News & Notes: February 23, 2012: Barns performances, Riverdance app and WTOC alum news

If you missed last Friday's Discovery Series performance featuring photographs taken by Wolf Trap President and CEO Terrence Jones and music from Wolf Trap Opera Company alumni, we will have some video to share in the near future. In the meantime, learn more about this unique performance in The Washington Examiner. The next performance in the Discovery Series is on Friday March 2 featuring the Jerusalem String Quartet.



Have you made your plans to celebrate the Leap Year? Join us at The Barns for a dance party with Buckwheat Zydeco, who was dubbed one of the best party bands in America by the New York Times. For some interesting history and factoids on this Cajun music legend check out Northern Virginia Magazine's Game Plan blog.

You may already know Riverdance is headed to Wolf Trap this summer. Did you know there's an app you can download to get the latest news and info on tour dates, the cast and creative team.

2011 Wolf Trap Discovery Series featuring Kate Lindsey

If you pick up a copy of the March issue of Vogue you will see Wolf Trap Opera Company alum Kate Lindsey featured in the "People Are Talking About" section. Coincidentally, Kate is currently wrapping up her debut at London's Royal Opera House playing Zerlina in Don Giovanni. Wolf Trap will present a new production of Don Giovanni this summer. See here for dates and details.

Q&A with Romantic Pop Crooner Patrizio Buanne

In honor of Patrizio Buanne's upcoming debut performance at The Barns we asked him to answer a few questions. Patrizio began his singing career when he was only 11 years old and has continued stealing hearts around the world with passionate and sultry sound. Be sure to catch him live at The Barns at Wolf Trap, Thursday, February 23!



So, first things first, how did you spend your Valentine’s Day this year?
This year I had a wonderful show at the Broward Center For the Performing Arts in the south of Florida.

You were born in Vienna, Austria. Will this be your first trip to Vienna, VA? What are you looking forward to?
Yes! I'm looking forward to find out more about the history and why this relatively unknown city was named after one of the most beautiful capitols of the world.

If you weren’t a musician, what would your dream job be?
I love to be involved with people of different cultures. I speak several languages and I would probably become an interpreter. But the muse which is the music became stronger.

You’ve drawn comparisons to a number of standards singers. To whom would you most like to being compared?
I guess nobody likes to be compared to anybody. Although, the comparisons I've gotten were mostly with legendary performers in my genre, which is an honor to me. There are many young artists that have been compared to me now that I have had some success around the world. The most important thing is to be oneself since that is ultimately the only thing one can be.

What has been your most memorable performance to date?
My bread is the applause. I am happy to face any audience no matter how big or how small it is. Venue-wise, the most memorable places must be the Sydney Opera House in Australia, and the Kennedy Center in Washington.

Who are your biggest musical influences?
Any performer with a strong expressive charismatic voice, such as Tom Jones, Freddy Mercury, Elvis, or any of the Neapolitan singers that my parents used to play at home.

How do you personally define musical success?
Being able to travel and perform around the world, singing the repertoire that I personally want to do. In other words, being successful with what I like doing best.

Do you have any pre-show routines?
I have my last meal minimum 3 hours before the show, I drink a lot of water and do a nice warm-up and make sure that my clothes look ready.

As a master of language you are able to communicate with people from many different countries. What do you think makes your music so globally accessible and able to transcend the cultural divides?
Being able to speak several languages allows me to get to know the culture and traditions of other nations. Knowing that allows me to approach my audience in a more specific way. Although I dreamed as a child to become an international artist, I never thought that it would develop to this extent.

What is the biggest challenge you have faced so far in your music career?
Every concert, every recording, every song is a challenge, and therefore every next challenge is the biggest one.

Intern Interviews: Impressing in Person

You made your application materials stand out. You received a phone call and scheduled an interview. You’ve worried about what to wear. You’ve arrived 10 minutes early and are being ushered into an office. Now what?

If I could give only one piece of advice to keep in mind during your interview, it’s this: Don’t be yourself. Be your best self.

Here’s what I mean: This isn’t the time to simply be yourself if your normal self runs late or doesn’t iron your clothing or mumbles. This is the time to be your best self- someone who is 10 minutes early, is dressed sharply, and is ready to speak clearly about yourself.

Fortunately, I’m not restricted to one piece of advice. So let me share a few other things to assist you in rocking your Wolf Trap intern interview.

It’s ok to be nervous. I don’t expect you to be an expert interviewee at this stage in your career. I am not going to make this process more difficult than it needs to be for either of us. Think of this as a guided conversation.

