Below are the 16 most recent journal entries recorded in jmy1tenor's LiveJournal:

Monday, April 23rd, 2007
8:48 pm	Hmmm....doesn't really match....or maybe it does? I was born in Miami Fla and lived there until I was 12 then lived in GA from 1981 thru 2006. Not sure how much I agree with it...unless you count Fla as having transplanted northerners in it! ;-) </form> What American accent do you have? Created by Xavier on Memegen.net Northeastern. You're probably from somewhere near New York City, possibly north Jersey, or Connecticut or Rhode Island. If you are from New York City you may be one of the types who people never believe when you say you're from New York. Southern. Love it or hate it, your accent says you're probably from somewhere south of the Ohio River. Northern. Whether you have the world famous Inland North accent of the Great Lakes area, or the radio-friendly sound of upstate NY and western New England, your accent is what used to set the standard for American English pronunciation (not much anymore now that the Inland North sounds like it does). Take this quiz now - it's easy! We're going to start with "cot" and "caught." When you say those words do they sound the same or different? Same Same, no wait I mean different, maybe, a little bit different... Different (2 Comments |Comment on this)
Sunday, April 8th, 2007
5:07 pm	High Holy days in the Episcopal church....*sigh* So as some of you may or may not know I am a staff singer for Trinity Church on Wall street. It's a great church job in the sense that the music is wonderful (mostly), the people I sing with are a lot of fun and there is a lot of exposure since all of our services and concerts are broadcast over the internet. I have been in church music for about 15 years now but I have never worked like I am at Trinity. This was my first Easter experience and I barely made it though. I'll give you a little taste of what this past week at church was like for me..... Tuesday - Rehearsal - 6:15 to 9:15 Wednesday - Tenebre Service - call was 5 service was over at 9:30 Thursday - Maundy Thursday - call was 5 service was over at 10:30 Friday - Good Friday - Call was 11am service was over at 3:30 Saturday - Easter Vigil - call was at 5 service was over at 10 Sunday - Easter - call was 8:45am for 2 services which ended at 1 I am all churched OUT. All of the above is on top of my day job which is from 6am-12 or 12:30 and rehearsal for the Wooster group from 1 to 6 5 days a week. (of course I had to leave Wooster Group early this past week to go to church) I keep trying to tell myself that it's good money but at what price? I am now totally exhausted and feel like I could sleep for 4 days straight. I need to continue to memorize more "La Didone" but just don't have the energy to. Ok...so that's it for now...I'm going to go try to nap a little and then try studying again. I hope everyone is doing well and has had a happy Easter so far! xoxoxoxo Current Mood: exhausted (12 Comments |Comment on this)
Friday, March 9th, 2007
1:04 pm	Is there a 12 step program for work-a-holics? *sigh* Sorry everyone. I know it's been a LONG time since I've written anything but things have been really crazy busy for me. In some ways that's a great thing and in others it's not. Just to give you a quick update of what's been happening lately here are a lost of things: 1) I'm still singing at Trinity Wall street. Why? I have no idea as it is early music HELL for me. Don't get me wrong...I have sung some of the most challenging, most beautiful and very gratifying music but there are only about 20 of us in the choir and the style is mostly early music....which for those of you who know my voice, can imagine what I'm having to go through to shut everything down to do straight tone. It's hard to quit though because it's one of the top paying church's in NYC. :-( I'll figure something out, right? 2) I'm currently working with a "straight" (non-musical for those who aren't in the performing arts) theater company who have been commissioned to do a work by a librettist named Busenello. Well, they decided to try their hand at an early Baroque opera called "La Didone" which is basically the story of Dido and Aeneas. They are a pretty famous company so this is a wonderful opportunity for me. I'm playing Aeneas as well as a couple of other roles but I am the only tenor. There is a twist to this "opera" of sorts. First of all we aren't doing the whole 5 hour long opera. It has been cut and hacked to about 72 minutes...if you can imagine. AND it's being paired with a 60's "B" sci-fi movie called "Planet of the Vampires"...which doesn't have anything to do with vampires at all. So try to picture this...there is a line on stage...when you are in front of the line you are in "Baroque" land...when you are behind the line you are in "Movie" land. There will be about 8 to 10 video's of the movie playing for only us on stage to see...when you are in "Movie" land you have to not only sing the opera still...but you have to act out the movements that are in the movie at that time AND through in some of the text from the movie at certain times. We have body mic's and ear pieces that will constantly have the movie playing in our ears as we sing. "Is this complicated to do", you ask? HELL YEAH it is. It's like patting your head and rubbing your stomach and