New Best Thing Ever

In the genre of music video that pokes fun at the genre of music video, this ranks. Period.

Under the Influence...

... of red wine from the Oddone vineyard in Healdsburg, CA and inspired by the ridiculous beauty of the place, Irene Hsiao and I (a.k.a. Big Pants Dance Club), created a little site-specific drama on Sunday afternoon for our generous hosts, Pier and Barbara Oddone. (And no, I'm not scowling; that's just what my face looks like when I'm thinking.)

I like your smile, but unlike you put your shoes on my face.

People, this is the funniest thing you are going to see ALL YEAR.

"Metatheatrical Mozart" in The Opera Quarterly

Aw, just tooting my own horn. It's a new article! All my own. Read the advance access version here.

Périchole Plug

If last week's dress rehearsal is anything to go by, Christopher Alden has done it again. His latest staging of La Périchole for New York City Opera is hijinks and hilarity. Having worked with Christopher on a number of pretty dark productions -- Aida (dark), Orfeo (super dark), and Clemenza di Tito (black as pitch) -- I didn't see this coming. But as it turns out, he's a comic genius.

Thankfully, Christopher had Kevin Burdette on hand to do a lot of the funny stuff. Burdette plays the (French-speaking) Viceroy of Peru and he is the living incarnation of Peter Sellers. In addition to being a first-rate opera singer, he's a professional clown. Not really. But he could be.

On the other hand, if you're a complete bummer like this person at the Associated Press who apparently ate worms for breakfast, maybe you shouldn't go. Alternately, you could trust the guy sitting next to me at the dress who whispered to his girlfriend halfway through the second act (I'm not making this up!) "I think I just peed my pants." You may pee yours. It's that good. Go. Go now.

Why is this so awesome?

From the brain of Alex Overington's kid sister. I can't explain what's going on in this video, but I know it's pure genius.

This Thursday, Cornelia St. Café

This Thursday, March 28th, I will be singing Elliot Cole's gorgeous but unsettling Babinigar song cycle -- "Babinigar" is an Afghan song cycle with overtones you might recognize from "Cinderella" and other tales featuring wandering, redemptive women.

6p at the Cornelia St. Café with the Curtis Institute of Music Trio Jordan Dodson (guitar), Stanislav Chernyshev (clarinet) and Gabriel Cabezas (cello). Preview the tunes at babinigar.com.

Map it.