In Santa Fe there's a city ordinance from all the way back in 1958 that all new buildings have to look like the rest of Santa Fe, with flat roofs and adobe walls (or "faux-dobe," as most of the newer buildings are). I'm wondering if there's an ordinance I don't know about, requiring the use of batik wall hangings, dream catchers, and Navajo blankets in all interior design. I'm guessing not.
Which brings to my philosophical question of the day: Do people who move here naturally have an affinity for combining silver and turquoise, and hanging drums as wall art, and handcrafted pottery? Or is it not until they are already here and have been wooed by the siren song of green chiles that they find themselves drawn to wrought iron door handles, and wall paint the color of egg yolks, and terracotta tiles? Is it nature, or is it nurture?
A friend of mine who has worked here for many years gave me only one piece of advice about summering in Santa Fe. "Resist the urge to buy home furnishings here," he told me, "because they ONLY look good in Santa Fe. I guarantee, whatever it is, it will not look good in your house."
I've only been here a week, but I seem to be resisting the urge quite easily. It all looks right here, like it's supposed to be here, but Santa Fe style is just not my thing.
I think I'm leaning toward nature.
Home on the Road: Kelly Kaduce
Lately it's felt like I'm in a constant dilemma about what I want to do with my life, and it's not because I don't enjoy my work. I find so much pleasure and satisfaction in it, and there are even aspects of the lifestyle that suit me very well. I haven't yet, however, quite figured out how to be happy on the road, especially when I'm away from my CameraMan and my Bossy Cat. I thought it might be illuminating to me (and maybe to you, too) to ask some people who have been doing this longer than I have: How in the world do you do it?
I'm so pleased that soprano Kelly Kaduce agreed to be my first guinea pig. First off, she's kind of a rock star (come visit me in Santa Fe, and you can see her sing the title role of Madame Butterfly!) Not only that, but she is one of the loveliest, most down-to-earth (and FUN) people I know. I think you'll enjoy her thoughtful answers. And while you're at it, you can become a fan of her on Facebook!
Kelly has been on the road singing for about 10 years. In the past 12 months, she has been at home (in Houston) for exactly 96 days, and in the same place as her husband for 137 days (which includes their time spent singing two operas together).
Forthwith, the interview:
LMB: Do you have any stuff that you always bring with you when you travel to make you feel more at home on the road?
KK: Besides the obvious singer things, the three constants I always bring with me are my yoga mat, my running shoes, and my Ugg slippers!
LMB: Do you have any special routines to help you acclimate quickly in a new place?
KK: I do have a routine when I arrive to a new place. I always try to arrive in the afternoon so I can take the time to unpack fully and go grocery shopping. Sometimes I find myself re-arranging so the place feels like my own or doing some cleaning. I also like to arrange my exercise routine immediately. I find if I don't set up a regimen in the first week, I won't do it at all for the duration of my stay.
LMB: I'm just about to take my cat on a plane for the first time. You travel with your adorable dog Lulu quite a bit—any advice on traveling with a pet?
KK: I have a GREAT travel bag for Lulu that is a backpack from Celltei. She has come to love it and just curls up to sleep for the duration of the travel. She also has her own little travel pack with everything she needs (Heartgard, 2 toys, brush, etc). Anything big, like her dog food, I buy when I arrive. If we have the luxury of driving to the gig, I take more things like her dog bed. I try to take her for a long walk shortly after our arrival so she can "get to know" the neighborhood. It seems like that long walk sets her at ease and we can begin the new routine for the next month or so.
One last tip...if you are flying with your pet for the first time and are unsure of how they will react, make sure you pick up some Children's Benadryl in the dye-free liquid with a dropper measurement for kids. If they start acting up and you cannot control them, you can give them half of the recommended dose for kids. This is a harmless way to encourage them to sleep during the travel.
LMB: You and your husband (baritone Lee Gregory) spend so much time apart, but you two seem to have figured out how to make it work. What's your secret?
KK: Ok, I have been asked this question a lot lately. I am not sure there is a secret key. It has certainly not always been easy nor have we been without hardships. After about 11 years together, ultimately what has worked for us is to keep no secrets. We have a little joke: if you don't want to tell your spouse something, it means you MUST. I think the difficult part of this is learning to listen without becoming defensive.
LMB: I always struggle with keeping to a workout routine when I'm away from home. You are in amazing shape—how do you maintain it?
KK: Try to find something you like enough to keep you coming back to it. I prefer Yoga and long distance running. Sometimes I throw other things in there just to get my rear end off the couch and to keep me diverted. I love yoga because it is a great de-stressor and seems to compliment the singing process. I love running because you can explore a city and it gives you a great "high". Since I know what I like to do for exercise, I look up a yoga studio before I arrive in the city.
