diamond in the rough

Hi Family. For all that we have missed the past several weeks, Cat and I are both very sorry. Calls to family for Birthday wishes, sisters I didn't get to talk to on Mother's Day, other events we may not have recognized we are sorry for missing out on. Things have been hectic as our summer plans have changed slightly, but more on that in a minute.

On May 11th I(Patrick) drove three hours north to a small riverport town in NY state called Hudson. There I spent the next week rehearsing and performing a one act opera for Diamond Opera Theatre. I was not initially looking forward to it as I had not really spent enough time on the Opera and wasn't fully prepared going into rehearsals. I spent 12 hours the day before I left memorizing the 98 page opera and, luckily, it stuck. I arrived in Hudson in the evening and was instructed to meet the cast, director, and others at the theatre. The theatre is on a street which paralleled the Hudson river, right across from the train station. The theatre, as it turned out, started it's life as a Foundry, then it was a glue factory (not horse, but rabbit), and now has been turned into Hudson's epicentre of fine arts(minus a parking lot and proper facilities).

It didn't look like much from the outside, but it turned out to be a great space for performing .
After the first two days, Cat took the train up and joined me. My schedule lightened up a bit and we were able to explore. We discovered the the town was really dying until about 7 years ago. With such a convenient train station, it's attracting couples from the city and the place is in the process of coming alive again. We found several amazing places to eat with fresh, wonderful , locally grown and raised ingredients. We visited the Company director's wine shop in the neighboring town of East Chatham, and we discovered American History in a form we had not experienced ourselves before. We stayed at a beautiful bed and Breakfast, the house was a little more than a century old, and had every comfort you would expect in a near-palace. The owners were an amazing pair. In the 80's they were members of a pretty successful band who toured with the B-52's. They lived in Hollywood for a time and worked in entertainment. Dini, who cooks an amazing breakfast, is close friends with Kate Pearson, the female singer in the B-52's. The stories he had were colorful and great. They were a welcoming and very fun couple.
We visited the 7-booth large Farmer's market and immediately made the mistake of buying local cheese from a gentleman who hadn't quite mastered his craft yet. The sharp cheddar he was "still working on" tasted of body odor. And there must be more churches per capita in Hudson than in any other city. No matter where you are the town, you are within 100 feet of a church. This picture shows part of City hall and yes, a church, in the background. This Catholic church shares the same block with the local Presbetyrian church.
Needless to say, we enjoyed ourselves thoroughly. The performances came around 5 days into the trip. I enjoyed working with the two others in the cast, though it was an interesting mix of personalities between the three of us. I'm convinced I'm the only conservative in all of Opera. These are just a few stills from the recording, which I'll have up on Youtube as soon as I am able.
We had a great time, it was wonderful and I got a great review, "Tenor Patrick Layton... has a vibrant lyric tenor voice that complimented... and made its own telling points with his brilliant top." John Paul Keeler, Hudson-catskill papers. The people were wonderful, and I'll look forward to returning there soon for a recital which is going to be planned for the fall.

Okay, as for this summer here are the plans. Cat is flying back to CA in Mid-June. She'll be taking two courses and working for her cousin. I will not be with her as I've been offered two covers and 4 concerts with Opera New Jersey this summer. It's a great opportunity to fatten my resume and schmooze with a few companies. I will be flying out the last weekend in June for 4 days but, unfortunately wont be able to stay for the 4th of July. I hoping to get a round of golf in with Dad and ...?, and some swimming with whom ever I may find still in CA.

We love you guys, and we will continue to try to keep in touch. The blogs have been great and I hope I'll get to see you all in CA on that weekend.

-pat and cat-

Atlantic City and the MET, a scatter-brained blog

Hi family. Sorry we've been out of touch for what seems like a very eventful several weeks. Shane, Happy Birthday! Kevin, Congratulations on your first communion! The Chicago clan looks GREAT! It was really good to see the CA contingent, even given the circumstances. We are doing alright here, trying to solidy plans for the summer.
Speaking of the summer, so many things have come up. Cat (who is doing really well) will definitely be spending the bulk of the summer back in California, working for her cousin and taking a couple of classes she can't get here. We're working out whether or not I will be here in NJ, or there in CA. I recently had an audition for the Metropolitan Opera chorus. It was by invitation only, there were 11 of us there. It was a good experience, and I'm sure you wont be seeing me on that stage anytime soon, but I'll keep you posted if something miraculous happens. I've also been offered a Studio Artist position with Opera New Jersey for the summer, covering two roles and performing in concerts, masterclasses, as well as singing in chorus. And also I've been in touch with old contacts from California who would welcome me for the summer with open arms. Needless to say, there's a lot to work out in the next couple of weeks. On Sunday I travel north to Hudson, NY where I will spend the week doing 6 performances of a one act opera called Red Carnations. It's a small company, but they pay well and they're putting me up for the week. I'm hoping to get a good review and will certainly post it if that happens.
To treat ourselves, Cat and I spent the day in Atlantic City last week. It was suprisingly fun. It's like a little slice of Las Vegas (the good and the bad), with the exception that you could not find a 5 dollar table. They have a massive outlet mall and Cat and I spent the day mostly window shopping. Though Cat managed to find a few steals at the Coach outlet, while I spent my time looking at shoes. For dinner we made reservations at Bobby Flay Steak. He is one of our favorite chefs, and we were thrilled to have the opportunity to taste his food. There was a lobster bar with lobsters on display that were the size of VW Beetles. Cat and I both had American Kobe strip steaks. We both agreed we had never had a meal as remarkable as this one. Everything was amazing.
We finished the night gambling our small budget away, and both agreed it was a great time.
Cat's doing great. She's so amazing, and very strong. She continues to be a source of strength for her family, and I relish the role of husband, being there for her in any way I can. She was able to finish her semester and, while she didn't make dean's list, she came away relatively unscathed and still in the running for a great Master's program after her undergrad. Vocally she's becoming a remarkable young mezzo, and will more than likely being starring in future productions at Westminster Choir College.
We're thinking of our family, we love you guys and miss you. We hope for nothing less than the best for you, and we hope to see you soon.

-Patrick & Catharine-