Worth the Walk

If it looks like a door, feels like a door, and swings like a door...it's probably a door. If it looks like a looks like a pancake, smells like a pancake, and tastes like a pancake...it's probably a pancake. If it looks like an opera singer, acts like an opera singer, and sounds like an opera singer, it's probably...

Yeah, you guessed it. Athens Andrew.

I went to the concert tonight, and received a small tour of the School of Music from friendandneighbor Lauren. I got to use the computers in the lab, which was cool. And then we grabbed some seats...the upper balcony on the left.

The show was awesome. Like, seriously awesome. If you have any doubts about Andrew's potential to be an opera singer, you can forget them. I passed up a very important meeting and a Stillpoint dinner (and you know we litmag kids can really party) to make this concert, but it was totally worth it. I kid you not.

I'm a teensy bit biased because I'm a huge Sondheim fan and they had a Sondheim program, but it was great. What's particularly cool is that the specific person I came to see sang one of my favorite Sondheim songs. Of course, Sondheim songs are like BNL songs because I love them all, but there are a few that I just adore. I sang "I Remember" for my first Jazz Chorus audition. I love that song. Also like BNL songs, though, I'm really picky about they way they're preformed. Andrew more than did his justice.

Of course, the actual Opera part was awesome. I didn't get a video of that because my camera was acting funny, and it was too dark for me to switch to manual and change the exposure time. Speaking of which, Opera singers move around a lot--I think I maybe got two clear pictures the whole time. But anyway, this one guy sang a song in German (which is hard, because German isn't pretty) and jumped clear over a chair. It was pretty intense.

I think, pound for pound, the boys out-sang the girls. Not that the girls weren't good, but as a whole I think the boys were better.

And while normally I'd be all like..."Sucks you missed the concert, but it's your fault for not living in Athens." But this was good. This was my one of my favorite Sondheim songs. And it was awesome (and I'm not just saying that--this kid has great vocal control). So here you go:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v9m-Qrl6y64

Notice how his sound is consistent. The mic on my camera sucks, and I had my hand over it for a while, and I was sitting at a kind of strange angle. A lot of the other performers went in an out of our hearing range. He's just that good. I'm totally impressed.

In other news, We're going to Mississippi for Thanksgiving, but I'm coming back Friday afternoon. Are there plans? Also, the were three first over the weekend: I drank my first Beer (I'd just never tried it), I baked my first pie (with help, of course) and I experienced my first fire (not in my room...just in the dorm itself). So there you have it.