Kimberly Gratland James

Mezzo-Soprano

'Tis the Season

		Friday, 23 November 07 - 04:14 AM (GMT) By Kimberly James in Music

One of my ICAN (International Cesarean Awareness Network) friends sent me this video.  It's quite clever, actually.  Watch for the nuns who use their feet (bottom left of the screen). 

I'm performing the mezzo solos in the Handel "Messiah" on Sunday, November 25 in Missoula.  Our performance is a fundraiser for Habitat for Humanity.  I don't think we'll have nuns with signs though . . .

Good Ole IU!

		Friday, 02 November 07 - 09:34 PM (GMT) By Kimberly James in General

Today I received an e-mail entitled "Spectacular new set design makes IU Opera Theater's "La Boheme" a feast for the senses".  (Sigh)  Since when was "La Boheme" NOT a feast for the senses?  You have love, anger, lechery, carnival, snow, old people, young people, rich people, poor people . . . all of this stuff and more shares the same stage all in one evening!

The unique technical capabilities of the stage allow for the immense scale of the set pieces, which would be too vast for any other U.S. stage aside from New York's Metropolitan Opera. Multistory buildings with soaring chimneys give way to a festival of light along an ornate bridge, a café and surrounding square bursting with holiday merriment and a scale model of the Orleans gate into the city.

This part of the announcement made me laugh . . . a set that's too vast to be usable anywhere else besides the Metropolitan Opera.  Sounds like squandered resources (and student tuition) to me.

Ah good old Indiana University!  Always good spectacle!!

 

Charlotte Church, 21, has baby at HOME!

		Sunday, 23 September 07 - 02:33 PM (GMT) By Kimberly James in General

I was never a big fan of Charlotte's singing, but I must admit it's been several years since I saw her last perform on TV.  It was some horrible rendition of the Habanera on a talk show.  (shudder)

However, I was just informed that she had a baby girl . . . at HOME!  (No, not THAT.  She really is insane.  You think.)

The singer's website confirmed Henson had said that Church "gave birth to a beautiful baby girl at home on Thursday night".
Here's a link to the full story.

In my book this is wonderful news.  A high-profile celebrity's success with natural unmedicated (I assume) childbirth is powerful evidence that childbirth can (and SHOULD) happen without intervention and outside of the typical hospital setting.

I had my first child, Catherine, via cesarean section.  I had hoped for an unmedicated hospital birth with a nurse midwife (CNM), but too many cards were stacked against me.  Although I had an easy recovery, I still mourn the fact that my uterus is forever blemished and judged by the presence of a scar.  Although women with low-risk pregnancies should be encouraged to have a vaginal birth after cesarean (VBAC), the scar severely limits a woman's choice - especially if you live in areas of the country with VBAC bans or midwifery bans.

Our local hospital has a cesarean rate that has hovered around 30% for the past few years.  The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends a cesarean rate of 10-15% MAXIMUM!  There is no evidence that our community is working to lower the cesarean rate.  Because of this, I myself am beginning to consider homebirth should we have another child.  The evidence (and I mean scientific evidence, not the anecdotal crap put out by the American "College" of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, which is really nothing more than a trade union) shows that I and future children of mine will be more safe birthing at home.

Do you doubt me? 
Are you pregnant and thinking that your OB won't perform unnecessary procedures on you? 
I invite you to do your own research. 

Here are some things to get your started:

• International Cesarean Awareness Network - I am a member; feel free to ask me about it
• Childbirth Connections - link to advice for pregnant women, though I recommend looking at the entire site
• Read books like The Thinking Woman's Guide . . . (Goer), Born In the USA (Wagner), Pushed (Block)
• Conduct Pubmed searches for commonly recommended interventions such as epidurals, rupture of membranes, induction, continuous fetal monitoring, episiotomy
• Research homebirth (Goodsearch, Google, Live) as staying away from the hospital for as long as possible is your best assurance of avoiding a cesarean
• Research midwifery (Goodsearch, Google, Live) and see if your insurance will pay for CNMs (likely), CPMs, and DEMs

 

So this is what "beef jerky" feels like

		Saturday, 18 August 07 - 01:55 AM (GMT) By Kimberly James in General

I'm so tired of smoke . . . smoke from area fires, that is.  We returned from Canada in early August and were surprised by the amount of smoke we encountered along I-90 as soon as we crossed from ID to MT.  And very few days since then have been smoke free in the Missoula Valley.

"Smoke from these fires has been crossing the United States off and on throughout August, degrading air quality as far away as the East Coast."

Have a look at the imagery!

