{"id":558,"date":"2014-02-16T18:16:29","date_gmt":"2014-02-16T22:16:29","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/aaronlc.com\/blog\/?p=558"},"modified":"2014-02-16T18:27:40","modified_gmt":"2014-02-16T22:27:40","slug":"east-coast-concerts-with-betany-coffland","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/alcguitar.com\/blog\/east-coast-concerts-with-betany-coffland\/","title":{"rendered":"East Coast Concerts with Betany Coffland"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Betany<\/a>

Betany Coffland, mezzo-soprano<\/p><\/div>\n

I met Betany Coffland<\/a> at the New England Conservatory when we were both undergraduates. \u00a0She went by Dahlberg and I was just Caplan. \u00a0As a classical guitarist I was required to take choir as\u00a0a large ensemble, which was conducted by the late Tamara Brooks<\/a>, who was sublime in her music making and inspirational abilities, though I definitely didn’t feel that way on those early rehearsal days.\u00a0 For Betany and I, the choir was our only time making music together during our years in school together, and it was shared with 70+ other singers\/composers\/guitarists\/pianists. \u00a0All said, we hung out a bit, had friends in common and enjoyed contemporary music. \u00a0I do recall hearing her sing El Amor Brujo<\/em> by \u00a0Manuel De Falla with full orchestra, one of my favorite pieces, which she rocked; I knew she would go far.<\/p>\n

After undergrad at NEC she moved to NYC to attend Julliard, traveled around the world, including a stint in Prague, and then landed at Opera San Jose for four years in Northern California. \u00a0Needless to say the accolades kept coming in, all of which she deserved. \u00a0She now lives in a beautiful old house in Petaluma with her husband and a pair of cats. \u00a0I didn’t know any of her post-NEC life, but thanks to FB we caught up quickly.<\/p>\n