A Singer's Stage

2009-06-12T07:44:00.000-07:00

Catchin' UP

Wow! Time flies when you're busy... I know... a month is way to long to go without posting something, but... nonetheless.

Well, Don Giovanni went well last month. We had two performances - one on a Friday evening and the other on the Sunday afternoon of the same weekend. It was low key in the sense that it was basically a concert version with some minor staging, in a small space in the McLean Community Center. We had good sized audiences both performances and many people contacted us to say they would like to see more performances. We are slated to sing in DC in July - a condensed version of the program. It looks like the workings of a new opera company are forming. If I didn't have to work full-time, I would spend more time helping with the business side of it, but as it is right now, there are other folks who have come "out of the woodwork" to see if they can't make it happen. In fact, John Turner, the gentleman who organized the show originally, got a call from someone who used to work for the Orlando opera doing publicity, etc., so hopefully that will lead to something bigger so that we can see greater things come to the McLean area.

I gotta say though, that Elvira was definitely a challenge for me. I'm glad I sang the role, but boy(!) what a workout! I was sweatin' buckets after each performance and though I was physically tired, I was not vocally washed. I am so excited about that because that means that I am singing right - using the body and taking all the pressure off the chords. In fact, I sang at a musical fireside (the term used in the LDS church for a spiritual gathering consisting of music and spoken word) only about 1.5 hours after we finished DG, and had no problem singing. I was still in great voice! (Now the next day was another story! LOL. I felt like I had been hit by a freight train! Sort of like a runner the day after running a marathon.) But I rested up and was back to the grinding stone a couple days later.

I met shortly thereafter with Carmen to get my music assignment for the festival in San Francisco this summer. I don't think I've mentioned this, but I was invited to sing at the InterHarmony Music Festival in San Fran this summer for two weeks. I am sooo excited about this opp because I will be singing mostly chamber music - excerpts from Faure's "La Bonne Chanson" and from Rachmaninoff's opuses. (As a bit of trivia, I just looked up the plural for "opus" and found that that it is the word "opera" - or some use "opuses." Isn't THAT interesting! I can't say I'm at all surprised - makes perfect sense that many opuses would constitute an opera.) Anyways... along with the chamber music we'll sing some other arias and art songs. We'll be staying on the San Fran State Univ. campus. I am very much looking forward to that! Stay posted for pics of performances from the Wharf and of Phase 10 card games - a great favorite of those going!

I recently returned from Chicago to attend the Classical Singer Convention. While I took away some very good information and a couple of great contacts, I have to say that I was a little disappointed with the convention as a whole. I think the intention to provide classes and information for singers of all stages, the focus was so much on the University aged singer that I really didn't learn anything that I didn't already know. However, I had a wonderful AFE (audition feedback experience) where I sang for Mr. Hines who works with Chicago Lyric, and Stephen Goldberg who directs for the Indianapolis Opera. Both were very complimentary and then gave me some very good feedback as to my coloratura style and how to clean it up. They were very constructive and left me with many good resources for study and even a coaching recommendation. I was very impressed with their sincere interest in my progression as a singer.

Unfortunately, I cannot say the same for my friends who did not have as good an AFE. Neither one really got the type of feedback that I did - meaning it was not helpful. We were very discouraged by that. Most of the masterclasses that we attended were geared toward young singers - the singers in them were not developed with their characters, etc., so I felt like I was the audience to what would be a lesson with one of my students. Ah well...

There was a very good class from the director of an opera company in New York State (the name escapes me at the moment) about how to make it to the top and stay there. This was very encouraging because I realized that with a couple more years of focused study/work, I could be singing for bigger houses. He said that most singers don't make it to the top because they aren't willing to put in the hard work. There are so many singers in the middle that could be on top, but just aren't willing to give what is required. I was very glad to hear that since many times as singers we think it's for lack of talent... not so!

Other than that, there was not much to be had from that convention. However, I did get to see one of my favorite teacher/singers - Dr. Alfonso Anderson who teaches at UNLV. I met him when I was at AIMS. He is such a plethora of good information and such a wonderful teacher. I sang briefly for him and he gave me some very good reminders about my sound as it pertains to my support. I really enjoy being around that wonderful man. It was so good to see him!

Well, it's now busy, busy, busy. I'm going to try to put together a recital in the next couple of weeks to help raise money for the cost to sing at the festival in San Fran. (I think sometimes I bite off too much...), but I have to remember that singing for me is another full time job on top of the already full-time job that I have. [sigh]

OH! One other thing... looking forward to returning from San Fran as I will be singing for an agent in New York... I'll definitely keep ya'll posted on how that goes.

2009-05-08T07:30:00.000-07:00

Healthy or Unhealthy??

As promised, I am focusing this entry on how foods that we eat and lifestyle habits that we have created for ourselves have an effect on our singing.

I am not going to go into a huge novel about nutrition, but rather to give my insights into how what I eat affects my singing. For a little history... my face used to look like the "before" picture on the marketing brochure for the acne fighting product Acutane. In fact, I was probably their biggest user! After the third treatment over the course of 5 years, I decided that my liver and body had had enough of its extremely destructive contents - beside the fact that it was not working! My massage therapist at the time, who also has a degree in nutrition, suggested that I try the holistic approach to getting rid of the acne. She explained that next to the colon, our skin is the largest excreting organ in our bodies and so whatever our body does not process, it comes out from our skin.

She then introduced me to a juice fast which I decided to do. Again, I will forgo the gruelling details, but over the course of 40 days, I drank only fruit and vegetable juices, tea and water. I lost 25 pounds, and ALL of the acne. After going back on solid foods, I determined that I was allergic to dairy (since within hours of eating it, I started to break out, and just hours of not eating it, the acne went away), so I completely removed it from my diet - eating soy products and drinking soy milk. (Incidentally, later I found out that the process for which soy milk is made, causes the end product to coat the intestines such that other nutrients are prevented from entering the blood stream.) So, I immediately switched to drinking rice milk (which I LOVE).

I gained 10 pounds back, and have stayed at that weight since that fast. My body achieved more energy, my brain and eyesight, more clarity and my overall health and what I eat was changed forever. How did this affect my singing?... well, I didn't get as sick as often, because I wasn't eating dairy (which causes extra mucus to develop, which is a bacteria magnet!), and so I spent more time in my music and less time in bed. It wasn't until more recently that I discovered how my breathing and onset directly affects the sound that is produced. (see my post called "The Breath of Life.") But to continue, I want to talk about other foods that can adversely affect us.

