After the recital...and back in NYC

So the recital, I felt, fared very well.  The overall experience was very enjoyable.  I'll admit, there were some nerves involved.  But all turned out for the good.  I have to say, I looked forward mostly to the final set in the program: the Mussorgsky Songs and Dances of Death.  It is such a powerful set of songs.  They all follow a generally morbid tone, of course, but each has Death tailored in quite intelligently.  Please write me if you'd like to know more about that.  Otherwise, please consult my website - www.quinnkelsey.com - for reviews from San Francisco.  They can be found on the Press page.  Fun times.

Back in New York City now.  Catching random auditions here and there.  Marjorie was commenting to a friend on the phone earlier in the day about how nice it is to be in town, instead of having to hop a plane and fly into New York for a one or two or three days.  It IS really nice to just be here for when things like auditions pop up.  Makes the plane ticket and all the months we're spending here so worth it.  Such a good investment.

Currently, I'm preparing for rehearsals of Wagner's Das Rheingold to begin.  I'll be on-contract to cover the role of Donner for the only two performances of that opera this season.  I thought there would be more shows, but apparently that's all they've got on the schedule.  It'll be a nice, short contract.  Two weeks of rehearsals and then the two performances will take place in the third week.  And I'm sure it'll breeze by quicker than I think.  It's one thing to actually perform; it's quite another to just sit and cover.

A very good friend and colleague, Christian Van Horn, has suggested I throw some other things up on this blog.  He wants me to comment on things like the restaurants I frequent.  I wonder if he knows me that well...that I enjoy good dining.  His website is - www.christianvanhorn.com - and I MORE than urge you to check on him.  He is currently living in Munich, Germany with his wife, mezzo-soprano Kellie Van Horn, and in the middle of a fest contract there.  HIS blog is NOTHING like mine; quite a thing of genius for the way he takes you along with his daily activities both on the stage and in Munich.  He takes some wonderful pictures.  I'm so excited for him at this point in his career.  I'm sure you'll enjoy following along on his blog as much as I have.

As always, I welcome any and all comments, questions, rants, complaints.  Whatever.  More pictures to come.

Schwabacher Debut Recital

Been in San Francisco for a couple days now.  I've got a Schwabacher Debut Recital on Sunday, February 15th, at 5:30pm at Temple Emanu-EL on Lake and Arguello.  Tickets are $20 (a little stiff, I think, but that's just the struggling artist coming out).

Rehearsed with my accompanist, Peter Grunberg, in the hall at the temple today.  It's got great sound.  Peter thinks it's a little on the live side.  I agree, but it'll work.  We ran through the entire program in decent time, being that we'd never done any of the music together before.  I think we fared pretty well.  But Peter is one of those.  The kind of professional who just picks it up and runs with it.  DAMN good to sing that music again.  Especially the Russian.  The program is as follows:

1) Händel

 - Honor and Arms

 - Vouchsafe, oh Lord

 - I rage, I melt, I burn...O ruddier than the cherry.

2) Finzi - Let Us Garlands Bring

 - Come Away, Death

 - Fear No More the Heat o' the Sun

 - It Was a Lover and His Lass

3) Mahler - Lieder eines Fahrenden Gesellen

4) Mussorgsky - Songs and Dances of Death

I'm hoping to get a recording from the recital and will be sure to post my favorite(s) on the audio page of my website - www.quinnkelsey.com - once the tracks are available.

Until then, I'm enjoying just being back in San Francisco again.  ALWAYS a pleasure to be here.  I LOVE this town.  One of my favorites since I first visited in 2002 as a member of the Merola Program.  Hoping you are well and that spring comes quickly for those of you who are done with the cold.

the New York trip

So Marjorie and I are in New York.

We've been in Manhattan now for a couple weeks.  The inauguration was sort of a welcome to the city in a way.  We flew in the Sunday before, and watched it on TV on Tuesday.

Marjorie has cover contracts here at the Met that span the entire stretch of our stay here.  She's on contract right now as the 2nd cover to Leonora in Il Trovatore.  Her next contract overlaps with Trovatore where she'll be the Gerhilde cover in Die Walküre for the Met's Ring Cycle.  I, on the other hand, have been on a sort of vacation since we showed up.  It's been nice to sit back and relax for a bit.

I'm off to San Francisco in a couple weeks to give a recital through the Schwabacher Debut Recital series.  Information for that can be found on the link on my website, on the Schedule page.

And then I'm actually on contract at the Met for three weeks in March, covering the only two performances of Das Rheingold on the schedule this season, as Donner.

In April, I'll be in Grand Rapids Michigan for my first FAUST as Marguerite's military brother, Valentin.

Til then, though, it's nice to be able to enjoy Manhattan at a slower pace.  And I can spend time with my sister, Blythe, and her husband, Kazumi, who live in New Jersey, outside of Princeton.

Next up, I'll be backtracking somewhat to pick up where I left off with the updates I used to send out.  So check back within the coming week.

Aloha for now.

Just playing around with this whole blogging thing.  These are some images that represent me, my work, and who I am.

Here goes...

Aloha to you all!

Quinn here.  This is the beginning of what I hope will be a wonderful tool for you the readers to check in with my goings-on, leave comments, ask questions, share stories, and otherwise keep up with me on my travels and singing in the big wide world.  Colleagues of mine have done this in the past or ARE continuing to do it on a semi regular basis.  I just figure it's easier for folks to navigate to this site instead of me trying to remember every email address I need to include, and then worry that I may miss someone in the mix.

So I welcome you all to follow along.  Share this blog site with your friends or anyone who would benefit from reading the subsequent entries.  I plan to jump back in time to start where I left off from the "updates" I'd sent out on email before.  Catch everybody up-to-date and then go from there.

Thank you all for your support of me and my endeavors.  A lot of my work I do for all those who've believed in me and/or helped me along the way.  I never could have imagined that I would reach this level in my career so quickly!  And forgive me for singling some of you out from time to time.  But I feel it's important to give recognition where it is due to those whom I am in debt for making my career possible.  I promise not to embarrass you.  I give MUCH thanks to a number of people who have seen me through my education, my development in classical music/opera, and my overall growth as a human being.

Me ke aloha pumehana...

Quinn