then trying to reverse it. Oh, and as an icing to the Baroque cake...when you are in "Baroque" land everything is done with the wonderful old style of Baroque gesture. So many things to think about but it's been a GREAT experience so far. The performances are in Brussels and Rotterdam during the month of May. We will also be performing it at the Edinburgh festival which is also really exciting. I am attaching a link to the Wooster Group. Click on the banner that says "La Didone. You should come up to a picture with a man talking...that is from the movie...if you wait a little longer you will hear me singing a selection from the opera. If you are having trouble playing it I think you may need to have quick time. http://www.thewoostergroup.org/ 3) I'm also constantly singing here and there. Yeah, it's official...I'm a music whore. Things have been a little hard for me lately. Next month I will have been in New York a year. I really can't believe that. It's caused me to look at where I am compared to where I thought I would be and to be honest...I'm not where I thought I would be. I really thought that I would be working my way around the various opera companies in and around New York but I've only done a couple if things and both were not good. I felt ok about my performances but there were some other singers that really should not have been there. Let's just say that I was part of a "Norma" where Wagnerian sized voiced singers were the leads. There was nothing bel canto about it. Anyway...instead of opera I'm in early music hell like I said. I have, however, started to do something about it. I now have someone that I'm working with vocally and he's pushing me to get ready for the big fall auditions. He thinks that I could have an international career singing in Germany, Paris, Switzerland and Australia. I've decided to focus my efforts on the french opera's. I've already started to work on my french and have pulled out these opera's to start working on them: Romeo & Juliet, Faust, Werther, The Pearl Fishers, Carmen and Manon. Needless to say that I have my work cut out for me but I really believe I need this to get my drive back and to really start working hard towards the reason I came to new york in the first place...to have a career singing opera. Ok...I think that's enough for now. I will try harder to post more. No, really, I will! I miss everyone back home and hope you're doing well! John ps...I'm giving up men for lent. ;-) (5 Comments |Comment on this)
Wednesday, September 13th, 2006
9:38 pm	Things are moving now.... Well, like I mentioned in my last post things are starting to move for me musically. :-) I had an audition for Trinity Episcopal church witch is the old historic church on Broadway and Wall Street. It is a high Episcopal church with all the bells and whistles to go with it. (incense, real wine, etc.) The choir sings early english, straight toned style (at least the Sopranos do) and the services are broadcast over the radio here in NYC as well as the internet. I must have had a great audition that day. I sang "Comfort Ye" and "Every Valley" and when I stopped the choirmaster stopped, looked at me a little puzzled and said that in all of his 14 years at that church he has never had a tenor come in and sing a better audition. I was really caught off guard. He then followed up with "If I were a tenor I would want to sing it just like that". Again, I was floored. He then made me sight read some hard stuff which I did pretty well. Then his sight reading selection was from Bach's B minor mass...which I've done twice with Robert Shaw so it was a breeze! (The Cum Sancto Spiritu section) He offered me a staff position on the spot but I told him that I felt obligated to sing at my current church at least through Christmas. He said it was fine and asked if I would do all of the extra singing gigs and concerts scheduled. I wrote down all the dates and signed on the dotted line! Since I got this gig I got to sing for President Bush for the 9/11 memorial service that was broadcast on CNN. I will also get to sing a Messiah (as soloist) which is going to be reviewed and broadcast over the radio and internet. The link to the church is below for those of you back home who care to watch and listen. http://www.trinitywallstreet.org/calendar/index.php?event_id=24270 The choir is amazing and I'm challenged musically which I love. I have started work with the New York Opera Forum where I'll be doing Don Giovanni (Don Ottavio). I never thought that my first opera here in NYC would be Mozart! Go figure! I have also been contracted to sing a concert of French music in November so as you can see things all of a sudden got REALLY busy. One of the things I'm learning quickly here is that work gets you more work...the tough part is getting hired to begin with. You just have to keep trying and trying and singing for folks and it happens! I'll keep you poasted as to anything else that happens! Keep your fingers crossed! :-) I hope everyone is well. I miss you all! hugs! (2 Comments |Comment on this)
Monday, August 28th, 2006