We've been hovering between stage 1 and 2 alerts for diminished air quality.  This is not good for singing . . . or living, frankly.  We're a month or so ahead in our fire season.  I guess I should just get used to grey skies, soot "rain", and everything else that goes with living in an inversion-affected mountain valley.

Some like it hot, and I'm not one of them

		Monday, 16 July 07 - 08:21 PM (GMT) By Kimberly James in General

I'm complaining about our weather, you see.  We've endured two weeks of hotter-than-hades temperatures and no precipitation, and it looks like this week will continue the trend.  Why oh why is it so hot in Western Montana?  Check out our record report!

We assumed when we moved here that we would not need air conditioning, so we declined on having it installed.  Wow, hind sight bites us again!  (Although our neighbors claim that the AC unit the builder installed does not keep their 2nd floor cool.)  So how are we making due?

• Open up the house at night and into mid-morning
• We have 2 window units (one for Cat's room, and one for ours)
• Do not let direct sunlight into the house (though we have some unreachable windows on the east side of the house)
• And my most brilliant stroke of genius - we have a high powered fan in our bedroom doorway which blows the cool air from our bedroom into the eating area and kitchen

Outdoor water recreation is saving us as well!

• Creighton & I have floated the Blackfoot River a few times in the past few weeks and may do a rafting trip in Alberton Gorge with friends this weekend
• Splash Montana!
• Free splash decks and spray parks
• Shopping - Target, the Mall, anywhere air conditioned!

Phew! from hot Western MT!

Colin Graham

		Thursday, 31 May 07 - 04:45 PM (GMT) By Kimberly James in General

I just discovered that director Colin Graham died back in early April.  Though this doesn't surprise me necessarily, I am somewhat at a loss for words to describe what an important figure he was and the legacy he leaves behind.

I first worked with Colin in 2002, I believe, as an ensemble artist at Opera Theatre of St. Louis.  I performed the role of Alisa in Lucia di Lammermoor and covered Gertrude in Hamlet.  Colin updated the English libretto for the (original in French) production, and it was quite true to the original Shakespeare.  He also staged the opera, and I learned so much from watching him work especially with the principals.

The next year I was an apprentice artist with Santa Fe Opera, and again I had the opportunity to work with Colin.  He wrote the libretto and staged Bright Sheng's Madame Mao, a monumental piece of theatre.  Colin struggled with the altitude in Santa Fe, and I was amazed by his resilience and energy in spite of needing oxygen supplementation.  Madame Mao was an incredibly complex and difficult opera.  It's not surprising that subsequent productions were not mounted.  I was so happy to be around Robynne Redmon that summer - such an artist and generous person.  She was an amazing Madame Mao, as was my friend, Anna Christy, who portrayed the younger Mao.

In the spring of 2004 Colin directed our production of Peter Grimes at Indiana University.  It was a thrill to work with him directly as a principal artist (Sedley), especially having established a relationship with him previously through Santa Fe and St. Louis.  It came as no surprise that Britten was his specialty - he knew just how to treat the conglomeration of elements whether dark or light.  "Stock" characters were not treated as flat characters yet still maintained their buoyancy and charm (for lack of a better word).  Grimes and Ellen were both evil and innocent.  The child's death was both intentional and accidental.  I could go on, but the point is that this was a highlight of my career.

So, Colin . . . wherever you may be . . . you are remembered, loved, revered, and sorely missed.  May your story live on and on.

Spring Wrap

		Wednesday, 25 April 07 - 06:04 AM (GMT) By Kimberly James in Music

This spring has been tremendous for me vocally and artistically.  It has been about quality over quantity.  If I've done any performing besides the Verdi Requiem and Carmen I couldn't tell you, I suppose because these two works tower over much of the lyric/dramatic mezzo-soprano repertoire.  I've learned much about myself in the process of preparing, rehearsing, and performing these pieces:

1. I am strong!  In spite of having little time to focus on myself (full-time teaching and family, wonderful as they are), my stamina is fabulous.
2. I may be blonde and fair-skinned in real life, but give me a great dress and spray my hair dark, and I am a gypsy!
3. I underestimate my ability to sucessfully execute certain vocal technical skills under pressure.
4. Just as I've often been told, when I over-sing one phrase, the following phrase likely suffers.  I had to write into my Verdi score "Don't blow your wad!" in a couple of places that I just "luv" to push.
5. Tuning the unaccompanied sections of the Verdi was much easier with singers who had a strong choral background.
6. Sometimes dressing like a diva allows you to sing like one.
7. Repeating repertoire is such luxury.  The Requiem was so much easier this year, and two performances in two venues within two weeks also greatly informed my execution of the music. 
8. I enjoy working with friends and making new friends!  It was a special treat to work with my husband in Carmen, a college friend (with whom I shared a senior recital), soprano Jennifer Chung, and one of my first college mentors, Ronald Shirey.

