random thoughts...

• I had a coaching with PK today for my upcoming St. Matthew Passion on Friday. It's my first St. Matthew, and it's quite a big sing for the alto -- 5 arias, a duet with the soprano, and some recits as well, of course. The pieces take me on a journey that runs the entire gamut of emotions. It's quite an amazing (if a little exhausting) experience! PK is a wonderful coach, particularly for Bach, and it was one of those experiences where I realized halfway through that there was absolutely nothing I'd rather be doing in the world at that moment than to be there, working on that amazing music with someone so completely passionate about it. It's quite a fantastic job that I have.

• It's my favorite time of year in Seattle right now -- the plum and cherry and magnolia trees are all blooming, and just starting to drop their petals so that a blanket of palest pink covers the ground under the trees. A few sunny, mid-60s days have started to creep in between the 50s and rain of early spring, and everyday there are new trees that have burst with that cheerful, light-green of baby leaves. I celebrated by getting my first pedicure of the season. :) Not really singing related, but fun nonetheless.

• I just received my final rehearsal schedule for the puppet opera. Turns out that I'll be playing a bit of recorder as well! I was a flutist in a former life, and I've played a little recorder, but I am by no means an expert! Hopefully the part will not be too difficult. :)

• Other than the puppet opera, I have a growing pile of music to learn on my piano right now, including a newly-added aria on my list for an upcoming audition, and some things I'm considering for a recital in the fall. Debussy's Chansons de Bilitis, and Mahler's Lieder eines Fahrenden Gesellen are in for sure, and I'm also looking at some Spanish songs, which I'll hopefully be able to use somewhere else in the fall as well. More on both of those things later.

• I finally came down with my first cold of the winter. It just squeaked in there before the equinox, so I guess it's also my only cold of the winter. It was bound to happen. The woman who is double-cast with me in the school-tour Barber was out for almost 2 weeks with a terrible cold, so I was in the van with 5 other people every day, going to schools full of children with early spring runny noses. During that time, I was also unable to get any swimming in, so it was no surprise when I started sneezing about a week ago. It seems to be about gone now, though. It was actually good timing -- my counterpart got healthy and made up some of her missed shows last week, and I had my first week in quite a while without any other rehearsals, auditions, or gigs, so I had plenty of time to rest and very little singing to do. Now that I'm healthy, it's back in to the pool tomorrow!

• That thing is happening to me right now that seems to happen every spring, where I suddenly find myself getting back in touch with long-lost friends and colleagues. It's one of my favorite things, catching up with old friends, so it's been fun!

I think that pretty much brings you up to date for the moment. A more in-depth post coming soon!

don't mind me and my split personalities...

I met with the music director yesterday for the marionette opera that I'll be involved in next month. My role has changed a few times since I became involved in this project. The opera is called La Liberazione di Ruggiero dall'Isola d'Alcina. First, I was hired to sing Melissa, who ultimately rescues Ruggiero from Alcina's island. Then, I was singing Alcina. Now, I'm singing... both! Alcina is a higher role, a magical temptress who can turn people in to enchanted plants, among other fun things. Melissa's singing lies a lot lower. She's "the good one" in the opera, and a much more grounded and earthy character than Alcina. She also has magical powers, but uses them only for good. In order to rescue Ruggiero, she transforms herself in to Atlante, and at this point she will be sung by a bass, so I won't be singing her entire role, but once she transforms back in to herself, she has a confrontation scene with Alcina, so I'll be talking to myself for a good 5 minutes or so. How fun! I guess I'll be experimenting with different vocal colors and characters! Of course, there will be different puppets onstage, so hopefully it won't be confusing for the audience.

In other news, apparently my Canadian envy has paid off -- I'll be spending six weeks at the Banff Centre this summer, participating in their Opera as Theatre Program! Woo hoo!!! I'm not exactly sure what my assignments will be there, but more on that as things develop. At the very least, I'll be spending six weeks in a great program in an absolutely stunning setting, so I'm excited!

note to self...

Don't sing coloratura like I'm playing scales on the piano!

