Holy Amazing Week Batman!
So, amazing week. Adam was up to visit, and it was.... interesting. I'm really glad he came up, and we had a great time together, and heck, I may have even found a little bit of closure I didn't even know I was looking for. We had a blast together- exploring the North End in Boston, playing Guitar Hero, going indoor rock climbing, going to the beach on probably the last nice day of the year, cooking flank steak stuffed with apple, bacon, onions, mozzarella, pepperjack, red peppers, salami and other wonders, walking in the rain, watching movies and tv shows, making drunken pancakes (we weren't drunk when we made them, but Adam's homemade syrup had rum in it...), reading Order of the Stick together, and general togetherness which felt really nice.
Long story short- we're not pursuing a long distance relationship, which I'm okay with. There's a much longer story, but you'll have to ask me about it if you really want to know.
Yesterday was amazing. I spent the day in Boston rehearsing with Kerry Marsh, a group of very talented, funny singers, the Boston Pops (with Keith Lockhart), and Ben Folds. The other tenor on the gig was actually Ben's bassist, Jared, who had been with Ben for the last 5 years, and had done the backing vocals on the CD. He was a great guy, really genuine and down to earth (with a mouth like a sailor, and a great sense of humor). Kerry is awesome, knows his stuff, and was great to work with- he reminded me of Chris Humphrey at times, in all the best ways. The gig was AWESOME. Sold out, Symphony Hall (my first time even INSIDE IT), singing with the first orchestra I heard in my life (when I was 11, I saw the Boston POPs @ Tanglewood, I never thought I'd be PERFORMING with them some day!), and got to meet Ben Folds, who was super nice, but exhausted from his ridiculous tour schedule. He was all about having fun and being relaxed, without sacrificing musical quality- elements of a great musician/entertainer. Right before we went on to rehearse with him and the POPS, he asks us if we can do the background vocals to Alice Childress and on our 20 minute break, Kerry sketches out 3 part harmony parts, which we quickly learn. It was that kind of gig, and by that kind, I mean awesome, even though we ended up not doing Alice on the concert. The best part? I get to do it again next week in Providence!!!!
I got to see Alex D and Dan Fij briefly after the show, and they had some kind words, after Alex gave me a big hug. Then, I left to go to Christie Teeter's apartment for her 30th bday party. After getting off her stop in Jamaica Plains, I was walking to her house, happened to look down at the sidewalk, and what should I see sticking out from a leaf? A $50 bill. Yep. Tada, win. I then go to the party, see a bunch of people I haven't seen in a couple of months (a lot of Boston Opera Collaborative peeps), and some new crazy people, and had a great time.
I crashed with the Teeters sisters, and now, I'm on the train back to Portland, getting ready to see SUFJAN STEVENS for the first time tonight, in a sold out concert! In the meantime, I'm working on my composition lessons, inspired by my experiences yesterday.
Life is good.
Long story short- we're not pursuing a long distance relationship, which I'm okay with. There's a much longer story, but you'll have to ask me about it if you really want to know.
Yesterday was amazing. I spent the day in Boston rehearsing with Kerry Marsh, a group of very talented, funny singers, the Boston Pops (with Keith Lockhart), and Ben Folds. The other tenor on the gig was actually Ben's bassist, Jared, who had been with Ben for the last 5 years, and had done the backing vocals on the CD. He was a great guy, really genuine and down to earth (with a mouth like a sailor, and a great sense of humor). Kerry is awesome, knows his stuff, and was great to work with- he reminded me of Chris Humphrey at times, in all the best ways. The gig was AWESOME. Sold out, Symphony Hall (my first time even INSIDE IT), singing with the first orchestra I heard in my life (when I was 11, I saw the Boston POPs @ Tanglewood, I never thought I'd be PERFORMING with them some day!), and got to meet Ben Folds, who was super nice, but exhausted from his ridiculous tour schedule. He was all about having fun and being relaxed, without sacrificing musical quality- elements of a great musician/entertainer. Right before we went on to rehearse with him and the POPS, he asks us if we can do the background vocals to Alice Childress and on our 20 minute break, Kerry sketches out 3 part harmony parts, which we quickly learn. It was that kind of gig, and by that kind, I mean awesome, even though we ended up not doing Alice on the concert. The best part? I get to do it again next week in Providence!!!!
I got to see Alex D and Dan Fij briefly after the show, and they had some kind words, after Alex gave me a big hug. Then, I left to go to Christie Teeter's apartment for her 30th bday party. After getting off her stop in Jamaica Plains, I was walking to her house, happened to look down at the sidewalk, and what should I see sticking out from a leaf? A $50 bill. Yep. Tada, win. I then go to the party, see a bunch of people I haven't seen in a couple of months (a lot of Boston Opera Collaborative peeps), and some new crazy people, and had a great time.
I crashed with the Teeters sisters, and now, I'm on the train back to Portland, getting ready to see SUFJAN STEVENS for the first time tonight, in a sold out concert! In the meantime, I'm working on my composition lessons, inspired by my experiences yesterday.
Life is good.