Sing, Sing a Song

My, oh my. I don't know about you but I'm about done with all this snow and ice. I wonder if any of the Florida opera companies have an opening for a blogging cow...

Even with the cold temperatures and nasty weather things here at Opera Columbus are a poppin' and a crackin'. Our artists for Turandot arrive this weekend and I can't wait to meet the lovely Othalie Graham (Turandot) and the dashing Randolph Locke (Calaf)! But I digress (ha, imagine that)...
This past weekend I helped with the first round of judging for our Irma M. Cooper Opera Columbus International Vocal Competition (IMCOCIVC). Let me just say there are some AMAZING young singers out there. I was floored by the talent our 112 applicants shared with us (via CD).

Six judges (they wouldn't let me be a judge...something about credentials) listened and reviewed all applicants and narrowed the field down to 30 singers.

So, everyone needs to venture to Weigel Hall (on the campus of The Ohio State University) on March 28 to watch the 30 semi-finalists battle it out for eight finalist spots. Then, rest up and come on back on March 29 to see the eight finalists compete for the top prize ($3,000 and a chance for a role with Opera Columbus). Also, one lucky finalist will be selected to sing at the 7th Annual Go Wild! for Opera concert in July. All the cool cows will be there.

Congratulations to our semi-finalists:

Lindsay	Ammann
Elizabeth	Baldwin
Joseph	Barron
Elizabeth	Brooks
Jonathan	Burton
Brian	Calì
Sarah	Callinan
Jessica Rose	Cambio
Carolina	Castells
Marianne	Cope
Alyssa	Cox
Jennifer	Forni
Timothy	Gartner
Jennifer	Jellings
Julie	Kinzey
Emily	Langford Johnson
Katherine	Lerner
Sarah	Lewis Jones
Catherine	Martin
Kevin	Ray
Sonia	Rodríguez Bermejo
Courtney	Ross
Paul	Scholten
Nathan	Stark
Kate	Tombaugh
Joanne	Um
Mark	Van Arsdale
Keyona	Willis
Magdalena	Wór
Jung Na	Yoon

Oh, The Weather Outside if Frightful

I'm back! Did you miss me? I certainly missed blogging. As a special surprise my parents took my siblings and me to Miami for a week (and it wasn't easy getting a whole herd to Miami). White sand, blue water, warm skies and cute cabana boys made this vacation a dream come true. Here's my view from laying in my favorite hammock:
I came back relaxed and even had a little tan. Imagine my shock lading at CMH and driving back to my beloved Opera Columbus in this:

Have no fear loyal readers, even the numbing cold won't keep me from you! And I have so much to share with you about our upcoming production of Turnadot (which is gonna be fabulous), our vocal competition (which has over 90 applicants) and, of course, other fabulous Columbus stuff (like ProMusica's most recent concert).

So, if you have to go out in this hot mess please bundle up and drive safely. They made me pose in the snow. I was not thrilled. But, for you, I'd do (almost) anything.