I can't believe August is already here. Yesterday the buses had a major break down. Apparently there was a power outage on the electrical lines that the buses run on. Traffice was backed up in town from Mozartsteg to Theatergasse. We had to switch buses earlier at Akademiestrasse. When we got off the bus and where waiting for the new bus to come, I heard an old lady swear at the bus in German. The Austrians are nice, but don't mess with their bus system.
Because of the buses, I thought I was late for my coaching at 9. It turns out though that it really was a 10. So I was able to warm up and get ready for the coaching. This coaching was with Prof. Ragsdale from Oklahoma City University. I liked it, we worked on In Waldeseinsamkeit. He made a good point, and I am making this discovery too: I'm smart, I can pick up things quickly and make changes when they are asked. What I need to work on is maintaining these changes by putting them into practice. I really am regretting not bringing my italk microphone for lessons and just borrowing someone's ipod. Its too late to buy and overpriced recorded here as well. I think that's the best way for me to remember what happens in lessons, is by listening to them. I also need to listen to how I sing more. When I sat down with Ragsdale at the beginning of the coaching, he asked me what I like most about my voice. I kind of didn't know, because I have no idea what I sound like.
In the evening we went to the Christa Ludwig masterclass. Oh my goodness, the singers were amazing. One of them was last year's winner of the Cardiff Singer of the World competition. He is only 24 and has this amazing baritone voice. The singers were from all over. The ones we heard were from Turkey (she actually was in the UMiami program, the one I'm in now, four years ago), China, SouthAfrica/Canada, Hungary, and Ukraine. They are all part of the Young Singers Project through the festival. It's a program that Barbara Bonney started. They learn roles from the festival shows, sing in masterclasses, etc.
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
A Day of Surprises
So my roommate and I were woken up by our buzzer ringing at 3:45 AM. Some guy said something in German, rang the buzzer again, and then opened our door. He just stood in the hall with the door open and said something. I just replied "I don't know what you are saying". I think he must have been too drunk to figure out that I was speaking English. Then he said something else and I said to go away and that we were trying to sleep. He sounded frustrated and then shut our door. My roommate then went and locked the door. I would have gotten out of bed to talk to the guy or slam the door in his face, but I didn't have any pants on. After Julie locked the door, she said that it was so scary and her heart was pounding. I guess I'm such an optimist that I just thought that it was a confused person, which I'm pretty sure it was. Once she mentioned how scared she was, I then had a bit of trouble falling back asleep because I was thinking of how it could have gone completely wrong and how we really should lock our door every night now. I wonder how he got in since the building is locked every night. It was probably some drunk guy. The other strange thing was that I still heard people socializing in the courtyard outside at this time 4 AM. What the heck?
I was a little upset because I was supposed to sing in a masterclass today and needed to be well rested and I had to wake up at 6 to meet my accompanist in town at 8:30. I had a good lesson, but it was cut short so that I wouldn't over sing. "Oh Had I Jubal's Lyre" by Handel is coming along well. It's not easy yet, I don't know if it ever will be, but it's getting better. I've always hated that song and refused to learn it, but now it is actually working in my voice. "In Waldeseinsamkeit" by Brahms was ready for the masterclass. However, it was cancelled today.
This week Annette Dasch agreed to come talk with our group and give a brief masterclass. However, she's been sick and cancelled today. I had just found out that I was singing in the masterclass yesterday. This gave not much time to be fretting over it, but it was enough to give me heartburn this morning.
Annette Dasch is kind of a big deal. She currently is singing the role of Donna Anna in Don Giovanni here at the Salzburg Festival. She's sung all over Europe. I hope that she is able to reschedule and I will get to sing for her.
Our group will get to sit in on a masterclass of another famous singer. Prof. Schiller was able to get tickets for all of us to the Young Singers Project (through the Mozarteum) masterclass with Christa Ludwig. Christa Ludwig was one of the leading mezzos from the 50's-90's and continues to be an amazing teacher. I'm excited, but hopefully she'll give some of the masterclass in English.
Some of us might go hear another famous mezzo. Grace Bumbry, an American mezzo who was carmen in the 1967 festival production, has now moved to Salzburg and is singing at her church on Sunday. If any of you have seen pictures of different Carmens, she's the black Carmen from the 60's. It was on the festival big screen last night. I stayed for the first act because I needed to see my favorites songs, the duet, the fight, and the seguedille. I would have stayed longer but needed to sleep and didn't want to miss the bus. Also, it had started raining, but they handed out ponchos for everyone.
The last two days we had masterclasses by a couple who live in Vienna. The wife, Sylvia Greenberg, is a singer and teacher who is originally from Israel. The husband, David Aronson, is one of the vocal coaches for the Vienna State Opera. He was especially entertaining and a great clinician. Afterwards they answered questions about the opera scene in Europe, particularly in Germany and Austria. There are so many job opportunities over here. Much more, than in the U.S. I guess I really should start learning German just in case.
Another surprise today was that my birkenstock sandals arrived. Just as I was headed out the door, the DHL man rode his bike up to the college. I didn't think they would arrive so soon. Another surprise was that I had to pay an extra 15 Euro (probably for tax) when I picked them up. I like them. The reason I got them online from an American company is that I couldn't find any store in Salzburg that had them and the dollar is generally more affordable and these were on sale. Though, after talking to Emily, I realized that I could have had the group that Munich last weekend pick up a pair for me. Oh well. I'm keeping these ones.
German is finally starting to make sense. I've figured out that I do need to use my dictionary because the provided textbook sucks and is inconsistent with new vocabulary. I was just so used to having an awesome Norwegian textbook and having my Norwegian professor scold us for looking at a dictionary.
I was a little upset because I was supposed to sing in a masterclass today and needed to be well rested and I had to wake up at 6 to meet my accompanist in town at 8:30. I had a good lesson, but it was cut short so that I wouldn't over sing. "Oh Had I Jubal's Lyre" by Handel is coming along well. It's not easy yet, I don't know if it ever will be, but it's getting better. I've always hated that song and refused to learn it, but now it is actually working in my voice. "In Waldeseinsamkeit" by Brahms was ready for the masterclass. However, it was cancelled today.
This week Annette Dasch agreed to come talk with our group and give a brief masterclass. However, she's been sick and cancelled today. I had just found out that I was singing in the masterclass yesterday. This gave not much time to be fretting over it, but it was enough to give me heartburn this morning.
Annette Dasch is kind of a big deal. She currently is singing the role of Donna Anna in Don Giovanni here at the Salzburg Festival. She's sung all over Europe. I hope that she is able to reschedule and I will get to sing for her.
Our group will get to sit in on a masterclass of another famous singer. Prof. Schiller was able to get tickets for all of us to the Young Singers Project (through the Mozarteum) masterclass with Christa Ludwig. Christa Ludwig was one of the leading mezzos from the 50's-90's and continues to be an amazing teacher. I'm excited, but hopefully she'll give some of the masterclass in English.