I've been working on Rossini lately, trying to gain some freedom in the runs. In a coaching the other day, BK stopped in the middle of "Non piu mesta" and said, "This is great. But, you know, you don't have to accent every 4th note of every scale! It sounds like a piano exercise." And I flashed back to the 15-year old me, who used to spend 30 minutes every day playing every major and minor scale in succession, 4 octaves in 16th notes, parallel and contrary motion, and accenting every 4th note! Of course, I didn't always play this way in actual pieces of music, but somewhere in me, I feel like that's the way scales are done. I've been thinking about my coloratura for months now, working on it with my teacher, talking to people about it, and everything helped a little, but nothing was really the answer. I guess I just had to hear it from a fellow pianist!

The result? I tried the run again, thinking all the way to the end in one long line, and ta-da!!!! Smooth, exciting, easy, long scale! Well, until I dissolved in to giggles at the end. :)

Canada rocks my world.

I was in Vancouver this weekend auditioning for the Banff Centre. I have auditioned for them a few times before. It's always a good excuse to visit some great friends in Vancouver and indulge in lots of yummy tapas and sangria at our favorite restaurant. Generally, I think they prefer to hire Canadians, but the audition went very well, and I'm hoping that the fact I'm an alumna of a Canadian University might help me out a little. If only they knew how much I really want to be Canadian! Canada is so cool!

First of all, the spelling. I feel so much more sophisticated going to the theatre, or attending a centre for something. Secondly, it's great to feel like I'm getting a refresher course in French every time I go to the grocery store. Also, it (well, Vancouver and Victoria, anyway) really feels like home. When I went to Indiana after finishing my bachelor's degree in Victoria, I found that immediately I had met a circle of Canadian friends. I felt, still feel, I think, more of an identity as someone who has lived in Canada than I do as an American, in broad terms. Of course, Seattle, is probably the most Canadian of any major US city, so that probably has something to do with it.

Canada, like the US, has had new designs for their money in the last few years. The picture of the queen has been aged appropriately, and her picture is bigger on the front. I noticed a quote on the back (in English and French, of course!) by Gabrielle Roy: "Nous connaitrons-nous nos-memes seulement un peu sans les artes?" "Can we ever know each other even a little without the arts?" On their MONEY, people! I mean, come on! How cool is that?

In other news, I'm ready to get cracking on my spring projects -- the St. Matthew Passion and the first opera known to be written by a woman: La Liberazione di Ruggiero dall' isola di Alcina, by Francesca Caccini. I'll be performing this with the Northwest Puppet Center. I'm totally excited about both of these projects, and ready to dive in. There are some exciting things in the works for next fall (one having to do with Canada, even!), but more on that later when they solidify a little more.

sick singers

I'm sure it's no news to singers, teachers, or anyone else that we are deep in to cold and flu season. In rehearsals for my upcoming previews of Seattle Opera's Giulio Cesare last weekend, over half of the singers were out sick. My lesson was cancelled this week because J has a lingering chest infection. Poppea opens on Friday, and most of the cast has come down with a terrible cold. In fact, one of the continuo players even has pneumonia! Most are on the mend, but one, with a very large role, went home yesterday. There are no covers for this production, so this made for a very exciting rehearsal process over the last several days. One singer who was previously singing several small roles has learned the music and blocking for the lead role virtually overnight (and will be fantastic!), and two singers with smaller roles have taken on extra roles to pick up the slack. It's amazing what people are capable of when the need is there. Anyone in town this weekend or next should definitely come see this production -- it's going to be great!

Somehow (knock on wood), I've avoided the plague so far, though my husband called from school a few minutes ago to say he thinks he has bronchitis, and a third of his class is out today with either bronchitis or pneumonia. I'm focusing on getting lots of sleep, drinking tons of water, and taking my vitamins for the next few days -- no time to be sick!

Every singer, I think, has a ritual for avoiding colds and flu. So far, I've been successful at fighting off sickness all winter. Mostly, I attribute this to the fact that I've been swimming most mornings, so my lungs and muscles are in better shape than they have been in years. I've been doing Emergen-C or Airborne when I'm in crowded places like planes or classrooms or when I'm around sick people, and Umcka and Zicam at the first hint of stuffy nose or tickle in my throat, and lots of water and tea. It's worked so far -- keep your fingers crossed!

last one!

