Happy spring! Yesterday's weather was showing some good signs of spring. Not so sure about today, but oh well. Anyway, I have several concerts coming up that are worth mentioning here. The first is this Saturday at 4 pm at Barclay Square near the Princeton Forrestal Center. That's Princeton, NJ not Illinois. I will be singing some songs and duets with soprano Amy Suznovich, and Lynda Saponara will accompany us on the piano. We will present a unique variety of songs and arias, including some music in Polish. After that I have Holy Week at St. Catherine of Siena church in New York City. Hopefully after that we will still be able to stand up. Then I am producing a concert called "Aftermath Recovery Benefit Concert for Haiyan Disaster Survivors" on Saturday May 3, 2014 at 7 PM. I have a wonderful lineup of singers, plus my aunt Lisa Bottalico dancing flamenco and The Philippine Chamber Rondalla of New Jersey will be playing. We will sing "Bayan Ko" with the Rondalla accompanying. The event is sponsored by web of compassion. If you cannot attend and
still want to donate to
the Typhoon Haiyan Relief Effort please go to webofcompassion.org. My goal is to have a full house at Christ Church, where the event will take place and to raise 2,500 dollars. I hope to see you all there. I am also involved in a repeat of the recital with Amy Suznovich at Highland Park Public library on Thursday June 5, 2014 at 7 PM. In addition I have a concert at the Intrepid museum in NYC on May 15, a concert at St. Catherine of Siena on May 18, plus I am covering a small role with Chelsea Opera and singing in the ensemble of "The Tender Land" on June 13 and 14. So, things are pretty busy. It is good to keep busy though. Even though I will be exhausted I don't mind.
Monday, April 7, 2014
Wednesday, March 19, 2014
Haiyan Recovery Benefit Concert May 3rd!
Dear Friends,
I'm putting on an awesome concert to help the recovery effort in the Philippines. My aunt Lisa Bottalico and uncle Joel Rudin will be involved in the project. Come to this concert and listen and watch these awesome performers and people. Here is info.
I'm putting on an awesome concert to help the recovery effort in the Philippines. My aunt Lisa Bottalico and uncle Joel Rudin will be involved in the project. Come to this concert and listen and watch these awesome performers and people. Here is info.
For Immediate Release
"Aftermath Recovery Benefit Concert for Haiyan Disaster Survivors"
at Christ Church in New Brunswick, NJ
New Brunswick, NJ – A benefit concert for Philippine survivors of Typhoon Haiyan will be held Saturday, May 3, 2014 at 7:00 p.m. at Christ Church, 5 Paterson Street, New Brunswick, NJ 08901. The event is produced by bass-baritone opera singer Nicholas Hay and sponsored by Web of Compassion. Suggested donation is twenty dollars for adults and ten dollars for students.
The event will represent a unique variety of music and culture including opera excerpts, flamenco dancing and Filipino music. The lineup of talented performers donating their efforts to help raise funds for this noteworthy cause include sopranos Amy Suznovich, Jenne Carey, and Alissa Indeck; mezzo soprano Jessica Renfro Ling; tenor John Villemaire; baritone Stan Lacey; bass-baritone Nicholas Hay; Flamenco dancer Lisa Bottalico, and the Philippine Chamber Rondalla of New Jersey. Web of Compassion president Grace Asagra will speak on behalf of Web of Compassion.
On November 8, 2013 Typhoon Haiyan devastated the Philippines. Typhoon Haiyan was the most powerful super storm ever recorded, and as a result, the aftermath has affected the lives of 1.47 million people. The already high death toll will rise if we do not help with the relief effort in the Philippines. Therefore, it is critically important that people step up and help with the relief effort in order to help victims of the disaster who are in need. As of today, over 6,000 people are dead, nearly 29,000 are injured, over a thousand still missing while countless numbers have lost their homes. The work to help the victims of the typhoon has only just begun. We are hoping to raise 2,500 dollars, so please come to this special event.
To learn more about this event, please contact:
Nicholas Hay
2 River Rd, Apt # 21
Highland Park, NJ 08904
609-577-6773
nickhay32@gmail.com
###
Friday, February 21, 2014
What's Been Happening Lately
I've been feeling kind of de-energized and unmotivated the last few days, so I figured I would write something. Seeing Jonas Kaufmann in recital last night at Carnegie Hall was very inspiring. He sure can sing. On some passages he sang, I was thinking wow, how on earth is he doing that? He also did quite a few encores after a very challenging program, and he sounded like he could go on all night. Obviously he is singing with his body, and not his mind or throat, because if he weren't singing with his body, he would not have such impressive stamina. I'm not a reviewer, so I'm not going to comment beyond saying it was really cool and inspiring.