Some of us might go hear another famous mezzo. Grace Bumbry, an American mezzo who was carmen in the 1967 festival production, has now moved to Salzburg and is singing at her church on Sunday. If any of you have seen pictures of different Carmens, she's the black Carmen from the 60's. It was on the festival big screen last night. I stayed for the first act because I needed to see my favorites songs, the duet, the fight, and the seguedille. I would have stayed longer but needed to sleep and didn't want to miss the bus. Also, it had started raining, but they handed out ponchos for everyone.
The last two days we had masterclasses by a couple who live in Vienna. The wife, Sylvia Greenberg, is a singer and teacher who is originally from Israel. The husband, David Aronson, is one of the vocal coaches for the Vienna State Opera. He was especially entertaining and a great clinician. Afterwards they answered questions about the opera scene in Europe, particularly in Germany and Austria. There are so many job opportunities over here. Much more, than in the U.S. I guess I really should start learning German just in case.
Another surprise today was that my birkenstock sandals arrived. Just as I was headed out the door, the DHL man rode his bike up to the college. I didn't think they would arrive so soon. Another surprise was that I had to pay an extra 15 Euro (probably for tax) when I picked them up. I like them. The reason I got them online from an American company is that I couldn't find any store in Salzburg that had them and the dollar is generally more affordable and these were on sale. Though, after talking to Emily, I realized that I could have had the group that Munich last weekend pick up a pair for me. Oh well. I'm keeping these ones.
German is finally starting to make sense. I've figured out that I do need to use my dictionary because the provided textbook sucks and is inconsistent with new vocabulary. I was just so used to having an awesome Norwegian textbook and having my Norwegian professor scold us for looking at a dictionary.
Sunday, July 27, 2008
Extended weekend
On Thursday, I did not get to sing in the masterclass; I was the alternate. After the masterclass the whole group walked to the Augustina Bier Haus. It was a very different atmosphere. It was interesting how they have concession stands from other vendors and then the bierhaus provides the bier. The school paid for our first drink. It was a good idea they put us in a room off to the side away from the main hall. We were so noisy.
I had to wake up really early on friday morning. I got on the bus at 6:30 so that I could meet up with the group for hiking at 7 at the train station. We got a group pass (28 Euro) for all five of us. We took the train to Werfen. Then in Werfen we took a bus up the mountain. They dropped us off 5 minutes from the gondola. Many people take the gondola up to the ice cave, but we chose to do the 90 minute hike up the mountain. It was rather steep. After the first 2 minutes I was thinking (I should have taken the gondola), but it actually wasn't that bad, my body adjusted to it quickly. It was worth it. I went with a good group of people: Jackie and Stephen (CU-Boulder), Lindsey (Luther), and Ryan (Carnegie Mellon). Before heading further up the mountain into the ice cave, we thought it would be a good idea to cool down and dry off the sweat before heading into freezing temperatures. So we had our packed lunches at the restaurant at the top of the lift. The cave is called Eisriesenwelt, and it is the largest ice cave in the world. http://www.eisriesenwelt.at/site/content/CB_ContentShow.php?coType=home&lang=EN There is still another 5k of cave that we did not see. There are huge ice formations that grow every year. I was not allowed to take pictures because it slows the group down. We had to go up 700 stairs and down 700 stairs. It didn't seem that bad, it was just a little dizzying when we just kept going up and up and I couldn't see my feet. Every fourth person had a lamp. I got to carry one, it was really old-school with a gas and flame, no flashlights. The lamps put off very little light, just enough to see the path. The guide would burn magnesium for us to see the ice formations. After the ice cave tour, we went back to the restaurant and warmed up with hot chocolate and dessert, I had my first apfelstrudel of this trip. I took the gondola down with Ryan because we both were feeling weak. My hip was also acting up, I think I had pulled something. Surprisingly, most of us didn't feel that sore the next day.
That night I went with Lindsey to the Marionette Theater to see Sound of Music. It was good and it stuck to the original musical, not the movie. It's quite amazing what they can do with those puppets.
Saturday morning I met the other Lindsey, the one from Oklahoma, at the college. We walked along the river, they have a saturday market set up everyother saturday. Then went to lunch at the Afro Cafe. It's my new favorite restaurant in Salzburg. It's food with an African flair. They have couches and chairs to sit in outside under the awnings, very relaxed. All dining in Salzburg is relaxed, they expect you to sit for atleast 2 hours. By no means to they intend to push you out the door. Waiters don't get huge tips like they can in the US so they aren't concerned about getting lots of customers through.
After lunch we got some eis and walked around to Getreidegasse. Salzburg was so packed! It was the start of the festival! Lions club was selling cherries for a charity and glasses of champaigne outside of Residensplatz. So we stopped and enjoyed some cherries. When we asked if they were from Austria, they said that they were actually from Canada. Oh well, they were still really good.
We still had time to kill before the festivities of the festival opening happened, so we sat down to people watch in the Domplatz. We were sitting right next to the giant chess board and a group of University students from England started playing.
The three guys played the game and the one girl in the group sat next to us. We had a lovely conversation, she was from Bath and the four of them were just traveling through Europe by rail. In the middle of the game, the canons went off from the fortress overhead. We then headed over to the steps of the cathedral where some of the opera stars were signing autographs. I didn't know any of them, so I decided not to get in line. We ran into the other Lindsey and Zach, and then Stephen, Jackie, and Ryan. We all just sat down and enjoyed the jazz band playing all american music.
The guys split off and had dinner with their host family and we sought out the other side of the river and found a schnitzel restaurant just down the street from Mirabell Gardens. After that I was quite tired and just wanted some time to myself. I headed back to the hotel and watched some episodes of my new favorite TV show online.
Today I went online and chatted with the family on skype and then did some translating of my duet that I am singing and then slept again until 2:30. I ended up going to Jedermann tonight, which was not my original plan but my friend Angelina was feeling sick and wanted to trade tickets. Little did I know that tonight's performance was at 5:30, not 7:30 like I had thought. So I ended up not being able to go to mass in english at 5:00. The Jedermann play was well acted, though I had no idea what was being said. But I certainly could feel what was going on. Jedermann is based off of the medieval play called "everyman". It has been performed every year of the festival since 1920. Jedermann was adapted by an Austrian playwright. The story goes that God sends a messenger to tell Everyman (this is the main character's name), that he will die. When Everyman is looking friends to take with him at the end of his life, they all abandon him. Such friends as Goods and Fellowship won't come when he requests it. Good Deeds is the only character that is willing to go with him, though he had been ignoring Good Deeds for such a long time. Basically he dies with Good Deeds and the moral of the story is that only your good deeds can follow you in the after-life. All other things are lost.
This was performed on the steps of the cathedral. It was really cool how they used the bells of St. Francis church (directly behind) and a bell of the Cathedral for affect.
Unfortunately, I didn't get to practice today like I thought I would. I guess I'll have to do some more score study instead. The practice facility's close so early.