Any amount of sugar in our bodies will affect us, for good or bad. So, I try to eat foods that have less sugar - that are more alkaline and less acidic. Acidity causes yeast and sugar to develop and grow - not a good combination. This also produces more mucus - again, bacteria's favorite camping spot. I'm not a huge fruit eater, although, I LOVE grapefruit (very alkaline) as opposed to oranges (very acidic), and tend to eat more melons - high in water and less acidic. I don't eat very much red meat (the occasional burger or steak here or there), and I prefer fish over chicken. Some would argue that meat is bad altogether, but my motto is "moderation in all things." Our bodies need animal protein to heal. If you are a vegetarian and don't get much animal protein in your diet, you may find that a cut will not heal as quickly as with us "meat eaters." Red meat and chicken, however, are acidic meats - not when on your plate, but as your body processes them, they produce more acid and therefore turn into sugar - the bad sugar. Fish, on the other hand, is much more alkaline, and is very high in omega 3's - great for your heart. Then, of course, in the warmer month's, I consume as many greens as I can, and in the raw, ORGANIC form. That juice fast got me hooked onto organic foods. I have a hard time eating especially fruits and veggies that are not organic. The taste is AWFUL! Sometimes I feel like I can't get enough greens. These foods open up our pores and allow our bodies to breathe more - giving us more energy. During the cold months, I eat more veggies that come out of the ground (potatoes, rutabagas, etc.) and then increase the legumes. These foods do the opposite of greens - create an insulation for our body, requiring less energy to keep us warm, giving us more energy to fight off unwanted viruses or bacteria.

So, what does all this have to do with singing? Well, I'm hoping that you're getting the idea by now. If we keep ourselves healthy, our singing will be healthy. We will not have extra phlegm on our vocal chords, preventing bacteria and other viruses from spreading, we will have more of that desperately needed energy and our minds and bodies will have more clarity - something I need when pouring my heart and soul into a character.

Now, onto lifestyle. I'm not going to shake my finger at my readers and tell them what they can and can't do because that is their decision. But, I would recommend, again, moderation in all things. If you're a smoker, however, everyone knows that is NOT good for anyone, so I hope that you make every effort to quit. If you drink alcohol, be careful about this too. I don't know all the consequences for drinking or not drinking and some would argue that a glass of wine with dinner is good for you. I don't know that, so I'm coming to you from my personal perspective. Because of my religious beliefs, I chose, at a very young age, to not drink alcohol or to use any addictive substances (I'm still struggling with mint chocolate chip ice cream - yes, we all have our vices), and so I have never tasted alcohol and don't plan to. And everyone has the choice...

So why am I bringing this up? Because just like my ice cream craving, you might crave something that you know is not good for you, but you consume it anyway. Since my allergy discovery, I have done a fairly good job of staying away from dairy, but every once in a while, I have to have a huge bowl of ice cream. Do I know how I will feel the next day, and for the next week while my body is trying to rid itself of the garbage I just fed it? Of course! I go through that mental fight every time, and usually, my better judgment wins. But the times that it doesn't, I am regretting eating it for the next five days and every time I sing during that "recovery" phase. So, do your body a favor, and don't consume those things that are not good for you, or that your body will react to adversely.

On the other side of the coin is performance habits. How do our everyday habits directly affect our practice and performance habits? Notice I am calling them habits, because we are creatures of habit, AND "practice makes habit" NOT perfection. I mention this concept in my post "The Decision" but will elaborate here for this post's purpose. I had been struggling with a particular passage in an aria and this time, my all-knowing voice teacher, Carmen, helped me discover that it was not that I didn't know the music, but how I was practicing it. She had spent many lessons teaching me about how to correctly adjust vowels in the higher tessituras and how to study my music so that I am learning it correctly, etc. And all the time I was struggling, I had her voice in my head telling me what to do in order to fix something. Yet, I wouldn't do it. I was letting myself be the victim.

We then discovered that there were other things in my life that were not "in order." I live alone, so it gets easy to get lazy and let the laundry go unfolded, or the bed unmade, or the dishes undried - no one else is around to criticize it. I am not a dirty person, so my house isn't dirty, but, I had allowed myself to get out of the habit of being consistent with the upkeep of my house - the day-to-day things. Or I would put off folding the laundry for a couple of days while it sat on my living room chair. I realized that this was showing in my singing habits as well. I was getting lazy with my technique. I had all the tools, but I wasn't using them. And I was hurting myself as a result! Ugh!

Fortunately, I made the decision that I was going to change that. Since then, my house and singing have been much cleaner. Granted, I'll let the house slip a little, but it is very rare that I will let the singing slip. THAT is something I vowed to "upkeep." So, take a few minutes and think about the things in your life that might be a little "out of sorts" and then decide to fix them. Maybe you need to eat healthier foods, start an exercise regimen, plan better so that you are not procrastinating, spend 15 minutes each day picking up the clutter around your house, etc. See if that doesn't help change how you sing! It did for me and I am enjoying every minute of it!

Reference: The information about the pH levels in food can be found in the book, "The pH Miracle: Balance Your Diet, Reclaim Your Health" by Robert O. Young and Shelley Redford Young. I highly recommend it!

2009-05-08T06:47:00.000-07:00

New Pics from Recent Shows...

Here are some pics from my most recent show, "L'elisir d'amore" with the Loudoun Lyric Opera. We performed this in March 2009 with the Loudoun Symphony Orchestra. It was GREAT fun. Teri Bickam beautifully sang the role of Adina, Auriello Dominguez was magnificent as Nemorino (his "Una Furtiva" was stunning), Jason Buckwalter was hysterical as Belcore and Daryl Ott played the Dr. Dulcamara very well, and I sang the role of Giannetta. The chorus was wonderful and the whole production a great memory. What a nice group of people to work with! I have to give a compliment to the orchestra, conducted by Mark Allen McCoy. They were very gracious and such a compliment to the singers! A first for both companies: the collaboration was a huge success.

These photos are from "Die Fledermaus" that I sang in, also with the Loudoun Lyric Opera - last April (2008). You can see more photos on my website - http://www.heatherbingham.com/

2009-04-29T06:24:00.000-07:00

The Breath of Life...

I made another "discovery" a few weeks ago whose results were made very apparent while teaching voice lessons this past week. Again, this is something I've known for a long time and even practiced on myself, but it was made evident again, when teaching one of my lovely students, Eva. She is a senior in high school and while she does not plan to study music at this point, she is very dedicated and loves to sing; not to mention, she has a beautiful voice with lots of potential.

For the past couple of months, she had been struggling with the clarity of her high notes. She has such a free sound and an extremely high range - "Queen of the Night" material. Her high tessitura requires little work, yet we were getting so much phlegm at about her high C and above. While it was not an issue all of the time, and we were getting some very clear notes about half the time, I was blaming it on allergies and her diet. Over the ensuing weeks, she cut down on dairy and told me that she wasn't having many allergy issues, yet the phlegm kept coming back. It finally occurred to me that the way in which she was inhaling was gravely affecting her onset and phonation.