I did my last YAP audition of the season today, here at home for Seattle Opera. (I might not actually be done yet, if I get a call-back -- stay tuned!) The day in general was a good reminder to me of why I've never had a ritual before auditions and performances. Many singers have certain things they like to eat, warm-ups at a certain time of day, and lots of other little things. I've always resisted these things. Why? Well, first of all, it seems like it makes the whole day in to a really big deal, when really it's just one small part of what we do as singers. An important part, certainly, but no more important than anything else, in the long run. Also, what happens when something happens in your day to prevent you from having your usual ritual? It's always seemed to me like it's just asking for added stress.

Today, my audition was at 12:15. This morning, I got up, caught up on some emails, took a shower, ironed my audition blouse, hummed a few notes, and tried to print out my resume. No toner! Not to worry, I had a copy from when I was in New York last month. Almost up to date, except that it still listed my December gigs under "upcoming engagements." Whatever, the panel will certainly get over that, if they even notice. Then, my pantyhose had a run. No more pairs of nude hose in the drawer. Oh, well. I found a pair of black ones. I wear slacks at my auditions lately (most of my list is trouser role arias these days), so it really didn't matter much. Still, I got a late start to my 9:00 a.m. staging rehearsal for Rosina. Then, on my way, I was pulled over because my car tabs have expired. They expire at the end of December and I always forget to renew them, with the holidays and all. I thought of it the other day, but there was no time to do it this week, and today my luck ran out. At least the officer was friendly and polite! I was 5 minutes late to my rehearsal, but apparently everyone else got stuck in traffic this morning, so it was no big deal. I hadn't done much warming up this morning, because I figured I'd do plenty of warming up at rehearsal. (I find a little Rossini is a great warm-up in the morning.) Unfortunately, we staged the beginning of the finale of our little show today, and Rosina doesn't do much singing at all for the first pages, so I had only sung a few notes by the time I left for the audition at 11:00. So, no time for rituals this morning! :)

I got a nice little warm-up in the car on the way to my audition (only about 15 minutes from the rehearsal), found a great parking space, and checked in with plenty of time to relax and collect my thoughts before going in. Seattle asked everyone to bring a monologue to auditions this year, and I love my monologue, so I was excited about that. I decided, after a coaching last week, to start with Komponist today. I've never done that at an audition before, but I was encouraged by my coach last week, and it's been feeling great lately, so I thought, why not? The audition went great. I was very happy with Komponist, and they surprised me by asking for Dopo Notte, a showy, Handel da capo aria. Generally, panels will only hear the A section of a long Handel aria, I've found, or sometimes the A and B sections, and then will cut the singer off before the second A section at the end. So I was a little surprised when I got to the end of the B section and I didn't hear any "thank you"s from the panel. I sang the whole thing, all 8 and a half minutes of coloratura and all 12 high As, and I have to say I was very happy with it. It was nice, actually, to get to do all the ornamentation I've worked out for the da capo section, and it occurred to me that I'm not sure anyone other than teachers and coaches have ever heard that section from me before! At the end we chatted for several minutes, mostly about the upcoming Poppea performances, then I did my monologue, and then I was done!

...and, as I've been writing this, I got a call with a call-back for tomorrow! Woo hoo! Now, what to start with tomorrow? This cold I've been fighting off will have to stay away for one more day....

gratitude 1/6/07

Lately I’ve been feeling tremendous gratitude for many things and people in my life. I suppose it’s sort of a New Year’s resolution – to recognize and appreciate the things I have. I’ve found that, once I start listing the things I’m grateful for to myself, it’s quite contagious and difficult to stop!

When I was younger, I used to keep a “happy book.” It was a tiny notebook, about 3”x3”, and it was filled with a running list of things, big and small, that made me happy. I’m sure I still have it lying around somewhere. I don’t write in it anymore (actually, I think I filled it!), but I was reminded of it today as I was driving to work and feeling grateful. This blog seems like a good place to keep track of a few things in my life that I appreciate. Here are a few that were in my thoughts today.

• Teachers have been popping up lately in many facets of my life – people who have been so generous with their time and their knowledge, and who continue to inspire me in countless ways. I am grateful for them.

• I’ve recently gotten back in touch with a dear friend with whom I had lost touch for a few years. Learning about what he’s been doing with his life, and how he’s grown, and being able to reflect on the last few years of my own life as I share it with him is such a blessing. At the same time, some new friendships are blossoming right now, as well. I’m grateful for them.