I had to wake up really early on friday morning. I got on the bus at 6:30 so that I could meet up with the group for hiking at 7 at the train station. We got a group pass (28 Euro) for all five of us. We took the train to Werfen. Then in Werfen we took a bus up the mountain. They dropped us off 5 minutes from the gondola. Many people take the gondola up to the ice cave, but we chose to do the 90 minute hike up the mountain. It was rather steep. After the first 2 minutes I was thinking (I should have taken the gondola), but it actually wasn't that bad, my body adjusted to it quickly. It was worth it. I went with a good group of people: Jackie and Stephen (CU-Boulder), Lindsey (Luther), and Ryan (Carnegie Mellon). Before heading further up the mountain into the ice cave, we thought it would be a good idea to cool down and dry off the sweat before heading into freezing temperatures. So we had our packed lunches at the restaurant at the top of the lift. The cave is called Eisriesenwelt, and it is the largest ice cave in the world. http://www.eisriesenwelt.at/site/content/CB_ContentShow.php?coType=home&lang=EN There is still another 5k of cave that we did not see. There are huge ice formations that grow every year. I was not allowed to take pictures because it slows the group down. We had to go up 700 stairs and down 700 stairs. It didn't seem that bad, it was just a little dizzying when we just kept going up and up and I couldn't see my feet. Every fourth person had a lamp. I got to carry one, it was really old-school with a gas and flame, no flashlights. The lamps put off very little light, just enough to see the path. The guide would burn magnesium for us to see the ice formations. After the ice cave tour, we went back to the restaurant and warmed up with hot chocolate and dessert, I had my first apfelstrudel of this trip. I took the gondola down with Ryan because we both were feeling weak. My hip was also acting up, I think I had pulled something. Surprisingly, most of us didn't feel that sore the next day.
That night I went with Lindsey to the Marionette Theater to see Sound of Music. It was good and it stuck to the original musical, not the movie. It's quite amazing what they can do with those puppets.
Saturday morning I met the other Lindsey, the one from Oklahoma, at the college. We walked along the river, they have a saturday market set up everyother saturday. Then went to lunch at the Afro Cafe. It's my new favorite restaurant in Salzburg. It's food with an African flair. They have couches and chairs to sit in outside under the awnings, very relaxed. All dining in Salzburg is relaxed, they expect you to sit for atleast 2 hours. By no means to they intend to push you out the door. Waiters don't get huge tips like they can in the US so they aren't concerned about getting lots of customers through.
After lunch we got some eis and walked around to Getreidegasse. Salzburg was so packed! It was the start of the festival! Lions club was selling cherries for a charity and glasses of champaigne outside of Residensplatz. So we stopped and enjoyed some cherries. When we asked if they were from Austria, they said that they were actually from Canada. Oh well, they were still really good.
We still had time to kill before the festivities of the festival opening happened, so we sat down to people watch in the Domplatz. We were sitting right next to the giant chess board and a group of University students from England started playing.
The three guys played the game and the one girl in the group sat next to us. We had a lovely conversation, she was from Bath and the four of them were just traveling through Europe by rail. In the middle of the game, the canons went off from the fortress overhead. We then headed over to the steps of the cathedral where some of the opera stars were signing autographs. I didn't know any of them, so I decided not to get in line. We ran into the other Lindsey and Zach, and then Stephen, Jackie, and Ryan. We all just sat down and enjoyed the jazz band playing all american music.
The guys split off and had dinner with their host family and we sought out the other side of the river and found a schnitzel restaurant just down the street from Mirabell Gardens. After that I was quite tired and just wanted some time to myself. I headed back to the hotel and watched some episodes of my new favorite TV show online.
Today I went online and chatted with the family on skype and then did some translating of my duet that I am singing and then slept again until 2:30. I ended up going to Jedermann tonight, which was not my original plan but my friend Angelina was feeling sick and wanted to trade tickets. Little did I know that tonight's performance was at 5:30, not 7:30 like I had thought. So I ended up not being able to go to mass in english at 5:00. The Jedermann play was well acted, though I had no idea what was being said. But I certainly could feel what was going on. Jedermann is based off of the medieval play called "everyman". It has been performed every year of the festival since 1920. Jedermann was adapted by an Austrian playwright. The story goes that God sends a messenger to tell Everyman (this is the main character's name), that he will die. When Everyman is looking friends to take with him at the end of his life, they all abandon him. Such friends as Goods and Fellowship won't come when he requests it. Good Deeds is the only character that is willing to go with him, though he had been ignoring Good Deeds for such a long time. Basically he dies with Good Deeds and the moral of the story is that only your good deeds can follow you in the after-life. All other things are lost.
This was performed on the steps of the cathedral. It was really cool how they used the bells of St. Francis church (directly behind) and a bell of the Cathedral for affect.
Unfortunately, I didn't get to practice today like I thought I would. I guess I'll have to do some more score study instead. The practice facility's close so early.
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Tickets
I also forgot to mention that tickets for the Salzburg Festival were handed out today. Everyone got a ticket to the masterclass and Jedermann. Then everyone got either the Schubert szene or the Mozart Matinee, some lucky people got a ticket for the Vienna Philharmonic. For the opera almost everyone got a ticket to Don Giovanni. I, however, got a ticket to The Magic Flute. While I haven't found anyone else who is going, I am fortunate enough to have a 50 Euro ticket in a seat. Everyone going to Don Giovanni has to stand through the entire performance. Yay! That will be a great way to end the program (It will be on my last night in Salzburg). I've never seen the Magic Flute before.
Free afternoon
Because it was in the 50's and raining, we post-poned our trip to Hellbrunn (a park with water fountains that spray you, and there is a palace and the infamous Sound of Music gazebo). Instead of sticking to my original plan of practicing and taking a nap, I went to Cafe Republic and had some tea with a shot of rum in it (quite good). It was such a good time. I hadn't laughed so hard since I've been here. Then Fiona, Lindsey, and I went shopping down Getreidegasse (we're calling it Diagon Alley).
This morning I had a coaching session again with Enman. We worked on the Mahler. It felt like a completely different song after the coaching. I liked it. He complimented me by saying that I have the personality of a choral singer, but the voice of a soloist. Because I was an idiot and left all of my music on my desk in a folder, I only had my German Lied Anthology with me. He circled some of the songs that I should look at. Then he also said that I need to learn the Frauenliebe und Leben song cycle by Schumann. He helped me figure out how to sing a piano without contorting and sounding awful (which is what I have always done for choir). To sum it up, I wish I could have coaching sessions everyday.
This morning I had a coaching session again with Enman. We worked on the Mahler. It felt like a completely different song after the coaching. I liked it. He complimented me by saying that I have the personality of a choral singer, but the voice of a soloist. Because I was an idiot and left all of my music on my desk in a folder, I only had my German Lied Anthology with me. He circled some of the songs that I should look at. Then he also said that I need to learn the Frauenliebe und Leben song cycle by Schumann. He helped me figure out how to sing a piano without contorting and sounding awful (which is what I have always done for choir). To sum it up, I wish I could have coaching sessions everyday.
