"Futures" Sticker Shock

Holy Cow!!! After conferring with my neighbor about which operas he and his wife want to see and on which day of the week, yesterday I purchased 2 subscriptions for the Saturday 6 series at the Met, Grand Tier Rear. The total was just under $2000. On my credit card. Divided into four payments. At least there's that. And the neighbor is taking 4 of the 6 performances so I'll get a chunk of the money back... but still... when they gave me the total, I think my heart rate increased a little. But now I am guaranteed tickets in the Grand Tier Rear for the two operas I want to see, Cosi fan tutti and Le Comte Ory. My neighbor will be keeping the Armida tickets and trading the others. I'll have to do it for them since the subscription is in my name, but I don't mind. I had originally wanted to go mid-week because the tickets are about $50 cheaper per seat, but then I figured that since I always take the next day off from work which is a "loss" of way more than $50, I still come out ahead by going on Saturday. Also there was no mid-week series with the two operas both in it. So now I am set and don't have to worry about switching tickets for myself. Plus, if Husband comes with me (as I may insist he do for Le Comte) we'll have an easier time finding a babysitter. I already know who wants to come along to Cosi.

And the best thing of all is, I don't have to sit around the day single tickets go on sale to the general public, waiting to get through online or on the phone!

As far as what to wear to these events... well, that all depends on how much ice-cream I eat this summer.

Funding Options

Still working on the voice lesson and opera ticket funds. Here's the latest set of earrings. Click to enlarge the photo.



Think of me for all your birthday and holiday gift-giving needs! Join the group here to see the full inventory.

Successfully Ticketed

Well, what a difference from last year, when I waited 2 hours to spend $200.

Today at noon I had my computer logged on and the phone in my hand. Called once, was a smidge too early and the lines weren't open yet. Called again, got right through, was on hold for about a minute, spoke with a person, ordered tickets for Carmen in January and Die Zauberflote in April. I then looked at the computer to see that the seating section page was only just loading. So this year it took me 5 minutes to spend $450. Someone else I knew had the hardest time getting through. Like last year, his tickets kept getting released from his cart because the system took so long to navigate from page to page. For both performances we're in the Grand Tier, Row E, center section.

So just now, on a lark, I thought, "Hey, let's see if the system is blocked up now."

Nope. Got right in. Looked at La Fille. Found myself putting the two front and center balcony seats into the cart for a day in February. Oh look, they already have all my info saved. Click, click there's another $190 spent in 30 seconds after this morning's $450. I'm half expecting my credit card company to call to alert me to unusually large purchases.

Yes, they are large. Large piles of dollars. HOWEVER Banawoman is paying her own way, (I'd treat her if I could afford it!!) AND I expect to be able to sell the extra La Fille ticket to a companion - perhaps my voice teacher... and Husband and I decided that Carmen will be a date out in NYC for ourselves. Yesterday he kept saying, "Don't worry about the money!! We'll have a great time!!" And hey, the tickets will be paid for by then, so the guilt won't seem so pressing. Gotta get over that. So... anyone wanna babysit that night?

It's so tempting to go back and get more, more, more! Click, click, click. The internet is a dangerous place.

Pricey Peer Pressure

Banawoman is trying to convince me to visit her and see this. $30 tickets, now, that's as good as free in the world of opera ticket prices. Luckily for all involved, and you know who you are, the airfare is prohibitively expensive. Even the promise of free room and board AND a chocolate on my pillow doesn't make up for the fact that for the same money I can get a Very Good seat at the Met for a full-blown opera. So you can all breathe a sigh of relief - she will be going alone. I will, of course, insist that she come out in April.

But getting back to this, why is it not listed anywhere official? The whole lack of information there continues to confuse me. There's much more here (nice Star Trek thing at the bottom of the page there) and here. If anyone is interested.

Side note: Just got the most amazingly wonderful email from a regular reader. Must go reply asap.

Need...More... Money...

Remember back when I wrote about Firebrand I said I'd go out of my way to see Anna Christy perform again? Well look at this. Anna Christy, Joyce DiDonato, Sam Ramey and many others... Thankfully none of the other upcoming performances appeal to me. But I can only imagine how much tickets for American Voices are going to run. That on top of what I want to see at the Met... eek. Must... sell...more...earrings.

Anyone out there want to buy some earrings? <--- Click that link!! Go ahead! Click it! Look at the photos! Many opera singers out there have a pair (or more) of my creations, including Joyce Didonato, Elizabeth Caballero, Divavixxen and I do believe I gave a pair to Julie Gunn after I saw her perform.

I do believe? As if. I remember every pair. I have pictures of every pair I've ever made.

JDD - green embedded flower earrings with rhinestone rondelles,



And also a pair using the bottom bead in these. It's actually a black bead with two vintage beadcaps.



