Well, it’s happening. Yesterday, the whole cast and crew of #UncleJohn moved into their new digs at the stunning Banff Centre. It was a day of informally bumping into each other over meals and self-guided orientations. I caught Leporello going over his patter outside Le café, and talked business over beer with maestro Hargreaves. I met those in the cast whose faces I knew only from their headshots and delightful introductory videos. Masetto and Ottavio discovered they’re buddies (see above), and the newly-famous Sammy Ivany, fresh off of his stage debut in AtG’s Pelléas et Mélisande, charmed the table over lunch. Today, the work begins. The singers will team up in concert with other artists here at the Banff Centre, and the impressive faculty (like the COC’s Alexander Neef and Johannes Debus) will keep the Open Space participants busy and inspired. And of course, #UncleJohn will begin to take shape. Before long it will jump off the page, into our special performance space at the Cave and Basin National Historic Site. And I plan to capture as much of it as I can, from the rehearsal room to the hiking trails.

Can’t wait. Let’s go, y’all.