Monday, July 21, 2008
Weekend as a tourist
This weekend I was a typical tourist. Lindsey and I went to the salzburg fortress, ate lunch up there, and then went shopping and bought souvenirs and walked through the Mirabell Gardens.
It was a very nice day, but I was certainly exhausted by the end. After Saturday night mass at the Franciscan church, I just came back to the hotel and watched episodes of 'How I Met Your Mother'.
Earlier in the morning I sang in the auditions for the recital competition. Dr. Moteki asked me to sing the one song I was least prepared with. Oh well, I forgot the words and breathed in really awkward spots. I was just auditioning for the experience and I'm glad I can start with new music, though my voice teacher wants to keep working on the Rossini with me and I'm singing the Mahler in a masterclass with Wolfam Rieger on Thursday.
Our lunch up at the fortress had the most amazing view of the mountains.
Upon the recommendation of our German teacher, Lindsey and I tried the Salzburg Nockerl. It's a egg-meringue-like dessert that tastes very much like a crepe. They give you fruit to add to it. Little did we know that it is definitely something to share with a larger party than two.
The view from the fortress is quite fantastic. We were lucky that it was such a clear day. It has been raining most of last week and it started again on Sunday.
On Friday night, a group of us went down to Mirabell Gardens to hear traditional music and see traditional dancing.
On Sunday, the entire group went the Salzkammergut region out side of Salzburg. This is in the mountains and there are a number of lakes. We went to Moondsee, St. Wolfgang, and Hallstatt. Moondsee church is the site of the wedding scene in Sound of Music. St. Wolfgang was maybe one of my favorite places. The lake is soooooo clear there and the church some how caught my attention (the altar carving artwork was made by a famous Baroque artist who was actually from Austria).
After spending about an hour in each city we made one last stop to the Gosausee, a glacial lake further into the mountains that was Wagner's inspiration for Parsifal. It was breathtaking. We couldn't see the peaks of the mountains entirely because it had been cloudy.
It was a very nice day, but I was certainly exhausted by the end. After Saturday night mass at the Franciscan church, I just came back to the hotel and watched episodes of 'How I Met Your Mother'.
Earlier in the morning I sang in the auditions for the recital competition. Dr. Moteki asked me to sing the one song I was least prepared with. Oh well, I forgot the words and breathed in really awkward spots. I was just auditioning for the experience and I'm glad I can start with new music, though my voice teacher wants to keep working on the Rossini with me and I'm singing the Mahler in a masterclass with Wolfam Rieger on Thursday.
Our lunch up at the fortress had the most amazing view of the mountains.
Upon the recommendation of our German teacher, Lindsey and I tried the Salzburg Nockerl. It's a egg-meringue-like dessert that tastes very much like a crepe. They give you fruit to add to it. Little did we know that it is definitely something to share with a larger party than two.
The view from the fortress is quite fantastic. We were lucky that it was such a clear day. It has been raining most of last week and it started again on Sunday.
On Friday night, a group of us went down to Mirabell Gardens to hear traditional music and see traditional dancing.
On Sunday, the entire group went the Salzkammergut region out side of Salzburg. This is in the mountains and there are a number of lakes. We went to Moondsee, St. Wolfgang, and Hallstatt. Moondsee church is the site of the wedding scene in Sound of Music. St. Wolfgang was maybe one of my favorite places. The lake is soooooo clear there and the church some how caught my attention (the altar carving artwork was made by a famous Baroque artist who was actually from Austria).
After spending about an hour in each city we made one last stop to the Gosausee, a glacial lake further into the mountains that was Wagner's inspiration for Parsifal. It was breathtaking. We couldn't see the peaks of the mountains entirely because it had been cloudy.
Thursday, July 17, 2008
First Coaching
Today I had my first vocal coaching session. It was with Tom Enman from the Longy School of Music. 'What is a voice coach?' you might ask. Well in Tom's words: a voice coach is a bastard. They're the ones who say 'that was beautiful tone, but the consonants sucked... nice, but... etc.' They knit-pick every detail in a performance and help you perfect it. They help singers come out of mediocrity. I love it!!!
We were going to work on the Verdi, but instead spent the entire hour working on vowels and En Svane. It feels like a whole new piece. I love it and it is so much easier to sing than before. I'm hoping they'll ask me to sing it at the recital auditions this Saturday. That was the other thing, Prof. Enman helped me pick out what to sing for the auditions. I'm not sure if I want to sing the Rossini or the the Bernstein. My character seems very clear with the Bernstein, but the Rossini can show off a bit more.
One funny thing, while in the middle of the session, he randomly said 'wow you look a lot like Kirsten Flagstad'. I had no idea who that was. Aparently she was a famous Norwegian Wagnerian soprano in the 30's. Anyway, I can kind of see a resemblance, but not that much.
There was a masterclass today. It was really good, and I loved how Professor Ragsdale ended it. He said that we need to adopt the Austrian mentality of we instead of me. And that if we ever are just singing for ourselves, our egos, we need to sit down, because that performance will be in vain. All the performances were great. I especially liked the performance of Willow's Song after Ragsdale had worked with her on making it more reflective and private.
After the masterclass, I went to the mall and found a shawl for my brown dress at one of the department stores. I now no longer need to be in search of anything from the stores, except souvenirs.
I also found out today that my friend, Angelina, was on "Clash of the Choirs" the reality American-Idol-like show that all of my music education major friends watched to make fun of. Haha! I love it. She was in the choir from OK City.
We were going to work on the Verdi, but instead spent the entire hour working on vowels and En Svane. It feels like a whole new piece. I love it and it is so much easier to sing than before. I'm hoping they'll ask me to sing it at the recital auditions this Saturday. That was the other thing, Prof. Enman helped me pick out what to sing for the auditions. I'm not sure if I want to sing the Rossini or the the Bernstein. My character seems very clear with the Bernstein, but the Rossini can show off a bit more.
One funny thing, while in the middle of the session, he randomly said 'wow you look a lot like Kirsten Flagstad'. I had no idea who that was. Aparently she was a famous Norwegian Wagnerian soprano in the 30's. Anyway, I can kind of see a resemblance, but not that much.
There was a masterclass today. It was really good, and I loved how Professor Ragsdale ended it. He said that we need to adopt the Austrian mentality of we instead of me. And that if we ever are just singing for ourselves, our egos, we need to sit down, because that performance will be in vain. All the performances were great. I especially liked the performance of Willow's Song after Ragsdale had worked with her on making it more reflective and private.
After the masterclass, I went to the mall and found a shawl for my brown dress at one of the department stores. I now no longer need to be in search of anything from the stores, except souvenirs.
