For the past couple days I've been busy cooking in the kitchen. While it is a lot of fun and exciting for me, I'm learning still that I am not perfect and things go wrong all the time. I've been wanting to make my own spring rolls for the longest time (the fresh ones, not fried). However, I accidentally bought lumpia wrappers. They didn't have spring roll wrappers at A-Dong Market. I considered throwing everything out, but decided to go for it and make lumpia with the prepared vegetables instead. I added tofu to it as well. lumpia can be served fresh, but it isn't that good and it falls apart very easily.
Yesterday, I didn't plan on making anything, but I just had to do something in the kitchen. So before Lydia came to pick me up for ultimate frisbee I baked a batch of chocolate chip cookies.
Tonight I wanted to try three different recipes. They all are very different foods. I made a shrimp and spinach salad, sweet potato fries, and beet/blue cheese deviled eggs. The only one that seemed to be completely successful was the deviled eggs. They are pink in the middle because of the beet puree and the blue cheese is just a nice dash of zip. The shrimp salad was quite good (Cooking Light recipe). However, I had to improvise on the dressing when the stopper/spout on the olive oil bottle decided to fall out giving me more than the 1 Tablespoon needed. The sweet potato fries were my attempt at making them better than my mom. Her fries are always soft and never crispy. I sliced them thinly with my mandoline, hoping this would improve on crispiness factor. Alas, they just burned faster. I think the only good way to make fries is by actually frying them. That's why they are called fries, not bakes.
There are other deviled egg recipes on chow.com (my new favorite website). I'd really like to try the wasabi and roe deviled eggs:
http://www.chow.com/stories/11747
I also received help as to how to peel a hard-boiled egg. Every method I've tried has been a failure with me taking huge chunks out of the egg white. This is a fool-proof method: http://www.chow.com/stories/10879
If you have the time, just check out more from chow.com. I really love watching the obsessives videos (especially the sake, absinthe, and offal ones).
Friday, July 10, 2009
Sunday, July 5, 2009
4th of July
Today I drove down to Eugene to hang out with my Bach Festival YCA co-workers from last year. It is always much further south than I anticipate. It's not quite like driving to Corvallis. I got there towards the end of their last rehearsal. As I was trying to find my way around the remodeled music building I ran into Angela, one of the other singers from Salzburg. She was singing with the festival choir again. Another person I was surprised to see was Sonja. This is her first year singing with the festival choir. She was in Ole Choir with me but we got to know each other a bit more when we both sang in the church choir at IHM in Minnetonka. When I was talking to her, I of course mentioned my plans to move away from teaching and go for performance. She was very enthusiastic and totally understood. Everyone I have talked to has been very supportive. I'm always a little hesitant to tell people, especially people I've known through choir and education, that I don't want to be a choir teacher right now. I was getting high-fives and people say "go for it!" or "awesome!" It makes me feel really happy.
Of course I saw some of my favorite people: my fellow chaperones from last year. It was so much fun to just goof around with them again. We all ate dinner together in Barnhardt and of course laughed over and over. After dinner, Chelsea and I went to Prince Puckler's ice cream shop. I had been craving one of their chocolate-dipped, frozen bananas with nuts. Chelsea was my roommate our first year of YCA. She chaperoned last year. I just love hanging out with her. She has a very positive and uplifting spirit. I call her my future neighbor. Last year when walking around Eugene's Saturday Market I told her that I would love to live next door to her. Today, we talked a lot about how much we've grown over the last year with our post-college experiences. She's been working on a farm in upstate NY that hosts outdoor school children.
I then got to pose as a YCA chaperone as we loaded the buses to their performance in the park. The kids sounded great. I didn't recognize too many because it's a very new group. Only 1/3 of the group returned this year. On the bus rides i got to chat with Cole, a fellow Ole alum and the choir teacher at LO, and Peter, a student from South Salem who I'll be working with at St. Paul's in the fall.
Which reminds me... I got a job! It's part time, but it'll take care of health insurance and loan payments. I will be the assistant director for the music ministry at St. Paul's Episcopal Church. They have some of the best music in Salem. It'll be a great opportunity for me. The director also volunteered the church for me to teach voice lessons in. That's going to be so helpful.
