It was a whirlwind. A quick weekend to France to perform the original Jazz Opera: "Don't worry, Be HaRpy" by French composer and harpist Isabelle Olivier. This particular weekend also happened to be my birthday weekend. It was not an easy trip but it was a wonderful one. High temperatures in the hot Sun, hours of rehearsal and my knees never add up to much in the way of comfort but it did make for a thrilling adventure. The show is wonderful, Isabelle is genius and the players and crew were …
Paris and a Jazz Opera: Anxiety Sets In!
There's no turning back now! I am close to departure date and all in all I am in good shape though I haven't packed yet. I have written a list and checked it twice. I have listened to this Opera so much that I hear the melodies in my head day and night. I find myself tapping out the rhythm of the songs. Luckily, I love the songs very much and have great admiration for the composer so it's a joy actually. With each melody or song lyric I memorize comes great elation and relief. Yet I am still …
Paris and a Jazz Opera: Don’t Worry, Be HaRpy!
Happy New Year! I know it's been ages since I last wrote and to be quite honest there hasn't been too much new to tell except I did present a staged reading of one piece from my one woman show and it was well received. The response was almost overwhelming. I performed it during a cabaret show I did in late November. Since then I have mostly been scraping by as I experience some of the toughest economic times of my life. I have been poorer in the past, but I had no bills in those days. Yet, I …