I am going to ask you the following questions, and there are no right or wrong answers. How did you learn about this internship? Tell me about your education, your classes, your extracurricular activities, your previous work or intern experience. Why do you want to work in this department? What are your strengths?

We are a performing arts organization, so these topics will be covered as well. Again, there are no wrong answers. What areas of the performing arts interest you the most? What was the last performance you saw? What are you listening to now?

Here’s where we get to the tricky questions. The ones where there is a right or wrong answer. Don’t worry. I’ll help you with some answers.

What is your major weakness?
What you want to say: “I’m a perfectionist.” “I don’t know how to say ‘No.’”
What you should say instead: “Spelling is my weakness. I’m incredibly thankful for spell check and I have my roommate proofread my papers.” “I forget names quickly, so I repeat them in conversation.”

You’re hoping to demonstrate that you’ll do anything and everything needed to get the job done. The truth is I need someone who can say no, and I’m not interested in a candidate who may waste time being a perfectionist. Be honest, share a weakness, and then tell me how you are making strides to improve it.

Have you looked at the Wolf Trap season yet?
What you want to say: the truth. “No, I haven’t had the chance to go online yet as I’ve been working hard to maintain my GPA and secure an internship for the summer.”
What you should say: the truth. “Yes, and I’m really excited about Riverdance and Steve Miller Band.”

I expect that you will have spent some time on the Wolf Trap website before you arrive for your interview. By this point, we will have announced more than half our season. You don’t need to memorize dates and times, but you should be familiar with our season. You should visit the website for any information about all of the departments to which you are applying. This demonstrates your interest in the organization.

What do you want to be doing in 5 years?
What you want to say: “I have no idea.” “I want to go to law school.” “I want to be the Artistic Director of a company that specializes in interpreting SpongeBob episodes through theater.”
What you should say: “I’m not exactly sure, but I know I want to explore a career in arts administration.”

As I’m looking for the person who is going to get the most out of working with me this summer, it’s the person who genuinely wants to be explore a career in arts administration. I know you might need an internship to graduate, and I know working at Wolf Trap seems like fun. However I can’t teach you how to be a lawyer; I can’t teach you how to be an Artistic Director at a theater company. But if you want to know how to run the operations of a programming department or work backstage in concert production, I am here for you.

Do you have any questions?
What you want to say: “I don’t think so. This interview has been very informative.”
What you should say: “Yes! Yes!”

Even if we have spent an entire hour in our interview, there is no way I could have covered the depth and breadth of the intern program. Again, this opportunity demonstrates your level of interest in this organization. So, what do you want to know? “What’s a day in the life of an intern like? When will you make a selection decision? What are you most looking for in a candidate? What do you like best about working at Wolf Trap?” There are no stupid questions, and you can’t possibly know everything, so this is your chance to ask!

From my side of the desk, there are two important things that happen during this interview. One, I determine whether you can fulfill the high expectations I have for an intern. Two, I decide whether we will get along working side by side during the intense summer period.

So, don’t be afraid to have a sense of humor. It’s ok to smile or laugh. In fact, in this department, it’s a requirement! Ask questions. Brag a little. Show me your passion. Be your best self.

Finally, send a thank you note, and keep your fingers crossed!

Reminder: The application deadline for the Wolf Trap Internship Program is March 1. Apply now!

News & Notes: Tuesday, February 14, 2012

In this week's news and notes, the Washington Post recently reviewed Wolf Trap's Discovery Series performance at The Barns from East Coast Chamber Orchestra. The next show in the series is this Friday, titled America's National Parks Through the Artist's Lens, and features photos of national parks taken by Wolf Trap's President and CEO Terrence Jones, accompanied by a quartet of Wolf Trap Opera Company Alumni, with Company Director Kim Witman on piano. The songs selected were inspired by the photos.

Inspiration from nature and the arts is at the heart of Wolf Trap's signature performance series, Face of America. The next installment in the series, Face of America: Spirit of South Florida, to be performed at Wolf Trap September 8, 2012, was featured in a segment produced by the NBC Miami affiliate.

We have a sneak peek of one of the vignettes titled Hurricane that will be part of that performance here.


The Frederick News-Post has an interesting interview with the only living member of the original Temptations who will be back performing at the Filene Center at Wolf Trap this August with The Four Tops.

Finally, our friends at the Vienna Patch have included Wolf Trap tickets among their list of great Valentine's Day gifts. For a great date night look to next week's performance at The Barns by Italian tenor Patrizio.