I had thought about this a few times prior, but unfortunately, had just not put two and two together. (Yes, teaching, like singing, is a lot of trial and error.) Needless to say, during her lesson this past week, it hit me - like a freight train. This was something that I had struggled with for years, and had to conquer myself, and have observed that many singers deal with this problem. So, it's not surprising that the discovery was that she, too, was a "victim" of her breathing habits. The great thing, is that she decided right then (see post called "The Decision"), that she was not going to be a victim to her unhealthy breathing habits any longer. When I explained to her that the way she breathes directly determines the kind of sound she is going to get, she decided that she wanted clarity and freedom in her sound, and so she was going to breathe with clarity and freedom. Before this decision, her breathing was fast, shallow and extremely husky - almost grinding. It was very audible. And not just when she sang. She breathed that way when she spoke as well.

She determined that she was going to discontinue the unhealthy habit of husky inhalation and allow her breath to be quiet and inaudible. The results were fascinating! She did a complete 360 degree turn-around with her sound in a few short minutes. The phlegm went away and in a few short exercises, she was free of its chains. We then had a lesson this past week. Because she was getting over a cold, her sound was a little airy due to the swelling of her chords, but there was no phlegm to be found and her sound was much more healthy. She also commented to me that her speaking voice had obtained more clarity (which I also noted) and that her friends were commenting on her efforts to make the positive change.

This change did not come without mental concentration and focus, however. In order for this to count, Eva had to unlearn a very old habit so that she could re-learn a new one. She had to carefully scrutinize her every breath (literally) and make the conscious effort to slow down when she inhaled, and to release the tongue so that it would not be in the way of her breathing. This allowed her to access the complete breath, as well as prevent the collection of phlegm in her throat and on her chords that was getting in the way of the sound. (Not to mention, probably a breeding ground for bacteria that causes sickness - more on that in my next post.)

Congratulations, Eva! You're on your way to discovering the freedom that comes from healthy singing!

In my next post, I am going to discuss more about how what we eat, how we breath and how our habits outside of singing directly affect our singing. Stay tuned!!

2009-04-23T11:57:00.000-07:00

Up and Coming...

Since my last post was along the philosophical line, I thought I would give you an update on what I have in the pike for the next couple of months. I am deep into rehearsals for Don Giovanni and really enjoying that. I love the role, Donna Elvira. I am her. (no, really, I am...) We perform that on May 15th and 17th. It will be sung in Italian as a concert version with piano accompaniment and English surtitles.

I will then be singing in a competition on May 11th in New York. Looking forward to getting away for a day and being one of the many fish in a very small and over-loaded pond. Any chance to be heard...

Shortly after that, I will be putting together an audition cd with a couple of new arias for a competition that I hope to be selected for, in June. More on that, if I make it into the competition.

Then, at the end of June, I will be traveling to San Francisco to participate in the InterHarmony summer program. I'll be singing for the famous Bay Area in concerts with my voice teacher, other singers and chamber orchestra. Can't wait for that! Voice lessons and coachings each day, performing, and perhaps a couple of auditions for some bigger houses. Again, more chances to be heard.

I'll update with pics of Giovanni when I have some to share. bye for now.

2009-04-23T10:31:00.000-07:00

The Decision

Since changing my blog's purpose, I have come to realize that my entries before this were mostly a travel/event log about what I've been doing - not very interesting. Going forward, I plan to use this more as a writing forum or journal, if you will, about my discoveries while singing and studying the beautiful art form of opera. I hope that my entries will inspire and help other singers and students of music to be better musicians and, indeed, better people.

I had a voice lesson last night with my wonderful voice therapist, Carmen Balthrop. I call her my voice therapist because her teaching is therapy for my voice, as well as my soul. She teaches more than just singing technique or about the voice. She goes way beyond that to help her students understand a lot about themselves as a human being and how that affects their singing person. We re-discovered last night that unless one is going to make a decision about what they are going to do or, in this case, how they are going to sing, then they are usually unsuccessful in their singing. Carmen then applied this to our lives - if we do not make decisions about how we are going to live them - and these are every day, minute-by-minute decisions, then we are nothing more than puppets to our own "craziness." And while we look at ourselves as not crazy, others might see us as crazy, based on the decisions that we do or don't make.

I mentioned that this was a re-discovery, as opposed to a new discovery... this is because we had talked about this concept of making decisions before, but not in the way that it struck me last night. I realized last night that if we decide not to make a decision one way or the other, and are basically sitting on the fence, then our lives are in limbo. Just like if someone will not decide the career path they want to take, then they are on hold until they make that decision and move forward. Until then, they are stuck in the same place, having no progress.

It is the exact same with singing. A person either decides that he/she is going to involve him/herself with the character, therefore connecting with that character, and delivering a performance based on those human experiences and qualities, or it is going to be one long mental fight of "am I breathing right?," "am I supporting my sound enough?," "what does that translation mean again?," "I hope I look ok," "Oh no, here comes that high note that I am scared of...hopefully I'm relaxed enough to hit it," "I hope the judges will see how good a singer I am," and on and on and on. But, if we decide to be the character that we are singing about, and allow them to come alive through our own personal, real or imagined experiences, then all of that "craziness" goes away, clearing our minds and giving that clarity to the audience, which is what they paid for, and to us, which is what we have worked so hard to achieve.

Here's an example straight from my lesson that I will share. We were doing the "drill" where you sing through your audition pieces and touching on any difficult spots, or spots that need polishing. This particular piece is full of very long, legato phrases, that require a lot of breath support all the way through the phrase, etc. It also has a high D toward the end of the song that is intended to be sung at a mezzo piano, rather than a loud "bang" that so many arias tend to end on. I had just come into my lesson fighting traffic on the beltway during rush hour, with an accident, and so I was a little stressed - my muscles pretty tense.

Instead of doing warm-ups, we jumped right into the piece. This was all on purpose, I found out later. But, right from the beginning, I had trouble with the breath support and phrasing and, of course, the high notes. About 2 pages in, Carmen asked, "when are you going to decide that you are going to sing this correctly?" Meaning, you have not decided yet, that you are going to allow the character to be a part of you, and as soon as you do, let me know, so that we can move on, because right now, it's holding us up. LOL. Yes - I did laugh out loud! She then used a great technique where, as the student is singing each phrase, she calls out the inner monologue of the next phrase, helping the student to focus on staying in character. Almost immediately, all of the "craziness" that was going on in my head (the dialogue, the fears, the insecurities, the tension, etc.) went away, my body and sound were more relaxed, the breath support became easier, and I was taken to another level of singing. To an extent, I was that character.

This sensation was nothing new to me, for it had happened countless times before on the stage during rehearsals, performances, auditions, competitions and recitals. But this was the first time it had occurred so early on during a voice lesson. Carmen helped me understand that we can enjoy this new level of singing right at the start of singing, and it can be enjoyed every time we sing - whether we are warming up, or an hour into a performance. BUT, and this is a BIG but, we have to DECIDE that we are going to take ourselves to that level. Does this mean that we are going to sing each note perfectly and sing with the energy and physical strength each time? No. We are human. We may not be able to sing each time as we would in a performance, but we can be involved with the character as much - in our minds. And through that involvement, we have an indescribable enjoyment that only so few have experienced, even just a few times in their lives. So, we can hum the melody, or sing the high notes down an octave, or sing just some of the notes with the rest of the tune going on in our minds... whatever we feel we can physically handle in that moment. But, we can do it with the highest level of enjoyment... if we allow ourselves to.

