It was a stellar cast, and there were incredible moments, but I walked out feeling strangely disconnected, a feeling I do not usually experience leaving the opera. Steven Blier and I were in San Fransisco to perform a recital together, and we went to go see Don Carlo at SFO. Secondly, there is something about the darkness and brutality of the Verdi vibe that just doesn’t lend itself to what I love so much about the creation of this art form. Firstly, I was not born with a Verdian instrument, so the music hasn’t been on my performance radar whatsoever.

This being said, I feel totally inadequate and out of my element in a Verdi rehearsal room. Even the covers for the leading roles are absolutely world-class. My first production here at the LA Opera is Verdi’s Macbeth, with Placido Domingo singing the title role, and a cast of some of the most brilliantly produced voices I’ve ever been around. To have a brand new home base for the next few years is a very special thing, and I’m very pleased (and relieved) to say that it is a great fit. Of course, I have inklings of missing Manhattan, but The West has a wonderful, strange mysticism that I am enjoying thoroughly. I love LA’s stark polar-oppositeness to New York. Exploring new places is always a perk of this job, but even more so now that I have the ability to drive, which I haven’t for the past 23 years. It has been such a beautiful move in so many ways.

Today’s blog post is less about a particular song and rather what I have been experiencing as of late after having made the move from New York City to Los Angeles, where I just joined the young artist program at LA Opera.

Verdi opera originally titled the curse