As for running, I try to do it outside. I use a website called MapMyRun to find good paths. I also have a GPS watch that tracks my distance. If the weather is going to be cold, I bring appropriate outdoor gear (more junk in the suitcase), or try to find a treadmill somewhere. I tell you, running is my FAVORITE! I have learned the majority of my roles while running. When you are limited to the treadmill, you can do all sorts of things! I have done research on YouTube while running, worked on memorization, and I even occasionally watch movies! Basically, I have turned exercising into a hobby to do while on the road.
LMB: In order to have the kind of career you have, you have to be willing to be on the road a lot of the time. What makes it worthwhile for you?
KK: I guess what makes it worthwhile for me is the community of musicians that you get to work with. I LOVE the people in the opera business. They are intelligent, interesting, bizarre, intriguing, generous, inspiring, funny....and so on. I also find great joy in putting on an opera. I love the rehearsal process and the challenges and joys that it brings. The challenge of trying to reach a perfection that is unattainable really speaks to me. Kind of like a dog chasing its own tail!
Not everything I do is great or worth mentioning, but every now and then I get a comment or a message from a person about how a performance touched them in a very personal way and then it all seems worthwhile!
LMB: And finally, give us KELLY KADUCE'S TIPS FOR SINGERS.
KK:
1. You should tip your make up artist and dresser.
2. Ladies, when you are in your big gowns with trains and need to go to the bathroom, sit down FACING the flusher!
3. Try to find out ASAP what your costume is and ask if you can get those pieces for rehearsal. (I find this very helpful if you have to sing in a corset or in some crazy shoes!)
4. Don't be defensive when you are receiving music notes or directorial notes. They aren't personal attacks. You want to be your best and everyone wants your best. It's always a collaboration.
5. When in doubt, use the Scotto defense. When given a note that you don't agree with, try this. "Ok, I try....(then do it exactly the same way)...Oh yes! This is much better!"
I'm so pleased that soprano Kelly Kaduce agreed to be my first guinea pig. First off, she's kind of a rock star (come visit me in Santa Fe, and you can see her sing the title role of Madame Butterfly!) Not only that, but she is one of the loveliest, most down-to-earth (and FUN) people I know. I think you'll enjoy her thoughtful answers. And while you're at it, you can become a fan of her on Facebook!Kelly has been on the road singing for about 10 years. In the past 12 months, she has been at home (in Houston) for exactly 96 days, and in the same place as her husband for 137 days (which includes their time spent singing two operas together).
Forthwith, the interview:
LMB: Do you have any stuff that you always bring with you when you travel to make you feel more at home on the road?
KK: Besides the obvious singer things, the three constants I always bring with me are my yoga mat, my running shoes, and my Ugg slippers!
KK: I do have a routine when I arrive to a new place. I always try to arrive in the afternoon so I can take the time to unpack fully and go grocery shopping. Sometimes I find myself re-arranging so the place feels like my own or doing some cleaning. I also like to arrange my exercise routine immediately. I find if I don't set up a regimen in the first week, I won't do it at all for the duration of my stay.
LMB: I'm just about to take my cat on a plane for the first time. You travel with your adorable dog Lulu quite a bit—any advice on traveling with a pet?
KK: I have a GREAT travel bag for Lulu that is a backpack from Celltei. She has come to love it and just curls up to sleep for the duration of the travel. She also has her own little travel pack with everything she needs (Heartgard, 2 toys, brush, etc). Anything big, like her dog food, I buy when I arrive. If we have the luxury of driving to the gig, I take more things like her dog bed. I try to take her for a long walk shortly after our arrival so she can "get to know" the neighborhood. It seems like that long walk sets her at ease and we can begin the new routine for the next month or so.
One last tip...if you are flying with your pet for the first time and are unsure of how they will react, make sure you pick up some Children's Benadryl in the dye-free liquid with a dropper measurement for kids. If they start acting up and you cannot control them, you can give them half of the recommended dose for kids. This is a harmless way to encourage them to sleep during the travel.
LMB: You and your husband (baritone Lee Gregory) spend so much time apart, but you two seem to have figured out how to make it work. What's your secret?
KK: Ok, I have been asked this question a lot lately. I am not sure there is a secret key. It has certainly not always been easy nor have we been without hardships. After about 11 years together, ultimately what has worked for us is to keep no secrets. We have a little joke: if you don't want to tell your spouse something, it means you MUST. I think the difficult part of this is learning to listen without becoming defensive.
LMB: I always struggle with keeping to a workout routine when I'm away from home. You are in amazing shape—how do you maintain it?