Things I Liked about today: (almost everything) chatting with g+g Zielinski, seeing YCA people and just picking up where we left off, seeing people I didn't think I'd ever see again, frozen banana, good conversations, my awesome blueberry pancakes, and cleaning up the kitchen
Things I didn't like about today: mosquito bites, almost falling asleep on I-5, I smelled by the end of the day
Latest song: "Cecilia" by Refice- an opera about the life and death of St. Cecilia
Of course I saw some of my favorite people: my fellow chaperones from last year. It was so much fun to just goof around with them again. We all ate dinner together in Barnhardt and of course laughed over and over. After dinner, Chelsea and I went to Prince Puckler's ice cream shop. I had been craving one of their chocolate-dipped, frozen bananas with nuts. Chelsea was my roommate our first year of YCA. She chaperoned last year. I just love hanging out with her. She has a very positive and uplifting spirit. I call her my future neighbor. Last year when walking around Eugene's Saturday Market I told her that I would love to live next door to her. Today, we talked a lot about how much we've grown over the last year with our post-college experiences. She's been working on a farm in upstate NY that hosts outdoor school children.
I then got to pose as a YCA chaperone as we loaded the buses to their performance in the park. The kids sounded great. I didn't recognize too many because it's a very new group. Only 1/3 of the group returned this year. On the bus rides i got to chat with Cole, a fellow Ole alum and the choir teacher at LO, and Peter, a student from South Salem who I'll be working with at St. Paul's in the fall.
Which reminds me... I got a job! It's part time, but it'll take care of health insurance and loan payments. I will be the assistant director for the music ministry at St. Paul's Episcopal Church. They have some of the best music in Salem. It'll be a great opportunity for me. The director also volunteered the church for me to teach voice lessons in. That's going to be so helpful.
Things I Liked about today: (almost everything) chatting with g+g Zielinski, seeing YCA people and just picking up where we left off, seeing people I didn't think I'd ever see again, frozen banana, good conversations, my awesome blueberry pancakes, and cleaning up the kitchen
Things I didn't like about today: mosquito bites, almost falling asleep on I-5, I smelled by the end of the day
Latest song: "Cecilia" by Refice- an opera about the life and death of St. Cecilia
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
New Summer
Well... it's a new summer. 2009 is here. I've never known how to appreciate summer vacation until now. After teaching middle school choir for 6 months, my brain, body, voice, was ready for the summer. I learned a lot from my experience at Parrish M.S.: the good, the bad, and the ugly. Now is not the time for me to continue teaching in a classroom. While I have the chance to pursue a singing career I need to take it.
The summer started with one of my best friends getting married. Stephanie and Keith tied the knot on June 20th with a beautiful mass at St. Vincent's, the church where we all met through youth ministry. I was a bridesmaid and sang throughout the wedding. Though I had been looking forward to it for over a year, it was a relief to be over. I felt like a zombie by the time we cleaned up the hall. I never thought wearing heels all day, singing, and smiling could be so exhausting.
This summer I've been teaching music for the musical at CET. It's a great show written by the director, Greg Bowers. He's been composing it for the last two years. This will be a world premiere. The show is called Lewis and Alice and it goes back and forth between Victorian England where Lewis Carrol is telling his story and Wonderland. You really should come and see it: Thursday and Friday, July 23rd and 24th, 7:00 PM at South Salem High School auditorium.
My position at CET is very part-time and I only need to be there for two hours each day. I've had lots of extra time to practice voice lately and get some exercise in. It's my goal to lose 50 pounds by the end of the year. I love the Group Groove class at the Courthouse. It's an aerobics class with a lot of fun dance stuff. The other class that I like is called Group Centergy and it's a lot of yoga and pilates strength training and balance. I need to head back to a spin class as well.
I used to exercise in the evenings, but now I have a conflict. Every night but fridays and saturdays, I have rehearsals for My Fair Lady with the Pentacle Theatre, our community theatre. It's fun being in the chorus, they let me sing soprano and I'm so excited to start dancing.