9:53 pm	Delay..... Bah....sorry for it being so long since my last post. So much has happened since the last time I posted...too much for me to put in this one post so I'm going to sort of give you a highlighted version and then explain further in posts to follow. Well, first off I'll start by saying that Tom is no more and was sort of over before it began. He's such a sweet guy but I'm not sure he really knows what he wants. Please don't get me wrong...I'm not trying to talk bad about him at all. He has a huge heart and is very kind. Some guys have never been in a relationship so they don't know how to function if they meet someone they like. I think this was the case with Tom. Tom and I are still friends and there is no awkwardness between us so all is good! Plus...I've found someone since then that I'm very happy about! I will reserve a whole new post for him though! Not to Jinx it but I'm VERY happy! Musically things are now starting to really go well for me. I've just been hired to sing a Bach Christmas Oratorio. I've have just been accepted (I auditioned today) into the New York Opera Forum which will be a GREAT place for me to get learn and perform operatic roles which I so need on my resume! 2 weeks ago I was hired to sing at the Bard Festival in upstate New York which (from what I hear) is a great feat considering I'm so new....on top of that I was asked to sing a small solo section in one of the selections which was also rare considering how new I am to everything! Last week I had an audition with Trinity Episcopal church which is one of the old and famous churches in New York and was hired as a sub and will be receiving contracts soon to sing their concert series! For the first time since I moved here I am finally feeling like I'm accomplishing something! I will keep you posted when more fun and exciting things happen! I am currently looking for a good voice teacher so that's exciting! (Ok...I know I'm a big singing nerd!) Teachers are very important in the life of a singer here in New York. They usually have some great contacts and it really is about who you know and who THEY know. Networking is key to success! Ok...I'll stop there for now but will try really hard to write more very soon! I hope everyone is doing well! I miss you all! Hugs! (2 Comments |Comment on this)
Thursday, June 29th, 2006
3:10 pm	New Address Well it's official....here is my new address: John Young 203 West 87th Street Apt. #6 New York, NY 10024 Please send letters, notes, junk mail, care packages, money! :-P hehehehehe! I hope y'all are doing well! (3 Comments |Comment on this)
Tuesday, June 27th, 2006
1:48 pm	Beneath the light of a neon moon.... Just a quick update.... Sorry about not writing more often but that should change very soon. HAPPY PRIDE! Peter (my roomy) and I were approved for the apartment which means that I'll be moving in the next week or so! Now I just have to figure out how to come up with an initial $2200 before next weekend. On top of that I ended up braking off the filling on my front tooth. I originally chipped it when I was 10 years old and this will be the 3rd time replacing it. The sad thing is that I broke it on a plastic cup and now I'm all snaggletoothed. It's sad. This comes at a time when I don't exactly have a lot of extra money laying around to get a tooth fixed...especially when it's considered cosmetic. So much for insurance helping...not to mention the fact that everything costs more in New York city...I'm sure fillings will be no different. :-( Everything will work out as it should. I have to believe that, right? I have so much going on right now so I feel a little lost with everything. I will explain more with another post sometime soon. I would write more now but I'm on my lunch break at work so time is a little limited. Oh, speaking of which...I've been hired on full time with the company that I've been doing temp work for. I will still have some flexibility to do auditions and things and the best part is that I have insurance again. They also pay for a monthly Metro card which is really nice. Ok, well I will write more later. If you have any spare "good vibes" you can send them my way...I could use all that I can get right now. I hope everyone is well! (4 Comments |Comment on this)
Friday, June 9th, 2006
7:45 pm	There once was this guy...... Sorry it's taken me so long to update my blog but I've been pretty busy which is a good thing. Here is just a short list to catch you up a bit: 1) I've been filling in for 5th Ave Pres which has 2 choirs...one meets on Wednesday nights and the other on Thursday nights with 2 services Sunday morning. This will end 6/18. 2) I've been working a temp job for about a month and they want to hire me on full time. A full time job with benefits and a little flexibility to audition and sing. 3) Peter and I are in the final approval stages of getting an apartment so we've both been frantically getting together as much financial information as we could to make ourselves look good. It's a co-op community so we have to be "voted and approved" before we are able to move in. Oh, it's a bargain at (cough) $2200 a month. It's at 87th between Broadway and Amsterdam. I'll keep you posted as to how things go. 4) I've been in rehearsals for a concert that's coming up with the New York City Gay Men's Chorus. The concert is 6/14 and will be my first one with them. Yay! I won't be a newbie anymore! We've recently had a weekend retreat here in town where we spent a lot of time working on the music. It all has to be memorized which for those of you that know me know that memorizing words is not my strong point. 