I did some show tunes for a party at Bill Handel’s house this weekend and he did a plug on his morning show! Here’s the link:

http://www.operakadabra.com/handel_071001.mp3

Enjoy!

-p

GLOWING letters of recommendation from happy clients (3 pages, PDF)
Opera-Kadabra Introductory program (1 pg., dbl-sided, folded in half, PDF)
4″x6″ postcard (double-sided, PDF)
Opera-Kadabra in MAGIC Magazine! (July 2006, PDF)
“What’s Wrong With Opera?” (OPERA NEWS, August 2006, PDF)

It has taken me ten years of study, a graduate degree in Music from UCLA, and several seasons singing with the Los Angeles Opera to develop an appreciation for classical opera. Now that I “get it,” I see that there’s an even bigger problem. The current generation of opera fans will not last forever, …

While I was earning my academic degrees, I was making my living in Los Angeles as a professional magician.  I always dreamed of a way to combine my talents into a truly unique act, but I couldn’t get past a couple of basic problems:

1. How can I communicate the meaning of classical opera arias to a mainstream audience that doesn’t understand Italian, French, and German?  and;
2. How can I cram a magic trick around an opera aria when the audience already doesn’t understand what I’m singing about?

The answer was so simple that it eluded me for many years.  I’m happy to report that I’ve solved these problems, and the result is my completely unique show, Opera-Kadabra!

I finally realized that I wasn’t seeking an answer – I was seeking a question!  I’ll save you the years of searching and give it to you here: “How would the character in this opera tell his story if he could also use magic?”

In other words, how can I make an opera aria visually appealing in a way that helps tell the story?

Now look at what we have: A way to make classical music and opera entertaining to a generation that was weaned on rapid-fire MTV-style visuals!

I can’t tell you how excited I am about Opera-Kadabra! It’s better than I could have hoped, and it’s a dream I’ve had for a long time. I can’t wait to share it with you…
-p