cold and flu season

Greetings again from sunny (and frigid) Frankfurt. Since we last wrote Brenda's parents have come for a visit and returned home again. Rowan loved spending time with his Oma and Opa (grandma and grandpa in German). He'd run to the door several times every morning to see if they'd come over to play yet. In spite of the cold weather, we all bundled up and took Rowan to nearby parks where he could play in the sand. He's a big sand guy. Give him a shovel and a bucket and he'll entertain himself for a long time. Brenda's parents were also kind enough to look after Rowan so Brenda and I could go out on a couple of dates. We even saw a movie (Black Panther, two thumbs way up)!

Observing Rowan during his favorite activity.

This past week we've all been fighting being sick. Rowan started showing flu symptoms last weekend that morphed into a cold during the week. Brenda and I also picked up colds, but hers has been worse than mine (it might actually be bronchitis), and she's been struggling with a bad cough. She had a performance scheduled for yesterday, and after a couple of trips to the doctor and some drugs, she decided to go through with it. I think she's happy she did, although it was quite stressful. She was actually nervous before the show, which isn't like her. Her final Rigoletto performance this season is on Thursday. She's singing in an annual AIDS gala concert in Düsseldorf this coming weekend, and after that she gets some time off. We booked a few nights in Edinburgh in March, and we're both really looking forward to finally seeing a wee bit of Scotland.

Our hearts have been heavy the last few days as we mourn the loss of Brenda's Aunt Nancy who died unexpectedly on Thursday. We always enjoyed seeing her in New York City when she came to see Brenda perform and also in Connecticut when we would visit her and her family. It's hard to not be with our family during this sad time, but our thoughts are certainly with them.

guesting at home

Hello all! Long time no post. We've been back in Frankfurt for 2 1/2 weeks now, and it's been great to be back. Brenda is currently working at Oper Frankfurt for the first time since ending her full-time employment here last August. She's considered a "guest" by the opera house (i.e. freelancer), but at the end of the day her experience is basically the same as it was before. She gets to work in the city we call home (or at least our German home) with people she's been working with for years. If you're interested, you can check out a few pictures from her current opera (a revival of Verdi's Rigoletto from last season) here.

On the topic of Brenda singing, the Lyric Opera of Chicago announced their 18/19 season, which means we can officially tell you that Brenda will be singing in Chicago in March of 2019. Here's the link in case you'd like to learn more. Brenda will also be returning to Carnegie Hall on April 14, 2019 with the English Concert to sing the title role in Handel's Semele. No other companies have announced their seasons yet, but there will be more gigs to tell you about in the coming weeks.

Rowan is enjoying being back in Frankfurt, and he especially likes all the nearby parks. By Frankfurt standards it's been cold lately (highs in the 30s), but we've actually had some welcome sunshine, which really brightens up the typically cloudy German winter. We'll be mostly sticking around Frankfurt for the next few months, although we will spend three weeks in Munich beginning in the spring and we're seriously considering a short trip to Scotland next month. We've never been to Scotland and since we're in the neighborhood (Europe is all one neighborhood, right?) we might as well pop up for a visit.

It sounds like Rowan is up from his nap. I hope you all have a great rest of your week, and we'll talk to you again soon!

Berlin 2018

Hello, friends, and greetings once again from Berlin! Life has been fairly quiet recently. During our first week in Berlin Rowan and I spent some time playing in nearby parks while Brenda rehearsed. Now that her show is up and running (2 performances down, 1 to go), she’s been joining us on our outings. Our friend Florian is coming to town today and will stay with us until we leave on Saturday. It’s been too long since we’ve seen him last, and we’re very excited he’s coming.

 The poster for Brenda's show.

 Brenda in costume (and in character?).

For Brenda’s previous gigs in Berlin we stayed in the Charlottenburg neighborhood, which was where the theater was located. The Berlin State Opera has returned to its newly renovated theater, however, so it made sense to stay somewhere else this time around. Our current locale is in Kreuzberg, which certainly has a different feel than Charlottenburg but is no less comfortable. Hipsters would be, and are, very much at home here. We’ve been hearing a surprising amount of English when we venture out. The nearby coffee roaster has all of their signs exclusively in English and they even greet us in English when we walk in the door. Another interesting thing about our locale is that the Berlin Wall was right outside our front door 30 years ago. It’s hard to imagine what walking down these same streets would have been like back then.

Our current neighborhood.

As I mentioned before, on Saturday we get to go back to our German home in Frankfurt. We’re very much looking forward to it. Brenda’s next few months will be spent reprising roles in productions she’s already done, so hopefully that means she won't have to rehearse much and we can enjoy a lot of family time together. I hope you're all staying warm this January, and we'll talk to you again soon!

Happy New Year!

Greetings from the frozen north! When I woke up today it was was -13 fahrenheit outside and it felt like -34. Clearly we're not in Germany, although we will be soon. More on that in a minute.

I became a licensed attorney in the state of Minnesota last week. My parents were kind enough to drive up for the occasion, which took place in the Minnesota State Supreme Court's courtroom. State Supreme Court Justice David Lillehaug swore around 17 of us into the bar during a 15 minute ceremony.

Swearing the oath.

