Back to Class

Well, it’s begun--and what an exciting first day it was. Today was my first day as an Associate Professor at Wichita State University. I have LONG looked forward to this day as I have long had a yearning to teach. As many of you know, I’ve been active as an instructor for some time during my years as a performer. I am happy to now take on more teaching responsibilities while I continue singing my favorite operas. Actually, it doesn’t seem like I’m slowing down my performing schedule too much. Engagements are lined up in many of my favorite venues. Heads will still roll in “Salome”, Valhalla will be built again (and destroyed) in “The Ring”, and my favorite bad guy, Pizarro, will once again be vanquished in “Fidelio”. I’m not near ready to stop singing. Thankfully, Wichita State is making this all possible.
It was great to meet so many of my new students today and to even give a few lessons amongst the mayhem of the first day of classes. I will teach a course later this week on English Diction while I move further into the teaching schedule. These are exciting times.
Since I last wrote, we went through all the trials and tribulations of packing up our home in Bucks County, Pennsylvania and moving west to Wichita. Much harder was saying goodbye to friends and family. It seems like I’ve had to do that far too often in this business. But, we know, with many ties still remaining on the East coast, that we will be back often. I will also be singing a great deal in Washington, D.C. over the next few years. I’m hoping that our friends and family will never even realize that we’ve moved away.
The university and community has been so welcoming to us here in Kansas. Our kids have started their school routines already and are making new friends. We continue to have boxes to unpack and pictures to hang. However, we are home. There’s no place like it.