5) I met a guy. Well, I knew of him before but didn't officially meet him until about a couple of weeks ago...and here is where this entry actually begins.... 2 weekends ago there was a Hoedown here in NYC. Instead of buying a weekend pass which included line dance lessons and entry into all the big dances I only went on Saturday night. It was a good crowd with lots of people. I saw many of my friends from the Big Apple Ranch here in NYC and danced with several of them. That night was when I officially met Tom. I had seen him at the Ranch as he's hard to miss. He's a red-head with a goatee, beautiful blue eyes and a bunch of guys around him all the time! I have never been attracted to a red-head before. Not only is he handsome but he has the personality to match it. Anyway, the Saturday night of the Hoedown Tom had his friend Ken (who I had danced with at the Ranch) introduce us. It was nice. Tom is a good dancer and we both fairly quickly learned of our attraction for each other. It was rather sweet as Tom and both are a bit on the shy side. Ok...so I'm going to jump ahead a little...after talking on the phone and getting to know each other a little more we made plans to get together on a Saturday and go to a book store...maybe grab some dinner and then go 2-stepping. Well, we both screwed up and both had plans during the day on Saturday. Tom suggested we try to do something the Thursday before so we made plans to meet after I was finished with church rehearsal which was at 8. At about 7:45 I get a text message from him that stated something like "Take cover!" I wasn't sure what he meant so I asked him...he then told me that it was storming outside. I immediately prepared myself...Tom and I weren't going to be meeting but he assured me that he still wanted to meet. So we meet and try to come up with something to do...I asked if he had eaten and he had...he paused for a second and said that he wished it weren't raining because he would like to take a walk through Central Park. After a few seconds of thought he asked if I wanted to go anyway and of course I said yes! So the rest of that night is one that will go down in history books for me as one of the best dates I have ever been on. Tom is amazingly smart and knew so much about the statues and fountains and monuments. We walked around in between the lightening and the rain...talking and having a great time...at one point we put away the umbrella's and just walk around in the rain...getting to know one another better. Tom and I have no problems talking to each other and to be honest I've never met anyone that was so easy to talk to. I'm not one for talking a whole lot but that night I couldn't shut up. We continued walking and he showed me some very romantic places. At one point we found a collections of rocks at the edge of a lake. We sat and talked and watched the rain move in and pass...the lightening and the skyline in the reflection of the lake. We eventually started on our way again. Tom was my tour guide and insisted that we don't back track on our wonderful journey. I had no idea that Central Park had all of those wonderful things to see. My head was spinning by the time we finally made it back to the place where we started. As we left the park Tom grabbed my hand and we walked hand in hand all the way to the Subway. It was the perfect end to a perfect evening. I wanted to give him a good night kiss but I chickened out. The following Saturday we met at the Big Apple Ranch and Tom had a present for me. He pulled out this orange folder and inside were 2 color pages of Central Park with the path we took outlined and a listing of all the places we stopped and looked at. I was totally surprised and thought it was incredibly thoughtful on his part. :-) Our second date came this past Monday where he texted me out of the blue and said he wanted to take a walk after work and asked if I wanted to join him. Normally I would rehearsal Monday night but I didn't have it because of the NYCGMC retreat. I met him at 5:15 at 50th and Broadway. Tom had the great idea of walking down to the book store like we were planning to do the Saturday that got all messed up! Once again we had great conversation as we walked from 50th to 12th. Usually that would be a long walk but time flew. On the way there he bought us an ice cream cone dipped in butterscotch. We make it to the book store...we have similar tastes in books! We both buy a book and leave. We start heading to Christopher street and eventually make it to the pier. It was overcast but there was a nice breeze. We walk to the end of the pier and enjoy the water and the view or New Jersey. I decided that I would be a little bold and sweetly hold him from behind. He didn't pull away so that was a good sign. :-) Then, as if in a movie, the clouds broke just long enough for us to have a beautiful sunset...then we had our first kiss. It was very sweet. I still get butterflies in my stomach just thinking back to that moment. We continued to walk along the waters edge and came up to park that had all of these little metal men. It was a nice little park and again Tom shared his knowledge of the interesting qualities of the park. As we begin to leave the park he found a cell phone that someone forgot...just sitting there. Tom started searching the numbers