In early explorations with dialects through Lessac potency and radiancy, I found a physical and emotional center for Sweeney, which through rehearsal with director Chaya Gordon-Bland, I was able to fine tune.  The music is complex and difficult, and since we were using pre-recorded orchestrations, it limited the amount of musical phrasing and expression that the score truly deserves.  However, this did drive me to listen more deeply to the orchestration in order to pull my cues out, which was further complicated by the fact that we performed this near-opera without a conductor. I found that vocally, this role is more demanding than perhaps any other I’ve performed. It is at one extreme very lyric and romantic as in “My Friends,” and other times raging and aggressive, as in “Epiphany.” It challenged me to practice what I preach in the studio, and I became a better voice teacher as a result. I hope I have another crack at this role down the road!