 Me and the Justice.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the planet, Brenda was singing up a storm. She made an extremely successful debut at Teatro alla Scala (often referred to as La Scala) in Milan on the 21st, which, in the classical music world, is a very big deal. La Scala is widely considered to be one of the best opera houses in the world (many people would no-doubt argue it's the best), and it's really wonderful that Brenda made her debut there. The music she sang, Mozart's Exsultate, jubilate and the first soprano solos in Mozart's Mass in C minor, gave her a good opportunity to show her vocal talents. As I mentioned in a previous post, the performance was live streamed over the internet, but unfortunately I told you all the wrong time because I mixed up my time zones. The good news is that the performance was broadcast on Italian television and someone was kind enough to record it and post it on the internet. If you'd care to watch, you can do so here (Brenda starts singing around 9 minutes in).

Unbeknownst to Brenda, our friends Andi and Monika were at the first performance. They surprised her at the stage door after the show, and then the three of them went out to dinner (they ate Italian of course).

On her day off between performances, Brenda went to visit conductor Corrado Rovaris and his family at their home in Bergamo. They gave Brenda a tour of the town that included a stop at composer Gaetano Donizetti's tomb and the library where Brenda saw the original second act score of Donizetti's The Elixir of Love.

Brenda in the Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore next to Donizetti's tomb.

Brenda flew back home on Christmas Eve, and Rowan and I were thrilled to be with her once again. I should mention that I was very spoiled while she was away. Brenda's parents came to help me take care of Rowan for several nights and a couple days later my parents came to help out (and to see me get sworn in). Christmas morning Brenda, Rowan, and I all got up early, and Brenda decorated the tree while I got a fire going in the fireplace. Later that day Brenda's parents came to town and we had a wonderful dinner with them, Drew, Drew's girlfriend Rachel and her daughter Iris (who is just one month older than Rowan!).

Brenda can transition from diva to Christmas elf very quickly.

Several days have passed since I started writing this blog entry, and I'm hoping Rowan will nap long enough for me to finish it. We flew to Berlin yesterday for Brenda's next gig (Zerbinetta in Ariadne auf Naxos at the Staatsoper unter den Linden). Unfortunately, we all started feeling sick yesterday so our travels were rather unpleasant. I got thrown up on twice during the long flight, once by the cute two-year-old sitting in front of us and once by Rowan. A couple years ago that probably would have bothered me, but I live in toddlerland now so I'm used to most things that toddlers emit. After a good night's sleep we all seem to be on the mend today.

I should go wake up Rowan so we can get him on a normal sleeping schedule. I hope you are all having a happy new year so far, and we'll talk to you next time!

live stream of Brenda's concert

So here's the link to the live stream (audio only, I believe) of Brenda's concert on Thursday (12/21). It's happening at 7 PM Italian time, which is noon U.S. central time. Enjoy!

Happy Holidays

Hey all! So about those Christmas decorations, it turns out we didn't quite have enough time to convert our house into a winter wonderland before Brenda flew to Milan. We did, however, manage to buy a tree, so we'll be ready for some serious merriment when Brenda gets back on Sunday. From what she tells me, her rehearsals are going well, and she sounds quite excited for her concert on Thursday. There will be a radio broadcast, which I think you'll be able to hear online if you so desire. I'll post with more info when we get it.

A picture of the street outside Brenda's apartment in Milan. 

In other Brenda news, Limelight magazine, an Australian classical music magazine, listed Brenda's concert in Melbourne earlier this fall as one of their top 25 shows of 2017. Pretty cool!

Brenda's parents came into town the day Brenda flew out, and they spoiled me rotten by cooking for me and taking care of Rowan while I crossed things off of our getting-settled to-do list. They also took Rowan to story time at a nearby library, and the next day we all went to a drag story hour at a nearby community playhouse. We had a lot of fun, and Rowan loved it.

A poster advertising the drag story hour.

Two weekends ago we were in Ankeny celebrating an early Christmas with my parents, brother, and his family. We also attended my oldest nephew, Tyler's, holiday choir concert at the high school, and Brenda and I sang as a part of the lessons and carols service at the church I grew up in. Singing at the occasional service there is really the only opportunity I get to sing these days, so I'm always grateful when they're willing to include us in the service.

Tomorrow I get sworn in as an attorney in the state of Minnesota. Goodbye nice Chad, hello ruthless legal advocate. I'm really looking forward to it.

Rowan just woke up from his nap so I should get going. I hope you all have a great week, and we'll talk to you next time!

Hallelujah, Michigan

Hello all and greetings from Ann Arbor, Michigan! We flew in yesterday after spending a whirlwind few days in Frankfurt, and Brenda is currently rehearsing for her upcoming performances of Handel's Messiah at the University Musical Society this weekend. Brenda's parents are also here to see her perform and, more importantly, to spend time with their darling grandson who they haven't seen for a while. Rowan had a wonderful afternoon with them today at the children's museum.

During our brief stay in Frankfurt we spent some time with friends, took a quick trip to the Christmas Market (Kartoffelpuffer!), and tidied up our apartment a bit. Brenda pointed out that when we return to our apartment again in January we will have spent a total of 4 nights there over the past 7 1/2 months. Brenda is performing in three different productions in Frankfurt in 2018, so we'll be spending a lot more time there next year.

Brenda and Rowan on the carousel at the Frankfurt Christmas Market. 

We're looking forward to a few days at home in Minneapolis next week. Brenda will be off to Italy in a couple of weeks, but we will definitely be able to get the Christmas decorations up before then. I hope you all have a great week, and we'll talk to you next time!