I decided that I was going to live that moment at the highest level that I was capable of - at that time. As I do more of this, I believe that I will be able to raise the bar, and not for just some singing occasions, but for all of them.

I also want to point out that the times I have been most in touch with my character are the times that I have been less nervous, more focused and most relaxed. I'm not worried about forgetting the words, or being able to convey the meaning of the music. I'm not worried about the other singers, the judges, people in the audience, or what they might think of my performance. I am completely focused on what I have to offer my audience, and how my performance will compare to previous performances of my own: the healthy form of competition singing.

Lastly, here's something to consider again; imagine what would happen if we decided that we would live every aspect of our life with this type of enjoyment. I'd like to think that perhaps we may be able to live on cloud 9, or 5 or 10 - whatever cloud we want to be on... if we decide to allow ourselves to.

2009-04-22T06:46:00.000-07:00

This is something I'm doing for my sister-in-law... she promised to send me a wild and crazy gift by the end of the year, but in order to get it, I have to post something to my blog... so, here it is. Here's to you Trina!!

2009-01-28T14:14:00.000-08:00

Wow! Another seven months since my last entry. I gotta get better at updating this blog!

To pick-up from where I left off, I sang at the competition and did not make the top five singers. But I am very happy with my performance and my voice teacher actually ended up being one of the judges for the final round and said that I should have made it to the final round (she viewed a recording I had made of my performance). That was very encouraging since she is a very reliable critic and would not tell me something that was not true about my performing - believe me... she has been honest since day one and would not have encouraged me to enter the competition if she didn't think I was ready.

Anyway, it was a great experience and I met some wonderful people.

Shortly after that competition, I took part in Richard Crittenden's summer workshop program again - participating in both workshops in the evenings. It was challenging - mostly because I didn't have my music as ready as I would have liked, and Richard always motivates his singers to do better by being very critical (which is a good thing, if you want to improve). I thoroughly enjoyed it again, however and hopefully honed my skills in even more.

In September of 2008 I sang with the brand new opera company, Barcroft Opera Theater as Susanna in the production of Le Nozze di Figaro. That was a very interesting experience. I'll summarize by saying that the cast was great, but full of drama. And, unfortunately, the director only allowed the show four weeks for rehearsals which was entirely insufficient, and then he ended up in the hospital a week before the performance with a staff infection.... very scary. Needless to say, we pulled a semi-staged version of it together, which seemed to be a success, and the director recovered very well. I LOVE the role of Suzanna and if I had to pick one to sing for the rest of my life, that would be one of them. I am waiting for the video recording of it, but here is a pic or two from the show.

After "Figaro," I was asked to be the cover for Lauretta for Loudoun Lyric's production of Gianni Schicci. That was a fun opportunity. They coupled the one-act opera with a recital of Puccini music, which I got to sing in as well. The cast was full of fun and talented singers. I just love singing opera - you meet such wonderful people (most of the time) and get to enjoy many different dynamics in others.

The Christmas season was full of wonderful singing opportunities as it always is. I was the director of my church music program for our Christmas service, at which I sang a duet, and then sang as the soloist for "The Messiah" at another church. I just love that piece as well. I also visited my parents for Christmas and was able to perform at their church. I thoroughly enjoyed that. I am so blessed by the talents that I have been given.

I am working right now on singing the role of Gianetta for Loudoun Lyric Opera's production of "L'elisir d'amore." Again, a wonderful cast of people and this time, we are singing with a full orchestra. I am very excited about that since it's been a few years since I've been able to sing with orchestra. That will be in early March.

Directly following that, I will be hitting the books again to prepare for the role of Donna Elvira in Mozart's "Don Giovanni." I'm performing with my colleagues for a production put on by my colleagues. We are soliciting smaller orchestra groups for collaboration for a concert version, but right now, that performance is slated for May - concert version, with piano accompaniment. Two weeks after that, it's off to Chicago for the Classical Singer convention. I am very excited for that since my friend Becky Morris - a contralto, will be there, along with many other singers and directors, etc. I am excited about the audition comps there and learning more about the opera world.

As mentioned, the Lord has been so good to me - giving me opportunities to develop my talents and to share my love of music with others. I am truly grateful to him and my loved ones for their support. Music - a gateway to the soul. Check out my website www.heatherbingham.com for more pics and info.

2008-06-15T14:29:00.000-07:00

It's been about a year since I've written, so I thought I would do a quick summary of this past year's activities:

Work with new teacher, Carmen Balthrop
Singing various roles with Loudoun Lyric Opera
Opera Workshop classes with Richard Crittenden

Yep, that about sums it up! I have had a spectacular experience working with this "genius" of a singer - Carmen. I had been working with another wonderful teacher and friend, Donna Zapola-Connolly, but I was having to travel to Jersey to take lessons with her and the cost and time to do it was hard. So I looked for a teacher locally and found Carmen. I joke with her that she is more of a music therapist than a voice teacher. She has helped me find my voice in every sense of the word. I thank God every day that he guided my footsteps to her. For the first time since I can remember, I am having FUN singing, and my voice is the wonderful product of that fun.

I sang the role of Adele in "Die Fledermaus" with the Loudoun Lyric Opera this past Spring. I had a great experience and met a lot of wonderful, dedicated singers. Since then, I have sung at various fund raising functions with them. Sorry - I don't have any pics from that experience. I have video, but not sure how to put a clip on the blog.

Most recently, I entered a voice competition with the Maryland Opera Society. I have not sung in a competition for about 4 years, so I was a little hesitant. However, Carmen encouraged that if I don't start now, I will never start - "you have to start somewhere." Well, I made it past the first round and was chosen with 9 other singers to sing in the semi-final round this coming Friday afternoon at Harmony Hall in Fort Washington, MD - see a picture of the hall above.

I am very excited for this opportunity and look forward to having fun on stage instead of feeling mind-boggling nervous. If I pass the semi-final round, I will sing in the final round two days later against four other singers for prize money. I am very excited and am looking forward to it. I am sure that the training I have received from Richard Crittenden will also help with my performance. He is also the kindest of men and is somewhat of a genius as well. He teaches techniques that WORK!

I have truly been blessed by these wonderfully kind people who have sprinkled some of their ingenuity and love for music on me and I hope that I can share those blessings with others. I'll be working much more with Richard this summer as I participate again in his summer workshops. It will be a little tricky this time around since I am doing the program part-time (can't afford to miss work) and will only be rehearsing in the evenings, but I am so excited to be doing it again and hope that I will learn more and hone my skills in even further.

