I really love this building near Unter den Linden. It looks like something from Blade Runner. This picture was taken at 5PM, by the way...notice how pitch black it is outside.

You know, I was wondering that, too.

Here Comes Porna-Klaus

I find it funny that Christmas in Germany seems to be even cheesier than I remember it in America, with Christmas Markets, the time-honored tradition of eating a piece of chocolate every da for 24 days before Christmas arrives, etc. Yes, they tend to decorate more sparingly with lights and usually go for the "classy" look rather than the blinking, multi-colored, over-the-top look, but it is still pretty gaudy. And early! By the end of October, you can see evidence of Christmas decorations. At least in America, you have Thanksgiving as a barier that most people use as a marker, careful not to begin their decorating until after that lest they look too white trash.

Here, though, everyone celebrates Christmas, even your run of the mill, neighborhood porn shop makes an attenpt to be festive. I certainly hope they remember the reason for the season. har har

Random Thought-provoking Pictures

Finally, I have found an advantage to having such a large shoe size (14 US): on the 6th of September, when Germans celebrate St. Niklaus, and we wake up to magically find candy and goodies in our shoes, I tend to get more than someone who, say, wears size 5 pumps.

Aufstieg

So much has happened over the past few weeks, so it may be hard to bring you up to date on the fabulous life of the me. Whatever. I am fabulous with or without circumstance. Kind of. Not really. Double whatever.

Whereas my career could have been likened to the Sahara on any day—dry and uneventful, no activity on the limitless horizon. Now, a drought in the desert seems to have been the wrong metaphorical reference altogether. Here I was, tent pitched, hunkered down for the long draw, only to realize that I had set up shop in a riverbed and thunder claps were to be heard off in the distance.

In a stroke of genius (what I would have, at that time, called one of my little schemes), and having been alerted to the fact that small theatres in Germany have an aversion to working with agents as they like to save money and not to pay those agency fees, I wrote all of the opera theatres in Germany with less than 750 seats. That’s 36 theatres. (I will give you a sec to recover from this figure…) I sent them all out, with a letter explaining who I am and what I am up against as a young Heldentenor—all sob-story wrapped in the intrigue of “diamond in the rough” kind of jargon of The Biz, enclosed my resumé, and referred them to my website where they could hear audio examples of my voice.

By Tuesday, I had received 3 responses. One theatre doesn’t do opera anymore. Another had no openings for Heldentenors. The third, a very good theatre, wrote a nice, long, very encouraging email saying that they really enjoyed the audio clips, that they don’t need anyone right now, but would invite me as soon as they had a vacancy. Well, needless to say, I was on cloud nine. Cloud nine, table for one…yes, I prefer the self-congratulatory, gloating corner. Non-smoking? Oh, who cares?

On Wednesday, I was still reeling at the news that there is someone out there who sees my potential. Riding through the gray Berlin drizzle, my cell rang. By the time I could stop to answer, someone had already left a message. It was the Opera Director from a small house in the West of the country. They need a Max for Der Freischütz, and they want me to come to audition in the beginning of December. Success! Really, up until now, I haven’t really sung for anyone who does the hiring and the firing. Coooooool.

But the week wasn’t over. The Dream Agent (remember him?) was coming to town and wanted to hear my progress. I sang for him on Wednesday evening and he was EXCITED. He went back to Austria and wrote an email to all of his contacts, introducing me, and recommending that they hear me immediately. And, without giving away theatre names, as I am still paranoid about being burned as I was when leaving my last job, I will tell you that these places are top notch. It’s funny, because I am trying my own little scheme off to the side, trying to gather some experience in D houses, at the same time being sent to A houses by the Dream Agent. Kinda crazy. And some of these auditions will be in opera houses that even the least opera fan amongst you would recognize, and for gigs that are in 2012, when I will be 40. Weird.

At this point, I am recovering from my first house audition that was yesterday. I HAVE SO MUCH TO LEARN!!!!! I can seriously not recall ever being as terrified as I was singing my heart out on that little stage. I have never experienced stage fright to that extreme. I guess hiding somewhere in the chorus was the tip of the proverbial iceberg. With more success comes greater and greater exposure. I must learn to keep my wits about me. It went well yesterday and they seemed interested with a steadfast German promise of “we’ll call you.” So, we’ll see. But, the experience of my first real house audition: priceless.