Croaking in Amsterdam, or, Why Alcohol and Tenors Shouldn't mix.

So...here I am in the the sin capital of the world. So what does little Kevy do but go out on the town, meet up with two really cool natives at a bar and take the bar tour of Amsterdam until 4 am. Even had to take a cab home for fear of getting lost!

It was fun though, except for the last place, which was a loud crowded disco and I almost lost my friends.

I have leared. I sounded like dog crap this morning...again! Same thing that happened in Sweden.

Well, there was lots to see and do. Max is out at a dinner party, so I am having a quiet evening alone after having gone out to explore the town a bit. Will definitely NOT go out drinking tonight.

More later.

On to Amsterdam

Arrived safely today at the lovely 17th century home of Max van Egmond. What a charming and wonderful house this is. We had a splendid chat over tea and will be having the first of our three lessons tonight.

Alas, the auditions which I had hoped for will not be happening live, but I prepared a nice package for the conductors in question.

Max has stepped out for a swim, and I have been catching up on email and practicing while he is out. Thank God he has a PC. After using Leif's all week, I am definitely sticking with the PC!!! (Sorry Leif, but I don't get along with Macs.)

Meanwhile, la voce mia is giving me a bit of grief. My chords have been kind of swollen all week, and it's getting annoying. Have been careful about my alcohol intake.

As for Amsterdam itself, I will have to tell you more about that tomorrow after I have seen more. So far so good though. It's very impressive. Lessons tomorrow and Sunday and then to the states on Monday, drat it...I thought I was to be here all day Monday too, but I misread my ticket. Oh well.

More later.

A Stockholm Diary

Day two in Stockholm and I am finally over my jet lag. Leif and I got pretty plastered last night and I paid for it today when I went to take a lesson with his dad. I sounded like buttered dog shit. I woudn't have tied one on had I remembered that we were lessoning...oops.

As always, I love this city. It's such a beautiful place and it's filled with so many interesting and stunning people. We went shopping today, and as always, I bought a bunch of clothes. Leif took me to a shop that was very inexpenive. It was fun. We spent the rest of the day at Leif's dad's house, a beautiful place overlooking the water.

He made pancakes, Swedish style for us and they were to die for.

Not much else going on this evening. We are both pretty sleepy and are going to hang out and watch tv and get a good night's sleep.

That''s it from the foreign desk!

I got dem Schiphol Airport Blues

Good morning all.

For you, it's about three a.m. I have arrived safely in Amsterdam, gotten my boarding pass to Stockholm, schlepped the luggage to where it needs to go and spent some cash in the cd store, as if I need any more cds.

Schiphol is a"that seventies show" kind of airport, but it has miles of cool shops and lots of very American places to eat.

The flight from the US didn't seem too terribly long really, and I got in a couple of good naps on the plane. So, except for feeling the desperate need to take a shower, I am doing great. At $13 an hour in the internet cafe, this entry will of necessity be short. I will have lots of time to write when I get to Stockholm. Leif has a virtual office in his house.

Meanwhile, I get to learn to navigate Amsterdam by myself, as Max has a gig and can't come get me at the airport when I come back. That's ok though, I love a good adventure and everyone here speaks English, so I won't be lost.

If all else fails, I will just spring for a cab.

That's it for now. Post some responses you people. There will be much news.

Sunday in Montana

This has been a great week so far. Our concert went rather well last night, and the great folk in the volunteer choir pulled off some pretty fine Monteverdi. They have worked very hard on it, so it's great that they had a good show.

Off to Misoula today for a repeat. Hoping for another good show.

Montana day two

An easy day yesterday of shopping, and going to concerts. Our other three soloists gave a recital last night as part of the festival. Evanne Browne, our soprano soloist is from Dallas originally, and has studied with Max van Egmond. Small world.

Brian Chu, our baritone is quite excellent and we hit it off well at the pub after the show. Marje, our mezzo is also very fine, but I have not had much chance to chat with her and get to know her as yet.

Rehearsal in one hour....gotta get ready, get warmed up and go.

It's so very peaceful here in Helena, and this would be a groovy place to have a summer home.

More later.