I had a wonderful voice lesson yesterday, though today I'm frustrated with my voice. We picked out new literature and surprisingly a fair amount of it is coloratura stuff. Not at all what I thought I might audition for grad school with. But it works. I have much more agility than I thought. I don't know if I'm ready to tackled the big stuff, but I can handle cadenza stuff and trills. This week she had me look at "Villanelle" by Dell'aqcua "Ach, Ich Ful" from Die Zauberflote, an American art song by a new composer, an aria from Die Fledermaus and one from Ballad of Baby Doe. She's trying to pick out stuff that will show my high notes as well as the strength in my lower range.
Things I liked from today:
riding the scooter around town, learning some dance steps for the play, pear soda, successful shaving of the legs in the locker room, group groove, seeing my cousin, singing
Things I didn't like today:
Saigon Vietnamese restaurant, going to TJ Maxx three times, getting pelted by bugs when driving the scooter, getting frustrated with certain phrases in songs, cramps, my room is still a disaster area and it's spreading to the living room
Song of the Day:
"I'm Getting Married in the Morning" from My Fair Lady
The summer started with one of my best friends getting married. Stephanie and Keith tied the knot on June 20th with a beautiful mass at St. Vincent's, the church where we all met through youth ministry. I was a bridesmaid and sang throughout the wedding. Though I had been looking forward to it for over a year, it was a relief to be over. I felt like a zombie by the time we cleaned up the hall. I never thought wearing heels all day, singing, and smiling could be so exhausting.
This summer I've been teaching music for the musical at CET. It's a great show written by the director, Greg Bowers. He's been composing it for the last two years. This will be a world premiere. The show is called Lewis and Alice and it goes back and forth between Victorian England where Lewis Carrol is telling his story and Wonderland. You really should come and see it: Thursday and Friday, July 23rd and 24th, 7:00 PM at South Salem High School auditorium.
My position at CET is very part-time and I only need to be there for two hours each day. I've had lots of extra time to practice voice lately and get some exercise in. It's my goal to lose 50 pounds by the end of the year. I love the Group Groove class at the Courthouse. It's an aerobics class with a lot of fun dance stuff. The other class that I like is called Group Centergy and it's a lot of yoga and pilates strength training and balance. I need to head back to a spin class as well.
I used to exercise in the evenings, but now I have a conflict. Every night but fridays and saturdays, I have rehearsals for My Fair Lady with the Pentacle Theatre, our community theatre. It's fun being in the chorus, they let me sing soprano and I'm so excited to start dancing.
I had a wonderful voice lesson yesterday, though today I'm frustrated with my voice. We picked out new literature and surprisingly a fair amount of it is coloratura stuff. Not at all what I thought I might audition for grad school with. But it works. I have much more agility than I thought. I don't know if I'm ready to tackled the big stuff, but I can handle cadenza stuff and trills. This week she had me look at "Villanelle" by Dell'aqcua "Ach, Ich Ful" from Die Zauberflote, an American art song by a new composer, an aria from Die Fledermaus and one from Ballad of Baby Doe. She's trying to pick out stuff that will show my high notes as well as the strength in my lower range.
Things I liked from today:
riding the scooter around town, learning some dance steps for the play, pear soda, successful shaving of the legs in the locker room, group groove, seeing my cousin, singing
Things I didn't like today:
Saigon Vietnamese restaurant, going to TJ Maxx three times, getting pelted by bugs when driving the scooter, getting frustrated with certain phrases in songs, cramps, my room is still a disaster area and it's spreading to the living room
Song of the Day:
"I'm Getting Married in the Morning" from My Fair Lady
Friday, August 15, 2008
Auf Wiedersehen Salzburg!
I am now in Roma. It's nice, but it really makes me miss Salzburg. I knew downtown Salzburg like the back of my hand. I knew which bus to get on and when the next bus would be arriving. It was hot when the Fohn was in town, but there was always a guaranteed breeze by the Salz River. Almost everyone spoke some English, and I knew enough German to get by.
