Wild Wednesday!!!! Day 5

Another outstanding sunny day in NYC!  Can't believe it is March!  Got to sleep in a bit this morning, and our first session was with the lovely Ms. Naomi Ruiz, a colleague of Ken's from IU.

She is now in NYC having done the Minnesota Opera  residency program and other successful singing.  Some of the students heard her sing Musetta at the MN Opera!  She is closer to the age and experience that our previous speakers, and she has an incredible positive energy and the combination of the two made for a fantastic meeting.

Ken, Naomi and students

She continuously told the students that they can do this if they just don't give up.  She shared her amazing personal story, and told the students that we was happen to help them down the road in any way she would concerning making the transition to the city.

Did it again! Fell asleep while writing!  More later.  Notice how the last sentences didn't make any sense...
Mitra

OK, catching up.  Some of our group went out for lunch with Naomi, and I decided to tackle my weakest spot as far as navigating NYC--the subway.  I pulled out my subway map, studied it ahead of time, and made sure that I knew how to use my subway trip application on the iPhone (thank you Jordyn).  I then got myself from the Hotel Deauville in Murray Hill to Lincoln Center on the upper westside--no mistakes! It really helped me gain some Metro-confidence, and I texted the whole group who responded with happiness for me!

Got a ticket for "War Horse" at the Vivian Beaumont and then spent a little bit of time walking around the area--I went into the front lobby of Juillliard, talked to a guy in the box office about the recital we will see tomorrow night, and scoped out the Juilliard bookstore to return later.

Friends, "War Horse" was probably the finest piece of theatre I have ever seen.  If you are going to be traveling to NYC during the run of the play, I highly recommend you go.  The entire audience was breathless as the horses were brought to life through full-sized puppets manipulated by actors who we could see but basically became part of the living, breathing animal.  It is not possible to describe the magic--just see it!

http://www.warhorseonbroadway.com/

Afterwards I caught my breath and returned to the Juilliard bookstore.  They have a wonderful disc, music, and book collection and I purchased a number of acting books and some scores that I hadn't been aware of previously.  It is definitely worth a visit.  I am always struck by the wonderful heritage of the school and the students and teachers who are affiliated with it.  But, I know that good music goes on outside of NYC (despite what some believe) and that we create excellent art and music in the midwest as well.

Took a cab to McGee's Pub to meet Evan and Marie--apparently it is the pub that inspired the pub featured in "How I Met Your Mother."

It is a possibility that Evan and Marie have spent too much time together...



I got "the" booth there that features the pictures of the cast and enjoyed the atmosphere and read a bit of Don DeLillo's "Falling Man" while waiting for the two Chipotle-eaters.

When they arrived I had a nice side salad and an Irish Curry (which was delicious but tasted just like a regular curry).  We grabbed a cab (Marie was successful in hailing a cab in about 5 seconds!!!) to Lincoln Center where we met the group for "L'elisir d'amore" by Donizetti.  The four leads--Diana Damrau, Juan Diego Florez, Mariusz Kwiecien, and Alessandro Corbelli--were all at the top of their game and sang incredibly.  The production was lighthearted, the chorus quite hilarious, the orchestra and conductor sublime.  I think the singing of the leads was an example of the best singing going on in the world today.  Florez was very different than I expected, with a charming stage presence and a resplendent sound.  He had some laugh out loud dance moves!  Damrau was as magical as I had hoped--she is the idol and model for most of the young sopranos I teach, and they were so inspired by her.  Abby, Meagan, and Jordyn stayed afterwards at the stage door and were able to meet her (see their blog entries) and get their picture with both she and Florez!!!

The Met's Nemorino with Abby and Jordyn

Some dialogue tonight with Britney--what an introspective, intelligent, thoughtful young woman.  You can see the wheels turning in her head as she experiences each new thing.


This trip is exceeding my hopes and dreams for the students.
Mitra