I also found out today that my friend, Angelina, was on "Clash of the Choirs" the reality American-Idol-like show that all of my music education major friends watched to make fun of. Haha! I love it. She was in the choir from OK City.
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
First Lesson
Today was my first lesson. I was barely late. I didn't allow myself enough time for the bus to travel to the musikum. I had a really good lesson. One of the accompanists will always come for the last half hour of my lessons. My teacher understands where I'm coming from as a choral singer. She too was a choral singer and is a Lutheran from the midwest. She's already getting me to produce more sound than I am used to. I'm also finding that in practice, I really have to do more grunt work (ie stopping and reworking phrases, until I truly get them to be consistent).
Today was the first masterclass. Dr. Hardengbergh was teaching it. The emphasis was on German diction. It made me feel alot better. I was really afraid that I would be not nearly as good as the other students here. The four students performed very well, but I was glad to see that they weren't perfect and had stuff to work out, just like me.
Today was the first masterclass. Dr. Hardengbergh was teaching it. The emphasis was on German diction. It made me feel alot better. I was really afraid that I would be not nearly as good as the other students here. The four students performed very well, but I was glad to see that they weren't perfect and had stuff to work out, just like me.
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Today was a fairly condensed schedule, but I still felt like there was a lot of time where I was just sitting around. Once I have lessons and coaching sessions, there are going to be even more odd gaps of time (ie I have an hour between voice lessons and german lessons to get to the college).
We went on a guided tour of historic Salzburg (the area around our school). The tour guide was so knowledgeable. She talked about the history of Salzburg. It was quite fascinating. I never knew that it was an independent country until 1800, ruled by Prince Archbishops. Not until the Viennese Congress (I think that's what it was called) in 1816? did it become part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. She also gave us in-depth history about the Salzburg Festival as we passed the Festival buildings (which were once the Bishop's horse stables.) I had no idea that the Festival is such a big deal to the people of Salzburg. I am eager to see how it changes in a few weeks.
I didn't finish the tour at the Mirabell Gardens because I wanted to get my stuff from the college and head to the store. The tour was going over time anyhow. Once we were at the grocery store it took me forever to decide what to get. I was thinking about frozen dinners, but since I don't know German I wouldn't know how to follow the directions. When we got to the cashier, they didn't take visa so I panicked, but fortunately I spent E49 when I only had a 50. I think the people in line were a little frustrated because we had so much stuff and we didn't know that we needed stickers for the produce that is by the gram. They also make you buy grocery bags. So bring your own or you'll have to buy either paper or plastic (I think they should make this a requirement in the US as well). Overall, Austrians conserve so much more than Americans do.
The clouds finally gave way this morning. The sun was out at it was actually a very pleasant day. I was beginning to doubt whether or not Salzburg was in the Alps, but now that the clouds have moved on, I can see the real mountains. Kim was thinking it wasn't a big deal (she's from Salt Lake), but they are still gorgeous. The cool thing is that they are so close. There is a mountain right behind our hotel and supposedly a hiking trail. I must seek this out.
While I would love to go to Vienna for our free weekend. I've decided that I'd rather not spend the money and instead go hiking all weekend. I think on Saturday, after my recital audition, a few of us are going to hike up the mountain that our college is built into and scope out the Salzburg Fortress and Museum of Modern Art.
Here are some pics from today's tour:
(Mozart's Birthplace)
(Saint Rupert, he helped build the city after the Romans left)
(The Cathedral, the original one was torn down by the Archbishop, who had returned from studying in Italy, and built a new Baroque cathedral. Leopold and W.A. Mozart worked as musicians here)
(The Benedictine Abbey)
(The Franciscan Abbey)
(Salzburg Fortress)
(Salzburg University. It is being re-opened after it was closed in 1810 when Salzburg was annexed by Bavaria)
We went on a guided tour of historic Salzburg (the area around our school). The tour guide was so knowledgeable. She talked about the history of Salzburg. It was quite fascinating. I never knew that it was an independent country until 1800, ruled by Prince Archbishops. Not until the Viennese Congress (I think that's what it was called) in 1816? did it become part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. She also gave us in-depth history about the Salzburg Festival as we passed the Festival buildings (which were once the Bishop's horse stables.) I had no idea that the Festival is such a big deal to the people of Salzburg. I am eager to see how it changes in a few weeks.
I didn't finish the tour at the Mirabell Gardens because I wanted to get my stuff from the college and head to the store. The tour was going over time anyhow. Once we were at the grocery store it took me forever to decide what to get. I was thinking about frozen dinners, but since I don't know German I wouldn't know how to follow the directions. When we got to the cashier, they didn't take visa so I panicked, but fortunately I spent E49 when I only had a 50. I think the people in line were a little frustrated because we had so much stuff and we didn't know that we needed stickers for the produce that is by the gram. They also make you buy grocery bags. So bring your own or you'll have to buy either paper or plastic (I think they should make this a requirement in the US as well). Overall, Austrians conserve so much more than Americans do.
The clouds finally gave way this morning. The sun was out at it was actually a very pleasant day. I was beginning to doubt whether or not Salzburg was in the Alps, but now that the clouds have moved on, I can see the real mountains. Kim was thinking it wasn't a big deal (she's from Salt Lake), but they are still gorgeous. The cool thing is that they are so close. There is a mountain right behind our hotel and supposedly a hiking trail. I must seek this out.
While I would love to go to Vienna for our free weekend. I've decided that I'd rather not spend the money and instead go hiking all weekend. I think on Saturday, after my recital audition, a few of us are going to hike up the mountain that our college is built into and scope out the Salzburg Fortress and Museum of Modern Art.
Here are some pics from today's tour:
(Mozart's Birthplace)
(Saint Rupert, he helped build the city after the Romans left)
(The Cathedral, the original one was torn down by the Archbishop, who had returned from studying in Italy, and built a new Baroque cathedral. Leopold and W.A. Mozart worked as musicians here)
(The Benedictine Abbey)
(The Franciscan Abbey)
(Salzburg Fortress)
(Salzburg University. It is being re-opened after it was closed in 1810 when Salzburg was annexed by Bavaria)
First days in Salzburg
I arrived in the Munich airport and had no idea where to meet the group. Fortunately over the next two hours four of us in the Salzburg program collected, but we still never saw the whole group. The entire group ended up walking right past us because we were next to the exit to the bus stop. While on the shuttle, we drove through what seemed the back roads to Salzburg. Everything was so green and it was raining. It reminded me so much of driving through the coastal mountain foothills. I really did feel like I was home in Oregon and that around the next corner would be a familiar town, but instead there was usually some small village with a huge church.
We got to our hotel: student housing apartments that are turned into a hotel during the summer. My roommate was asleep as I was unpacking. I didn't meet her until that evening when she woke up. She's going to be a junior at Rice and is originally from Ohio. We went into downtown to find something to eat. Nothing is open on Saturday nights, except wine bars. We found one place to eat. Anything else that we found was incredibly expensive. I will definitely have to buy groceries for dinner. The view is amazing from the pedestrian bridge over the river. We tried finding the college, but it was a little confusing and it started to get dark and we weren't sure when the buses would stop running. We headed back to the hotel.