When I left Salzburg at 4:30 AM I slept the entire way to MUC. I said my goodbyes to folks and then found the AirBerlin counter. The goodbyes were nothing emotional. I don't know if I'll really miss anybody all too much. I'll miss Lindsey. Otherwise, I didn't really get to know anybody else that well. The dynamic of the group this year was very different from last year, or so I hear. It was definitely less talented and there were lots of cliques. There were also a number of dramatic people. When at Cafe Republic with Lindsey, Stephen, and Chelsea we talked about how we won't miss and are glad to be leaving dramatic people. Stephen said that when he gets back to Boulder he's going camping with his straight friends who aren't musicians.
After walking all the way to the other terminal, I finally made it to AirBerlin. The Munich airport had no moving walkways to help with the distance. Apparently My blue carry-on could not be a carry-on since I already had a backpack (which I later learned to be rucksack in German while I listened to Dora the Explorer- instead of teaching spanish, she teaches english). In the US I'm always able to pull off the backpack as the one personal item because it can fit under the seat. I could have done the same thing on this plane but the lady wouldn't believe me. So, I ended up having to pay 40Euro for the extra weight (it could have been worse, but I just bought a membership and then got the service for free).
I ate breakfast at an overpriced cafe in front of my gate. It was my last chance to indulge in the Nutella stuffed croissant and espresso that comes from a machine. On the plane I sat next to a young Italian boy, Frederico. I think he was probably almost 2 years old. He was so cute, but very fidgety. He thought it was fun to lower the tray table multiple times.
My first thought of the Rome airport was that it was like the U.S. It was definitely not as well kept as the German airports, people are noisier, like Americans. The cab driver the hotel sent me, Emiliano, was gorgeous. The cab was a Mercedes mini-van, I wonder if they sell those in the U.S.? While driving, I was very discouraged. It was very bleak looking and reminded me of a mixture of Southen California and Mexico: smog, heat, graffiti, and no vegetation. It is also a huge city. So it was like moving from Corvallis to LA.
My room is very small, but all I need is a bed (and it comes with a firm pillow, yay!) I have to leave my room key at the front desk everytime I leave. I got to the convent at 4 in the afternoon and headed for St. Cecilia's at 4:30. I didn't think I would be able to get much done, but I got back by 9ish and pretty much saw the majority of Trastevere on this side of the river.
I took the bus because I wasn't sure how far S. Cecilia's was. But it ended up not being that far away so I walked back and saved my 2nd bus pass.
I didn't have enough money to go to the cript, well actually I had 100E but she couldn't break it. I'm finding that I really like sculptures more than the other visual art forms. I got to see one of my favorites: St. Cecilia as she appeared when pulled from her tomb (don't worry, it's not gross, she was an incorruptible). My other favorite I will see tomorrow (Pieta by Michaelangelo). I spent some time in St. Cecilia's. It wasn't that fancy of a church and the organ was incredibly out of tune, I hope my 40 cent donation will help pay for tuning.
I then decided to head to the more signifcant church in the area: St. Maria. It is believed to be one of the oldest churches in the city (220 AD). The dome above the altar is and incredible gold mosaic and it is believed that a fountain of oil miraculously appeared on this site.
The square in front is a nice place to take a break, so I chilled out and ate some gelato. The gelateria also was unable to take my 100. But we didn't realize this problem until after they had scooped up my scoops of soy hazelnut and soy chocolate gelato. They were very nice and just gave it to me for free. Anna was right, Italians know how to do ice cream better than the germans.
I then looked in my guide book and they said that if i was willing to take the climb to Paul's Fountain that I should. They build it up to be something steep, or atleast that's what the Austrians mean. It was not that bad and again surprisingly close. The view was great and the sun was setting, so I got some good lighting for pictures. I also thoroughly enjoyed taking pictures of people hanging out at the fountains and in the parks. I was so joyous for the rest of the evening. I felt like my legs were invincible. I eventually made my way down the hill and just wandered. I ran into the college that my friend Matt goes to (he's gone to Torino for a few weeks, so I can't hang out with him). I found that you can only go down one side of the hill (the side opposite of my convent). Then I got lost wandering around a parking garage trying to figure out how to get the the 5th level the signs kept taking about (restuarants, etc.) Just below the garage is the tunnel that I came through on the bus, but I wasn't sure if I could walk through it. So I just walked further and looped around by St. Peter's.
I wasn't able to use my cell phone (you have to dial 00 then country code), so I called Lydia from a payphone to wish her a happy birthday and left a message.
