Mozart’s Cosi Fan Tuti appeared at the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts.

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Florida Opera Theater hired me to create a poster image for Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart‘s Cosi Fan Tutti. The title roughly translated means, thus do they all or more commonly, all women are like that. Two sisters are engaged to two soldiers. The soldiers meet an old philosopher in a pub and when the soldiers brag of their fiance’s faithfulness, the philosopher wagers a bet that the women aren’t as faithful as the soldiers claim.

The philosopher proclaims that the soldiers have been called away to battle. The sisters are devastated and proclaim their steadfast love.  The soldiers however return dressed as exotic Albanian bachelors and each woos the others fiance. One sister succumbs rather quickly while the other slowly falls in love. This thematic device of fiance swapping was commonly used in Mozart’s day.

This stage inside the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts was surprisingly small. The Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra had supplied a hand full of musicians who performed in the wings at stage left. Having seen several productions as I researched the poster, I was quite familiar with the story which allowed me the freedom to ignore the subtitle translations projected above the stage. Being in a crowded audience made sketching a challenge since it would be distracting to illuminate the sketch. When I squeezed one of my water brushes, it broke and became a water cannon. It shot at Terry by mistake.

Cosi was a lighthearted comic opera that is easy to digest even for a novice opera fan.

The Orlando Ballet brings the magic of Coppélia to the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts.

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On April 30th I went to the Dr. Philips Center for the Performing Arts to sketch a dress rehearsal of Coppélia. In Greek Coppélia means “young lady” and this comic ballet premiered in 1870. The performance was set to he music of Léo Delibes. Terry decided that she wanted to see this rehearsal, so she met me in front of the Center. When I opened the stage door, I was surprised to see a crowd of journalists. At Earth Day, I bumped into Jim Cundiff, the Interim Executive Director at the Orlando Ballet. He told me about an exciting collaboration between the Ballet, Orlando Philharmonic, and Central Florida Community Arts. It turned out that this rehearsal was the platform to officially announce this collaboration.

Robert Hill, the Ballet’s Artistic Director, David Shilhammer, the Executive Director of the Orlando Philharmonic and Joshua Vickery the founder and Executive Director of Central Florida Community Arts stood on stage before the rehearsal.  Since it’s inception in 1974, the Orlando Ballet has relied on recorded music for it’s performances. Starting in October of 2015, the Philharmonic Orchestra will perform in the pit to bring all future ballet performances to life. David Shilhammer explained that recorded music limits the performers from taking chances and varying their rhythm and timing, The orchestra can adapt to each performance allowing for greater flexibility. In April of 2016 the Ballet will collaborate with Central Florida Community Arts which has 800 singers in multiple choirs. This is a win win for all the organizations and audiences. As the Dr. Phillips Center was being constructed, critics assumed that local arts groups would never stand to benefit. This incredible collaboration proves that they can and will endure.

Coppélia concerns an inventor, Dr Coppelius, who has made a life-size dancing doll.
It is so lifelike that Franz, a village youth, becomes infatuated with
it and sets aside his true heart’s desire, Swanhilde. She shows him his
folly by dressing as the doll, pretending to make it come to life and
ultimately saving him. The rehearsal was playful and magical. The mechanical dance choreography was delightful. I had never seen this ballet and I am glad I finally did. I also admired the gorgeous painted backdrops which had a rich deep impressionistic use of color. I would think that the dancers might hold back a bit in a rehearsal, but everyone danced full out. Many of their athletic moves defied gravity.

Mark Your Calendars! The remaining performances of  Coppélia are today May 2nd at 11am and 8pm and May 3rd at 2pm at the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts 445 South Magnolia Avenue

Orlando, FL. Tickets  starting at $38.75 are available online or at the box office. This really is an amazing production, and bring your kids, they will love it too.

Looking ahead…

October 30- November 1, 2015 Gisselle with music by the Orlando Philharmonic.

December 17 – 20, 2015 Nutrcacker with music by the Orlando Philharmonic.

February 5-7, 2016 the world premiere of The Firebird with music by the Orlando Philharmonic.

