_{OPERA PLACES} Korin Thomas-Smith takes us to Dallas, Texas

City where you’re working?
Dallas, Texas, U S of A (*bald eagle sound*).

How long are you working on contract?
Five weeks!

What’s the opera house like?
This is my mainstage debut, so we’re in the Winspear Opera Theatre. The house is pretty stunning, and is a super nice blend between sleek and grandiose. It has this beautiful red façade in the lobby that I’m in love with, a huge LED chandelier that retracts from the ceiling, and the house proper has this beautiful dark wood on every surface. Up close, it feels very much like the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts of my cherished Canadian Opera Company in Toronto, but in a different font. Speaking of Canada, it’s also great to be doing this show with some of us “sneaky Canadians” as we have been dubbed: Tessa Fackelmann and Jacob Abrahamse!

Where is the most peaceful place in the city?
I’ve found a lot of respite doing my one single hobby, which is bouldering. As I approach the dirty thirties, I’m trying to lock into a fun thing to do outside of singing. Unfortunately, I’m absolutely dogwater at it, but it’s refreshing to be bad at something when I’m usually so perfect and tall and beautiful and amazing and –

Best coffee or tea?
I don’t drink either! Coffee is for the weak is what I always say! I actually photosynthesize energy directly from the sun! I also take a concerning amount of naps through the day!

Coolest bar or restaurant you’ve been to?
I don’t have the best palette, I must admit. I’m so much a fan of American chain restaurants that I truly rarely crave anything else when I visit the US. But I was able to get out to Riscky’s and Terry Black’s for some Texas BBQ; I just had to! Throwing in some line dancing at the Roundup, watching the Superbowl (mostly for the halftime) at Spider Murphy’s Pub, Margaritas at Chuy’s, and trawling some of the fun bars in Lower Greenville – it’s a fun city if you got some pep in your step!

An activity you have done that is unique to the area?
The Dallas-Fort Worth area has a pretty interesting history in the development of the Texas and United States history and economy and blah blah blah, I don’t care, show me some cowboy stuff. I was able to check out the Fort Worth Stockyards, and it was so charming to watch the humble procession of cows through the town and enjoy a couple of Lone Star beers on the off-day! Did I feel a little guilty walking around in a T-shirt while all my loved ones were in -30 degree weather? Yes. But just think about how bad it’ll be when I’m shocked back into reality in just a few days!

Is there something unexpected that happens locally that you discovered?
Yeah, there is something unexpected that happens here—the entire city shutting down during the ice storm! As much as I can understand on a cerebral level that the Texas infrastructure is not equipped to deal with weather conditions normal to us Canadians, I still found it incredibly strange that it was actually necessary that we not leave our house for days. The roads were covered with thick sheathes of ice, and we had to wait for it to heat back up so the ice could melt. In Toronto, we just have to pick ourselves up by long johns and hope the TTC delay isn’t too bad that morning.

How did you find accommodation?
I had to go with the necessary evil that is the AirBnB route. FurnishedFinder was also nice in the search. We were lucky to have a friend local to Dallas who was able to give us the scoop as to what locations to avoid or embrace and what to expect. 

What’s the most important thing you think of when it comes to finding accommodation as a singer?
I think one of the most important things that I’ve learned while organizing accommodation is that it will have a bigger impact on you than you think or that you’re conscious of. I used to be able to sleep propped upright next to the vacuum cleaner in a broom closet, but now I need a little more to feel like I can do my best. Strike early and hot, and be decisive – be scrupulous but not too choosy, as you may miss out on things in your price range. And lastly, if a place looks like a place that only has AirBnBs, it is likely a place that will hold just long enough before you realize just how janky it is. I’m living that life right now.

Especially in the US, a lot of its major cities are actually quite car-dependent, though I have fallen in love with the humble DART light rail transit system in the city. Renting a car is almost necessary, unless you are patient and love public transit like me. I maintain that using public transit is the best way to get to know where you’re living, but for sanity’s sake, sometimes you just need to get somewhere within the hour.

Have you had a chance to explore some galleries or museums?
The arts district in Dallas, where the Winspear is also located, is full of really cool spaces for art. We’re right around the corner from the Dallas Museum of Art, and the Nasher Scupture Garden. Actually, the whole city is very heavily occupied by public memorials to American and civil rights icons, murals and public sculptures. I have yet to find a street without visual intrigue (and the 20 Celsius weather makes it all the better!) The coolest one was seeing a Mark di Suvero piece, and I felt reaaaally smart being able to recognize it from his other pieces in Toronto.

Is there anything else you’d recommend?
I think one of the most important things you can do is to go to somewhere local and to try to shop small. Join a gym, find a hobby, or shop for the things you need in ma and pop stores. The world is crazy, but the people in it are amazing.

One of the things that singing has given me that I find so valuable is the opportunity to travel, and travel, the gift of perspective. I had a 30-minute convo with a shopowner who was very invested in my paper selection for the origami cranes I made as toi toi gifts! Those interactions keep me grounded in the world as a global citizen, and as artists, it’s important to think bigger than oneself. None of these sentences make sense with each other, but I’m an artist and simply don’t need to!