in the phone to see if he could find something that said "mother" or a family member so he could call to let them know that the phone had been left. There wasn't anything that looked like a family member so he just randomly selected one of the names in the phone. He then proceeded to spend the next 15 or so minutes talking to this total stranger making arrangements to explain where he was going to hide the phone so that the other stranger that lost the phone could actually find it again. I just stood back in surprise. It was completely thoughtful and really nice of him. He looked over at me and said that would only hope someone would have done the same thing for him if it were his cell that was lost. I just smiled and asked him, "Where the hell did you come from?" I was blown away. The rest of the night consisted of more romantic moments...a kiss here and there...more wonderful conversation and exploration. We grab a bite to eat and then end up at Battery Park. We walk down to the water and start talking about the stars and constellations. Again...my head was just spinning. We walked to the Subway where he waited for my train to come...kissed me goodnight and I headed home. *sigh* The time was now 1AM. He challenges me intellectually, he's sweet and thoughtful, he's handsome as hell...it's really hard for me to believe that he would be interested in me as he is someone that I would put on my "A" list...out of my league. I decided that I'm not going to think about that and just take one day at a time. I don't want to rush things and I don't want to do anything to screw this up...so one day at a time...one 2-step at a time...one beautiful moment at at time! Regardless of what happens between us I will be forever grateful to Tom for helping me to gain back my faith in men...men that are big-hearted, kind, romantic, not afraid to show emotions and not afraid to talk about things. We'll see where things go from here. Life is funny...things can change in an instant and different people can touch your life when you least expect it. I've been very fortunate and blessed by the wonderful people that have come in and out of my life and for all that they have shared with me. I believe that you all are a big part of who I am today. I have loved much in the past and have even more love to give in the future. I'm going to stop here because I'm getting all misty-eyed! Thank you for reading and for those of you who were, are and continue to be a part of my life! (3 Comments |Comment on this)
Tuesday, May 16th, 2006
12:07 pm	Men in New York....I don't get it...literally.... Well...as promised here is my first installment about the Men of New York. Well, I have been here for about a month and already I've observed a good bit about the whole dating process. First, let me start by saying that I have not done anything at all...not even a date. It's interesting as most of my friends either have boyfriends or partners so I inadvertently feel a little bit of pressure to date. I don't think I've ever been in a situation (at least not in a long time) where I've felt any pressure at all. It's sort of like being the third wheel or something. I've never been one for the casual "hook up" so for me, dating is my poison of choice. Don't get me wrong...I've been hit on and there have been guys that have shown interest in me...I don't know...maybe I'm too damn picky. Maybe that's not such a bad thing. There have been 2 guys that I've been interested in...one is in a year and 1/2 relationship and the other is just recently out of a relationship so he's "unavailable" emotionally. So you think they look like signs to you too? Something telling me I should be focusing on other things...well, yeah...I know that. I should be focusing on why I'm here...to try to have a singing career and that's what I'm doing but to be honest, it can be VERY lonely and easy to feel like you are alone...even while in a huge city like New York. Everyone likes to feel wanted or needed. I am no exception. I don't know why I've been feeling this way and I've been trying to not let it get me down. Maybe I still need to learn the way men date here. From what I've heard the dating process is as past paced as everyday life. There are people that date in the traditional way but they usually aren't from here originally. An outsider looking in might consider the dating patterns here as something just past the typical "hook up". Guys here will hook up with someone but instead of it being a one night stand they actually date for a couple of weeks and THEN move on to the next person. People are definitely more open about sex in general here. People like sex and aren't afraid to tell you...or show you...or even put on a show for you. It's kind of odd at first but you really do get used to it where you don't think twice about it anymore. Like I said before...I don't know. This is all really new to me and I'm not looking to get married or just to have sex. In the back of my mind I've always thought that I would be alone. Hell, who wants to be partnered with a singer/performer who is never home....always in rehearsals or working trying to survive and make something of himself...never having time to put into a relationship? It's not easy making a relationship work when most of the time one person sits at home alone. Wow...I didn't think this update would go in this direction at all so perhaps I'll stop now while I'm ahead! I will write more soon! I hope everyone is doing well and please feel free to comment or reply! Many hugs to all! (2 Comments |Comment on this)