Future plans: Audition, audition, audition. This is the only way to have more and more opportunities. I've thought about school, but don't feel an urgency to apply again at this stage. Looking back, I think my applying was solely to introduce me to Carmen Balthrop and so I am grateful for that whole arduous process. At my age, school may or may not be the best thing and I am making enough connections that hopefully I can move forward with a career without more schooling. But, the Man upstairs is really the one in control of all of this, so I'll go along with what he guides. Hopefully with those auditions will come sponsorships and more work. I'll keep "you" all posted.

2007-07-24T14:08:00.000-07:00

Sorry, this pic is a little blurry... me singing a scene from Rigoletto....

This is a pic with an AMAZING tenor - Rafael Moras. Not only is he the most gifted tenor I have heard, at the young age of 20, he is also a wonderful person! His humility is as obvious as his talent. I am so blessed to have met him! I can't wait to hear him at the Met in 5-10 years!

My roommate for the workshop - Amy Alvarado. Another VERY talented singer. She is a gorgeous mezzo. Also, a very promising singer! Below is a pic of my friend Allan Chan, an old student of mine when I taught Middle School Chorus - Tina Boosahda (man, what a small world!), Laura from Florida and .... Oh! I canNOT remember her name. I promise to add it later.

Wow.... I guess it's been a while since I last wrote. Well, here's the latest. My college auditions went well, but I didn't get accepted anywhere. Yes, you said it. Getting into school for an advanced degree in Opera Performance is pretty harsh competition. You really gotta be good, or just know someone.

I'm gonna try again this year, and since auditions in January, I've made some connections that will hopefully help me for the future.

I just finished participating in the Crittenden Summer Opera Workshop. It lasts for two weeks and is an intensive program that focuses mostly on stage performance. We learned a TON about everything from attitude to moving on stage. They assigned us all 3 scenes to perform. Then we spend the time in coachings and staging rehearsals. During those rehearsals, we learn techniques for staging and gesturing and basically making ourselves look great on stage. I was assigned the scene from Massanet's Manon where Manon first meets Dex Grieux and they decide to run off to Paris together. I also worked on and performed the scene from Rigoletto where Gilda had just been seduced by the Duke and she runs to her father, Rigoletto to tell him about it.

The 3rd scene I was assigned is from a one-act opera that was just released by a conductor at Boston U, and the librettist lives in Maryland. It's about Tony Caruso's son and how he never was a famous opera singer, but he had a radio show for 27 years and it got bought out. So the opera takes place during his last broadcast, and he has all these dreams about people in his life. One of them is about Maria Callas - she appears to him and basically makes him feel like trash for not becoming a singer. It was very fun. The opera ends really nicely... I won't spoil it for you in case you ever see it.

I learned sooo much valuable information!! I also learned that I have a lot of work to do to look goood on stage. You don't just stand up and sing and look good... you have to work at it and do certain things. There's certain rules to follow for staging. Most directors will not give you all the details, so these kinds of workshops are invaluable. This one is especially good because it teaches so much for a very inexpensive fee. I'm so glad I took the time to do it! Attached are pics from the workshop...

As for my goals: to continue studying staging and working on getting this new information into my muscle memory, and to apply again for grad schools. I'll keep you updated....

2007-01-25T13:20:00.000-08:00

Hello! I thought I would give an update on my singing career. Once back from Austria, I spent some time finding employment - just a day job to help pay the bills. I found one that is close to home and it allows me to take long lunches and work on my music. Plus, since my commute time is 1.5 hours less than it used to be, I can use that time to sing.... which I do.

I took a couple of trips up to NY to audition and have some coachings. Both were good experiences. I spent the next couple of months learning the role of Suzanna from "Le Nozze di Figaro" for a concert/studio performance. I LOVE that role and can't wait to be able to do it again!

Shortly after that, I decided to apply to grad school for a Masters in Opera Performance. So I worked to make a recording to send to grad schools and went through the whole application process for 5 different schools. Boy, that is a LONG and arduous process, but worth the time. I applied to Oberlin College, Yale, Boston University, University of Maryland and University of Colorado. All good schools, but my number 1 choice, after doing some research is U of Maryland. I love living in this area and would like to stay here.

I was granted a live audition with them - U of MD, last Friday - Jan. 19th, and it went fairly well. I was sooo impressed with the faculty. They were so welcoming and kind. It made the audition more than bareable. It was a very good experience. If the education experience is anything like the audition, I would be so grateful! They make final decisions by March 1st.

I have an audition with Oberlin College next week, as well as a couple of other auditions with local opera companies for spring and summer productions. I haven't heard from Boston or Yale yet, and probably won't until March or April. Univ. of CO is out of the picture. They asked me to travel there to audition, but I could not go. Mostly timing and money issues. I'm pretty sure I wouldn't want to live in CO, however, so I'm not sad about missing that audition.

In the meantime, I'm loving singing and life is good! More to come as results are revealed!

Bye for now.

2006-08-17T08:27:00.000-07:00

Hello! Well this is it... my last entry about Graz. It was a wonderful experience and most importantly, I met a lot of wonderful people! It was so great to be in a place where those around me loved music just as much as me.... and not just the musicians. The citizens of Graz are huge opera fans, so it made the experience even more enjoyable!

Unfortunately, with the new airline security guidelines, we weren't allowed to take our camera's through security. I really wanted to get a picture of Graz from the airport, because the airport has a great view of the town since it sits just outside the city. Ah well... I'll have to keep that view in my long-term memory.

Auf wiedersehen!! PS - Keep your eyes open for my website... coming soon!!

This is the Hall in which the Meistersinger competition was held. A very cool hall.... it's designed like an airline hanger. You can remove the seats and use it, like they do in Graz, for testing car engines. Pretty cool stuff! We met the owner of the building and his wife after the concert. Very nice people and very much in the money. They design buildings like this all over Europe. Here's the orchestra before the concert began. We got our own little 4th of July after the fact... they played "Stars and Stripes Forever" at the end of the concert. It was soo nice to hear! Made me miss home even more.

This is a pic of the 10 finalists for the Meistersinger competition. A pretty tough competition. Very good singers... the results were a little surprising, but aren't they always? My three friends, Stanley, Laura and Dominick were all in the finals!

This is a pic with my voice teacher while in Graz - Donna Zapola-Connolly. She lives in Jersey and is a wonderful, wonderful teacher! I plan to continue studies with her and have lessons when I can get up to the NY area. She helped me to get rid of a lot of my tongue and jaw tension... a God-send! She has also introduced me to some great people - conductors, directors, etc. She is a wonderful woman and great singer! This pic was taken in the lobby of the hall where the Meistersinger competition was held.

Looking up the road from the Jakominiplaz.... this is just down from the Hauptplaz where all the shopping is. You can see in this pic - H & M on the left hand side. They also had all kinds of discount stores and stores that carried Italian leather shoes, etc. Lots of fun.

Here is a pic of some of my closest friends from Graz - from left to right, Curtis from Maryland, Lisa from Australia, Icy from Nebraska, Stanley from DC, Laura from Kansas, myself and Dominick from Nevada. Zehr Good times!!! Til we meet again friends!

