{"id":7799,"date":"2010-08-01T20:37:01","date_gmt":"2010-08-01T18:37:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.gbopera.it\/?p=7799"},"modified":"2019-10-17T11:36:08","modified_gmt":"2019-10-17T09:36:08","slug":"no-make-up-gregory-kunde","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.studioroldo.it\/gbopera\/no-make-up-gregory-kunde\/","title":{"rendered":"“No make-up!”… Gregory Kunde"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>Which is the main feature of your personality?<\/strong>
\nEasy going, I basically like everyone.
\nYour worst flaw?
\n<\/strong>Seriously, I am a procrastinator in the worst way.
\nWhich is your star sign?
\n<\/strong>Piscies…24 Feb.
\nAre you superstitious?
\n<\/strong>Not at all.
\n What did you dream to become as an adult when you were a child?
\n<\/strong>A professional baseball player.<\/p>\n

Which are your favorite readings?
\n<\/strong>Any book by Vince Flynn, Richard Ford, Richard Russo, Richard North Patterson (do we see a pattern here?), John Irving, Nick Hornby or Joyce Carol Oates.
\nWhich is the book you have loved the most so far?
\n<\/strong>Hard to pick one, but The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini is very close to being my favorite.\u00a0
\nDid your family influence your choices?
\n<\/strong>Not really.\u00a0My mother was a jazz singer before I was born and my father \u201cplayed the radio\u201d (his favorite answer to \u201cwhat instrument do you play?\u201d) but had an interest in music.\u00a0They never thought it was a good choice to make music my profession.\u00a0They kept waiting for me\u00a0to get a \u201creal job\u201d.\u00a0
\nWas music a vocation?
\n<\/strong>When I was growing up, being a music teacher was a vocation, but not being an opera singer.\u00a0No one in my town had even heard of opera when I was in school.\u00a0Most of them still have no idea of what I do.\u00a0I come from a very small town in Illinois, the heart of the Midwest US.
\nWhat\u2019s missing in your life today? <\/strong>
\nA big, fat retirement account and the ability to be home with my family more often.
\nThe greatest disappointment?
\n<\/strong>I can\u2019t say I\u2019ve had any that come to mind.
\nWhich is your most cherished memory?
\n<\/strong>Two days: June 24th<\/sup>, 1986; the day I met my wife for the first time and March 8, 2002; the day I met my daughter Isabella for the first time\u2026she was one second old.
\nHow important is money to you?
\n<\/strong>A necessary evil.\u00a0The more you make the more you spend, oh how true.
\nWhich is the item you like spending money on the most?
\n<\/strong>I like electronic gadgets and watches, but I\u2019ve been very good about NOT spending money on them in the past years.\u00a0I tend to spend money on my two ladies at home.
\nDo you collect anything?
\n<\/strong>No.
\nDo you have a recurrent dream?<\/strong>
\nI don\u2019t remember dreams\u2026weird, no?
\nWhat are you afraid of the most?
\n<\/strong>Wagner.
\nWhich is your most ambitious dream?
\n<\/strong>To play a round of golf with Tiger Woods, Jack Nicklaus and Phil Mickleson.
\nThe moment you felt the proudest?
\n<\/strong>The birth of my daughter, Isabella.
\nYour biggest challenge?
\n<\/strong>Being a father.
\nWhat or who makes you feel embarrassed?
\n<\/strong>Receiving compliments after a performance (including extremely loud bravos during the curtain calls).
\nWhich is the situation you consider the most relaxing?
\n<\/strong>Playing golf.
\nYour favorite subject at school?
\n<\/strong>Music.
\nFavorite city?
\n<\/strong>San Francisco.
\nFavorite color?
\n<\/strong>Yellow.
\nFavorite flower?
\n<\/strong>Iris.
\nThe holiday or the trip you\u2019d like to take?
\n<\/strong>Two weeks in Scotland and Ireland ( or anywhere for that matter) to do nothing but play golf.
\nDay or night?
\n<\/strong>Night
\nTell us your ideal day.
\n<\/strong>With my wife, sleep late, Starbucks for coffee, a round of golf (with her), and a relaxing dinner at a great restaurant.
\nWhich is your hideaway?
\n<\/strong>The basement of our house, my office.
\nThe film you love the most?
\n<\/strong>“The Shawshank Redemption” with Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman.
\nYour favorite season?
\n<\/strong>Spring.
\nWhich is the place where cooking is the worst ever?
\n<\/strong>Whereever I am cooking!
\nHow would you define your relation with food ?
\n<\/strong>Very good.\u00a0We love each other very much.
\nYour favourite dish?
\n<\/strong>Spaghetti alle Vongole at Ristorante Bristolino in Pesaro.
\nRed or white wine?
\n<\/strong>Depends on the food. \u00a0Red, without food. \u00a0Pinot Noir from California.
\nWhat\u2019s never missing in your refrigerator?
\n<\/strong>Fresh mozzarella, cherry tomatoes and San Pellegrino.
\nWhat\u2019s your weakness in kitchen?
\n<\/strong>Lack of skill!
\nWhat\u2019s the soundtrack to your life?
\n<\/strong>“On the Road Again” by Willie Nelson.
\nYour favourite singer?
\n<\/strong>Fritz Wunderlich.
\nWhat would you want someone who doesn\u2019t know your voice to listen to?
\n<\/strong>“Ah, dove il cimento” first act aria from Semiramide. \u00a0Recording from Pesaro 1992.
\n<\/strong>How did your voice change through the years and how do you take care of it, choosing the roles and the repertoire to perform? My voice hasn’t changed all that much over the years.
\nIt has increased in size, but the sound is still me. \u00a0Taking care of the voice as one gets older is different, because in order to keep the voice fresh, one needs to practice more, but not so much as to tire the voice. \u00a0I need an hour to warm up the voice now as compared to 5 minutes when I first began. \u00a0Choosing wisely when to sing and when not to sing in rehearsals is also very important. \u00a0Choosing repertoire gets easier as one gets older. \u00a0We know our voices better and better as we get older. \u00a0Learning to say “no” when you know it’s not a good repertoire choice is the hardest thing for a young singer. \u00a0I still check the history and tradition of each role I choose and I still try to make a progression when choosing heavier repertoire such as Vespri Siciliani or Les Troyens. \u00a0Who sang the roles when they were premiered, for example.
\nIf you were granted the chance to chose a role, which one would it be?
\n<\/strong>Two answers: first Rossini’s Otello (one I have already sung and would like to repeat) and second, Werther ( a role I would like to sing that I have not yet sung). \u00a0Peter Grimes is another that I would like to do soon.
\nWhich is the first record you ever bought?
\n<\/strong>“I Wanna Hold Your Hand” by the Beatles.
\nHow\u2019s your attitude towards TV ?
\n<\/strong>I’m a fan. \u00a0House, all CSI and as much sports as possible.
\nWhat do you do an hour prior to go on stage?
\n<\/strong>Sing a bit, do a crossword puzzle, drink a cup of coffee.
\nWhat\u2019s never missing in your dressing room?
\n<\/strong>Honey flavored Ricola, pictures of my wife and daughter.
\nWhat do you think of when looking at yourself in the mirror?
\n<\/strong>You’re too fat!
\nHow would you prefer to die ?
\n<\/strong>Debt-free, surrounded by family.
\nYour mood at the moment?
\n<\/strong>Home-sick. \u00a0(wishing I were at home)
\nWhat\u2019s your motto?
\n<\/strong>The most important thing to remember when you’re on stage is to have fun and enjoy the privilege of being an artist.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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