Thursday, May 11th, 2006
5:59 pm	Round and round she goes...where she stops does anyone know? I'm learning some very interesting things living in New York. For those of you who have never been here the city runs and moves nonstop and at the speed of light. Slower folks run the risk of getting run over...literally, psychologically or physically. This place is fast even for a city boy like me. New York is not for the faint of heart and I can easily see how it could run you down...unless of course you live off of taking speed on a daily basis. There are so many people doing so many different things and going so many different places that sometimes you can't find the right direction you want to go! UGH...enough of that babble! I started a temp job this week working smack dab in the heart of time square. (which of course is what prompted the above analysis) It's pretty sad to think that I went from making close to 50K a year as a manager in Atlanta and land an admin temp job for about 41K. Granted...the cost of living here (mainly in housing) is astounding so that makes up some of the difference. I really like my job...I'm doing every aspect of accounting so I'm actually learning stuff...see, you really can teach an OLD dog new tricks! I'm living (cough) proof! On top of my new job I had an audition with a choir contractor on Monday that went really well...I have another audition with ANOTHER choir contractor tomorrow and I have a wonderful chest cold. After all of my @!*&(^ years you would think that I would learn not to spread myself out too thin. I blame my father and his father and so on. I come from a long line of work-a-holic's...I am no exception. It's ok. It's what keeps me going. I am finally starting to feel more comfortable getting around the city. I am quickly learning that the subways and buses really are your friend...and the subways are NEAR as confusing as I thought they would be...well, except for on the weekends where some of the trains only run some of the times...and it can change every weekend based on what rail is having work done. I choose not to let things like that bother me...or something like visiting your friends over in Brooklyn heights, leaving their place at 11:30, going to the subway to wait 25 minutes for a train and not getting home by 12:30 1 AM. *sigh* You can't let it bother you because that's just the way it is here. Oh, and my legs have already toned up enough to make a couple of pairs of pants impossible to wrap around my thighs...and no, it's not because I've been eating too much! ;-) My audition with New York City was for the chorus...which was not what I thought it was for. It's ok though...I got some good feedback. The guy said he was really happy that I came in to audition and then in a hushed voice he said that he was afraid he didn't have any openings and that they were in the process of down sizing their chorus. It's ok...I feel that I sang well and that's all I really care about. I'll keep you posted if I hear anything from them! Ok...I will stop here but look for another entry soon having to do with boys here in New York. :-P I hope all are well! Many hugs and kisses all around! (3 Comments |Comment on this)
Monday, May 1st, 2006
4:37 pm	Weekend of first's..... I have had a busy weekend! I had my first paid gig that wasn't a "church" job. I was hired to be a ringer for Rossini's Petite Messe Solenelle. A ringer is a common term used here to describe people that are hired to come in and fill in the gaps when church music directors do pieces their all volunteer choirs can't really do. In this case it was a pretty good size choir with about 10 ringers throughout all the sections. The rehearsal was on Saturday (which was the first time I saw the music by the way) so I had no idea what to expect. The first thing I noticed was the warm up the director had the chorus do....it didn't take long at all for me to notice that this guy had NO idea how to sing or what to tell these people. He took the Soprano's (average age of about 60) up to a HIGH Eb while having them swing their arms in a circular motion. Not only was it interesting (cough) to hear it was also amusing to watch. After the rest of the warm up which was based on fixed "DO" we moved to the sanctuary. The sanctuary was quite impressive and large with the choir sitting across from each other...the width of what seemed to be the size of HALF of a football field! The women sat on one side and the men on the other. The Rossini "orchestra" consisted of piano, organ and accordion...yes, that's right...an accordion. It was an interesting combination and the first time EVER where an organ was part of the orchestra and I hardly ever heard a note. The next major observation was that the conductor was really an organist who has only been conducting a short time. He missed giving major que's to the choir and then yelled at them for missing the entrance. Interesting...not. During the concert he kept giving dirty looks and had to conduct as if he were on a football field to try to keep us all together. Oh, and all of the ringers were in the very back of the