March 18-20, 2016 Don Quixote with music by the Orlando Philharmonic.

April 29-May 1, 2016 the world premiere of Beauty and the Beast with Central Florida Community Arts.

Rimma Bergeron-Langlois rehearsed a stunning Sibelius Violin Concerto.

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As part of the Music Director Candidate search, Leslie B. Dunner, conducted the Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra. I sketched an open rehearsal on March 20th at the Bob Carr Theatre. The Bob Carr used to be a Theatre but new orange letters were put up announcing it as a theater. Theater is the English spelling while Theatre is used everywhere else. There is no difference in meaning. Some Americans make distinctions, for instance, that a theater is a
venue while theatre is an art form, or that a theater is a movie theater
while a theatre is a drama venue. If that is the case, the Bob Carr had been demoted since the Dr. Phillips Performing Arts Center opened, from an art form to a venue.

When solo violinist Rimma Bergeron-Langlois walked on stage, she smiled at the Director and took her place standing in front of the violin section. I knew immediately that this would be an amazing rehearsal. She was relaxed and ready. Leslie B. Dunner is the final Music Director Candidate to conduct the Philharmonic. The Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra’s international search for a new
Music Director was announced in the spring of 2013. Over 12 months, a
committee comprised of orchestra musicians and community members spent
over 2000+ hours to screen a slate over more than 275 candidates from
around the world to  choose five finalists, who each conducted a
classical program during the 2014-2015 season. The orchestra plans to
announce its new Music Director in Spring 2015. The finalists were, Alondra de la Parra, Steven Jarvi, Eric Jacobsen, Dirk Meyer, and Leslie B. Dunner.

After the first half of the rehearsal was over and the orchestra was taking a break, Michael McLeod came over to say hello. He joked with me that Denise Sudler had noticed that I had sketched her at my art opening at Maxine’s and that she hadn’t granted consent allowing me to sketch her visage. I countered that there was plausible deniabitity. She is just 1/2 inch high in the sketch, it could very well be Wendy Wallenberg who had posed several times to try and get in the sketch. I first met Wendy when I sat on stage in the Orlando Shakespeare Theatre and sketched the audience. She was in the front row. I’m surprised she didn’t get up and stand on stage in front of me to block my view of the audience. She missed that opportunity.

Back to the rehearsal. Rimma’s loose sweater flowed and her pony tail bobbed as she performed. The Sibelius concerto was complex crisp and uplifting. It is amazing how so many instruments can blend their sounds to express a universal joy that is greater than any single sound. Yet the violin rejoiced in it’s liberating sound. There is a magic in experiencing a live orchestration like this. There were some fits and stops as Leslie inspired subtleties from different instruments. He was all about precision and purity of performance. Michael felt that Leslie was doing an amazing job conducting. I haven’t seen all the conductors perform so I don’t feel qualified to judge. I did see Alondra de la Parra conduct and I was swept away with her playful vigor. Only the musicians truly know which conductor inspired them to give their all. If you want to see what audiences are saying, you can find #OPOsNewMaestro. Let the voting begin.

The Orlando Philharmonic Series Program 1 Featured Music Director Finalist Alondra de la Parra

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I went to a rehearsal at the Bob Carr Performing Arts Center for the Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra. Music Director Alondra de la Parra was conducting. I sat a few rows back from the stage and started sketching. As the orchestra warmed up with the usual cacophony of unrelated instrumentation, I blocked in the stage and seating arrangement. Since Conductor Christopher Wilkins left, the orchestra has been looking for a new conductor. Apparently it is a buyers market since so many orchestras have had to fold or cut back after the financial crisis in 2008. Ten people make up the selection panel. Half of the panel are musicians from the Orchestra and half are civilians. There were many applicants for the conductor’s position. If any one person on the selection committee voted no, then that conductor was removed from the list. Five conductors remain after that process.