Day one in Montana

Last night's rehearsal went as well as could be expected considering how long I had been up and how tired I was. Can't say that I sang my best, but it was accurate and in tune. Took a walking tour of Helena, passing up the hike up the mountain for fear of wracking up my voice by talking too loud and being too cold.

Helena is a beautiful city, and we have wonderful, interesting hosts here. They are such fun to chat with and are great about not expecting us to be "on" all the time. They have opened their wonderful home to us to come and go as we please, which is really nice.

There is a concert tonight that neither Erich or I will be involved in, so we get to have a free day to relax, practice and hang out in general. Our hosts, Becky and Paul are fixing us a big dinner tonight. The are vegetarians, and they are really going out of their way to make us comfortable.

On a sad note, Terri Schaivo died today. Let's hope that this whole sordid mess will encourage people to legally and emphatically make their wishes known as to the kind of extreme care they desire. I pray that no other family has to go through the horrific public nightmare that this family did. Terri, may you rest in peace, and thank God that your terrible ordeal has finally ended.

New entries are a comin in

Greetings all,

Stay tuned to these pages as I will be doing a great deal of travelling and performing in the next month, and I will be documenting my experiences in these pages instead of by my traditional travel diary emails. As for now, I have just arrived in Helena, Montana to do two performances of the Monteverdi 1610 Vespers with Musikanten Montana.

My bassoonist friend Erich Heckscher and I are staying in this wonderful house, built by the couple who lives here (Becky and Paul). They are delightful people, and we have been made to feel right at home.

I have never been to this part of the country before (except for Seattle) and it's really exciting to be in someplace so totally different from where I have ever been before. There is so much open space out here, and for a state capital, this city hosts only 28,000 residents.

We are off soon to rehearsal and I will be back later to tell you all about the ensemble and so on.

Till then.....

Thoughts on the Day

Hunter S. Thompson is dead. Killed himself yesterday. Great loss.
Sandra Dee and John Raitt are also dead. Sympathies to Bonnie and the rest of John's Family.

Spent the day teaching and rehearsing. Hoping the voice is completely back to normal by the time Madame Z gets here next week.

Tomorrow is my 41st birthday.

My mom is in the hospital and not feeling so well today. Kidney infection. Warm thoughts and prayers on her behalf are appreciated.

Long day tomorrow. Six students and a recital to attend. Helios program needs to get done and I need to start seeking out donations for the wine auction.

Sheesh.

I know, I know, I need to write more.

So, since bloggers are taking over the world of journalism, undoing TV anchors, making and breaking political candidates, etc. etc, why, you ask, am I such a sporadic blogger. Well, the answer is pretty simple. I'm a busy guy, and I write anywhere from 750-5500 words a day for publication as it is. And writing is my hobby for Chrissakes.

Nonetheless, there are a few interesting things happening in my life if any of you, my dear and loyal readers indeed care. First, my mom is in the hospital. She's doing better, but she got a nasty little kidney infection which laid her up for a few days. She's expected to be out by Tuesday. Tuesday, by the way is the forty-first anniversiary of my debut on the planet. Cards, well wishes, presents and such are always welcome.

We just finished recording the Durufle Requiem and the Widor Double Organ Mass at Incarnation. CDs are due out in the fall. The sessions were pretty damned good if I do say so myself, so it should be a good disc.

Helios has two concerts this weekend, and then in early March, Madame Z comes back to town to teach lessons and such. It's always a pleasure to have her around and I am eternally grateful to Bob and Patsy Brooks for all of their help in making my little creative event life happen. I couldn't do it without them.

The Anglican Primates meet to talk about gay people again. I am sure that the right asshole James Stanton of Dallas will have another homophobic field day with this one.

Well, that's about all the news for the moment. My computer is locking up on me and it's time to reboot. What a piece of crap. Time for a new machine.

Some news

Been a long time since I posted, so here are some updates from the life of this tenor.

Was sick for two weeks with the creeping crud and subsequent laryngitis. Finally close to normal singing again after almost a month. Grrr.

New music to check out: The Duhks, a fantastic acoustic band from Canada. Their new record came out yesterday, and it is beyond fantastic. Produced by Bela Fleck, not to be missed!!!

