Of Opera and Mac and Cheese

So, Babs and I flew up to D.C. last weekend to see the Diva perform in Tales of Hoffman at Wolf Trapp. Of course she was fabulous!

The next night Catherine picked out a very nice seafood restaurant for dinner. They had lobster mac and cheese on the menu. Of course we were all about that!

The waiter said he would give us a free dessert if we could guess the "secret cheese" in the macaroni which he said had several different cheeses. After one bite I said, "Velveeta". I was right! The waiter said he had made that offer 10 times and I was the first one to win.

Quoth Babs: "We're Texans. We know our queso!"

Diva in the News

Our own Diva was pictured in the Houston Chronicle this morning singing an aria from Dead Man Walking, the opera that will open shortly at Houston Grand Opera. Yes, this is an adaptation of the book which was also made into a movie. You can see Sister Helen Prejean in the picture looking on!

Presbytery of New Covenant's Executive Presbyter, Rev. Mike Cole, was among the group of local religious leaders gathered in opposition to the death penalty at this event.

Catherine says she is in "mezzo heaven" because she has the opportunity to work with international star Frederica von Stade  in what will be her last performance before retirement.

Brava Catherine!!!

Last night we had (literally) front row seats for the Houston Grand Opera production of Madame Butterfly. The QG family was in the house to cheer on our very own amazing Diva Catherine who was singing the part of Butterfly's maid, Suzuki.

Our beautiful six foot blonde blue-eyed girl was well disguised as a Japanese woman, and I WAS wondering how that was going to turn out.  She sang superbly and I hope some critics and agents were there to take note! She also displayed some talent I didn't know she had: moving the large shoji screen back and forth throughout the performance. We joked that she would now have to join the stagehands' union or be mocked as a scab.

This production was so well received that HGO added this performance which gave Catherine the chance to sing on the big stage with Ana Maria Martinez, the soprano star, who had an incredible voice and acting skills.

Staging was beautiful and really enhanced the music and the singing. Even DK and El Jefe (not the biggest opera fans, you might say) rated the evening a success. Since many of the singers booked for the original performances were not available for this additional one, we also got to see many of Catherine's friends from the HGO studio in important roles. You could see how well they all work together and, needless to say, their singing was fabulous. Bravo Michael and Nathan!

Now I'm off to the hospital this morning to see my other niece and check on Patrick, whose condition remains unchanged in the ICU. We're swinging from one emotion to another these days!

MOB Redux Update: Bridals and Operas

Babs and I got to see her bridal portraits at the photographer's studio yesterday. So beautiful!! There were some cute candid shots of Portia and Babs together because Portia went along on the shoot to lend a hand.

We're counting down to the last two weeks before W-Day and everything is falling into place quite nicely. The MOB does wake up at night thinking of little details that still need to be addressed, and her dentist remarked at this week's check-up that her inside lip was looking pretty chewed up, but all in all she's feeling pretty good and looking forward to the big day.

This weekend there will be a brief Wedding Planning Time Out for the opening night of Queen of Spades at Houston Grand Opera. Our precious Catherine has a small part so my sister, brother and sister-in-law are coming from San Antonio for the performance followed by a reception at El Jefe's law firm.

Catherine has been learning Russian with a private tutor all year to prepare for the role. Thank heaven HGO projects subtitles in English! It's a very lOOOOng opera--3 1/2 hours. I'm not sure we can keep El Jefe up past his bedtime that late. I look at it as payback for all the sports events I've had to sit through over the years. He'll still owe me.

Great Reviews for The Diva!

Friday night's performance of The Elixir of Love was fabulous! The Houston Grand Opera production was very entertaining and fast-paced. The singers were great and we all had a wonderful evening.

My niece Catherine Martin, a/k/a The Diva, is indicated with the blue arrow on this photo. They put her in a truly heinous black 40's style wig and a dress that looked like it was from the sale rack at St. Vincent de Paul. (The Diva is really a blonde.) And let's not even mention the shoes. No, let's not. But as you can see from the photo, that was the vision of the set and costume designers.

I was amazed at the number of people in the chorus that fit on the stage and how well they moved around without falling over each other. The acting was also superb.

And now, a look at the early reviews. You'll pardon my auntly pride as I post the excerpts about Catherine, you can go to the links to read the whole review. Drumroll, please:

Catherine Martin’s Gianetta was also beautifully sung..

(from ConcertoNet.com)

Rounding out the cast was HGO Studio Artist Catherine Martin in a small but worth noting role. Her beautiful mezzo-soprano voice in some ways outshone her leading lady with its crystal clear quality and focused, rich sound. She is sure to have a promising and prosperous career... Houston Examiner

And no, neither her mother nor I wrote that second review!

Opening Night at HGO!

We're all all-flutter Chez QG about the Diva's debut tonight. She will perform the role of Gianetta in Donizetti's The Elixir of Love in Houston Grand Opera's production.

Her mom and sister will be on their way from San Antonio to join El Jefe and I. We also get to go to the Opening Night dinner afterwards and will be all dolled up in our black tie duds which we hope we won't burst with pride!

I'm not sure we'll be able to follow the convoluted plot of the opera, even with the English subtitles that HGO projects during performances. The Diva tells us her role is small (about a two page solo) and she is the "head chorus girl", but she is the only one in the cast from the Young Artists program, so we think she is the star!

Review to follow....stay tuned.

The Diva is IN

I just got back from fetching our own Divine Diva Catherine from the airport and, after a bite of lunch, depositing her at Houston Grand Opera for her first rehearsal of the season. We're excited she's here!

