I’ll admit it — as of Monday morning (June 29th), only four people had RSVP’d for the schmooze, and I was mentally rehearsing my “well, intimate gatherings have their charms” speech. Then, somewhere between the freeway and the restaurant, my phone started buzzing. By the time we sat down at Pitfire Pizza in Pasadena — our reliably excellent, affordable, dietary-accessible, wonderfully patient-with-loud-singers go-to spot — we were a dozen strong, several of whom I hadn’t seen in years. Singers juggle a lot, what with rehearsals, gigs, day jobs, life… So a late RSVP is less “flaky” and more “professional multitasker squeezing in one more thing.” I’ll take it, and it was wonderful to see everyone.
The question of the night: What was a big win for you this season? Musical, personal, weird, small — anything counted. The goal was simple: close out the arts season on a high note and walk into summer already feeling good about it.
Here’s a taste of what came up (anonymous here, because chasing down permissions is its own kind of unpaid gig):
- One singer just wrapped sessions on the new Mandalorian and Grogu movie, scored by Ludwig Göransson — a composer whose stock seems to rise every single year.
- A tenor just relocated back to LA from Detroit and, very quickly, had booked solid work through the List. (Yes, tenors have it a little easy that way. He’s also genuinely good, so it was no accident.)
- One of our longtime members is now doing magic and balloon art for parties on the side — which delighted me, since I spent sixteen years as a high-end balloon twister back in the day. Always fun to find new common ground with someone you’ve known for over a decade. He’s also been staying busy producing audio recordings for a range of projects — clearly in demand — and seeing someone new, so love was in the air more than once this year.
- A pianist on our list — be still my accompanist-loving heart — turns out to also be a marketer for a local opera company, and a licensed pilot. Multipotentialites, never change.
- One soprano has landed a teaching position at a growing local music college, and is genuinely relishing the role.
- And one of our conductors is heading into a major new project: a Western-style atonal opera performed in Chinese, with the whole development process being documented on film. It’s a big one, and we’re saving the details for a dedicated post soon — but mark your calendar for July 12, when their precursor concert kicks things off. More to come.
There were more wins than I can fit here — a director who’s also writing books and plays, a singer easing into a happy semi-retirement playing piano locally — and one person who’d rather not have their story told at all, which is also a perfectly good way to close out a season.
As for me? For this week, my big win is seeing all of you and hearing your stories. We had a blast.
People trickled in and out all evening, which is exactly how these nights are designed to work. One singer had to duck out early for a rehearsal — which, frankly, is the best possible reason to leave a party early. Busy is good.
About those goodie bags
Each person left with a “Summer Happiness Kit” — a small, no-fuss bag built around the basic food groups of summer snacking: salty (a bag of Skinny Pop), sweet (one piece of classic chocolate — just one, because nothing ruins a goodie bag like a melted second one), chewy (a few Mamba fruit candies), and a watermelon-print cocktail napkin, because presentation counts even at a pizza joint.
The real hit, though, was the surprise inside each bag: a different fortune-cookie-style quote, so comparing notes revealed a variety of messages. A sampling of what was tucked inside:
- Sing like no one’s listening for the high note.
- Today’s small talk is tomorrow’s gig.
- Take the unglamorous gig — it builds the glamorous one.
- A career is built one schmooze at a time.
- Every artist needs a community. You’ve found yours.
Fifteen different lines went out into the world Monday night, one per bag. If you got one, I hope it made you smile.
Our next schmooze will be in August.
In the meantime, keep in touch and reach out or schedule an Office Hours appointment if you have questions or need a brainstorming buddy.