Caramoor 2026: Day 3

Caramoor 2026: Day 3

Today was a bit rough for me, though extremely productive for the artists and for the project as a whole. We ran all the songs (with one exception, at Will Kim’s request), worked in detail on everything, and even had time for a Skype call with Jean-Paul Björlin to...
Caramoor 2026: Day 2

Caramoor 2026: Day 2

I overslept today, which meant two things: I felt a bit better than I had yesterday (at least until I began to crash at around 3:30), and we got off to a late start. Béné and I walked in to find Luis at the piano working on the Tchaikovsky duet, a lovely waltz based...
Caramoor 2026: Day 1

Caramoor 2026: Day 1

I always look forward to my yearly residency at Caramoor. The people who work there give us a beautiful welcome, our presence is clearly something they anticipate, and the opportunity to settle down with a single project in a calm, quiet environment with a talented...
Caramoor 2025: Day 6

Caramoor 2025: Day 6

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...
Caramoor 2025: Day 5

Caramoor 2025: Day 5

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...
Caramoor 2025: Day 4

Caramoor 2025: Day 4

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...