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...
Caramoor 2023: Day 4

Caramoor 2023: Day 4

A few things threw our normal Thursday agenda out the window. Normally we would do our first complete stumble-through of the program in order. But when Bénédicte and I arrived at Caramoor, after an extended car-ride conversation about the perils of dating...
Caramoor 2023: Day 3

Caramoor 2023: Day 3

On the third day of a week-long residency we’re still in the realm of exploration and flexibility, as we gently pat the songs into place. “How’s memorization going?” Bénédicte and I blithely ask, and when we hear the typical answer—“It’s coming along!”—our blood...
Caramoor 2023: Day 2

Caramoor 2023: Day 2

I went to Caramoor today expecting to chip away diligently at all the disparate songs in our nine-language recital, and content myself with slow and steady progress. I wasn’t expecting a day of lightning bolts, flashes of inspiration that startled me with their...
Caramoor 2023: Day 1

Caramoor 2023: Day 1

“What did you do on your two-week vacation from Juilliard?” people ask.        “I worked,” I answer.        “Oh. I’m so sorry to hear that.”        “Well, I was at Caramoor, doing the Vocal Rising Stars program…” I tell them.        “Ohhh…well, that’s different! Wow,...