I have found that our shower can't keep the water in, with curtains closed and everything, so our bathroom has been turned into a pond. I talked to the front desk and they sent someone down, but I think all he did was mop it up. Otherwise, the rooms are very nice and have a kitchenette and fridge as well as cooking utensils. Our breakfast and lunches are taken care of, but we have to find dinner ourselves. I have found that it is almost impossible to keep up with the vegan thing here. But that is alright, I kind of knew it would be hard and that I was already planning on having a few splurges. I'll just learn to eat like a European.
For the first day of the program we met at Salzburg College (where our classes are, an American university). We had introductions. It was kind of intimidating hearing that there are grad students and students who have been studying intensively at conservatories. Oh well, I'm just here to learn not be the best, but I am wondering why I ever applied for the recital competition. The staff seems really fun. I was placed in the 11:30 beginning German class, I have lessons at 9:30 on Mondays and Wednesdays and I have my first coaching session on Thursday. I am taking lessons from Lori Bade a mezzo who teaches at LSU (Baton Rouge). We also use the Ukranian church across the street for masterclasses, lessons, and practice rooms (St. Mark's). As well as the Musikum across the river.
We had a foot tour of old town (our side of the river). There is a lot of shopping in this area as are there lots of churches. I'm learning to navigate around. It really isn't that hard, it is a fairly small city. I found mass in English at the Salzburg University chapel at 17:00, but apparently there is a church right behind out hotel. This is a very Catholic city (remnants of Holy Roman Empire).
I have done a good job refraining from shopping too much. Because everything is ridiculously high in price and the dollar is so low, it is too expensive to buy clothing. I did get an umbrella decorated with Mozart manuscript and a shawl for my dress at H&M.
Hopefully I will be more diligent about regular blog entries from now on so that you won't have entire essays to read.
We got to our hotel: student housing apartments that are turned into a hotel during the summer. My roommate was asleep as I was unpacking. I didn't meet her until that evening when she woke up. She's going to be a junior at Rice and is originally from Ohio. We went into downtown to find something to eat. Nothing is open on Saturday nights, except wine bars. We found one place to eat. Anything else that we found was incredibly expensive. I will definitely have to buy groceries for dinner. The view is amazing from the pedestrian bridge over the river. We tried finding the college, but it was a little confusing and it started to get dark and we weren't sure when the buses would stop running. We headed back to the hotel.
I have found that our shower can't keep the water in, with curtains closed and everything, so our bathroom has been turned into a pond. I talked to the front desk and they sent someone down, but I think all he did was mop it up. Otherwise, the rooms are very nice and have a kitchenette and fridge as well as cooking utensils. Our breakfast and lunches are taken care of, but we have to find dinner ourselves. I have found that it is almost impossible to keep up with the vegan thing here. But that is alright, I kind of knew it would be hard and that I was already planning on having a few splurges. I'll just learn to eat like a European.
For the first day of the program we met at Salzburg College (where our classes are, an American university). We had introductions. It was kind of intimidating hearing that there are grad students and students who have been studying intensively at conservatories. Oh well, I'm just here to learn not be the best, but I am wondering why I ever applied for the recital competition. The staff seems really fun. I was placed in the 11:30 beginning German class, I have lessons at 9:30 on Mondays and Wednesdays and I have my first coaching session on Thursday. I am taking lessons from Lori Bade a mezzo who teaches at LSU (Baton Rouge). We also use the Ukranian church across the street for masterclasses, lessons, and practice rooms (St. Mark's). As well as the Musikum across the river.
We had a foot tour of old town (our side of the river). There is a lot of shopping in this area as are there lots of churches. I'm learning to navigate around. It really isn't that hard, it is a fairly small city. I found mass in English at the Salzburg University chapel at 17:00, but apparently there is a church right behind out hotel. This is a very Catholic city (remnants of Holy Roman Empire).
I have done a good job refraining from shopping too much. Because everything is ridiculously high in price and the dollar is so low, it is too expensive to buy clothing. I did get an umbrella decorated with Mozart manuscript and a shawl for my dress at H&M.
Hopefully I will be more diligent about regular blog entries from now on so that you won't have entire essays to read.
Monday, July 14, 2008
Tower of London and Tea
My last day in London involved a lot of walking. One thing I have come to realize about my visit is that my favorite experiences were not the tourist hot spots (I hate tourists, even though I am one of them, I guess I just don’t like inconsiderate ones, and there are a lot of those). Eric was able to take the day off. After eating breakfast while listening to last year’s spring choir concert, we rode the bus to Trafalgar square. We walked through St. James’ park to Buckingham Palace. Not that impressive. I mean it’s just a building. There were so many people, so many stupid people (ie a crowd walked across the crosswalk when an ambulance needed to get through). I snapped a picture of the palace, and we continued towards the Thames. There was a parade of guards on the way. 
I don’t know why people are so obsessed with the guards with the big fuzzy hats. They are not going to smile because they are being paid not to smile. We walked along the south shore of the River Thames. We were going to go to the Tate modern, but I wanted to have time to see the Tower of London, so we stopped in front of the Tate and ate our packed lunches.
I don’t know why people are so obsessed with the guards with the big fuzzy hats. They are not going to smile because they are being paid not to smile. We walked along the south shore of the River Thames. We were going to go to the Tate modern, but I wanted to have time to see the Tower of London, so we stopped in front of the Tate and ate our packed lunches. We continued to walk (it was quite a ways) and right before the tower bridge there is a hotel called “The St. Olaf House” so of course we had to get a picture.
The long walk was a really great way to just hang out with Eric, good conversations. The Tower Bridge is quite impressive, one of the signature landmarks. Once we crossed the bridge and went to the Tower, it was such a long line to wait in (about 10 min.). We were back in the land of the tourists. One lady was even snapping pictures of the Tower Gift Shop. So we started joking about how that is truly the reason to come to the Tower, the wonderful gift shop.
The actual tower was somewhat interesting, but the stuff I was really interested (King Henry VIII and Co.) was rarely mentioned. I think that was because they didn’t keep solid records of what happened where in the Tower (prison cells, executions, bedchambers, etc.) Not once did they mention St. Thomas More. I was really hoping he would have shown up. I’m such a Tudors fan so I was a little disappointed when there wasn’t much info about them.