Come hear me sing!!!!! On Saturday the 12th, I will be singing in a small group concert with the Dallas Bach Society. Rep is English and Italian Love madrigals in honor of Valentine's day.

Sad loss to music this week, when Karl Haas, ubiquitous host of "Andventures in Good Music" radio program died at the age of 91. Karl did lots to turn people on to great music. His warm humor will be sadly missed.

Hope everyone out there in blogger land is ok. Stay healthy and don't catch this crap that's going round!

Some things of interest, perhaps

Movies to see:

Les Choiristes: Went to a preview showing of this splendid little film about a teacher who wins the hearts of some troubled youths through, what else, music. Well done all the way round. Opens in Dallas on January 28.

Coach Carter: Took nephew Paul to this another "how a good teacher changes troubled kids' lives" flick starring Samuel L. Jackson. Wasn't really expecting much, but it turned out to be very good. Thankfully devoid of gratuitous violence and language, it gets the message across although SLJ's monologues get a bit overly preachy.

Concerts you'll want to attend:

Tuesday the 18th:

Kevin Clarke presents "The Mystical Organ" at Church of the Incarnation, 8 pm start time. Music of Messiaen, Durufle, Tournemiere and others. Should be pretty exciting stuff.

February 24 and 26:

Helios Ensemble. Church of the Annunciation Lewisville, and Holy Nativity Episcopal Church in Plano. 8 pm. Hassler Missa Secunda and Monteverdi Missa in Illo tempore, Madrigals by Pallavicino and Monteverdi and motets by Marenzio and Gombert.

Should be tasty. See www.heliosensemble.org to order tickets.

Other News:

The golden throat has been temporarily silenced by a nasty cold, resulting in a nastier cough, resulting in an even nastier case of laryngitis. Arrrgh.

Five of my high school students gave a splendid little recital on Saturday evening, making me very proud.

We all went to Dave and Buster's afterwards for merry making which was fun in spite of the long wait for a table.

That should do it for now.

Oh yeah, and Patrick, ten pounds eh. I'll see what I can do.

Day one

Check it out! It's New Year's Day and I don't have a hangover! Go figure. This is my last day to be lazy though and tomorrow starts the routine of three services a week, and, most importantly, a trip to the gym. Gotta be svelt by BPI!

Happy New Year

To all who read these letters:

2004 with all its changes, triumphs and errors is quickly coming to a close. I always look forward to New Year's Eve, as without fail it brings the hope of something better. 2004, for many of us was a difficult and disappointing year. The American election, homophobia in the Episcopal Church, the loss of friends and family gives us all cause to stop and reflect upon what has happened in the last twelve months.

More importantly, however, now is not the time to sit back and wallow in our discontent. Positive change is made by positive people. So, to all of my friends out there, Happy New Year. Enjoy one more day of rest and relaxation, and then, when the sun comes up on Monday morning, jump up and greet the day, and start from day one to make your life, your attitude and your actions something positive. Let's leave the place a little better than we found it, and let's get at it right away.

Peace and blessings to you all!

Made it through Christmas

Whoo Hoo! Another raucous holiday season is over, with two wonderful days of doing nothing but sitting on my arse and watching movies! A few more days of vacation and it's off to the races again. Some things to watch for: revamped Helios web site...that comes up tomorrow, and KevinSutton.com will be launched before too much longer.

Hope everyone has a Happy and safe New Year's Eve celebration.

Success in spite of the AF of M.

The Dallas Bach Society performed its annual Messiah concerts this week in spite of pickets and strikes by the American Federation of Musicians, who, in Dallas are amongst our community's most myopic and ridiculous people.

The spirit of the performances was brilliant and the music making was of the first order. What a pleasure it was to see, for once, the orchestra brimming with the joy of playing together and of making so profound a musical testament as Handel's masterpiece warrants.

It was particularly amusing to me to go to the men's room and see stickers and signs plastered all over the walls which read: "DALLAS BACH SOCIETY-SCABS GO HOME!"