Alondra is in her 30’s and brought an undeniable energy to the rehearsal. The first piece rehearsed was Symphony Number 1 by Gustav Mahler. The music moved along lyrically and then built in energy and drive. There were moments of absolute magic that could lift you up to defy gravity.  Because it was a rehearsal, there were moments where the music stopped and Allondra asked a single section of the orchestra to perform their part and she helped them become more unified or crisp in their parts. “It’s all about placement and color.” she said. She could have been talking about a sketch.

The next piece was Danzon Number 2 by Arturo Manquez from her native Mexico. At times the music was brash with a high spirited exuberance. My foot was tapping to the off beat and I couldn’t stop my body from moving to the beat. This had to be the first time I felt like I should get up and dance in the isles as the orchestra performed. “Keep it fresh and spirited.” Alondra said. Then suddenly much of the orchestra grew quiet as a core group of players performed with a slow authority. She explained that these were the old timers who knew how to keep a performance simple and real. When the piece was over, Alondra complimented the soloist saying, “Great solo, you may not know it, but you are part Cuban.” She brought an amazing new energy to the orchestra and Orlando would be lucky to have her if she is selected as the new Music Director. She has a few commitments with an orchestra in Mexico and Japan, but hopefully that wouldn’t interfere if she were to be selected as the orchestra’s new Music Director. Each of the four other finalists will be featured conductors in the coming months. I hope to watch to see what each brings to the table.

Party @ The Plaza

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The Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra has officially bought and moved into the Plaza Live Theater (425 N. Bumby Ave, Orlando, FL). The Plaza Live Theater has a long standing reputation of bringing world renowned musical talent to Orlando. Terry and I have gone here in the past to hear Michelle Shocked, Beau Soleil, The Mummies, and Gordon Lightfoot. The Philharmonic intends to maintain the traditional high standards. Since the new Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts doesn’t have a hall acoustically appropriate for an orchestra, the Plaza will give the Philharmonic a place to rehearse and perform.

The Party @ The Plaza on January 25th was a sort of housewarming and fundraiser for the Orchestra and the Plaza Live. The front parking lot was surrounded by metal barricades to discourage party crashers.  Catering was supplied by Bubbalou’s Bodacious BBQ.  Terry got me a pork and coleslaw “Sunday” that was delicious that I ate while I sketched. The Flat Mountain Band kicked off the evening at 6:30pm on the outdoor stage. There were four other stages inside the Plaza Live and even in the former Russian Ballet School. That ballet school is now in the Mills 50 District. The Dance space was converted into a piano lounge. I went in to listen to Dottie Clendenin perform light classical music. Unfortunately any time the door was opened, the Flat Mountain Bands music would waft in. On top of that, people would stand in the doorway talking while keeping the door ajar. The two musical forms didn’t play well together.

Brian T. Wilson kept Terry company while I sketched. He kept us company throughout the evening. It made us feel like we were the “cool kids” for once. The Jackson Creek String Band performed in the lobby of the Plaza Live. I’m almost certain I’ve heard them perform their lively blend of folk music before. From there, we went into the main stage area where Michael Andrew was performing with his Atomic Big Band. We sat next to Alyson Innes and Jose Fajardo.  Alyson is on the Fringe board with Terry so they always have plenty to gossip about.

Michael introduced David Shillhammer with so much musical gusto that was absolutely hilarious. David pulled raffle tickets for some amazing prizes. Winners ran up onto the stage with as much enthusiasm as you would see on “The Price is Right!” Terry and I mixed it up on the dance floor and then got our photo taken by a Photo Mingle which is a large screen TV that allows people to draw on and manipulate the photo. Photo Mingle was invented by local resident Mike Underwood in his garage.

The Barber of Seville: Press, Blogger, Tweet Night

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On October 23rd there was The Barber of Seville: Press, Blogger, Tweet Night, at the Bob Carr Performing Arts Centre (401 W Livingston St, Orlando, FL), which was the final dress rehearsal before the show opened. An usher informed me that there was no photography allowed, but I was ready with my sketchbook. I had to use the book light to see, but thankfully there was no one seated near me. The Orlando Philharmonic’s semi staged operas usually have the orchestra on stage but for this production they have been moved to the music pit. Emily Lindahl, the Philharmonic)s PR person, said that the musicians are much happier down there. For her there is magic in seeing the musicians lit from below like a Degas painting. It feels more like an age old opera. Projections kept the simple set lively.