2006-08-03T00:41:00.000-07:00

Here are the pics I promised from last week's experiences. I'm finally getting over the flu, I think and starting to get my energy back. The weather has turned very cool and rainy. We were hot and muggy up until a couple of days ago, when it seemed like the seasons changed. It was about 90 degrees during the day, and it has dropped to a cool 65 degrees during the day. I miss the warmth, but the change has been nice.

Here is the Brandhof.. the building where we had rehearsals with the orchestra to prepare for the concert. To sing at an orchestra concert is a big opportunity here at AIMS. If you are chosen to sing on the concert, you are considered one of the top singers in the program. I was honored to have been chosen. Unfortunately, I came down with the flu the day before the concert and woke up the morning of the concert with practically no voice. Unfortunately, I had to drop out of the concert at the last minute. A very difficult thing for me to do.

These two pics are of me rehearsing with the orchestra at the Brandhof. Maestro Eduardo Muller, an incredible musician and very kind man, was wonderful to work with. I was in good voice this day - 2 days before the concert. The concertmaster who's head you see just at my left shoulder is from the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra. He is the Asst. Concertmaster there. Another wonderful musician and violinist. He has been a great leader for this very talented orchestra.

Dress rehearsal inside the Stefaniensaal.... not very successful, as I did not have more than an octave. ;-( It was here I determined that I may not be singing that night.

Here I am just outside the performance hall - The Stefaniansaal - the morning of the big orchestra concert. I look excited, but wasn't too excited because I wasn't feeling so good... I thought it was just allergies in my voice, but I wasn't so lucky.

Hello from Graz! This is me sitting at the bus stop waiting for it to pick us up and take us to the Jakominiplatz where we were going for dinner. This was last week before I caught the nasty flu bug!

2006-07-31T04:23:00.000-07:00

Sorry to have kept you all on hold. I had a bit of a down turn this past week. I got the flu. ;-( No big deal except that I had to miss the big orchestra concert that I was performing for. It was held at the big concert hall here in Graz, and a lot of the city attends. I was more dissappointed about missing that, than missing the big Meistersinger competition that was held this weekend. NOT a good week to catch the flu. It landed right in my voice, so even if I wasn't feeling so hot, I still couldn't sing if I wanted to. I didn't have 2/3 of my voice! Ugh! Of all the things to have happen. Oh well.... I'm starting to feel better and hope to be back on my feet by tomorrow or the next day.

I did get a chance to work with the world famous conductor that directed the orchestra concert - Eduardo Muller. He was a wonderful man! Very kind.... like a grandfather. And on the flip side, he knows his music better than anyone I've seen conduct. He is phenominal to work with! I got pictures and managed to record one of the rehearsals before I lost my voice. I've put the pics on my blog and then when my website is finished, you should be able to hear the recording on that.
Hopefully that will be good to go by the time I get home.

In the meantime, I spent most of this last week either in coachings and rehearsals, or in bed. So I didn't get out much, but I promise to do that before I leave. Only 2 more weeks. I am excited to be coming home. This has been a good experience and I still have some work to do, but I will be glad when it's done.

2006-07-21T08:28:00.000-07:00

It's been a very busy week, and this week is going to be even busier, but I wanted to take a minute and add a comment.

I sang in two recitals this past week. Each week, AIMS has 2 or 3 artist recitals. In order to sing in them, you have to sign up and get your coaches's and voice teacher's approvals. I did so, and was given the chance to sing twice. The first time I sang "Je Veux Vivre" and the 2nd performance, I sang Ach Ich Fuhls. Both went pretty well. I was lacking a little in the Juliette song as far as character is concerned because I was focused so much on technique. Ah well... the Pamina was better and I had fun both times.

I also had 2 auditions - one with a director from a German opera house, and the other with a French/European agent. Again, both went well, but they didn't bite. There are sooo many sopranos and if you don't have exactly what they're looking for, then they don't want you. However, they seem to be much nicer here than in the states. At least, that's been my experience. Now, granted, we are doing a study program, and so they take more time to work with you. But just in general, the demeanor is so much more pleasant. That is very attractive to me and has made me think often that it would be nice to sing here.

This next week I'll be singing in an orchestra concert in the Grazer Congress - Stefaniensaal. It is a big concert hall here. It is beautiful and a great hall to sing in. We get to sing arias with the orchestra - we have 3 rehearsals for that this week and then the performance. I'll be singing "Deh Vieni" from La Nozze de Figaro. I am very excited about that. I've never performed it, so I am spending most of my weekend getting that memorized.

I'm also working on a new piece since next Saturday is the big Meistersinger (master singer) competition. Pretty crazy!! But it's good times. The competition chooses 24 semi-finalists out of all the entries, and then a top 10 with 2 alternates. We have to have 3 arias prepared. I'll be singing Quando men vo, Vilja, and my new favorite, Ach Ich Liebte from Die entfuhrung aus dem Serail (The abduction from the Seraglio). It is an amazing aria, and I am so excited to sing it!! LOTS of high C's and D's!! Right up my alley! The top 3 singers win prize money... there is MAJOR competition here, but I'm going to give it my all!

Well, that is about all for now. I will attach pictures of the orchestra concert once I have them next week. I am working HARD and making good use of the time here. Tschuss!

2006-07-16T02:23:00.000-07:00

Hello! It's been a busy week and I haven't had much time to update my blog. So here are some pics and the latest about what's happening.

Class got off with a bang, and I've been running like crazy trying to get used to the schedule and making the needed adjustments to my singing. I have a wonderful teacher who is adding so much to my voice. The challenge is implementing all of the concepts and new techniques in such a short period of time.

Having said that, I am auditioning next week - on Tuesday and Thursday, for the opera manager from a small, yet very distinguished opera house in Germany - Herr Drechsell. They like to hire young singers and help to mold them and get their careers off to a start. The other audition is for an agent from France. Say a prayer for me that they go well.

We took a break from our studies yesterday (Saturday) to celebrate the opening of AIMS. Pics from the earlier entry are of the program in the morning. The pics below are from the reception last night. Graz is full of very kind people who so graciously host the American Inst. of Musical Studies program each year, as they have for the last 40 + years. Each year AIMS comes back, and each year Graz asks them to return. It is a very big deal here. I feel very spoiled to be a part of such a wonderful, cultural and education event!

This photo is of me and Jim Rousch. He is on the Board of Directors for the San Diego Opera. He is here as a singer and has a marvelous Bass voice!!! He sounds very young vocally for his age, which I won't disclose to you. He is a very kind man and someone who loves music. He also has a degree in law and was a commander on a submarine in the Navy.

This lovely gentleman is Tom King, Artistic Director of AIMS, And choir director for the festivities. He makes all of the decisions as to who gets to sing and when. He is the backbone for AIMS.

