I chatted with Nathan Lerohl from “Cirque du Soleil: OVO” about the magical show, which hits Baltimore this week!
Q: Talk about your background, childhood, etc
I grew up in the suburbs of Chicago. As far as music goes, I started taking music lessons around six years old. I haven’t really stopped since then.
Through High School, I played in different music projects independently. From there, I went to a conservatory for college. For further education, I went to Prague and studied.
Q: What was it like completing your Masters Degree in Prague?
It was fantastic. It was a lot LESS expensive than college is here, which ::laughs:: was definitely a factor in my decision. It’s such a historical city. Mozart taught and spent a lot of time there. Some of the more famous Operas premiered in that city. It’s very musical. You can hear tons of different styles of music: Bohemian, old folk music..it was a great melting pot.
Q: What was the audition for “Cirque du Soleil” like? Was it intimidating?
No, not at all. I did what they call a “live audition.” I performed in front of a panel. They give you pieces of music ahead of time, and you go in a recording studio and complete it. It was comfortable for me because I’ve done that before.
The only intimidating part was the people I auditioned for. They can see what kind of mistakes you’re making. In the end, it was very professionally done.
Q: What is it like traveling around the world with your family in toe?
It’s full of challenges. Logistical issues can occur, like buying plane tickets, renting cars, moving week to week and living out of a suitcase with a two year old. At the same time, it’s fantastic! We get to see all these different cities. We take advantage of all the different things each city provides. There’s never been a question of me just leaving them somewhere. For me, I could’ve never done that to them. We make it work as best as we can.
Q: Have you had a favorite city or experience thus far?
We really liked Florida because we were close to the water. My son is like a little water baby ::laughs:: My other favorite was Colorado because there is SO much recreational stuff to do. Hang on, I’ll ask my wife.
::pause::
Ah yeah, there was also Disney World. For his first birthday, we were on tour. The staff of the hotel in Fort Meyers were so kind in letting us use on of their banquet rooms. We invited the whole touring company to celebrate with us. We dressed him up in a little James Bond tuxedo and had a lot of fun.
Q: Are you excited about your run of shows here in Baltimore?
I am! We’ve been walking around the Inner Harbor.. we took the Water Taxi earlier to Fells Point. It’s beautiful! It’s our first time here. I’m excited to see the arena and get in there and perform.
“Cirque du Soleil: OVO” headlines the Royal Farm Arena August 23-27th!
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