The Barber of Seville  by Rossini opened October 25. The 3-hour production left me plenty of time to sketch in the first act. Since I was busy sketching, I didn’t have time to read the subtitles. In general the Opera seems to be about a lecherous barber Wooing a married woman. She instantly fell in love when he sang to her as she stood on her balcony. There were several funny scenes where her husband wandered outside and the barber hid by lying on his back like a rug, or pretending to be a bush. The old man must have pretty bad eye sight. No wonder his wife’s attention wandered.

I only know the music because Bugs Bunny and Elmer Fudd performed in dueling barber chairs. One scene reminded me of the one aria sung by Citizen Kane‘s mousy girlfriend. The opera was actually based on the novel Salammbô by Gustave Flaubert, which was a much more straightforward sword-and-sandals story of a princess, barbarians and that sort of thing. Susan Alexander Kane just didn’t have the chops for the job. In the Orlando Philharmonic Barber of Seville production however the music was sublime. My mind just always wanders as I sketch.

Mark your Calendar! You only hare one more chance to see the Barber of Seville!  

The next performance is October 27, 2 p.m.

Venue: Bob Carr Performing Arts Centre

Address: 401 W. Livingston St.

Phone: (407) 770-0071

Web Site: http://www.orlandophil.org

Price: $20-$82

Symphony in HD

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I went to an Orlando Philharmonic rehearsal for “Symphony in HD” at Full Sail University. This is the second time the symphony has joined forces with Full Sail to stage a high tech concert. The orchestra, conducted by Music Director Christopher Wilkins, will be accompanied by animation, film, lighting effects and other visual elements created by students and faculty of Full Sail University. Jay Noble, the Event producer said, “Through this dynamic collaboration, our students and staff are challenged with creating a unique and larger than life visual environment that will become an extension of selections performed by the Philharmonic.”

The concert began with a twilight set by Vilaldi‘s “Spring” from The Four Seasons. There was a bit of a challenge getting the cues straight to be sure the Orchestra and the effects were in sync. “The Flight of the Bumble Bee” by Rimsky-Korsakov had a film that tracked a bumble bee’s flight. Singer Davis Gaines came out much later in the program to sing “Music of the Night” from Phantom of the Opera. Davis had performed as the phantom in the Broadway production by Andrew Lloyd Webber. Davis walked around the room as he sang, interacting with people who had come to the rehearsal. He glanced at my sketch and gave me a thumbs up. I felt bad because I had squeezed him in as an after thought and it didn’t look much like him.

The actual Gala concert was on Friday May 31st. Guests had drinks and hors d’oeuvres along with a silent auction on Full Sail’s Hollywood style film set on the back lot facility. They then had a three course meal in Full Sail live where the concert was held. The William Tell Overture had a guest conductor, Bryce West, who had won the opportunity in an auction. He did a bang up job. Christopher Wilkins will be stepping down as the Orlando Philharmonic conductor. His contract is not being renewed in 2014.

Cirque De La Symphonie

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Merrill Lynch was a primary sponsor for the Cirque De La Symphonie concert on March 30th. Terry invited quite a few of her clients to the concert and the VIP reception held beforehand at the Bob Carr. I started sketching the buffet while Terry entertained clients. Within moments the line for Food grew. I was faced with a wall of people’s backs and an occasional glimpse at the spread. Outside, the sun set causing the sky to flash orange. For the longest time I left the middle table empty because I couldn’t catch a glimpse of it. Carol Connor joked that by the time I finished the sketch, the food would all be gone so leaving the table empty might be correct. When my sketch was done, the line had died down so I quickly ate a small plate of food as the lights flashed to get people seated in the theater. Merrill Lynch financial advisers purchased tickets for their clients to attend the concert. David Shilhammer announced that it was the largest number of tickets ever sold to a single corporate sponsor.