KK: Try to find something you like enough to keep you coming back to it. I prefer Yoga and long distance running. Sometimes I throw other things in there just to get my rear end off the couch and to keep me diverted. I love yoga because it is a great de-stressor and seems to compliment the singing process. I love running because you can explore a city and it gives you a great "high". Since I know what I like to do for exercise, I look up a yoga studio before I arrive in the city.
As for running, I try to do it outside. I use a website called MapMyRun to find good paths. I also have a GPS watch that tracks my distance. If the weather is going to be cold, I bring appropriate outdoor gear (more junk in the suitcase), or try to find a treadmill somewhere. I tell you, running is my FAVORITE! I have learned the majority of my roles while running. When you are limited to the treadmill, you can do all sorts of things! I have done research on YouTube while running, worked on memorization, and I even occasionally watch movies! Basically, I have turned exercising into a hobby to do while on the road.
LMB: In order to have the kind of career you have, you have to be willing to be on the road a lot of the time. What makes it worthwhile for you?
KK: I guess what makes it worthwhile for me is the community of musicians that you get to work with. I LOVE the people in the opera business. They are intelligent, interesting, bizarre, intriguing, generous, inspiring, funny....and so on. I also find great joy in putting on an opera. I love the rehearsal process and the challenges and joys that it brings. The challenge of trying to reach a perfection that is unattainable really speaks to me. Kind of like a dog chasing its own tail!
Not everything I do is great or worth mentioning, but every now and then I get a comment or a message from a person about how a performance touched them in a very personal way and then it all seems worthwhile!
LMB: And finally, give us KELLY KADUCE'S TIPS FOR SINGERS.
KK:
1. You should tip your make up artist and dresser.
2. Ladies, when you are in your big gowns with trains and need to go to the bathroom, sit down FACING the flusher!
3. Try to find out ASAP what your costume is and ask if you can get those pieces for rehearsal. (I find this very helpful if you have to sing in a corset or in some crazy shoes!)
4. Don't be defensive when you are receiving music notes or directorial notes. They aren't personal attacks. You want to be your best and everyone wants your best. It's always a collaboration.
5. When in doubt, use the Scotto defense. When given a note that you don't agree with, try this. "Ok, I try....(then do it exactly the same way)...Oh yes! This is much better!"
The hills are alive
There was no lazy Sunday for me this weekend, no sir. Sure, it was a free(ish) day, but that didn't stop me from going on a hike. And not just any hike; I'm talking 5 hours, 12 miles, 2,000 feet up (to a total of 12,000) and back down. Apparently, I am not yet acclimated to the altitude. How else to explain the ridiculous wheezing that started up almost the minute the hike began and continued until we reached the top of the mountain, where, I would like to add, it was SNOWING. Thank goodness there was a little Hikers Hut up there. We huddled inside eating Turkish Delight while the wind died down, and then we went back down the mountain, which was SO MUCH BETTER than going up.
And then I got home and tried to take a nap, with no success. Which was really a shame, considering that tech rehearsal started at 9pm, and dinner was served at midnight, and I didn't get into my bed until 3am, and then was back at work at 9am. I'm telling you this, not so that you will feel sorry for me or anything, but as explanation of why I'm going to stop writing now, post a few hike pictures, and then wish you all good night. It's 9 o'clock, and I'm fading fast.
This week I'm excited to debut a new Bossy Feature called Home on the Road, in which I interview singers and other nomadic opera types about traveling and being away from home. Tomorrow will be the inaugural installment, so be sure to check it out if you're interested in the "glamorous" life of an opera professional.
In the meantime, here's some pretty...
Happy weekend!
First and most importantly, happy birthday to Mama Bossy! You know she's my mother because to celebrate the day she and Papa Bossy traveled several hours to see a production of Wozzeck. What do you all have planned for the weekend? We start rehearsals Monday morning, so I'll be taking it easy as much as possible, until Sunday night when we have one of Santa Fe's famous 9pm to 2:30am tech sessions. Apparently the temperature sometimes drops below freezing, and there's a meal served at midnight. Exciting stuff.
Until then...
I loved this article about little boys auditioning to be Billy Elliot. It's an intense process!
This is amazing. Just. Amazing.
I can't wait until we're living in Europe just a stone's throw from all the beautiful places.
I totally forgot to brag that CameraMan had a photo credit in the Washington Post! It's little online, but in the paper his picture was enormous! He is a rock star. I always wanted to be a rock star's girlfriend.
I waited too long, and now this dress doesn't exist in my size anymore. Sad.
Hope your weekend is filled with fresh berries, and lemonade, and freckles. xoxo LMB
Until then...
