Two weeks ago was the busiest time I've had in a long time. Not only did Songs for a New World open, but I also performed on Trinity Idol 6.

OK, so here's my love-hate relationship with Trinity Idol. Last year I rehearsed a lot for the auditions. I prepared a Cuban song and I show up ready to blow the judges minds. Ten minutes later after my audition I get an email thanking me for auditioning, but also informing me that I didn't qualify to the next round. Basically.... you suck.
This year, Ryann signs my name on the audition's list. So one day I receive an email reminding me of my audition time the following night. I was busy rehearsing Songs for a New World (SFNW from now on) at the time I was signed up for, so I deleted the email and disregarded it.
That night, we finished rehearsal early, and since the auditions were taking place in the building next to the Attic Theater, I decided to take a chance. I showed up with nothing prepared. I sang "La Camisa Negra", which is a song I knew fairly well and could perform decently. As soon as I finish my song, this happens:

Judge1: "Do you have accompanyment for that song?"
Me: "I can play guitar with it (?)"
Judge2: "Will you sing that at the event?"
Me: "I guess, I haven't planned anyhting so far, but I guess I can (?!?!?!)."
Exit Sebastian

It just blows my mind that the song I put the least effort into was actually good enough to impress the judges; couldn't believe it for a couple of hours. After auditions ended I got a email confirming that I had made to the Trinity Idol event the following week.

Well, now I had to find a way of making my performance a great show. I decided to call Jonathan and ask him if he could play the bongos for me at the show. I wanted to have a second guitar helping me, but my friend Wladimir was out of town during the time I was planning to rehearse the songs, so I relied solely on Jonathan to do the percussion. Monday before the show (which was Tuesday), Jonathan texts me and says he's too sick to come to rehearse that day and probably even to perform the next day. I had to call Wladimir and ask him if he could play with me the next day. Fortunately he was able to learn the song well in less than 24 hours. Problem 1 averted.

Problem 2: I borrowed a guitar from another one of the contestants so I could play standing up (my guitar has no strap). Wladimir would play my guitar and I would use the borrowed one. I picked up the guitar an hour before sound check was scheduled and realized this guitar had metal strings. My guitar has nylon strings, which are much softer on your fingers than metal ones. Wladi and I rehearsed that entire hour and by the end of it I had a huge blisters on my fingers. They were so bad I was afraid they would pop in the middle of the performance that night. Fortunately nothing like that happened but it was a very stressful 24-hour time span before the show.

Performance went well, although my solo's were flaky (the blisters messed my touch badly) and our coordination was affected by the nerves Wladi and I had, but overall it was a decent performance. I was able to engage most of the crowd into a song that they hadn't heard before and probably couldn't understand the lyrics, but I was very happy to do it. According to one of the judges, I had a great stage presence and I told the crowd with my attitude I was in control; this was the first time I ever heard one of those, so I was very satisfied. Didn't make it to the final three, but it felt great to perform to a large crowd once again.

SFNW rehearsals were taking most of my time that week, too. Every night we had 3 hours dedicated to the musical. It was very hard to cope with my other responsibilities, but it was able to manage. SFNW is just a song cycle where each song tells a different story. It's a very interesting work and the music is great. I really enocurage you to listen to it. I had three solo songs plus the opening and ending songs, in which all the cast performed.

Here's the full cast on the closing number.

I was three different characters during the show. After the shows we received a lot of positive feedback from the spectators, and even from some faculty that attended! I enjoyed performing for it, and overall I think it was a very positive experience. The only time I had performed something that combined acting and singing was Opera Workshop last year, and I had a very short part. Having three instances where I was the focus of attention most of the time was terrifying, but at the same time thrilling. Here are the pictures (finally I'm posting with pics again!)

This is me doing the Christopher Columbus number, imploring for a sign cause I'm lost in the middle of the Atlantic with a worn down crew and ship.

This Meaghan, impersonating a woman so desperate for attention that tries to fake a suicide attempt jumping off a building, ultimately failing at both getting attention and faking such attempt. Great song!

Here's Ashley either singing one of the transitions or I'm not Afraid of Anything.

This is Taylor's character in Stars and the Moon. She's looking for a man that will give her a life of luxury, and after remembering the affairs she's had before marrying such man she realizes she'll "never get the moon."

Yours truly as a Pirates fan; basically I tell my father's story and my story in parallel. My dad fought for his dream's and failed miserably, and to avoid that kind of failure I decide to leave my fiance, played by Sarah (on the right), without even saying goodbye. I'm such a bastard!

This is Mrs. Claus bashing on her husband... or Ashley just beating Paris on stage. This hilarious take on the traditionally merry couple, where a Russian Mrs. Claus complains about how she has become irrelevant to Santa's life and even Rudolf seems to excite him more than she does. One of my favorites from the show.

Here's me during King of the World. This song is a praise to my former glory and a plea to be released so I can "live my given destiny", with the sad realization at the very end that all of that is gone.

This is Sarah's performance of a girl "with the promise of the world inside of [her]". Lots of similes with Virgin Mary, since it's Christmas Lullaby afterall.

Sarah and Paris in I'd Give it All for You, one of the romantic songs, where two long-lost lovers find each other once again. Very sweet song.

Here's Taylor once more in one of the most moving songs of SFNW. She's a Flagmaker; while the War of Independence rages on, she does what she knows best to keep her from insanity:sowing a flag.

That's it for now. I hope these pictures and my short descriptions encourage you to listen to the music and go watch any performances near you. And please, take a few seconds and comment on our blogs... it really helps to get some feedback from our audience. Thanks, and bis gleich!

Posted by Sebastian at 4:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)