Both Eric and I were ready to go, we didn’t bother to wait in line to see the crown jewels. We already were late for tea time with one of his parishioners. Owen, Eric, and I went to Lucy’s house for tea. Francesca was another parishioner who was there. Unfortunately Lucy had three cats so both Owen and Eric’s allergies were flaring up. Lucy was very animated. She had a stroke the last year and was unconscious for a month. What an amazing recovery. The only signs of the stroke are that she has pain in her knee, one of the legs drags more, and she can’t recall certain words. She would get flustered when she couldn’t remember words, especially because she was an actress years ago. Her flat was very packed with books, pictures, and collectibles. It was a very lovely tea time, though she put milk in my tea. Doesn’t bother me, it’s just that the milk tastes gross in tea. She also had a bowl of figs she wanted us all to eat. Eric and I weren’t too crazy about the figs, but she kept on insisting that we eat them. So I ended up eating two, but then she insisted that we take them with us as we headed out the door. Owen will have to figure out what to do with them (he’s basically a culinary genius).
For dinner Eric and I went and got fish and chips take out. It was incredibly greasy, but it wasn’t bad. I think I still prefer halibut over cod though. They put vinegar and salt on them, but it wasn’t nearly as strong in flavor as I was afraid it would be. They also don’t use tartar sauce, but we still did the American thing and pulled the ketchup out of the refrigerator. After dinner we continued listening to choir music and had a good conversation. Then I packed up my stuff and watched the news for the weather. Owen came home and the three of us had some tea before heading up to bed.
I wasn't able to sleep at all because I was so worried my alarm wouldn't go off in time. So I only had an hour or two of sleep when I got up and left the house by 4:10 to walk to the Camden Road bus stop and then get off at Paddington Station to take the fast train to Heathrow.Sunday, July 13, 2008
Ticked off by tourists at Trafalgar
My second day in London involved going to morning prayer (Franciscan prayer) at St. Pancras (another church in the group of Parishes that Eric works with, this is the church that Owen works at). It was very similar to Benedictine prayer but there were more moments of silence. The church is very old. 
It has been believed to be one of the oldest sites of worship in England (used by the Romans). The church has been reconstructed a few times but it still has some of the old Norman masonry.
Eric and I got a ride to the parish office in one of the lady's cars, it was so weird to drive backwards and was especially weird because it was a manual and she was shifting with her left hand. She dropped us off at the parish team office so i could check email and Eric had to work. After checking my flight info, I got on the 29 bus to Trafalgar square.
Oh man did I find the tourists!
So determined not to look like a tourist, I walked quickly to Westminister Abbey.
Eric said to find the street that Big Ben is on and head down that way. I just followed the signs to the abbey. Somehow I couldn't find Big Ben. Then I followed the audio tour of Westminister. I became rather overwhelmed by the amount of tombs/memorials. Most of them were overly and ornate and I really didn't care about. The ones I cared to see were generally the most humble looking actually. It's funny how the overly ornate ones were for people that I and probably nobody knows these days, but when they were alive had buttloads of money and just gave monetarily, but in the long run never benefited mankind while the people we still remember today: writers, composers, etc. had small stone slabs or busts.
On my way out of Westminister I realized why everyone was stopping in the middle of the sidewalk (pavement in UK terms). They were snapping pictures of Big Ben. I found it!!! I had walked right passed it when I was distracted by the huge parliament building.
Ignoring my hunger I walked down to the Thames but then realized I was getting a headache so headed back to Trafalgar. I ate lunch on the steps of St. Martin of the field church.
Then still feeling hectic I walked into the church and listened to a chamber ensemble rehearsing Vivaldi. It was very nice to get away from the tourists, they just totally stress me out because they act so stupidly and have no regard for what's around them. After buying 3 cheap scarves that were on sale I headed back to Camden on the bus. I still had a headache and was stressed, so I took a nap for 30 min. Then Eric and I headed to dinner. Before dinner we headed to Regent's park to walk through the rose gardens. It was exactly what I needed. After such a stressful day of city it was so nice to breathe again in this huge gorgeous park. Then we walked back to Camden and got Curry 4 U for dinner. Indian food is the cuisine of choice in England. After dinner Owen and Fr. James came over and Fr. James had great advice for what to see in Rome. I had fun staying up chatting with Owen and Eric. Owen's impressions of French and American accents were so hilarious (He's from Wales). To end our evening, we listened to awful, overly cheesy Michael W. Smith and other shallow praise music.
It has been believed to be one of the oldest sites of worship in England (used by the Romans). The church has been reconstructed a few times but it still has some of the old Norman masonry.
Eric and I got a ride to the parish office in one of the lady's cars, it was so weird to drive backwards and was especially weird because it was a manual and she was shifting with her left hand. She dropped us off at the parish team office so i could check email and Eric had to work. After checking my flight info, I got on the 29 bus to Trafalgar square.
Oh man did I find the tourists!So determined not to look like a tourist, I walked quickly to Westminister Abbey.
Eric said to find the street that Big Ben is on and head down that way. I just followed the signs to the abbey. Somehow I couldn't find Big Ben. Then I followed the audio tour of Westminister. I became rather overwhelmed by the amount of tombs/memorials. Most of them were overly and ornate and I really didn't care about. The ones I cared to see were generally the most humble looking actually. It's funny how the overly ornate ones were for people that I and probably nobody knows these days, but when they were alive had buttloads of money and just gave monetarily, but in the long run never benefited mankind while the people we still remember today: writers, composers, etc. had small stone slabs or busts.
On my way out of Westminister I realized why everyone was stopping in the middle of the sidewalk (pavement in UK terms). They were snapping pictures of Big Ben. I found it!!! I had walked right passed it when I was distracted by the huge parliament building.
Ignoring my hunger I walked down to the Thames but then realized I was getting a headache so headed back to Trafalgar. I ate lunch on the steps of St. Martin of the field church.
Then still feeling hectic I walked into the church and listened to a chamber ensemble rehearsing Vivaldi. It was very nice to get away from the tourists, they just totally stress me out because they act so stupidly and have no regard for what's around them. After buying 3 cheap scarves that were on sale I headed back to Camden on the bus. I still had a headache and was stressed, so I took a nap for 30 min. Then Eric and I headed to dinner. Before dinner we headed to Regent's park to walk through the rose gardens. It was exactly what I needed. After such a stressful day of city it was so nice to breathe again in this huge gorgeous park. Then we walked back to Camden and got Curry 4 U for dinner. Indian food is the cuisine of choice in England. After dinner Owen and Fr. James came over and Fr. James had great advice for what to see in Rome. I had fun staying up chatting with Owen and Eric. Owen's impressions of French and American accents were so hilarious (He's from Wales). To end our evening, we listened to awful, overly cheesy Michael W. Smith and other shallow praise music.
Saturday, July 12, 2008
First Day in London
My flights were surprisingly mild in retrospect. But I would say that the flight from PDX to Detroit was a most unfortunate one. There were multiple crying babies, screaming kids, and a barking dog. In addition to this, I threw up on the plane. I thought it was motion sickness, but i never actually felt dizzy. After talking to mom on the phone in the Detroit airport, we figured out that the reason i threw up was because I ate 2 week old rice milk on my cereal. I ended up watching Devil Wears Prada after trying to watch two new movies. After that I watch Pocahontas and fell asleep. I never realized that Pocahontas really shouldn't have been able to communicate with John Smith because they didn't speak a common language. Apparently if you just listen to your heart the winds will speak for you. If only this could work for me in Austria.
