Six Questions with Alan Dunbar

Six questions with...

 

Alan Dunbar, baritone
Maximillian in Candide



1. My favorite thing about being a singer is: Taking on new and interesting characters every time I get on stage.

2. The greatest challenge in being a singer is: Getting enough sleep.  And trying to explain what I do to people unfamiliar with careers in the arts.

3. A live music performance I’ve attended that I will never forget is: Frigg, Swåp, and Julie Fowlis at the 2008 Lotus World Music Festival.  Such energy and skill!

 
4.  My favorite American opera is:  That's easy: Dead Man Walking.  Well... also Sweeney Todd and A View from the Bridge (can I have three?).

5. People would be surprised to know that: I never graduated from high school (or with a GED), but I just finished my doctorate.

6. Describe your favorite moment on stage: A specific moment would be singing Sweeney Todd's "Epiphany" and "Have a Little Priest" as a part of the Santa Fe Opera Apprentice Scenes.  More generally, any moment I can stand in the wings and watch my colleagues on stage - it reminds me how lucky I am to do what I do!
 

Bonus: One question you wish someone would ask you (and the answer).

Q:  Dream existence?
A:  Opening an organic pizza farm (look it up if you're unfamiliar with the concept) that has a small resident opera company to perform for people enjoying good food and drink in an idyllic rural setting.  Someday... 

Come hear Alan in excerpts from Candide as part of American Kaleidoscope at the Overture Center this Saturday and Sunday.  Tickets at overturecenter.org or 608.258.4141.