I then grabbed a late dinner from one of the 5 pizza places right at the end of the street. Finally, somebody was able to take my 100 Euro note. Then I headed back to the convent for a night of trying to sleep. It's so hot here. I'm learning to just live through the sweat.
So my pictures aren't always that thorough. I don't take pictures of the breath-taking moments. They can't be recreated, therefore why try. I'd rater just remember them in my mind than some photo. They will be up soon...
When I left Salzburg at 4:30 AM I slept the entire way to MUC. I said my goodbyes to folks and then found the AirBerlin counter. The goodbyes were nothing emotional. I don't know if I'll really miss anybody all too much. I'll miss Lindsey. Otherwise, I didn't really get to know anybody else that well. The dynamic of the group this year was very different from last year, or so I hear. It was definitely less talented and there were lots of cliques. There were also a number of dramatic people. When at Cafe Republic with Lindsey, Stephen, and Chelsea we talked about how we won't miss and are glad to be leaving dramatic people. Stephen said that when he gets back to Boulder he's going camping with his straight friends who aren't musicians.
After walking all the way to the other terminal, I finally made it to AirBerlin. The Munich airport had no moving walkways to help with the distance. Apparently My blue carry-on could not be a carry-on since I already had a backpack (which I later learned to be rucksack in German while I listened to Dora the Explorer- instead of teaching spanish, she teaches english). In the US I'm always able to pull off the backpack as the one personal item because it can fit under the seat. I could have done the same thing on this plane but the lady wouldn't believe me. So, I ended up having to pay 40Euro for the extra weight (it could have been worse, but I just bought a membership and then got the service for free).
I ate breakfast at an overpriced cafe in front of my gate. It was my last chance to indulge in the Nutella stuffed croissant and espresso that comes from a machine. On the plane I sat next to a young Italian boy, Frederico. I think he was probably almost 2 years old. He was so cute, but very fidgety. He thought it was fun to lower the tray table multiple times.
My first thought of the Rome airport was that it was like the U.S. It was definitely not as well kept as the German airports, people are noisier, like Americans. The cab driver the hotel sent me, Emiliano, was gorgeous. The cab was a Mercedes mini-van, I wonder if they sell those in the U.S.? While driving, I was very discouraged. It was very bleak looking and reminded me of a mixture of Southen California and Mexico: smog, heat, graffiti, and no vegetation. It is also a huge city. So it was like moving from Corvallis to LA.
My room is very small, but all I need is a bed (and it comes with a firm pillow, yay!) I have to leave my room key at the front desk everytime I leave. I got to the convent at 4 in the afternoon and headed for St. Cecilia's at 4:30. I didn't think I would be able to get much done, but I got back by 9ish and pretty much saw the majority of Trastevere on this side of the river.
I took the bus because I wasn't sure how far S. Cecilia's was. But it ended up not being that far away so I walked back and saved my 2nd bus pass.
I didn't have enough money to go to the cript, well actually I had 100E but she couldn't break it. I'm finding that I really like sculptures more than the other visual art forms. I got to see one of my favorites: St. Cecilia as she appeared when pulled from her tomb (don't worry, it's not gross, she was an incorruptible). My other favorite I will see tomorrow (Pieta by Michaelangelo). I spent some time in St. Cecilia's. It wasn't that fancy of a church and the organ was incredibly out of tune, I hope my 40 cent donation will help pay for tuning.
I then decided to head to the more signifcant church in the area: St. Maria. It is believed to be one of the oldest churches in the city (220 AD). The dome above the altar is and incredible gold mosaic and it is believed that a fountain of oil miraculously appeared on this site.
The square in front is a nice place to take a break, so I chilled out and ate some gelato. The gelateria also was unable to take my 100. But we didn't realize this problem until after they had scooped up my scoops of soy hazelnut and soy chocolate gelato. They were very nice and just gave it to me for free. Anna was right, Italians know how to do ice cream better than the germans.