Currently singing . . .

		Wednesday, 04 April 07 - 04:49 AM (GMT) By Kimberly James in Music

Next Friday, April 13, I leave for the lovely state of Texas where I will perform the mezzo-soprano solos in two presentations of Verdi's amazing Requiem.  This is an astounding, jaw-dropping, weep-inducing musical drama and quite plum feature for the mezzo-soprano soloist.  And I like plums!  If you've never heard this work, I urge you to borrow, buy, and listen to a recording or two.  My favorites feature:
1.  Price, Elias, Bjorling, Tozzi
2.  Christa Ludwig
3.  Marilyn Horne (I'd really like to know HOW she does it)

I am also gearing up for a few late spring competitions.  If I am selected to compete, then I will refresh songs by Granados, Brahms, Copland, and Debussy as well as several arias from the full lyric mezzo fach such as "O mio Fernando", "Amour! viens aider ma faiblesse", and "Olga's aria".

Bonjour and Adieu, Carmen!

		Thursday, 29 March 07 - 02:39 PM (GMT) By Kimberly James in Music

This past weekend I performed the title role of Carmen in a semi-staged (actually it was quite fully staged) performance of the dialogue version in French.  My feelings about this experience are still whirling about in my mind, so pardon the "free association" style of this post.

The Helena Symphony production of Carmen was quite an ambitious project!  We arrived on a Tuesday evening to meet and greet the cast and director.  Wednesday we sang through the opera with the conductor, Allan Scott, and spent 4 or so hours rough blocking through Acts I & II.  We had orchestra rehearsals with full staging both Thursday and Friday nights.  (Blocking rehearsals took place during the day.)  Saturday morning was our dress rehearsal (yikes) with the performance on Saturday night.  That's right - rehearsal to performance in four days!

My colleagues were amazing.  Our Michaela, Kristine Biller Mattson, is a good friend of mine from Indiana University days.  (I recommended her for this production, and she will be returning to Helena next year for Donizetti's Elixer of Love.)  She and my husband, Creighton, who played El Dancairo in the performance, were so supportive.  Kristine sounds fabulous . . . my mom particularly loved her singing!  I'd also be remiss to not mention my Don Jose, Dan Snyder.  What an interesting life he has led.  I learned a lot about the opera from him, and since I've extensively studied the role and particularly the social subtext, it was wonderful to acquire more insight into this, at times subtle, score.  Dan was fabulous to work with and is quite an impressive singer.  The entire cast was fantastic, and we had a wonderful time working together.

I must admit that I've "mourned" the close of this production for several days now.  The whole experience came and went so quickly that I was hardly able to enjoy it.  We performed for about 1700 people - a nearly sold out house.  What an experience to perform for such an excited and appreciative crowd.  To be the "star" in that environment was overwhelming and thrilling.  I crave to perform this opera again!

Next on my plate - two Verdi Requiems in Texas.  This is probably my most favorite oratorio to sing.  It's written appropriately to the mezzo-soprano range and is quite a feature for the mezzo.  We don't always get such marvelous music to sing!  I'm particularly looking forward to working with my college choir director, Ron Shirey, Maestro John Giordano of the Ft. Worth and Corpus Christi symphonies, and my college friend, soprano Jennifer Chung.

Vocology - why not another project?!

		Thursday, 01 March 07 - 02:58 AM (GMT) By Kimberly James in Academic

I have decided to apply for the Summer Vocology Institute in Denver.  Summer . . . Denver . . . good!  But what the heck is vocology?  Many professionals in my field have never even heard the term.  I've been vaguely aware of the discipline for a number of years and more recently aware of the SVI since my in-laws live in Denver.

What would a summer with the SVI entail:

• A detailed anatomy & physiology of singing course with a highly-esteemed researcher in the vocal science arena, Dr. Ingo Titze
• Learning about scientific instruments that can be used to measure vocal efficiency
• Learning the scientific approach to vocal habilitation

Of course it's more detailed, and likely more complicated, than that.  I have so many questions regarding vocal science that have remained unanswered, and work with the SVI seems to be the best pathway for beginning to demystify "hard science" aspects of singing.  If you are curious to know more, I recommend reading John Nix's excellent article, "How Vocology Study Makes Better Voice Teachers."  My ideals for voice teaching certainly align with most of what Nix addresses.  I'll plan to articulate this on a follow-up post at MSO Voice. 

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