Countdown to home

It's been awhile since my last post--my apologies for my lengthy absence!

Well, there are 9 more days until the program is officially over--can't believe it's gone by so quickly!  However, I feel like I've hit a wall.  I'm tired, and I'm feeling more and more ready to go home. (The coffee vending machine in the lobby has become a life-source...and it's only 50 euro cents!) However, I realized last night, that as soon I arrive home, summer will over and I will have to hit the ground running again for school.   

I already ordered some of my textbooks, so they will be waiting for me when I come home...not my idea of a "welcome home" present, but life moves on. 

I feel that I have learned so much since being here.  I may not have gotten a bunch of performance opportunities like I wanted, but it gave me time to focus on my own training.  Not only have I learned about opera and singing, but I have learned a lot about myself.  I learned what I need to focus on.  I feel that I took a big leap being here, and I feel that I am slowly chipping away at this wall I have put up for myself.  I give you, in list format, a few general things I have learned over the past 5 weeks:

--Improvement is a gradual process...nothing happens overnight.

--Old habits die hard

--It is OKAY to make mistakes. 

--breaking out of your box is a wonderful feeling!  

--Sometimes doing a little thing means a lot. 

--Everyone has an opinion and is entitled to it.  You have the choice to accept it or throw it out the window.

--Comparing yourself to others is toxic and a waste of energy.  Why do it?  (easier said than done...)

--Politics are stupid, but unfortunately unavoidable.

--You have to look out for yourself and what is best for you in this business.  Only YOU can do that.

--Singing is an ART, as well as a science.  Don't be too focused on the latter. 

--Singing is an intricate balance.  It involves a lot of multitasking, patience, dedication, and therapy :)

  

This list could go on for pages.  But after all is said and done, I think I have some ideas of what I need to do this year and ideas for my post-graduation plans next year. 

Speaking of "plans," my goal is to make the most of my final days in Österreich.  Next week, a friend and I have booked hotel rooms and train tickets for Salzburg and Vienna...I'm so excited!!  Salzburg is about 4 hours away and Vienna is 2 hours away from Graz. They both will be whirlwind trips, and we will cram as much as we can into our trips, but will be very exciting, potentially a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!  This certainly has been the summer of a lifetime!  I went to Hawai'i in June, Graz in July/August, and I will be going to Salzburg, Vienna, followed by a quick jaunt to Germany to visit relatives.  All these trips will be awesome and memorable, but I am looking forward to sleeping in my own bed! :)

Auf weidesehen!

Sweating and Singing

I feel like I'm in a little funk today, and I'm not sure why.  I'm not sure if I'm just tired, or if the heat is getting to me, or what.  While I'm on the subject of heat, if there is one thing I miss more than anything, it is air conditioning!!  I know that makes me sound spoiled, but it's true.  I've heard it said that a woman doesn't "sweat," she "glistens."  This woman is certainly far from glistening...yuck!  My little fan can only provide so much ventilation, and my window doesn't always have a good cross breeze, so it can get quite stuffy.  I tried leaving my window open at night, because thankfully it is a bit cooler, but for some unknown reason, there is some street sweeping vehicle that feels the need to drive by at 6am in the morning and wake me up, so no more sleeping with windows open.  Hence, I spent 18 euros for a fan that is probably going to have a burned out motor by the time I leave.  :)

Oh, and full-length mirrors, I miss those too.  I can be confident about how I look from the midsection up, but anything below that, well, I just have to rely on my friends to tell me if I accidentally brushed up against a chalkboard or something.

Me with Barbara Bonney

Highlights of this week:
1) Singing for soprano Michele Crider in a master class.  I haven't sung in a master class in years, and I was singing an aria that I learned in a week, so I was a bit nervous.  She had some helpful things to say, and I guess this is a good thing, but she addressed things that I already knew to be working on, so I guess it means I'm not doing anything totally strange.
2) Attending a Master class by Barbara Bonney, getting to meet her and have my picture with her!  (My coach says she normally charges 150 euros per hour for a lesson, and I had the opportunity to sit and listen to her for over 3 hours, no extra charge!  How neat is that?!)  She is an very inspiring woman, and had so much information to share.  Just a few things that drew my attention:
   --Sound the way you look--find YOUR voice.  She made a point that she got    
by in her career saying that she looked like Peter Pan, and it worked for her.  (She's got a sense of humor too!)
   --You are your own instrument--you can't listen to yourself...have others listen for you.
   --Sing the words the way they are and let the voice follow
   --Your face is only good for expression and forming words.  Power comes from below (abdominals).
   --Bring your own personality to your music
   --When nervous before a performance, reverse the focus--the audience is not focused on you, YOU are focused on them.
What a great class!  So glad I brought a notebook to jot down her words of wisdom!
3) Attending a wonderful orchestra concert of Mozart and Strauss in which I got to see my fellow singers perform as well as soprano Linda Watson.  Oh and not to mention, Joshua Bell was there. NBD...

In other news: I can't believe it's August 3rd already!!  Where has the time gone?!  I already got an email from a professor reminding us to buy textbooks for her class.  Um hello, I still want to enjoy my last 3 weeks of summer!  Unfortunately, this trip has drained my bank account, and I will probably have to decide between eating or buying textbooks.  I guess after all the gelato I've been consuming, I could probably stand to not eat for a few weeks. :-P

Final bows Thursday's concert. Linda Watson is in the blue.

Well, I'm off to another concert tonight, this time involving the music of Purcell and Handel.  Apparently they are performing with a local baroque orchestra and are performing on baroque pitch...should be interesting!


Tchüss!