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Today we had our final run-through—I’d call it a dress rehearsal but we didn’t actually get all dolled up for it. I just asked everyone to wear the shoes they would have on tomorrow, since the transition from rubber soles to concert footwear has occasionally been...
Friday can be a somewhat tense day in a rehearsal period this brief. We’ll have our dress rehearsal tomorrow, and in some years the end of the week brings panic in the streets, mostly about memorization or a piece that a still a little unsettled vocally. That’s why...
It’s been apparent that we have an unusually harmonious group this year. With a few notable exceptions, our Caramoor casts have generally enjoyed hanging out together, and they’ve supported each other with generosity. But this year it goes a bit farther. The five...
By the end of the day yesterday I was a mass of semi-vibrating protoplasm, and—wait—could I be slightly allergic to something in the Music Room? Yesterday and today my eyes were stinging during the afternoon session, making it hard to see my scores. To avoid that...
Monday’s theme was, “Oh, how lovely, what a talented, harmonious cast, and look how much work they did on their music!” And it was true: this year’s ensemble is a gifted group with high-class sets of pipes and excellent training. The sky would seem to be the...
So much work goes into these Schwab Rising Star residencies at Caramoor before Bénédicte Jourdois (the Associate Director), the cast, and I ever set foot in the Music Room. The program idea has to be honed, the songs have to be chosen, and scanned, and sent, and...