incline of seats where you couldn't hear anything. It was an experience indeed...I gladly took my money with a smile and left! The next first was actually a fun experience. Some of you may know that I am an avid 2-stepper. I LOVE to 2-step. Someone from the NYCGMC told me about a dance studio that for one night becomes a country and western bar. My initial reaction was probably the same as yours: "huh? A country western bar in a dance studio? That doesn't sound very promising". Well, I'm glad to say that I had a great time. Several guys from the NYCGMC went. They played pretty good music and the dance space is pretty roomy. (even with the 4 round columns in the middle of the room) I was a little nervous dancing here for the first time since the folks in Atlanta dance a LOT different than they do here. The guys in Atlanta are all about fast 2-stepping and traveling a lot at a fast pace...and there is a lot more variety in the styles of 2-stepping. Here in New York most everybody dances with a good frame and take smaller steps. It's hard enough as it is with my long legs. All of the guys were really nice and no one said anything bad about my lousy frame or style of dancing. (I have a "different" way that I like to dance) It was fun...I closed the place down at 1AM. One tip to the wise....don't walk from 14th st and 7th Ave to 25th st. and 1st ave in boots. OUCH. For those who don't know New York..the streets are pretty normal blocks...the avenues are like 2 to 3 blocks just for one avenue. *sigh* My poor feet and legs are still sore! I hope everyone is doing well...I'm off to NYCGMC rehearsal! Take care and I'll write more later! Hugs! (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Tuesday, April 25th, 2006
3:06 pm	One week! Well I have now been in New York for one week....Homesickness is now REALLY kicking in and kicking my ass. Does anyone know of a cure for it or perhaps something that will help it subside a little? *sigh* I guess I can't complain too much. Things have been going good and moving forward. I have a church job where the only rehearsal is on Sunday. There are 16 paid soloists that make up the choir and most of them are opera singers so I feel like I sort of fit in. We sing a WIDE variety of music from classical to opera to good old southern hymn arrangements. It's $95 a week which isn't bad considering there aren't any extra rehearsals. The church is quite a hike from where I'm living at the moment. I am, however, learning the bus and the subway pretty well. That in itself is quite a challenge as those of you who have been here can attest to. I have an audition on May 8th and May 24th for oratorio work and solo church work as well as fill in choir stuff...all paid of course. I am waiting to hear back from the folks at the MET to get in an audition for "extra" chorus work. Basically they hire additional folks to fill in for those opera's that are larger than normal...Aida, Carmen and Turandot for example. It would be very good money and it would be nice to actually be able to say that I've sung at the MET! ;-) I have been walking my ass off. It's what you do here. People tell me that what you save in a car payment you make up for in buying good shoes! I totally believe it. I brought about 10 pairs of shoes here to NYC and so far I can only wear about 3 of them if I'm going to be doing a lot of walking. So much for buying shoes for the sake of fashion! ;-) Eh, it's ok I guess. I've met a lot of nice guys from the New York City Gay Men's Chorus. It's very nice to hear people recognize the Atlanta Gay Men's Chorus as being a great chorus...well, because it is. My first rehearsal with the NYCGMC was last night and so far it's interesting to see that the rehearsals are very much the same as they are in Atlanta...a lot of talking when the other sections are working on parts...with the tenor 1 section talking the most. The group as a whole are not the best sight readers but they do catch on very quickly. This next concert is coming very quickly and everything has to be memorized....I had to laugh...those of you who know me know that I get the notes really quickly...the words...well, why do there have to be words? Words are so...um....over rated! *blush* I may be doing a lot of watermelon's and coca cola's! :-) I will at least try the best I can to get as much as I can committed to memory! Well, I will end for now but will write again soon! I hope all are well and please know that all are missed. John (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Thursday, April 13th, 2006
3:30 pm	Count down to CHANGE Well, today is over and I only have one more day at work. I am full of mixed emotions which I assume is par for the course. Last weekend I took a trip to New York which was fun. It was a multi-purpose trip that was successful on all counts. I met and stayed with my new roommate so it was nice to learn we are compatible. :-) I talk to several of the guys as well as the director of the New York City Gay Men's Chorus and was happy to learn that he had already heard me sing and said I could come in and start rehearsals right away since I was a member of GALA. It was pretty interesting to see behind the scenes of the chorus the day of the concert...which, by the way, was quite stunning. I understood the words sung and the sound was beautiful...both soft and loud. I think I should fit in quite well there! Well I am going to stop here as it's time for me to leave for the day...going to sing a Maundy Thursday service! Will write more (a lot more) tomorrow! Hope everyone is having a great day so far! hugs!!!! (Comment on this)
