2002 – Page 13

This interview took place on March 8, 1997 in Savannah, Georgia, at the Mulberry Inn. We met at 10am for brunch. He presented himself as a dignified yet warm individual, with a wonderful sense of humor. Though brunch lasted only half an hour, the interview lasted two hours; beginning with casual conversation and then moving on to prepared questions.

I remembered Vinson Cole from an article I read in Opera News in December of 1989 entitled ’Accentuate the Positive’. The article mentioned that he was performing regularly with Seattle Opera so I decided to try to find him through the Internet Directory in Seattle, Washington. I have to admit that I was surprised to find his address, phone number and e-mail address. I was surprised yet again when Mr. Cole phoned me from Leipzig, after having received an e-mail and a phone message from me. The phone interview lasted approximately forty-five minutes.

I remembered Mr. Brown from the summer of ‘84 at the Brevard Music Festival in Brevard, North Carolina; he sang the role of Faust, I was a high school scholarship participant. This interview happened just moments after Mr. Brown had participated in a recital of music by T.J. Anderson on March 9, 1997 at the Radisson Hotel in downtown Atlanta, Georgia. The recital was one of the many performances taking place during the Symposium for the National Black Music Caucus of the Music Educators National Conference. Our meeting was rather impromptu. Although he had come to Symposium to rekindle relationships with old friends and composers, he deemed it necessary to speak to me immediately.

Erda answers a question about making the jump from chorus and small company work to the next level.

IRS rules allow a deduction for the cost, cleaning and repair of clothing only if “you wear it for your job and it is not suitable for wear when not

Tenor Kurt Streit talks to singers about education, management, career choices and his decision to live in Europe.

Opera is a great art, for it combines so many arts: the art of sound, the art of movement, the art of color. Synchronize them into one harmonious unit and you will have an artistic monument that can become historical.

It’s time to make some changes in your life and career. No backsliding allowed because the whole Classical Singer Community is watching. If you didn’t get a chance to write yours down, there’s still time! Go to the www.classicalsinger.com. From there, click on the "Forum" tab, then click on "General Interest" and do a search under resolution. You’ll find the thread and you can write your own resolution. If you need some suggestions, read what others have written below.

Dear CS: I need to call your attention to an inaccuracy in your otherwise very touching story about Barry McCauley in the December issue. Michael Devlin is quoted as saying,

A quick note before I introduce the issue: Something is bothering me and it has been bothering me for a long time. It started long before the Oklahoma City bombing,

James Levine to Join Boston Symphony In Sept ’04, James Levine will become the 14th music director of Boston Symphony, replacing Seiji Ozawa. He is not planning to reduce his

Dear Erda, Since 9/11, times are hard and it seems to be trickling down to the arts. Ticket sales are down. What’s going happen to opera singers? What can we