Eggenberg Palace - this is what it looked like when we arrived. We got all dressed up to the nines and went there to eat and socialize. It was very fun. My feet were killing me though... 4 hours in heels... NOT fun!

Here is the ballroom that we sang and ate in... VERY beautiful murals, etc.

Peacocks were there in abundance... this one thought he would show off a little!

This is Eggenberg Palace at night... The secretary to the Governer welcomed us and thanked us for coming to Graz to share our talents and music with them.

Here I am with my friends (from left to right), Stanley from DC, Lisa from Melbourne, Australia, myself, and Dominick from Las Vegas, NV. We are standing at the entrance to the Eggenberg Palace.

Stanley teaches at Duke Ellington School of music in DC, is a bass-baritone and has 2 kids and 1 wife, Lisa is the scholarship winner from Australia and has one son and one husband. Dominick is here for his 2nd year at AIMS. He is a senior attending the Univ. of Las Vegas. He has a magnificent tenor voice, no kids and no wife.

2006-07-16T02:15:00.000-07:00

I was involved in the choir that sang at the Governor's reception. We sang America the Beautiful along with an Austrian Folk Song, "Dachstein Lied" and Simple Gifts. I was asked to sing the 2nd verse of America the Beautiful as a solo. We also sang our country's national anthem with the orchestra. It brought tears to my eyes as I sang and thought of the many, many freedoms we enjoy and all of the people who gave their lives in order that we would have those freedoms. With all the major unrest that is happening in the world... especially most recently in Isreal, etc., it hit very close to home as we sang. Thank God for our wonderful country!

2006-07-16T01:10:00.000-07:00

This pic is of the university of Graz. This is where we attended the opening ceremonies for the AIMS program.

The view from the balcony where we sang looking down to the audience and the orchestra. They played a couple of Beethoven pieces. Boy, they are GOOD.

2006-07-12T12:33:00.000-07:00

Things here are going fairly well.... I have a whole new voice! I can't wait for everyone to hear it! It's not really a new voice, but it is getting so much bigger and better. I'm very excited. I'm going to put together a recital when I get back. It will consist of music that I learned here. I have really learned sooo much and I'm having a great time. I have met some wonderful people and have just loved singing. I've been working really hard and am finally feeling like I'm used to this new time change, etc.

The weather is absolutely gorgeous! It hasn't rained as much as it usually does, and the days are warm, but it gets cool at night... which is nice because they have no AC here. It's not like hot like DC, but it gets a little toasty.

I have class every day, and it's pretty intense.... Here's what my schedule looks like. German class every day, voice lessons twice a week, vocal coachings twice a week, stage artistry twice a week, and then audition training twice a week. Each class is about 45 minutes long. Some days I'm running from one to the next with no break. Then we have concerts 2-3 times a week. I am not singing in all of them obviously, but i'll go sometimes to hear other singers.

I have a mock audition tomorrow.... it's to practice for an audition that I'm hoping to have for a German opera company next week. We'll see if I'll be ready. If I'm not ready, then I won't sing. I'll just wait for the next one.

I miiiiiisssss crabs!!! The food is just not the same here. We are eating cafeteria like food.... you know - it's at a school, so it's not the best thing. It keeps us breathing. I also miss Mexican food like CURRAAAZZYY!!! We do go out every once in a while, but you can't really get a good green salad at a restaurant. It's all iceburg lettuce... not my favorite.

I will put more pics on once I have them. Not really anything too exciting about sitting in a classroom!

2006-07-11T11:04:00.000-07:00

My New Room Number is 212!

I moved into a new room because the old one smelled like smoke soo bad. Even after washing the curtains and spraying the room down, it still wreaked bad. So I am now in Room 212.

More later.... busy, busy, busy!

2006-07-08T09:02:00.000-07:00

Master class with Gabriella Lechner.... an Austrian Opera legend. She is phenomenal! Very lucky to have worked with her. It's 18:00 pm (6:00 pm) here on Saturday and the bells are ringing outside to signify the beginning of the Sabbath. I wish we observed it better in the States. They sound so cool!

We finally had some rain here yesterday. It rained good and cooled things off a little. But it was hot and muggy today... it's starting to cool off now, however. Oh, it is just beautiful here!

2006-07-08T08:56:00.000-07:00

Picture of the restaurant in the Wood... a picture of the front of the restaurant, and a view from the back patio... just breath taking!!!

2006-07-08T08:16:00.000-07:00

Guten tag! I am almost through my first week and boy, has it been a great week. I am starting to get used to the time change... I'm still waking up in the middle of the night for about an hour or so, and then I manage to fall back asleep. But I am singing well despite that and the cigarette smoke smell in my room. I think the person that was in here before me was a smoker. Yuck! Ah well....

I had my hearing for the faculty on Thursday. It went sooo well!!! My high notes soared and I didn't have any tension in my sound. It was wunderbar!!!! I sang the Sophie part of the Rose Presentation from Der Rosenkavalier by Strauss and then Regnava nel Silenzio from Lucia de Lamermoor by Donizetti. I messed up the words a little on the Strauss, which caused some pitch issues at one part - I was thinking the wrong words... words that were on the next page. Anyway, I kept going as if nothing happened. It turned out great. The Lucia went fabulously. A short time after I sang, the faculty went on break, so I spoke with a few of them.... they were very complimentary. I had one woman who is an Austrian opera singer - Elisabeth Beis, come to me and say that she wanted to see my resume and speak with me a little bit. I did speak with her earlier today. She is going to help me get ready to audition for someone from the Opera here. I'm not sure what will come of it, if anything, but any audition is a good one. Not sure if I have what they would be looking for, but you never know. We'll see. We will find out next week, or perhaps tomorrow, what our class schedule is going to be and what concerts we will be singing at.

I spoke in depth with another teacher here.... he teaches at the University of Las Vegas... his name is Alfans Anderson - an incredible tenor! He said that as he listened to my singing, that he noticed a special quality about the sound. He said that it had a very distinct color to it... that it was different than anyone else's sound, and that my high notes just sparkled. He said it was gorgeous. I was very flattered by his compliment! I will continue to work to get that sparkle in the sound.

I sang in a master class this morning with Gabriella Lechner. She is a legend in Austria... very famous opera singer and now teacher. She is PHENOMINAL!! I sang Je Veux Vivre from Romeo et Juliette for her. This was very interesting!!! This is a piece that I have sung for a very long time, and that I thought, was fairly polished. Well, this is what happens when you sing for a legend.... they find everything wrong with the song. Not that everything was wrong, but she had a lot of things to fix. The French was all over the place, and I am just laughing because I had worked on that soooo much. So we fixed some of that. But more importantly, was that she found STILL a lot of tension in my tongue. Unfortunately, I had developed some very bad tongue and jaw tension with a previous voice teacher, that has taken me over two years to work through. Well, those issues are still fairly obvious in my singing... at least to the trained singer's ear. On my high notes, I wasn't opening my mouth wide enough, so that my jaw was vibrating and the back of my tongue was lifting up. That is not a good thing! So, I have to work very hard on relaxing my tongue and further opening my mouth on the high notes. I worked to get away from opening my mouth too much because I used to swallow my sound when I did that. Now, I have pretty good placement, so I can open it wide and the sound will not get swallowed. I did this throughout the piece as she coached me, and the difference in my sound was incredible!!!