I then looked in my guide book and they said that if i was willing to take the climb to Paul's Fountain that I should. They build it up to be something steep, or atleast that's what the Austrians mean. It was not that bad and again surprisingly close. The view was great and the sun was setting, so I got some good lighting for pictures. I also thoroughly enjoyed taking pictures of people hanging out at the fountains and in the parks. I was so joyous for the rest of the evening. I felt like my legs were invincible. I eventually made my way down the hill and just wandered. I ran into the college that my friend Matt goes to (he's gone to Torino for a few weeks, so I can't hang out with him). I found that you can only go down one side of the hill (the side opposite of my convent). Then I got lost wandering around a parking garage trying to figure out how to get the the 5th level the signs kept taking about (restuarants, etc.) Just below the garage is the tunnel that I came through on the bus, but I wasn't sure if I could walk through it. So I just walked further and looped around by St. Peter's.
I wasn't able to use my cell phone (you have to dial 00 then country code), so I called Lydia from a payphone to wish her a happy birthday and left a message.
I then grabbed a late dinner from one of the 5 pizza places right at the end of the street. Finally, somebody was able to take my 100 Euro note. Then I headed back to the convent for a night of trying to sleep. It's so hot here. I'm learning to just live through the sweat.
So my pictures aren't always that thorough. I don't take pictures of the breath-taking moments. They can't be recreated, therefore why try. I'd rater just remember them in my mind than some photo. They will be up soon...
Monday, August 11, 2008
I performed my opera scene tonight. It went pretty well. My high stuff seemed a little pinched, that's frustrating since I know I can sing it so well. But it was better than I was afraid it might be. I did however, make the mistake of drinking some wine before the performance. After the masterclass we had an hour and a half before the performance. I ordered my favorite: weisswein gespritzt. Basically, it's white wine with soda. I didn't think it would affect me, and I don't think it really did. But I was a little paranoid at the start of the concert.
I sang in the masterclass today. I was somewhat disappointed with it. The clinician was Betty Bullock. She really didn't offer any advice about my singing, but mostly about interpretation, which I've heard already multiple suggestions of how to sing the b section of the song. It was mostly just trying stuff out. Nothing earth shattering. I wish I could have sung in more masterclasses.
I sang in the masterclass today. I was somewhat disappointed with it. The clinician was Betty Bullock. She really didn't offer any advice about my singing, but mostly about interpretation, which I've heard already multiple suggestions of how to sing the b section of the song. It was mostly just trying stuff out. Nothing earth shattering. I wish I could have sung in more masterclasses.
Saturday, August 9, 2008
Last weekend
So It's my last weekend in Salzburg and it sucks! It was raining buckets this morning. I was wanting to go to Monchsberg and Nonnberg Abbey. But instead I managed to walk down to the supermarket.
I'm sick. I have a sore throat, congested chest (as usual), and now drippy nose. I'm also coughing a bit and have an occasional ear ache. I can't sing because anytime I sing above a D I start to have a coughing attack. I wish my technique was good enough to sing through being sick, but I'm not there yet.
Because I can't practice, I am getting kind of depressed. I need to be patient and work on things like text, etc. that doesn't require me using my voice. But I just really want to sing. This is the first time that I am really frustrated that I'm sick. I started crying in the practice room when I realized that I couldn't practice yesterday. I skipped my German test to sleep. Then went to lunch and the dress rehearsal for the opera scenes. I was able to sing, for that since the duet is in a comfortable spot in my voice, but I definitely sounded weak.
On the bright side of being sick, all that I crave right now is fresh fruits. I ate so many grapes (but they take a while since these ones have seeds), nectarines, and cherries.
I'm now having to get ready to leave and it makes me sad. But I'm also excited to start things back home: lessons, practicing, cooking, etc. I am actually not as excited to start student teaching as I should be. Right now I'm just seeing it as something to get through. It will definitely feel more like a job that I have to do for the money. But in this case, the salary is not in dollars, but a Bachelor's degree.
On the brightside I don't think I will need to take anymore money out for Salzburg. I also found 30 Euros in my pocket today when I put on my rain jacket.
I'm sick. I have a sore throat, congested chest (as usual), and now drippy nose. I'm also coughing a bit and have an occasional ear ache. I can't sing because anytime I sing above a D I start to have a coughing attack. I wish my technique was good enough to sing through being sick, but I'm not there yet.
