1997 was a big year for me. That year I won the biggest habeas case of my career (Gallego, Nevada’s “serial sex slave murderer”), and joined the Nevada Opera. The opera bug bit; but I couldn’t sing in the next opera because I was in (what proved to be my last) jury trial. At that point I realized a major truth: I couldn’t sing opera and try jury trials; but I could juggle time to sing opera and handle appeals and writs.

 

And thus I sang in Nevada Opera from 1997 until 2014, when the Company folded - summarizing transcripts backstage before going on stage to sing! As my bass-baritone voice developed, I sang and acted a number of small (aka “comprimario”) roles. My favorites of these were Dick Deadeye in “HMS Pinafore” and Il Commendatore in “Don Giovanni.” What a thrill it was to sing with and next to some of the finest young voices in America! 

 

As the Company was going dark, the chorus realized that if we wanted to keep singing we had to form our own company. So we formed Sierra Music Society dba “Popera!” You can go to www.poperanv.org to learn more. As far as I go, though, I have been the President of SMS since its inception, and I’m a featured soloist! I love it! This gives me the chance to channel “my inner Sinatra” - and in fact I and 2 other singers have performed/ will perform two Sinatra tribute concerts!