I loved this article about little boys auditioning to be Billy Elliot. It's an intense process!
This is amazing. Just. Amazing.
I can't wait until we're living in Europe just a stone's throw from all the beautiful places.
I totally forgot to brag that CameraMan had a photo credit in the Washington Post! It's little online, but in the paper his picture was enormous! He is a rock star. I always wanted to be a rock star's girlfriend.
I waited too long, and now this dress doesn't exist in my size anymore. Sad.
Hope your weekend is filled with fresh berries, and lemonade, and freckles. xoxo LMB
Summer wind
The wind came up out of nowhere, which I'm told is what all Santa Fe weather patterns do. Well, not exactly out of nowhere. It was casually thundering when I left the house on foot to forage for lunch, but the sun was shining and the sky was full of innocent puffy pillows—not an ominous storm cloud in sight. As a special precaution I took my umbrella. I like to be prepared.
The best thing (although there are many great things to choose from) about my little adobe house is that it is within walking distance of just about everything, except the Opera, which is within walking distance of nothing. So all I had to do was point myself generally northeast (or towards the mountains, if you're directionally challenged), walk 10 minutes or so, and there were dozens of lunch options. I didn't even consult my iPhone. THAT NEVER HAPPENS.
By the time I picked a cozy cafe with outdoor seating under giant umbrellas, the thunder was sounding a bit more meaningful and the perfect blue sky was tending more toward gray. Still, the hostess sat me at a table under an awning, and I settled in with my Kindle and a turkey sandwich with an entire avocado stuffed inside.
And then the wind came up, like I said, out of nowhere. And it wasn't a subtle breeze; it was a full-on "Auntie Em! Auntie Em!" GALE. Rain was pelting down on me and my sandwich, utterly unfazed by the awning, and then all of a sudden there was a huge crash followed by some little crashes, and the staff of the restaurant freaked out. Everyone was shouting, CLOSE THE DOORS! CLOSE THE WINDOWS!, and I just barely made it inside in time. And then I saw what the huge crashes had been about. On the other side of the restaurant, one of those giant umbrellas had flown up in the wind and completely shattered a tall window. There was glass everywhere, giant jagged pieces and thin slivers all over the floor. I sat down as far away as possible to finish my sandwich, and within minutes the glass was swept up, the staff were all checking in to make sure I was okay (even though I hadn't been anywhere near the accident), and the sun was shining again. My waitress was so friendly and considerate, and we ended up chatting about it being my first day in town, and the craziness of the Santa Fe weather. She had been a bartender at the Opera last summer, and she assured me that it was an incredible bunch of people, just the nicest group you could find, and that I would love it there.
Today was my first day of work, a gorgeous sunny day, and you know what? I can already tell that waitress was totally right.
The best thing (although there are many great things to choose from) about my little adobe house is that it is within walking distance of just about everything, except the Opera, which is within walking distance of nothing. So all I had to do was point myself generally northeast (or towards the mountains, if you're directionally challenged), walk 10 minutes or so, and there were dozens of lunch options. I didn't even consult my iPhone. THAT NEVER HAPPENS.
By the time I picked a cozy cafe with outdoor seating under giant umbrellas, the thunder was sounding a bit more meaningful and the perfect blue sky was tending more toward gray. Still, the hostess sat me at a table under an awning, and I settled in with my Kindle and a turkey sandwich with an entire avocado stuffed inside.
And then the wind came up, like I said, out of nowhere. And it wasn't a subtle breeze; it was a full-on "Auntie Em! Auntie Em!" GALE. Rain was pelting down on me and my sandwich, utterly unfazed by the awning, and then all of a sudden there was a huge crash followed by some little crashes, and the staff of the restaurant freaked out. Everyone was shouting, CLOSE THE DOORS! CLOSE THE WINDOWS!, and I just barely made it inside in time. And then I saw what the huge crashes had been about. On the other side of the restaurant, one of those giant umbrellas had flown up in the wind and completely shattered a tall window. There was glass everywhere, giant jagged pieces and thin slivers all over the floor. I sat down as far away as possible to finish my sandwich, and within minutes the glass was swept up, the staff were all checking in to make sure I was okay (even though I hadn't been anywhere near the accident), and the sun was shining again. My waitress was so friendly and considerate, and we ended up chatting about it being my first day in town, and the craziness of the Santa Fe weather. She had been a bartender at the Opera last summer, and she assured me that it was an incredible bunch of people, just the nicest group you could find, and that I would love it there.
Today was my first day of work, a gorgeous sunny day, and you know what? I can already tell that waitress was totally right.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
LinkWithin
Posts