• I’m about to start rehearsals for several fun projects, including L’Incoronazione di Poppea (2 small roles) with the Seattle Early Music Guild, and my first Rosina with a school tour – if I can sing “Una voce poco fa” for a gym full of elementary school students every morning at 9:00 am, then I can take on Rosina or Angelina pretty much anywhere, I think.

• I found a gorgeous, cinnamon-colored cashmere sweater in my size today on sale for $40! (It’s important to be grateful for the small things, too, isn’t it?)

That’s just a few, but I have a feeling I might write more entries like this one from time to time…. What are you grateful for?

...and, we're back!

Happy New Year, everyone! As you can probably tell by the lack of blogging, the end of 2006 was a busy time for me. Hoffmann performances, 2 audition trips to New York, a Messiah, and a Magnificat, followed by the holidays, which of course are always hectic. They were made even more so this year by the aftermath of the huge windstorm that hit Seattle. We were only without power for 12 hours, but some people (including our neighborhood grocery store and Starbucks) were out for over a week. My parents had power after 3 days, but my mom came to stay for a few days because they did not have internet access, and she works from home. I did manage to get a little break, though, between Christmas and New Year's Eve. No singing, no swimming, no teaching. Just some much-needed quality time with husband, family, and friends.

A brief recap: everything went very well. I was blessed this year in New York to be able to rent my own apartment in the Village for a week. I did 6 auditions in NYC this season, and was happy with all of them. Though we can never go by feedback we get at auditions (every singer learns that it really doesn't mean anything), I definitely left most of my auditions this season feeling extremely positive about the experience in general. Luckily, I have a busy few months coming up, so I don't have much time to sit around and wait for responses! I was also happy with all the concerts, especially the Magnificat, which is one of my all-time favorite pieces. For these performances, the group only hired 4 soloists (the score calls for 2 sopranos, but often it's done with 4 people). Unfortunately, this meant that I didn't get to sing my favorite movement, the gorgeous "Suscepit Israel," which is a trio for the three female soloists. When there's no second soprano, that movement is usually done by the choir. However, no second soprano soloist meant that I got to sing the soprano II aria, which is lovely. The more soprano II solos I do in Bach, the more I feel like they suit my voice a little better than some of the alto solos do (not that I don't love singing the alto solos). Unfortunately, there really aren't all that many soprano II solos out there! For my holiday concerts this season, I tried out a new gown. For a while now, I've been on the lookout for a green gown. I find that the soprano often likes to wear red for Messiahs and such (as shown by acb's lovely Messiah gown). Fine by me -- green is a better color for me, anyway. Unfortunately, green gowns are not nearly so easy to come by as red ones! But, over the summer, I found the perfect one. Emerald green silk. I'll post a picture when I have one. I did find that I had a similar experience to acb (in the link above). I got at least as many compliments on the dress as I did on my singing!

For the first time in years, I didn't have any gigs over the actual holidays, which was lovely. I definitely needed the break. It did feel a bit odd, though, not to have to get dressed up on Christmas Eve to go and sing somewhere. The way the family gatherings worked out, actually, Alec and I both had the entirety of Christmas Eve completely free. We slept in, went out for brunch, opened our gifts to each other, did crosswords, and watched movies all day. We might have to make that a holiday tradition.

Looking ahead to 2007: One of the luxuries of having my own space in my favorite neighborhoods of NYC this year was that it allowed me lots of time to reflect on this past year and how far I've come. Sometimes, it seems that when we're making the most progress (both personally and professionally), things are happening so fast that we don't notice until we have some time to reflect on it. I've been so busy this fall because I've been singing constantly, and my spring looks just as busy. I've basically been a full-time working singer this season, which feels great. In the coming year, I need to take that scary step that many young singers face: taking fewer gigs in order to make space for better gigs. It's a leap of faith, trusting that there's more out there. But, I've found that the universe tends to reward the steps that we take in faith on our own behalf. 2007 promises to be an exciting year in many ways. Right now, though, I have music to learn. Vacation's over -- back to work!

ok, a real post soon, I promise...

...but in the meantime, this is really funny. :)

because sometimes things happen like they're supposed to...

...an update on camp...

I've been waiting for the Porters to make this public before I posted it here, but it doesn't get much more public than this article. When we're doing what we're supposed to be doing with our lives, for the right reasons, things have a way of working out for the best. In case anyone needed a reminder.