Day 4

As Stephen Sondheim wrote— “Bit by bit, putting it together.”  This means patting every song into place, changing the running order (just in time to meet the print deadline), and, inevitably, a raft of Last-Minute Transpositions. Today we decided to take yet another...
NYFOS@North Fork 2022: Day 3

NYFOS@North Fork 2022: Day 3

Wednesday is always the day of grace. The performance still feels pleasantly far off, so we’re able to keep performance anxiety at bay. Sure, the cast is concerned about memorization, I am concerned about the places where my hands are not cooperating. But these remain...
NYFOS@North Fork 2022: Day 2

NYFOS@North Fork 2022: Day 2

This year’s program is called “Gracias a la vida: Songs of Latin America,” chosen to show off the gifts of my two Spanish-speaking singers, César Parreño and Shelén Hughes. But our concert also includes three Brazilian songs in Portuguese, and we’d need a language...