Wednesday, October 29, 2014

Fresno Grand Opera -- Start of Rehearsals!

Monday night was the first men's sectional for the FGO Christmas on Van Ness concert.  What a joy to conduct this group!  Superlative musicians, and ready to try new things and take artistic risks (even Seth Rudetsky's three-ideas-on-a-long note that others might think is reserved for soloists or theater!) in order to bring a fresh, new performance.

Conducting an opera chorus through Christmas classics and other "fun" repertoire is an interesting task.  We are not a traditional choir.  We are a theater-based ensemble -- so in some cases, though we produce things that are very beautiful, entertainment and engaging the audience is a priority before beauty.  Our sound is energized and exciting, articulation is crisp and diction is paramount.

One of this group's strengths is versatility, which will also make this concert very interesting for the listener.  The variety of sound and tone colors is immense, producing a "Panis Angelicus" that could rival any cathedral choir and a hilarious character-filled "Nutcracker Jingles" that will keep an audience guessing -- and laughing!

It's fall and fall means musical projects!  More upcoming!

 Christmas on Van Ness -- click here for more information