Summer holding pattern
The short version: I emailed Utah Festival Opera Center yesterday, and found out they're considering me for their summer season, but won't start making offers for a few days. I told Opera New Jersey I will give them my response when I hear back from UFOC.
Update, 8:15 PM
Opera New Jersey is going to withdraw their offer if I don't get back to them by noon tomorrow. Utah emailed and said they are planning on using me for chorus and covering a role, which one they'll tell me when they call tomorrow morning.
The long version: I've been getting a lot of feedback from friends and colleagues. My friend Lee Anne who works for Wolf Trap said ONJ would be a good choice because it shows good career trajectory. Julie Wright Costa from OLO called me back yesterday morning, and said though she definitely had plans to use me and named a few roles, she wanted me to do what was best for my career, and that OLO would always be glad to have me back in the future should I decide to go elsewhere. That's reassuring, because I really love it there and love to have that as a fall-back in upcoming seasons.
I also got a call from a friend at OLO who had done New Jersey before, and she gave me good pros and cons. The pros: NJ brings in staff from AVA (American Vocal Arts, a highly respected music school) for coachings and Master Classes, and has audition days with companies and agents. The cons: no pay, and lots of work on my 2 choruses. She said the chorus rehearses at the same time the principals rehearse, so I wouldn't get to watch the guy I'm covering; consequently, I wouldn't be able to truly "cover" the role in the sense of going on in the case of an emergency because I wouldn't ever see the blocking. However, I'd get a whole summer of daily coachings and really be in great shape for auditions next fall.
I talked to Mom, and expenses won't be an issue. That is both a blessing and a curse, because it makes ONJ a real possibility. If I were like most people, I'd have to turn it down in favor of the paying gig. I'm still not convinced they're as big a deal as they make themselves out to be, though.
Ultimately, my decision will be based on what UFOC offers me. If they offer me a role in Carmen or Pagliacci, I'm there. If they only offer me roles in the musicals, that doesn't really help the resume, so I'll turn it down. One opera, one musical? Possible if the opera role is really good. My friend Kari has done the program several times and really talked it up, and said that coachings are available, so that's a plus. I could go back and forth on this too, but until an offer's on the table, there's no real sense in doing so.
Thanks for your well-wishes and input, your calls, texts, emails, responses here, Facebook messages, and IMs. I appreciate it, and I can honestly say, "I couldn't do it without you."
In other news, the cold that's been plaguing me since last Sunday is finally waning. I'm a little sniffly today and the voice isn't 100%, but it's MUCH better. Still taking it easy today, but I'll hopefully get the house ready for Christmas and for company.
Update, 8:15 PM
Opera New Jersey is going to withdraw their offer if I don't get back to them by noon tomorrow. Utah emailed and said they are planning on using me for chorus and covering a role, which one they'll tell me when they call tomorrow morning.
The long version: I've been getting a lot of feedback from friends and colleagues. My friend Lee Anne who works for Wolf Trap said ONJ would be a good choice because it shows good career trajectory. Julie Wright Costa from OLO called me back yesterday morning, and said though she definitely had plans to use me and named a few roles, she wanted me to do what was best for my career, and that OLO would always be glad to have me back in the future should I decide to go elsewhere. That's reassuring, because I really love it there and love to have that as a fall-back in upcoming seasons.
I also got a call from a friend at OLO who had done New Jersey before, and she gave me good pros and cons. The pros: NJ brings in staff from AVA (American Vocal Arts, a highly respected music school) for coachings and Master Classes, and has audition days with companies and agents. The cons: no pay, and lots of work on my 2 choruses. She said the chorus rehearses at the same time the principals rehearse, so I wouldn't get to watch the guy I'm covering; consequently, I wouldn't be able to truly "cover" the role in the sense of going on in the case of an emergency because I wouldn't ever see the blocking. However, I'd get a whole summer of daily coachings and really be in great shape for auditions next fall.
I talked to Mom, and expenses won't be an issue. That is both a blessing and a curse, because it makes ONJ a real possibility. If I were like most people, I'd have to turn it down in favor of the paying gig. I'm still not convinced they're as big a deal as they make themselves out to be, though.
Ultimately, my decision will be based on what UFOC offers me. If they offer me a role in Carmen or Pagliacci, I'm there. If they only offer me roles in the musicals, that doesn't really help the resume, so I'll turn it down. One opera, one musical? Possible if the opera role is really good. My friend Kari has done the program several times and really talked it up, and said that coachings are available, so that's a plus. I could go back and forth on this too, but until an offer's on the table, there's no real sense in doing so.
Thanks for your well-wishes and input, your calls, texts, emails, responses here, Facebook messages, and IMs. I appreciate it, and I can honestly say, "I couldn't do it without you."
In other news, the cold that's been plaguing me since last Sunday is finally waning. I'm a little sniffly today and the voice isn't 100%, but it's MUCH better. Still taking it easy today, but I'll hopefully get the house ready for Christmas and for company.