First of all, the union members who placed these items defaced public property. This is a misdemeanor offence by city statutes. Secondly, it proved just how childish these people are. Really now, posting your protests in the pisser. Nice. Elegant. Effective. Just so you know, I aimed up and hit the poster squarely with the ole garden hose.

Oh yes, and for the brilliant persons of letter who posted the signs: you need a comma after scabs. If you're going to post notices, at least do us the courtesy of knowing English grammar.

Nice try. The show went on. The audience loved it. And the six of you with your placards and signs outside the venue...you looked like the asses you are.

Catching up

Since Hildigunnur has duly chastised me for not keeping up with my blog, I thought that I would run a few words across the keyboard, since by some dumb luck I got out of my rehearsal early today.

It's holiday time, and of course that means lots of concerts and extra services, and by exchange, lots of extra cashflow. My creditors love this time of year. Four Messiah Performances (two as soloist, two as chorister) and a ton of other fun things.

This is about the time that I start thinking about what to put in the annual Chrismas eve letter, which will be arriving in inboxes the world over about 1:00 am CST Christmas morning. I think this year's is going to be pretty good. I have actually found a topic that does not blast George Bush to smithereens (rhetorically, of course, lest the Dept. of Homeland Security is reading this.)

I am proud to announce that one of my favorite students, Montgomery, got into the actor's conservatory at NYU. This is great news as he is a major talent, and he has had his heart set on studying there for some years now.

Well, it's off to the mall while I have the time. See everyone on Christmas eve!

Farewell Superman

The news came today of the death of actor and activist Christopher Reeve. This is indeed a sad day for all of us, and especially for those who had come to admire and depend upon Chris's courage and strength, his message of hope, and his crusade for the advancement of stem cell research. Let us hope that his passing, sad as it is, will strengthen the case for this valuable science. Although I would never want his death to be used as a political tool, perhaps the loss of this great courageous American will help to wake the public into action and put a stop to the current administration's idiotic lethargy on this issue and cease their pandering to the religious right.

Rest in peace, Superman. You made the world a better place in your all too brief time with us, and I, for one, am grateful for your life.

The Homophobic Bishop and his Hypocritical Agenda

Dear Friends,

Last night at the Church of the Incarnation, James Monte Stanton, the sixth bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Dallas, met with concerned parishioners concerning our diocese's joining of the Network of Anglican Commuion Dioceses and Parishes.

For some ninety minutes, the bishop filibustered and dodged serious and thoughtful questions and concerns from parishioners both gay and straight about the agenda and intentions of this network.

It became clearer by the minute that this network is an attempt to institutionalize homophobia within the the Episcopal Church in the USA. Bishop Stanton did not even have the nerve to address or defend this accusation, rudely cutting off a questioner who was neither aggresive nor disrespectful in his inquiry.

As a defense for his actions, the Bishop stated that his main concern was to maintain the communion between the American Episcopal Church and sister churches throughout the Anglican Communion, specifically, the churches in Africa. He made a lenghty case for this need for unity, citing the negative press that the African Church leaders were receiving for being in association with the Americans, and stated that African churches, who were in most desperate need of American aid were being forced to pass it by in fear of censure by their governments.

Further, when asked whether he would oust clergy who, in direct violation to Christ's teachings, were divorced and remarried, he replied with an unequivocal 'No.'

It seems as though the bishop and his henchmen have decided to take the issue of homosexuality as their right-wing rallying cry, ignoring other direct scriptural teachings since they are not politically or financially expedient.

Further, he is hiding behind a mask of sympathy for Africa, a continent which has done little to nothing to stem the spread of HIV and AIDS because of its antediluvian social mores that insist that the wearing of a condom is in some way unmasculine. He has also chosen to ignore such practices as polygamy, and prostitution and the handing down of episcopal offices such as bishop and primate from generation to generation instead of the proper electoral procedures that the canons require of these offices.

This Network and the people that are involved in it are the apex of hypocricy, discrimination and hatred. They are a stain on the fabric of the teachings of the all-loving, and all encompasisng Christ. They cherry pick scripture for their own political agenda and conveniently ignore those edicts of which they are in violation for their own political gain and expediency.

