World famous tenor Stephen Costello debuts the role of Tonio at San Diego Opera

Singing on the opening night of the Metropolitan Opera season is a testimony to a singer’s ability. Not only is it a testament to the singer's ability to sing but also the singer's ability to create some buzz--some anticipation. There …

Have marathons become too passe? How about 50 miles over rough terrain?

“Stuff” just got real, or at least it will tomorrow when the San Diego 50 Mile and Trail Marathon begins. Yes, 50 miles on trails out east where the country gets rough in the San Pasqual Valley. There is no …

Get some free samples while they last.

Next Friday, the 25th is the start of the Carlsbad Marathon and Half Marathon expo event. The event is open to the public and is full of vendors who are anxious to give out a few sample products. The big …

Hitting the wall at three and a half miles? What gives?

My marathon training for the San Diego Rock 'n' Roll Marathon is coming along quite well but I had an interesting time yesterday. On my five mile base run, I hit the wall at about three and a half miles …

Is it an open heart or an Ayn Randian egotist? Perhaps both?

As mentioned, I sat down and chatted with Yves Abel. We let ourselves roam around a number of subjects. We talked about more than music but there was almost always a musical connection to be made. Throughout our talk, Yves …

Who is the most interesting man in the world? I submit Yves Abel for your consideration.

Yves Abel appears to have been almost everywhere: Berlin, London, New York, Chicago, San Francisco, Rome, Palermo, Paris, Nice, Lisbon, Naples, Dallas, Calgary, Santa Fe, Seattle, Leeds, San Diego--and on and on and on. In these cities he has influenced …

Ride the triangle with the Valkyries.

We were bombing our way down the freeway when Ride of the Valkyries began to play. My eight-year-old daughter looked up from the game she was playing on my phone, “What’s this one about daddy?” “Warrior princess riding across the …

Run along the flight line on base at Miramar and support military families.

Tomorrow is the 2nd Annual Flight Line Dash 10K and 5K. The event is put on by the Officers’ Wives’ Club at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar. The course description for the 10K sounds interesting with a run along the …

West Coast Road Runners will train you to succeed at the half or full marathon distance.

January 12 was the kickoff of the marathon/half marathon training season for West Coast Road Runners. They will be set up this Saturday, the 19th, at Road Runner Sports in Kearny Mesa, 5553 Copley Drive. The event starts at 8:00 …

A few marginal pieces by Mendelssohn.

Since Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto is going on this weekend, I decided to explore some of his other music and keep my New Years resolution of listening to a new piece of music everyday. Here are a few of the Mendelssohn …

Six years in the making, Mendelssohn's Violin Concerto headlines at Symphony Hall this weekend.

The Mendelssohn Violin Concerto is coming up this weekend at the San Diego Symphony. This concerto is one of the most popular in the violin repertoire. The piece took Mendelssohn six years to complete. There were extenuating circumstances, such as …

With 80 singers who know what they're doing, the San Diego Opera chorus for Samson is ready to smash or be smashed.

All 80 singers were there last night for the first combined chorus rehearsal of San Diego Opera’s Samson et Dalila. What a sound! The chorus begins the show as oppressed Hebrews and finishes the show as depraved and ultimately squashed …

Verdi's Four Sacred Pieces were the last things he composed.

Verdi's Four Sacred Pieces are something I've been meaning to listen to since 1993, or so. This 365 idea is the perfect excuse to finally check them out. The four pieces were written separately but published together. The texts aren't …

How about a new piece of classical music every day for a year?

What to do for the New Year? I was thinking about listening to a piece of music I’ve never heard every day. Yes, 365 new pieces of music this year. I’ve probably heard about 60 of Schubert’s 300 songs so …

International orchestra, singers, and dancers bring in the new year at Symphony Hall.

New Year's Day can be all about football and hangovers but it can also be about the waltz. The San Diego Symphony is taking a chapter out of Vienna's book and offering a concert of waltzes on Tuesday January 1st. …

Rataplan means rataplan in comic opera.

Chorus rehearsal started last week for San Diego Opera's production of Daughter of the Regiment. Even with all the Christmas music, there is one tune I cannot get out of my head. It goes like this, "Rataplan, rataplan, rataplan. Rataplan, …

O Holy Night will take a singer to the edge so give them a hug for New Years.

Once again O Holy Night turned into “O holy crap here comes the high note” There will be a day when I’m not riding that battle horse at eleven o’clock at night after a full day of kids, two hours …

No opera singer ever sang better than Bing and Karen

I've been listening to a lot of the KOGO 95.7 Christmas mix this season. There are a lot of repeat songs but you get to hear a lot different singers sing them. A few things have impressed and terrified me …

Bumble bees and balloons coexist at a 5K along the San Diego waterfront prior to He Holiday Bowl.

Two days after Christmas is the Bumble Bee Foods 5K. The event is designed to be a part of the Big Balloon Parade and Holiday Bowl activities. The course starts near The Star of India, heads south, loops around behind …

Suzy Favor Hamilton sold her companionship for $600 per hour.

How about a three-time Olympian, motivational speaker, Disney associated, professional "escort"? Sounds too good to be true? Well, it is now because she got busted. The Smoking Gun is reporting that Suzy Favor Hamilton was a $600 per hour call …