Thursday, March 16th, 2006
8:41 am	OY! Too much at one time! Hello again! I know it's been a little while since I've written and I've had a few people ask me when I'm going to post again....well, here I am! The last 2 weeks have been very stressful for me. I'll be the first to admit (and my friends can attest) that I am a work-a-holic. Yes, I know...I'm working on NOT being one but I don't claim responsibility for it. My Father and my Grandfather are/were both work-a-holics so I get it honestly. :-) Yesterday was a VERY big day for me. I managed to move out of my apartment (A HUGE HUGE HUGE thanks goes out to one of my best friends, Sean. If it weren't for him I would have never been able to move out in time!), I had laser eye surgery in my right eye, did the walk through of my apartment as well as turn in all my keys and went to church choir rehearsal. On top of all of this I've also developed a nice cold. Oh, and I just finished performing Abduction from the Seraglio with the Atlanta opera on 03/14. Am I Superman you ask??? Hell no, I'm just some crazy gay boy with too much going on and no one to blame but himself! I am feeling it today...I'm exhausted but at the same time a burden has been lifted. Getting rid of my apartment was one of the BIGGIES concerning my big move to New York. The next and last "biggie" before the actual move date happens today....I turn in my notice at work. This one scares me a lot because regardless of whether or not I have a job I still have bills to pay! I am strong though (laughs a little inside) and will get through whatever comes my way! Hell, I have so far and I'm still standing...well, sort of. The date of the big move is still the week of April 17-21 and I'm pretty sure that I'm going to end up driving there. There are just some things that I'm not going to be able to do without that I can't carry in a suitcase on an airplane. It should be fun (said slightly sarcastically) to drive a rental truck to NYC alone. I've made the drive before but it was in my own vehicle. Eh, I know I'll be just fine and I'm sure I'll be full of excitement as I make the drive to a new stage in my life and a new chapter! Stay tuned as there will be more news and info to come in the near future! Thanks for reading! Hugs to all! (Comment on this)
Thursday, February 9th, 2006
4:30 pm	Time to say goodbye..... Well, I just made the first of many BIG steps towards my wonderful and exciting journey to New York. Back in February 2002 my paid off 1995 Nissan toy pick up truck was totaled in a car accident. Luckily me or the person that was in my truck at the time were seriously hurt. To make a long story short a woman pulled out of Ansley Mall in her HUGE Oldsmobile and practically hit me head on. So since I no longer had transportation I went looking! I made a promise to myself that if I was going to buy another vehicle again that I would get what I wanted...and I did. i got a 2002 Mitsubishi Montero Sport...very nice! It had leather seats, a cd player, a sun roof and the seats laid down to give even more room! A HUGE step up from where I was with the little toy Nissan truck! I ended up getting a 4 year lease with what I thought was an option to refinance the difference at the end of my lease. I found out WAY after the fact that the dealership screwed me with my lease in that they would not refinance the difference. My lease matured 02/02/06 so I just turned it in today. I am now officially CAR-LESS! I have to admit that I am a bit nervous about not having a car. I'm a very independent guy that doesn't like to rely an anyone so this will be a big change for me. I'm trying to look at this as just one more stepping stone to get me to where I need to be...NYC! The next really big stepping stone will come as a pair...I will be homeless March 15th as my apartment lease ends and I will also have to give my notice at work. I think the second scares me more than anything else so far! *shudder* Until next time......... Thanks for reading! (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Tuesday, January 31st, 2006
9:28 am	First in a series of many...... Hmmm....where to begin. Names are always a great place to start so my name is John. I guess I should also start with a disclaimer: THIS IS MY FIRST BLOG/JOURNAL OF ANY KIND AND THEREFORE HAVE NO CLUE WHAT I'M DOING! Now that I got that off my chest I suppose I should let you know why I've decided to start my first blog/journal...I'm a (recently turned) 36 year old living in Altanta and have been very involved in several performing groups in and around Atlanta. I'm a singer/performer who is operatically trained. Now don't go running for the hills...I also sing operetta and musical theater. :-) Well, for years I've wanted to move to New York to give my singing career a chance and after all this time I'm finally going to take that chance. This journal is going to document my experiences along the way. (assuming that I'll still have a computer in New York) I will be writing more soon in the days to come! Thanks for reading! (1 Comment |Comment on this)