Music Meets Drama

Norm Carlberg Looking at my calendar today brought me a reminder that my friend and colleague, Norm Carlberg died unexpectedly ten years ago today.  As we all say, how time has flown.  Yet my memories of Norm are clear and filled with admiration of a good, true, giving person who was extraordinarily talented. In July 2010 my blog entry was about the three directors who made my “Life! Love! Song!  A Visit with Gena Branscombe” show come alive.  Norm Carlberg, Evan Pappas and Ellen Harvey gave of their talents to guide me through the development and performance of this wonderful and fun one-woman show. It was Norm Carlberg with whom I first shared my idea of the show.  Over dinner, I sought his advice on how to go about writing and creating my idea….how to make it a reality.  Listening intently as I recounted my Gena Branscombe journey up to that day, Norm slowly spoke in his deep bass voice, “Just start writing” was his advice….”write and writ...

Sometimes in my business, you get just plain lucky! Such was the case in mid 2007 when Spessard Management was contacted about the possibility of performing my one woman show for the Festival of Women in the Arts in Elmira, NY. How did the Festival find us? What internet search resulted in their contacting us? We never did find out and that’s OK because the experience was wonderful. Generally artist management companies research performing opportunities, make calls, send e-mails and then publicity packets. Phone conversations ensue and hopefully you get a booking. Will Wickham, conductor of the Cantata Singers of Elmira, had a genius idea to create the Festival of Women in the Arts. Brilliant….an absolutely brilliant idea. The e-mail from Will appeared without us first contacting him and lucky is how we felt. E-mail exchanges began about our fees and the Festival applying for grant money. Before too long, the Festival of Women in the Arts had the funding for me and Martin to ap...

Norman Carlberg, Evan Pappas & Ellen Harvey…..all three directors of “Life! Love! Song! A Visit with Gena Branscombe.” A one-woman show ….how does one person get so lucky to have three wonderful directors? Life is not predictable or fair at times. In my April 8, 2010, blog I wrote of my first director, Norman Carlberg, who gave wings to my show and saw me through to the opening night at the Liederkranz Club in April 2004. I am thankful to him for comprehending and supporting my mission to get Gena Branscombe’s life story out to the world. Norm died suddenly of a heart attack in July 2005. At that time I was about to go back into rehearsals with Norm for upcoming performances. Evan Pappas, my co-author, and I had rewritten the script, made cuts and sharpened the show. I was excited to get back on my feet and perform this diamond of a show. Norm’s death meant I had no director and was in need of someone to help me put the show back together. Without hesitation I called Evan a...

Twenty years of collaboration….how does one write about those twenty years without sounding sentimental, saccharin and overly emotional? My job now is putting into words what it has been like to have an accompanist, collaborator, cheerleader and dear friend named Martin Hennessy. “Concerts to Go” was a program sponsored by the music series at Trinity Church in New York City. With a baritone friend, Martin and me, we traveled subways and buses to perform opera arias, duets and show tunes in nursing homes throughout the five boroughs. Touching these elderly people’s lives with the gift of music and watching the smiles on their faces was a reward beyond what words can express. Martin became my coach and accompanist from that original collaboration. Over the past twenty years we have prepared and performed countless recital programs. He has helped me learn oratorios that I have sung from New York to Maine. He knew which of my buttons to push to make me reach deeper inside ...

In the initial stages of my Gena Branscombe project, creative thoughts and plans seemed to come to me like never before in my life. There was finding Gena’s music, researching her life, making the recording and then, one evening I attended an off-Broadway performance of Elizabeth Perry’s one-woman show, “Sunflower.” I sat in the theatre watching, listening, and enveloped in the life story of Elizabeth Cady Stanton. A woman……wife, mother and suffragette activist bar-none and the reason women now have the right to vote. Elizabeth Perry wrote and starred in her own show. Her knowledge of Mrs. Cady Stanton was inspired, her attention to detail in portraying a woman from over 100 years ago - impeccable, and her passionate acting made one feel the very essence of this important historic woman. Leaving the theatre knowing my future would be telling Gena Branscombe’s life story in a one-woman show, though, mine would include music, I had to figure out how this was going to evolve....

In our crazy and wonderful music business one is never sure where or when our next performance may come to us. We will work diligently to send our publicity packets to the right people, try to market ourselves and network as best as we can. Then, what seems to be out of left field, we will receive a phone call or an e-mail inviting us to perform in a place we had not imagined. In the early days of my Gena Branscombe project I came across the music of composer Kathleen Lockhart Manning. I considered recording a few of her songs which did not happen, yet I kept her music in mind for future concerts. In November 2008 I was again drawn to Lockhart Manning's music and began an internet search for some of her songs. Up came a website "Lanning not Manning" and to my surprise I found mezzo-soprano Rebecca Lanning was doing a project on Lockhart Manning in the vein of my Gena project. I was thrilled to find someone who had found a woman composer whose life and music needed...

Three simple measures -- an original piece of manuscript -- her signature. What a find! A collector's item for sale on e-bay and I must own it. This is one of the first two Branscombe songs I learned in 2000 and it is the opening song on my CD, "Ah! Love, I Shall Find Thee: Songs of Gena Branscombe." Serenade is sung in my one-woman show, "Life! Love! Song! A Visit with Gena Branscombe." My performing career expanded from art song recitals, contemporary music and oratorio to performing the music of this lovely woman composer , famous in her day. After her death her music and original manuscripts were held in boxes at the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts until I discovered them and thus began my journey! #BringingBackBranscombe