Back to work mode

These recent days have been a huge emotional distraction.  Chicago has been consumed by the significance of recent events and anyone with an international outlook can not fail to have been affected by the important political changes presaged by the elections on Tuesday.  We British and Americans (some of us) have shared misgivings about the last eight years.  America and Britain stood together - as they should in almost every situation.  There were many of us British who felt that this time might be an exception.  Well we now know that we agreed with 72% of you brave Americans!

In the last 24 hours I have received so many relieved calls from by British friends congratulating ME on the election result!  And I even had a message from Germany which said "Brian baby!!  This is just a nice wake-up call to say "yes we can"!:-)) "  Well I thought that this was a VERY nice one......and quite right too.

Anyway - today was back to routine.  I continued with my Chicago auditions this afternoon.  And once again we had an encouraging crop of Chicago based singers to serve the company next spring.  There was also a batch who came up from Bloomington, home of the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University.  And there was even one who is now based in Alaska - we do a double take at the mention of Alaska these days..........but this talented young singer was from Fairbanks not from you know where.

And this early evening we had a meeting of our Executive Committee.  That was done by 7pm.  And so home for the evening.

Tomorrow Nathan and Julie Gunn are with us for an event at the Casino Club in Chicago.  This will be a small event for our very best of friends.  And on Saturday I am supposed to be on parade at the Art Institute for a concert at the Humanities Festival.  You should all be there!  I have been roped in to be presenting this although since I am not mentioned in the publicity maybe I got this wrong!

And you might, some of you anyway with small children, take note of Leaping Leopold - an event at the Shakespeare Theater on Sunday.  We will be there.