I also have to work more on putting my body into my singing... supporting from the ground up. All these things take time, but if I can get a good handle on them, I will be on the right track. I had some new found friends here take notes for me and listen, and they said that the high C at the end of the piece sounded like I blew the top off my head when I sang it. The cool thing is that once I applied the things she was telling me, that high C was 3 times bigger and clearer, but took the half the effort! It was the coolest thing!!! I can't wait to get started on lessons next week to learn even more!

Here's some pics of the master class with Gabriella.... I'm sorry they're not very close up, I should have asked the girl taking them to zoom in. The other pics are of a restaurant that we had dinner at last night. It's up on the hill above the city - the Restaurant in the Wood. It was beautiful!!!

Tomorrow is Sunday, and all the shops, etc., are closed for the Sabbath. It will be a nice restful day. I'm going to go to church in the morning. They have one here - it's across town, but I can ride the trolley to it.

2006-07-05T08:05:00.000-07:00

Hello again! I have some time this afternoon, and thought I would add another posting.

Things are going very well. I went to bed last night at 7 pm Austrian time... that would have been 1 pm DC time. I was sooo exhausted! I slept all through the night and got up around 7:30 am this morning. I am feeling a lot better today now that I've had some good sleep.

I had a short German language survival course this morning.... they taught us some basic phrases and how to introduce ourselves to people. I am a slow learner when it comes to languages so I am not doing so hot right off the bat. Ah well... the people here are very nice and they will speak English to you if you say, "Sprecken sie English?" (Do you speak English?) I will just have to force myself to speak it and it will come eventually.

I spent much of the morning singing through my songs.... I haven't sung for a good week before today, so I took my time and warmed up good, etc. I just got back from having a very short rehearsal with my accompanist. He is going to play for me at my hearing tomorrow. All singers have to sing for the faculty so that they can decide what concerts and music they would like us to learn. Say a prayer for me that it goes well.

We had lunch today at the school that we will be having classes at. Classes don't start until next week. We are spending this week getting settled and resting up - getting used to the time change, rehearsing and having hearings. Lunch wasn't too bad.... but not all that great either. We had soup, salad, and rice with chicken. The salad was chopped up iceberg lettuce with pumpkin seed oil for dressing. I'm going to go to the open market later and get some fresh fruit and veggies. They have the yummiest fresh food here. Get this though. They don't serve ice in their drinks. And you can't ask for it because they'll think you're crazy. Ice means icecream. They don't have ice here. Weird.

Anyway, I have a break now.... I just finished my rehearsal for tomorrow. It went ok. The pianist and I are going to meet again in the morning, because one of the pieces I am singing is very difficult to play..... and he is going to practice tonight and then we'll work on it again in the morning. I have to go to a meeting in about an hour to learn about the German classes that I'll be taking. And then we have orientation and a dinner tonight. Should be fun.

The people here are very nice.... there are definately some egos flying around, but you just kill em with kindness. I've met a few people from DC. It's fun to talk to them about home.

I met this girl here from Australia. She is very nice. She has a husband and little 1 year old at home. She got a phone call only 2 weeks ago from someone with AIMS asking her if she'd like to participate. Something happened where a person from there was going to come, but couldn't or something. So she got everything together in just a couple of days and came out. It took her 2 plane rides.... the first from Melbourne, Australia to Singapore was 9 hours and then from Singapore to Frankfort, Germany was 12 hours!!! Is that crazy or what???? Then she met up with us all in Frankfort... where we flew from there to Graz. That was a small jet plane, like those small prop planes. Anyway, she speaks German very well, so I try to go to as many places with her as possible so that I can learn the language.

That's all for now. More later.

2006-07-04T09:02:00.000-07:00

Here's the pics of my room....

The showers are down the hall as well as the bathrooms. Much like an American dorm room.

2006-07-04T08:24:00.000-07:00

Made the trip from Virginia to Graz, Austria today. The flight wasn't too bad. Just long. They say that if you sleep through the entire flight and then stay awake the entire day after arriving, that your body will adjust quickly to the time change. I'm hoping that is the case. I am exhausted... I managed to sleep ok on the flight over, and to stay awake for the day. It has been a challenge, but hopefully will work like they said.

Here's pics of the airport and the land around the airport. Very much like farm land. The drive from the airport to the Heim (dormatory) was much like driving through neighborhoods in the states. Small, two lane roads that wind and turn. There are not many highways out here. I've also included pics of my room and the Heim. My room is about the size of my bathroom at home.... not QUITE that small, but close to it. It's nice and cozy.

The weather is perfect here. Breezy, not too humid, and not dry. You can leave the window open all day and it feels nice and cool.

I have rehearsal for my hearing tomorrow. The hearing is on Thursday. What is a hearing you ask? Each singer and pianist has to perform for the faculty in order for them to make assignments for each concert. Once they have heard everyone sing, they will post an assignment schedule with all the songs that will be sung/played and by who. I look forward to singing for them, and hope that it will go well despite my jet lag. I plan to sing the Sophie part of the Der Rosenkavalier duet, and a part, or all of "Regnava" from Lucia de Lamermoor. Wish me luck!

As promised, I would let you know what my room number is in case you'd like to send mail. I am in room #57.

Happy 4th of July!!

2006-06-21T17:00:00.000-07:00

Hello! Well, here I go. Getting ready to go to Austria! I've never used a blog before, but hopefully this will work out and be a good way to keep you all informed of my experience in Graz!

Back in March, I auditioned for the American Institute of Musical Studies summer program. Like most auditions as a "rising" professional opera singer, you do it for the experience and hope that an opportunity to perform and work with a director will come of it. I went into the audition with no expection except to do well. Fortunately, I was blessed with much more than a good audition. This is a chance in a life time and I'm grateful to be able to be going on this great venture!

In order to attend, I had to raise the money for the cost of the program, which includes, housing, tuition for the best instruction from directors and coaches worldwide, and meals. That doesn't sound like a lot for the cost of $5,300, but this is about 1 semester's worth of instruction at any college, plus a single room in European dorms, performances once a week, and auditions for European agents. So, really, it's well worth the money. I also had to pay for airfare and then of course spending money. Unfortunately my employer would not let me take leave without pay to go, so I had to quit my job as well. Because of that, I also had to make sure that I raised enough money so that I would have some in savings to use up when I got back, until I had some steady income again. So, all total, I had to plan on about $10,000. Well, my friends and family, and even people that I don't know very well, were SO generous! I have been able to raise the funds that I've needed. It is because of YOU that I am taking this wonderful trip! The Lord has given me this great opportunity and He has provided a way!