Reflections on Baritones and Cupcakes

Hello readers!

I've been meaning to write in this for a the past few nights, but in that time I've barely had time to catch my breath! Much has been done here since we arrived and there is still a lot more in the works! Before I share but a couple of the experiences I've enjoyed, let me tell you a little about myself.

My name is Evan Wilberg. I'm a senior Music B.A. with a Theatre minor from Anoka, MN, the Halloween Capital of the World (seriously, it's not Madison). Marie and I are the two students on this trip who are going after Musical Theatre as a career. After graduation in May I plan to build up credits and experience acting and singing in the Twin Cities. My excitement knows no bounds.

I wish I could completely delve what I've gathered from this trip, but we have to be up at 10:00 for Naomi Ruiz and I've never been good with all-nighters. Here are a few choice moments:

Sunday March 18th: 8 of us crossing the street across from the MET. Baritone superstar Bryn Terfel recognizes some of our group as the group that saw him before the show and approaches to say hello a nd makes some small talk before parting ways. A very brief encounter, but meaningful to me because it was him that approached us with a smile on his face. Turns out you don't have to sacfrice control of your ego for stardom. A comforting notion.

Sunday March 18th: Biting into my first Magnolia bakery cupcake with my friend Laura who goes to school at Juilliard. Frosting standards will never be the same. Looking into Magnolia's shipping costs for my April 5th recital (with the lovely Marie Gustafson, also present in NYC).

Monday March 19th: Audition Masterclass with Claudia Catania. Wisdoms shared by her in the 3 hours we had with her have provided me with a clear, focused idea of what I need to do to get to this level, both physically and mentally. I was also lucky enough to schedule an hour-long private lesson with her for Friday!

Tuesday March 20th: Met with two working performers for lunch today. Supplimented the ideas of skills preparation from yesterday with advice on juggling the many aspects of the actor's life while living in the city. I now have a reasonable idea of what to expect and how to prepare for it. Exactly what I wanted from this trip.

That's all for now. Again, those were just a few of the moments that have made this trip the greatest thing since going to Greece (also with the university!).

Take care,
-Evan Wilberg

P.S. End of the Rainbow, you haven't heard about it yet, but you will.