Anyway, enough about that. I am involved in a concert next weekend with Jeffrey Farrington, Jose Pietre-Coimbre and Patrick Durek. It's next Sat at 7 at Christ Church in New Brunswick, an intimate church setting with strong acoustics. My projects after that are a joint recital with soprano Amy Suznovich, and pianist Lynda Saponara, and a benefit concert for the Philippines featuring Filippino musicians, a strong lineup of singers and flamenco dancing by my aunt Lisa Bottalico. These concerts will be great. The performers are working really hard to make them possible.
Now to non opera and music stuff I hope. It's hard to get away from it, but there's a lot more to life than just music and opera. I'm working on being as kind to people as I can and sticking up for myself in a kind way. If I don't stick up for myself I end up hurting people because I become passive aggressively angry. If something someone does bothers you it is fine to let the person know, but only in a kind and loving way. Loving and kind works a lot better than aggressive and angry any day of the week. If you get angry, the other person will pretty much always get angry too, or simply walk away. Being angry especially in a passive aggressive manner just creates more problems. The loving and kind way of dealing with issues is the only way that's ever worked for me. Communicating is really important in professional situations, and relationships whether it be with friends or family. Becoming angry at another person because I am too afraid to talk to them about something that was bothering me has not worked for me. Being kind and loving is the key to good relationships.
Wednesday, January 22, 2014
Stuff That's Going On
This is my first blog post of 2014. Happy blog new year to all. I think 2013 ended on a good note for me. I quit caffeine and I feel a lot better, and boy was that difficult to do. Also, I finished the year with some nice concerts and services, and spending Christmas with my family. Most importantly I grew as a human being in 2013, gaining more compassion and understanding towards others. Compassion and understanding is always a work in progress for me.
The year 2014 is looking good so far. I am planning some recitals and am putting on a benefit concert to help the relief effort in the Philippines. The concert for the Philippines is going to be an opera scenes concert consisting of excerpts from operas such as Cosi fan Tutte, Die Zauberflote, Die Lustigen Weiber Von Windsor, Candide, Lakme and Madama Butterfly to name a few. This program will feature some of my finest colleagues and a guest speaker from Web of Compassion to emphasize the need for help in the Philippines. Before that I will doing a joint recital with soprano Amy Suznovich and Lynda Saponara. This will be April 12 at the Barclay Square in Princeton, NJ. Great music will be performed in an intimate setting. In addition, I am going to be involved in some cool concerts at St. Catherine of Sienna Church. Also, I will be performing with my ensemble, The Thoreau Concert at Christ Church in New Brunswick on March 1 at 7 PM. Certainly PM, because I ain't doing it at 7 in the am folks. This concert will feature Patrick Durek on classical guitar, Jeffrey Farrington tickling the ivories, and Jose Pietre-Coimbre tickling the fiddle. So, lots of music events to look forward to, and more to come of course. No upcoming year is complete without a lot of performances.
The most important thing I have been working on in my life lately, and which I really want to continue this year is to have a positive attitude. Having a positive attitude actually takes a lot of work for me. Everytime I get into a negative mindset, I just trust the powers that be that things are going to work out. Actually that's bullshit. Sometimes I don't trust the powers that be that things are going to work out, but when I do, it is a much easier way to live. I don't want to live with an attitude of regret, anger, bitterness and misery. I guess that can be fun in a weird way, if you like to waste a lot of energy. I find it easier to have faith that things are going to work out in a good way.
Also, I want to urge people who bully others to cease and desist. I post on bullying a lot because I was bullied. However, what I went through was nothing based on what I hear happening today. When I was bullied it was just words. It was seldom physical, and the internet wasn't in full swing yet. With the internet being so widely used now in 2014, we need to watch what we say about others. So forget hatred and get to know love. Love is part of our higher selves, and it is the best way to treat others. I am not trying to sound like a saint. I am far from being a saint, but the idea of loving others works a lot better than hate. I recently saw a story on HLN about a seven year old boy who has cancer. As a result of undergoing chemo the boy experienced hair loss. You want to know what his friend did? His friend shaved his head to so he could support his friend with cancer. I want to hear more about that then stories about bullying.
The year 2014 is looking good so far. I am planning some recitals and am putting on a benefit concert to help the relief effort in the Philippines. The concert for the Philippines is going to be an opera scenes concert consisting of excerpts from operas such as Cosi fan Tutte, Die Zauberflote, Die Lustigen Weiber Von Windsor, Candide, Lakme and Madama Butterfly to name a few. This program will feature some of my finest colleagues and a guest speaker from Web of Compassion to emphasize the need for help in the Philippines. Before that I will doing a joint recital with soprano Amy Suznovich and Lynda Saponara. This will be April 12 at the Barclay Square in Princeton, NJ. Great music will be performed in an intimate setting. In addition, I am going to be involved in some cool concerts at St. Catherine of Sienna Church. Also, I will be performing with my ensemble, The Thoreau Concert at Christ Church in New Brunswick on March 1 at 7 PM. Certainly PM, because I ain't doing it at 7 in the am folks. This concert will feature Patrick Durek on classical guitar, Jeffrey Farrington tickling the ivories, and Jose Pietre-Coimbre tickling the fiddle. So, lots of music events to look forward to, and more to come of course. No upcoming year is complete without a lot of performances.