To add insult to injury, the Bishop made appallingly bigoted statements against the religion of Islam, putting himself on the level of our current and incompetent political administration, a far cry from his calling as shepherd of his flock.

In a last ditch effort to defend his Network, he cited his desire to maintain the traditions of the five-hundred year old Anglican Church. He failed, of course, to mention that this very church, founded in the sixteenth century by Henry VIII of England, was formed solely because the Roman Pontiff refused to grant Henry a divorce so that he could commence with his SIXTH marriage.

This bishop and his homophobic, hypocrital agenda must be stopped. We must cease to live in the dark ages, and wake up to see the light of truth. The bishop would have us believe that homosexualtiy is a lifestyle choice and not a product of genetics, when volumes of excellent research and science have proven him wrong.

To all of you who might read these pages: take a stand with me and my brothers and sisters in Christ who recognize the error and bigotry of Stanton and his ilk. Write to him at jim@jimstanton.com. Be heard. Let us stamp out hatred, fear and discrimination for ever.

Some Observations on the Day Past

While lunching at a little sub shop on Greenville Avenue, (how about that, I just made a new verb!) I observed a little episode that brought back many a distasteful memory of my days as a retail flunky.

Now mind, I don't mean to denigrate retailers. If one feels called to that profession, enjoys it, and is good at it, then I believe wholeheartedly that it is a noble and worthy profession. Alas, retail is often a wasteland of brilliant and creative minds, stuck there in misery either by circumstance or bad luck, or, and this is harsh, cowardice.

Sitting at the next table was the manager of this little sub shop, and he was deep in conversation with his supervisor, one of the dreaded ogres of every retail guy's life, the DM. (District Manager for those of you in other countries) Now, having had to answer to a DM for a number of years, I can tell you first hand that these needle dicked middle managers can make the poor guy that has to face the public every day absolutely miserable. Very seldom is anything ever right when they visit your store, rather, they take a great deal of little-guy pride in having the power to suck the creative juice right out of your veins and gargle with it.

This poor guy was being led around by the nose, legal pad in hand, and forced to bow and scrape to the big dude's every whim.

One year and one month ago, I, for one got my fill. I had been working for peanuts for more than fifteen years to make some other bastard rich, while my own creativity was being sapped. Well, I did something about it, and now, live a really contented and happy life, having the full authority and courage to say no to whatever and whomever I please.

Now, that last paragraph might sound a bit arrogant, and let me hasten to add, that arrogance is not my intention, nor is it my desire to lord my success over anyone else. Rather, I would like, through this little medium, to inspire the thousands of you just like me who have more to offer the world than a suggestive upsale of French Fries with your hamburger.

1. Chances are, there is something that you can do or produce that people need. Sit down and evaluate yourself, and figure out just what it is you do better than anyone else in the world. Maybe it's word processing. It might be housekeeping. Maybe you're gifted with a needle and thread. Perhaps you have a great speaking voice. Whatever it is that you have, go exploit it.

For me, it was music. And for fifteen years I used my talent and knowledge to sell sheet music and records for some other schmuck and they thanked me profusely to the tune of $10 per hour.

When I decided to put my music to work for me, I was able to build a teaching studio of more than 25 pupils (at $50 an hour!) and to put my musical knowledge into the production of radio programs, record reviews, and the artistic directorship of my professional choir.

Now, I make more in two hours than I made in two days at my day job, and no DM tells me that my office is out of order.

2. No one has the right to make you feel inferior and to hold the kind of authority over you that will make you dread earning your living. You DON'T have to take it from the MAN! Be your own person, and tell the boss to go screw himself! Find a position in life that makes some other dumb schmuck work for you, then be the best boss that the guy has ever had. Think of the transformed Scrooge in Dickens' A Christmas Carol and go help the Bob Cratchit's of the world.

Just remember this. Being your own boss takes risk and courage. But if you have something of value to offer the world, they'll buy it. I'm not kidding. It worked for me, and I know it will for you. Just don't make the mistake that I made of waiting until you were already 40 years old before you took the plunge.

And remember this, if you fail, you can always get another day job. They're easy to come by. But if you succeed... and you will, you'll find yourself wondering, as I did, what took you so long?!