almost done!

Tomorrow is the last day of camp. I have to say, I am definitely ready to go home. Alec will be staying for another week, and I will miss him, but I'll come back on Saturday for the concert, and in the mean time I have lots to do to keep me busy. I finally received the opera scenes I'll be doing in the baroque opera workshop I'm participating in next month. I'll be singing the parts of Penelope in Monteverdi's Ulisse and Aurora in Landi's Orfeo. I have to admit, I don't know a lot about either one of those operas, but I'm looking forward to learning more! My mail (and hence, the scores to the scenes) is taking a while, as I'm having it all forwarded to camp, but hopefully it will arrive today. A couple other small gigs have come my way in the last week or so. I'll be doing another Mozart Requiem solo in September with a chorus and orchestra in Oregon, and a couple of benefit recitals in Seattle in August -- one for Northwest Harvest and one for a public school music program, which I'm always thrilled to support in any way I can. I also have a demo recording to make next month, and a couple of auditions, and it's time to start filling out applications for apprentice programs next summer, so I'm anxious to get back to real life. Oh! I also get to go to Ikea next week and spend a lot of money (well, not a lot, but plenty by our standards) on some new furniture! Yay!!!

I'm still enjoying camp, but I'm getting very anxious for it to be over. I finally caught the cold that's been circulating around the staff, and although I escaped with a very light case (thanks to Zicam and EmergenC!), it has still put a damper on my spirits. Also, it's been quite a rainy summer. It was supposed to be sunny all week, but early this morning (around 2:00 a.m.) it started pouring rain, and our tent, which has been great so far, decided to start leaking in about 10 different places. Not enough for us to get soaked, but enough that there was nowhere we could put the air mattress so that we weren't getting dripped on at least a little. Annoying. Luckily, the sun is back out now, and the rain promises to hold off at least through tomorrow, so hopefully we won't have to relive the moving fiasco of last weekend (see the post below).

On a brighter note, my vocal ensemble is fantastic this week, and has some boys with changed voices, strengthened by a couple male staff members, so we've been singing some of my favorite music, South African folk songs. I've spent a little time in South Africa, and I have to say that their folk music touches my soul in a more direct way than any other music I've ever heard. In fact, it was in South Africa that I first was encouraged to follow singing as a career path, so it definitely holds a special place in my heart. Also, the band I'm working with is playing Clare Grundman's transcription of Bernstein's Overture to Candide this week, which is such a fun piece. It also pushes me almost to the limit of my flute-playing ability, so it's been nice to have a challenge. I'm looking forward to the concert tomorrow, and then to getting home to my own bed!