The most important thing I have been working on in my life lately, and which I really want to continue this year is to have a positive attitude. Having a positive attitude actually takes a lot of work for me. Everytime I get into a negative mindset, I just trust the powers that be that things are going to work out. Actually that's bullshit. Sometimes I don't trust the powers that be that things are going to work out, but when I do, it is a much easier way to live. I don't want to live with an attitude of regret, anger, bitterness and misery. I guess that can be fun in a weird way, if you like to waste a lot of energy. I find it easier to have faith that things are going to work out in a good way.
Also, I want to urge people who bully others to cease and desist. I post on bullying a lot because I was bullied. However, what I went through was nothing based on what I hear happening today. When I was bullied it was just words. It was seldom physical, and the internet wasn't in full swing yet. With the internet being so widely used now in 2014, we need to watch what we say about others. So forget hatred and get to know love. Love is part of our higher selves, and it is the best way to treat others. I am not trying to sound like a saint. I am far from being a saint, but the idea of loving others works a lot better than hate. I recently saw a story on HLN about a seven year old boy who has cancer. As a result of undergoing chemo the boy experienced hair loss. You want to know what his friend did? His friend shaved his head to so he could support his friend with cancer. I want to hear more about that then stories about bullying.
Thursday, January 16, 2014
Highland Park NJ - Voice | PRIVATELESSONS.com
Highland Park NJ - Voice | PRIVATELESSONS.com
Hi everyone! I am accepting new voice students for 2014. Check out the link above or www.nicholashay.com for info.
Hi everyone! I am accepting new voice students for 2014. Check out the link above or www.nicholashay.com for info.
Monday, December 23, 2013
Christmas and My Grandmother
First of all, happy holidays to my friends and family! I hope everyone has a Christmas and New Years full of blessings. Here's to a great 2014. I haven't blogged in a while, because I haven't really had anything urgent to blog about. It's been a busy couple of months. After tomorrow and Christmas morning things slow down a bit. Everyone needs a break once in a while, right? Just time to get quiet and reflect on what the holidays are really about. It's important to be grateful to have family and friends versus being in the commercial frenzy with the shopping and consumerism. A lot of people have no family to go to for the holidays, which is why being grateful for family and friends is really important. We've recently had a death in the family so I can attest for that need to be grateful for friends and family. What's my point? The holidays to me are about the gift of music, being with your family, having time to yourself, driving safely, not being a lunatic, and just enjoying the holidays for what they are supposed to be. Every day we are given another day is a holiday in my opinion. The fun in Christmas is the carols the decorations and spending quality time with people. The holidays should bring out the good in people. Fighting over items in stores does not bring out the good in people. I'm cool with getting presents for people. I am not a fan of the fighting over items and frantic behavior that goes along with the holidays, I'm grateful that I get to make music and bring people joy for the holidays tomorrow night and Wednesday morning. Then I get to go to my family and spend time with them on Wed. I am just glad I have a place to go, with a family that I am close with. I've worked on myself so I can be a good family member, and I think the work has paid off in that I know we will have a good time on Christmas because I can show up and be present.
I would like to write one more paragraph to take a moment to remember my paternal grandmother who died last Monday at the age of 96. What an impressive feat to live to such an advanced age. She would never view herself as old, and that worked to her advantage. I saw her a few months a go and she was still walking and everything. She was amazing for her age. Things happen and everyone dies and that's what happened here. There is no escape from death. She did a good job raising my dad, and as a result of her having my dad, I get to be alive along with my sisters. She came to a recital I did last year at 95 which really impressed me. It was a nice gesture on her part. I will miss her, and I have to admit it is a strange feeling to not have any grandparents left, but such is life. She lived an impressively long life. She stayed in such impressive shape in old age, I thought she would live even longer, but death is a part of life.
I would like to write one more paragraph to take a moment to remember my paternal grandmother who died last Monday at the age of 96. What an impressive feat to live to such an advanced age. She would never view herself as old, and that worked to her advantage. I saw her a few months a go and she was still walking and everything. She was amazing for her age. Things happen and everyone dies and that's what happened here. There is no escape from death. She did a good job raising my dad, and as a result of her having my dad, I get to be alive along with my sisters. She came to a recital I did last year at 95 which really impressed me. It was a nice gesture on her part. I will miss her, and I have to admit it is a strange feeling to not have any grandparents left, but such is life. She lived an impressively long life. She stayed in such impressive shape in old age, I thought she would live even longer, but death is a part of life.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)