Just like Portia and Babs always did after a long sojourn in Yankee Land, she has a hankerin' for some Mexican food tonight. What is it about Mexican food that says "I'm home!" to the displaced Texan?

Can't wait for those margaritas! I'm sure they are very good for the voice. Not to mention the salsa.

Diva In Training

Diva Catherine has been visiting with us the last few days. She drove to Houston to leave her car and most of her worldly goods with us while she is at "opera camp" in upstate New York at Chatauqua before returning in late August for her year with the Houston Grand Opera studio.

One of the things I'm learning from her visit is just how hard it is to be an opera diva.

She spends every evening memorizing and practicing the roles she has scheduled. Next fall she will be taking intensive instruction in Russian and Italian, plus continuing work in French and other random Scandinavian and eastern European languages. I am so language challenged that I'm awed by her ability to master so many.

It's just like any other profession--God may give you the intelligence and the talent, but you have to work hard to develop it if you want to succeed.

Recital Report

We're back!

Babs and I had a grand time visiting Catherine and her sister who came from San Antonio to hear her recital. I'm so proud of both of my nieces and it was a blessing to be reminded that they have become wonderful young women.

The recital was awesome--Catherine's voice just gave me chills up and down my neck several times. The event is part of her degree requirement so she had to choose songs in several different languages, styles and from different time periods. In homage to her Scots ancestors she did one song in deep Robbie Burns Scots dialect. One of her teachers introduced herself to me after the recital and told me Catherine displayed vocal maturity and musicianship far beyond her 24 years.

Babs and I enjoyed Cincinnati, which was much hillier (is that a word?) than we expected. We stayed on the campus of the U of Cincinnati which is quite attractive, full of traditional red brick buildings. The weather couldn't have been more perfect and all the spring flowers were blooming.

Today El Jefe and I are off to the bay after Good Friday service. Doc and Queenie are here for the weekend and we want to see them. We're coming back tomorrow for Easter.

The Recital

Babs and I will be winging our way East this afternoon. We're off to Cincinnati to attend Catherine's master's recital at the conservatory on Wednesday. I'm going to represent my sister, Music Mary, who couldn't get away from her duties as music minister at her church during Holy Week.

We've never been to Cincinnati. My mother was born there, but her family moved to Chicago when she was very young so she had little memory of the town. The weather there looks pretty chilly, so we'll get to wear our winter duds one more time.

QG will be closed until Friday. See you then.

Catherine Update--She's coming to Houston

My sister, Music Mary, just called to let us know Catherine received an offer to join the HGO Opera Studio for the coming year. She's accepted, and we are thrilled she will be in Houston for the next stage of her training.

I told El Jefe to get ready for a Whole Lotta Opera over the next couple of years!

God is so good.

Catherine Takes Second Prize in HGO Young Artists Competition

What a fabulous evening for the whole QG family! Above you see me, El Jefe, my sister Music Mary and our Catherine, who took the second prize in the Houston Grand Opera Young Artists Competition. Portia, Babs and Paul were also in the audience cheering her on.

It was such a thrill to be in the Cullen Theater at the Wortham Center to see the Concert of Arias which concludes the competition! Ten finalists each sang two arias and then the judges announced the winners. Catherine not only sang wonderfully but was the most beautiful, elegant young woman on the stage. If I say so myself. And I do!

Afterwards there was an elegant dinner and we got a chance to see Catherine and also watch lots of people congratulate her and make a big well-deserved fuss. I'm sure my Dad was beside himself somewhere in heaven, too. Really, our cup runneth over!

We're very hopeful she will be offered a contract in the HGO studio, which is her first choice to continue her training. What a privilege it would be to have her in Houston for a while --and what fun the girls will have with her if she gets to come here.

Catherine Martin. Write it down. You'll be hearing more from her. And you read it here first!

Fat Lady Hasn't Sung Yet!

My niece Catherine was named a finalist in the Houston Grand Opera's Young Singer's Competition this evening. We are all very excited and plan to be front and center on Thursday evening when she performs for the judges in the last phase of the contest.

Woo-hoo!

Too Much Excitement!

All of the QG family is very excited. This weekend is going to be a very special one.

Not ONLY will there be a family dinner arranged by El Jefe, Portia and Babs to celebrate my (xxx-th) birthday, but my talented niece, Catherine, will be in Houston because she is one of the semi-finalists in the Houston Grand Opera 's Competition for Young Singers!

My late father, who was a classical music fanatic, would have been so proud to see his granddaughter singing in such a prestigious competition. I remember how he used to tell me that if he had been a good singer, we would have all starved to death while he chased a career in opera and sacred music. That didn't happen, but his fondest dreams are now coming true for our Catherine.

My sister, her mother, has a wonderful voice but chose to make her career in music in the church. She is the director of music ministry at the largest Methodist church in San Antonio. One of my brothers is a talented instrumentalist and had a bluegrass band before leaving music for a career in medicine. And you know about me, the amateur choral singer who got to debut in NYC at her nephew's wedding!

But Catherine is the real deal--she has the innate talent, the focus and drive and the effort it takes to succeed in the world of classical music. When she sang in NYC it was last week at Carnegie Hall last week in a Master's Class with Marilyn Horne! And yes, that's her name at the top of the list on the billboard.

All week long I've been marveling at all the blessings God has given me in my life and certainly this weekend brings me almost more than I can handle.

Prayers that Catherine will perform at her best would be appreciated, whatever the outcome decided by the judges. I know that Daddy will be beside himself in heaven listening to her!