At the concert, Cirque and the Orlando Philharmonic collaborated in a thrilling program featuring music by Bizet, Tchaikovsky, Dvorak and others. Acrobats, contortionists, jugglers and strongmen performed and aerialists soared overhead as the orchestra supplied the musical suspense. Elena Tsarkova did an amazing act in which she performed quick costume changes on stage in a matter of seconds behind a glittering curtain. I have no idea how it was done but every woman should see this act to realize it shouldn’t take long to get dressed to go out.

When Elena performed as a contortionist, Terry leaned over and said, “I bet you would like to sketch her.” She was right.

Madama Butterfly

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 Terry got two tickets to see Madama Butterfly‘s final performance at the Bob Carr Performing Arts Centre. Our seats were in the third row which gave me plenty of ambient light to sketch by. From this seat I had a good view of the projections behind the orchestra created by Lisa Buck. The images lap dissolved gently together working as backdrops and symbolic visual cues. It was often like a slow gentle animation. By the time Butterfly began her all night vigil hoping for her lover to return, I had finished my sketch and tucked it away.

At 15 year of age, Butterfly marries an American Naval Lieutenant named B.F. Pinkerton. He abandons her and she later gives birth to his son, whom she names Sorrow. The final act is heart wrenching and beautiful as the Lieutenant, returned with his American Bride. This scene of abandonment and betrayal had Terry wiping tears from her eyes. I looked around to see utter sadness on the faces of audience members around me. This was Terry’s review…  “Congratulations to director Robert Swedberg, the Orlando Philharmonic and a fine cast (including Erik Branch and Sarah Purser Bojorquez) on an outstanding performance of Madame Butterfly. The amazing thing is that it didn’t feel like concert opera. The simpleness of the setting and the direction made the story and music more powerful for me in a way that it has never been before. The soprano was outstanding with a good range and musicality and acting that drove me (and just about everyone I could see around me) to tears. Seriously, I’ve seen the opera so many times and I never heard so much in the score before. The music told me more the story and the characters than the words in the super titles did. WOW!!!!!!!!! GREAT JOB!!!!!!!”

Robert Swedberg was the Opera director when Orlando still had an Opera Company. The Opera went bankrupt several years ago. Since then Robert has been directing operas in Michigan and all over the country. He returned to direct this one production and he had to fly back to Michigan immediately after he took a final bow with the cast. His next project is directing an original Opera by Orlando composer Stella Sung called The Red Silk Thread, about Marco Polo.

Madama Butterfly

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There are just two performances of the Orlando Philharmonic‘s production of Giacomo Puccini‘s, Madama Butterfly. One performance is tonight (April 5th) at 8pm and the other performance is Sunday (April 7th) at 2PM. You can get tickets at orlandophil.org, or at the Bob Carr Performing Arts Center box office two hours before each show.

I went to a dress rehearsal. I entered via the stage door at the same time as the set designer Lisa Buck. This was a semi-staged production, so the set was kept pretty simple. A really nice touch was that Lisa projected images on a large screen behind the orchestra. The images would change between each emotional shift in the opera.  Over 100 of the gorgeous images added much to the production.

Since I was sketching, I didn’t have time to look up at the closed caption translations above the stage. Since I was seated in the front rows I would have had to crane my neck. I’ve seen Madama Butterfly before however so I knew the story. If you have never seen an opera before, then I would encourage you to see butterfly. It could very well make you a convert.

Before the opera began, a gardener shuffled out and raked the gravel in the rock garden. He might not be a major character in the plot but I had to catch him. In the first act, Benjamin Franklin Pinkerton, a lieutenant in the U.S. Navy, played by Brian Jagde, fell in love with Cio-Cio San, Madam Butterfly played by Shu-Ying Li and there is a glorious marriage ceremony. Butterfly converts to Pinkerton’s christian faith to be closer to him and she is renounced by her uncle a Buddhist priest. Pinkerton leaves Japan and three years later Butterfly is penniless with his son who she named sorrow.

Butterfly hears the sound of a cannon from the harbor and she is sure that Pinkerton’s ship has returned. She stands vigil overnight, waiting and ever hopeful. Pinkerton does finally return, but with his American wife. Love lost leads to tragic consequences.