Slight change of direction

Another audition season came and went, and while my agent got great feedback on my singing, no jobs have come my way yet. Apparently, a couple of the European companies I auditioned for are thinking of using me in the future, so I suppose I'll just have to be patient.

In the meantime, another opportunity presented itself and I just couldn't say no. As you know, I sang Marie in Daughter of the Regiment at Opera in the Heights in Houston. I had a marvelous time working with the conductor, Enrique Carreón-Robledo, but the direction left a bit to be desired. I had mentioned in an email to Enrique that if he were ever looking for a director, I might be interested, since I have a doctoral minor in opera directing. Never in a million years did I think he would take me up on my offer, but at the end of March, he called to ask if I would direct the company's season opener, Rossini's Otello. After I got over my initial shock, I started researching to see if this was an opera I thought I could take on (I had originally told him that I would feel more comfortable directing a comedy, and Otello is about as serious as it gets). I found out that Rossini's version is rarely done because it strays so much from Shakespeare's storyline (and five of the leads are tenors - who wants to deal with that?!). Verdi's Otello is much more common at opera houses - it sticks to the plot. Apparently, directors stay away from the Rossini also, because the music is highly repetitive and difficult to work with. I decided that even though I was petrified, this was an opportunity that I could not turn down. I have been working on my concept ever since.

Opera in the Heights is used to doing very traditionally staged operas. When I accepted the job, I first checked with Enrique to make sure that it would be all right if I chose to update the opera. After reading my concept, which keeps the location in Venice but moves the time period from the 16th century to 1985, he warned me that the conservative audience and critics might not fully appreciate it, even though he thought my idea was fabulous. However, he said that if I want to move forward, then he will be behind me all the way. I am 100% behind my vision, and I can't wait to put it on its feet in September. I hope that the audience will overcome its fear of modernized opera, and my professional directorial debut will be a success.

I'll keep you updated!