It was raining when I got into London. I rode the tube from Heathrow to King's Cross. I never made it to platform 9 & 3/4, because I didn't know how to get to 9 and 10. It was very busy, I hit morning rush hour. Looking for a more permanent, dry location to meet Eric, I wheeled all of my bags into the British Library. This meant they had to inspect all of my bags, I felt awful holding up the cue.
Eric came not long after I drank some tea in the cafe and mastered a few sudoku's. We walked all the way from King's Cross to Camden Square (the park that the vicarage is on). It was a long way to haul 50+lbs. of luggage. I felt disgusting, not terribly tired, but I took a two hour nap after showering anyway. Still feeling rather out of it I decided to venture down Camden Road. It was pouring down rain, so it was extra ugly. But I was glad to get out and walk around. I found a late lunch at Falafel King or something like that. Camden has been one of the slums of London since the Victorian era until recently its been bringing in a young professional crowd and is being developed. The vicarage sits right between the fancier homes and the busy Camden Road and social housing. By the time I made it back to the vicarage, I was soaked. After changing into my dry pj pants I turned on the tv and found that British TV is just as bad in the daytime as the US. Eric was showing Tim around the new parish. Tim is going to take over Eric's position next year as the pastoral assistant. He was incredibly proper and polite. Eric was saying he's kind of like the standard Englishman. We all had tea and had a very interesting conversation about the differences between English and American social standards. London's a bit more relaxed than the standards we were talking about. Apparently they don't make eye contact with strangers, they don't complain to people not even to family (they have a grin and bear it mentality), and you have to transition into deep conversation topics after much discussion of light material like the weather.
We then had tomato soup and headed off to St. Michael's for the confirmation mass.
At mass, this was an Anglican mass but was exactly like a Roman mass at home, I sang in the choir. It was lots of fun and when Owen (Eric's roommate) introduced me to the choir and said I was from the states they all said "we could tell". This was the largest group of Confirmees that the parish had seen. Confirmation is also first communion in the Anglican church.
I went up for a blessing but the bishop try to give me communion. After the mass I chatted with Liz, one of Eric's old housemates. She's an young opera singer in London and her husband is a jazz violinist, they just moved out of the vicarage and into a flat in Camden. I also met a guy from Estonia and chatted with him for a while. After awhile I headed back by myself. Eric gave me a key so that I could go to and from the vicarage on my own schedule. He had to stay later to clean up after the confirmation reception.
I slept fairly well and didn't feel too jet lagged with the exception that I woke up the next day at 4:45 because the sun was coming out.
It was raining when I got into London. I rode the tube from Heathrow to King's Cross. I never made it to platform 9 & 3/4, because I didn't know how to get to 9 and 10. It was very busy, I hit morning rush hour. Looking for a more permanent, dry location to meet Eric, I wheeled all of my bags into the British Library. This meant they had to inspect all of my bags, I felt awful holding up the cue.
Eric came not long after I drank some tea in the cafe and mastered a few sudoku's. We walked all the way from King's Cross to Camden Square (the park that the vicarage is on). It was a long way to haul 50+lbs. of luggage. I felt disgusting, not terribly tired, but I took a two hour nap after showering anyway. Still feeling rather out of it I decided to venture down Camden Road. It was pouring down rain, so it was extra ugly. But I was glad to get out and walk around. I found a late lunch at Falafel King or something like that. Camden has been one of the slums of London since the Victorian era until recently its been bringing in a young professional crowd and is being developed. The vicarage sits right between the fancier homes and the busy Camden Road and social housing. By the time I made it back to the vicarage, I was soaked. After changing into my dry pj pants I turned on the tv and found that British TV is just as bad in the daytime as the US. Eric was showing Tim around the new parish. Tim is going to take over Eric's position next year as the pastoral assistant. He was incredibly proper and polite. Eric was saying he's kind of like the standard Englishman. We all had tea and had a very interesting conversation about the differences between English and American social standards. London's a bit more relaxed than the standards we were talking about. Apparently they don't make eye contact with strangers, they don't complain to people not even to family (they have a grin and bear it mentality), and you have to transition into deep conversation topics after much discussion of light material like the weather.
We then had tomato soup and headed off to St. Michael's for the confirmation mass.
At mass, this was an Anglican mass but was exactly like a Roman mass at home, I sang in the choir. It was lots of fun and when Owen (Eric's roommate) introduced me to the choir and said I was from the states they all said "we could tell". This was the largest group of Confirmees that the parish had seen. Confirmation is also first communion in the Anglican church.
I went up for a blessing but the bishop try to give me communion. After the mass I chatted with Liz, one of Eric's old housemates. She's an young opera singer in London and her husband is a jazz violinist, they just moved out of the vicarage and into a flat in Camden. I also met a guy from Estonia and chatted with him for a while. After awhile I headed back by myself. Eric gave me a key so that I could go to and from the vicarage on my own schedule. He had to stay later to clean up after the confirmation reception.
I slept fairly well and didn't feel too jet lagged with the exception that I woke up the next day at 4:45 because the sun was coming out.
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
Quick transition
It is now 1 AM and I am just finishing up packing. I leave for Europe in a few hours. I'm a bit nervous: I've never left this country for more than a day. I've never travelled by myself either (except the flights to get to and from MN). It is really hard to realize what it will be like.Before I get ahead of myself, I must talk about what I have been up to for the past two weeks. From June 24th to July 7th, I was working as an activity director (chaperone) for the Stangeland Family Youth Choral Academy at the Oregon Bach Festival in Eugene. This was one of the busiest years for the SFYCA. They sang multiple concerts. They sang the naitonal anthem at the opening ceremonies of the US Track and Field Olympic Trials
, sang a concert with Garrison Keillor and Maria Jette, sang in a tribute concert to Bill Bowerman (founder of Nike), sang their full program concert, sang at the patron supper, and sang the Bach Magnificat under the baton of Maestro Helmuth Rilling. I had the great pleasure to sing with the choir for the Magnificat (they asked some alumni to sing with the YCA to beef up the sound to carry over the orchestra). THis is my favorite choral piece and it was incredibly surreal to be singing it with the Bach expert himself.My job consisted of making sure the kids went to bed, were at rehearsals (on time), and being temporary care giver. While I was not doing that, I saw the 5 Browns in concert, drank coffee/iced tea at a variety of coffee shops (I attempted to try a new one every day), hung out with the other AD's, colored in my Disney Princess coloring book, practiced some singing, and completed a few sudokus.
This year the kids were really cooperative. Last year was rather hellish. I feel like I got to know a few kids more than I had expected to. They sang so beautifully and I was moved to tears multiple times. I felt more attached to the OBF family more so than any other summer. Beautiful music and beautiful people, makes being a part of the festival a must each summer.
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