EC - Vintage orange painted beads - I think it was these, and if not, definitely a pair with those orange beads.



DV- Vintage grey/black oval twisted beads dangling from black tulip beads



JG- Blue I think... embedded flower with blue crystal bicone bead?
(on the far right... I think those are the ones. If not, I think it was something similar. I'm pretty sure they were blue.)



Yep. Sounds about right.

So don't you want to be in good company - all these talented musicians have earrings I've designed! You can too!!

Ok, shameless begging done. Email me if interested. Luindriel@gmail.com.

At Least It's Not Just Opera (and a cat pic too of course)

"Oooohhhh," I thought when I saw that Cirque du Soleil was performing one town over. I've always wanted to go see them. Then I looked at the ticket prices. $95 and $75. Two tickets to that is actually more than two tickets to The Italian Girl in Algiers. No opera, no circus.

Cat pic time, seeing as it's Friday and all.


Diego caught in the act! Of what I'm not sure.

Finally, a quick report on the Future Opera Singer. Good thing he likes opera because he won't be pursuing a career as a piano player if he keeps this up. And of course these things always happen when Husband isn't home. In yesterday's case, he was at a baseball game.

I got a free plastic travel mug at work and gave it to Alex to play with in the bath. The lid comes apart into two pieces. One of the pieces has a hole in it. Silly Mommy wasn't thinking that would be a problem until Alex stuck his finger in it and couldn't get it out! I tried liquid soap, I tried lotion, I tried cutting it off with my flimsy scissors, all to no avail. Finally I called my friend across the street. She came over with an armload of tools, including a pair of heavy duty scissors that finally did the trick. Here she is, 7 1/2 months pregnant, kneeling on my bathroom floor, trying the pliers first. OK, it's just her arms, but I had to throw that pregnancy mention in there.



Thankfully she got him out and I avoided an embarrassing call to 911.

And no, I didn't run to get the camera. I had my iPhone in my hand trying to reach Husband by phone and by text message. He finally called after it was all over, and since everything turned out fine, figured he'd stay until the end of the game. And there's yet another difference between men and women.

Luckily I don't think it's possible to get your vocal cords stuck in a hole... is it???

Stuck in an Expensive Rut?

I love surprises. I guess that's why I love the "all songs - random shuffle" feature of the iPod. However since some of the songs I have on there are entire acts (or more) of operas, it can be kind of dare I say, annoying, when, say, the next song is Acts 3&4 of Romeo et Juliette. On the other hand, it sort of forces you (unless you advance to the next track) to listen to something you might not ordinarily just listen to part of. Like for me, Romeo is such an emotional roller-coaster that I can't always just jump right into the middle. But today, no doubt due to my hormonal makeup, I immediately fell into the bittersweet tragic mood appropriate for the piece. Then later I watched some of the HD/PBS broadcast. Amazing how the music and the singing is so evocative.

On a related note, Johnny O, also known as John Osborn, recently sang Romeo at the Salzburg Festival in Austria and got rave reviews. I'd link to the review but I don't subscribe to the Opera Critic website. However, someone else does so I can paste the review here:

"On this evening, Roméo was sung by the American tenor John Osborn (Rolando Villazon otherwise scheduled for the remaining eight performances). Not only did the newcomer seem completely at ease with the production, but gave a performance which spontaneously brought him ovations from all parts of the house, including the orchestra. Osborn's background in Mozart and the bel canto repertoire form an ideal foundation for his undertaking in roles such as Roméo. His tone is full and appealing, his phrasing generous, and his attack immaculate - with a style and technique most reminiscent of Nicolai Gedda. Latin looks and a good stage presence complete the picture." The Opera critic, Aug 19, 2008

Yay Johnny, way to go!

Rumor has it that Mr. Osborn is back in Europe somewhere recording Clari for a DVD. Rumor also has it that he has not one but two CDs coming out very soon. I will, of course, post more rumors as they wend their way to me.

So to get back to Romeo, am I stuck in a rut of listening to the same operas over and over? Romeo, Barber, Marriage, Cosi, Carmen, Magic Flute, Traviata... I need to expand my opera horizons.

This season I'm going to two I've never seen before. Can't decide if I should read up and learn as much as I can about them beforehand or go in cold. Any thoughts or advice, Dear Readers?

Another thought was that I'd go see The Italian Girl in Algiers at Opera Philly. But tickets are so darn expensive. On the other hand, Lawrence Brownlee is in it and I'd love to see him perform live. But I'd also like to go with Husband which means doubling the price of the ticket since they probably wouldn't look favorably on me sitting on his lap. Plus a babysitter, and the prices have gone way up since I had my regular babysitting gigs in the early 80s.

I guess I just have to face it: I cannot afford to be an opera lover.

Hmm, maybe I can go alone to a matinee. Oh Husband...