The Wolf and the Lamb at Crittenden

Got to visit the Crittenden Summer Opera Workshop this past Thursday for a rehearsal of my children's opera The Wolf and the Lamb. It was great fun to work with all the singers, see another director's take on the staging, and especially to encourage the singers and the pianist to explore all different styles--especially styles of vocal production--in performing the music (blues, rock, funky, speech-like, caricature-operatic, etc.). It looks like rehearsing my music is often going to involve giving the performers permission to have fun with their instruments/voices in ways they are not used to, even in ways they may think aren't "proper."... and that's fine with me! My thanks go to Richard Crittenden and Elizabeth Vrenios for choosing my opera as part of their workshop and to the staff and singers for helping it come to life.