Because I can't practice, I am getting kind of depressed. I need to be patient and work on things like text, etc. that doesn't require me using my voice. But I just really want to sing. This is the first time that I am really frustrated that I'm sick. I started crying in the practice room when I realized that I couldn't practice yesterday. I skipped my German test to sleep. Then went to lunch and the dress rehearsal for the opera scenes. I was able to sing, for that since the duet is in a comfortable spot in my voice, but I definitely sounded weak.
On the bright side of being sick, all that I crave right now is fresh fruits. I ate so many grapes (but they take a while since these ones have seeds), nectarines, and cherries.
I'm now having to get ready to leave and it makes me sad. But I'm also excited to start things back home: lessons, practicing, cooking, etc. I am actually not as excited to start student teaching as I should be. Right now I'm just seeing it as something to get through. It will definitely feel more like a job that I have to do for the money. But in this case, the salary is not in dollars, but a Bachelor's degree.
On the brightside I don't think I will need to take anymore money out for Salzburg. I also found 30 Euros in my pocket today when I put on my rain jacket.
Thursday, August 7, 2008
Sorry I have not written in a while. I've been trying to get to bed early and not spend so much time on the computer because I am starting to get sick and am needing to sleep and drink water. I was still able to sing this week, except today I'm just not feeling like my voice wants to do it. Though, I think I could still practice a bit.
I need to spend so much more time in a practice room. I got some of the best advice the other day. So remember how we sat in the masterclass with Christa Ludwig and there was this awesome Chinese baritone and Turkish mezzo who sang? Well we ran into them at the bus stop. They happen to ride the same bus as us and get off at our stop as well. Angelina asked them who they'd recommend for voice teachers, since both of them studied in the US. They said that in the end you are your best voice teacher. Then they went on to recommend Barbara Bonney who they said explains things so clearly and is such a caring person. But that really struck me, I am my best voice teacher. I'm the one who has to work at this and make my voice better. Teachers are only there to give suggestions. I then considered this in all aspects of my life. I'm the only one who can make myself better. The people we meet along the way are just inspiration or they introduce us to things. The next day I had one of the best practice sessions I have ever had. What used to happen was that I would just sing through things and memorize and then go find what i need to fix at my voice lessons. Instead, I started a new aria and found the things I needed to fix in the moment of learning the piece. I need to be a set of ears like my teachers before I get to the lesson, so much more can be accomplished. So I was super knit-picky when learning the aria. I sang through each phrase on my most resonant vowel 'ee' and focused on line and constant moving forward then sang just the vowels in the music, and then finally added the consonants, if it wasn't just right I went back and did it again. It took so much more time, but it was totally worth it.
The next morning I went to my voice lesson. I asked to sing the aria I had worked on ("Kommt ein schlanker bursch gegangen" from Der Freischutz) This was my first time bringing it to a lesson. It was going very well. When the accompanist came in to play, my teacher said to her "She's singing the poop out of this piece." I really liked it. So now I'm trying to memorize it for the final. That is, if my voice holds up. I actually don't have to do the final since I am in one of the opera scenes. But my opera scene is quite short and was a breeze to memorize, so I don't feel I qualify to take the free ticket out of the final, since i could easily do both.
Yesterday I bought more cherries from the outdoor market in front of the University Church. I am on fresh fruit withdrawal and bought nectarines and cherries. Which will both be gone by the time I get home. So yummy!
The last couple days we had masterclasses with Mary Dibbern, one of the leading French diction experts. The diction coaching can get a little tedious, but it was very helpful. There were a number of diction things with French that I had been taught incorrectly. When Mary explained how things should be pronounced, like the schwa, etc. it actually made it easier to sing French. It's not as closed as we think it needs to be.
After yesterday's masterclass, Lindsey, Ryan, and I went to dinner at Cafe Republic, the popular place to go after the day (just down the street). Lindsey and I were heading to the concert/opera and Ryan was heading to see Romeo et Juliette (he payed 390 Euros for a return ticket, but it was 4th row center). I went and saw the Vienna Philharmonic perform and evening of Bartok. They first played his Four Pieces for Orchestra, then the Cantata Profana: The Nine Magic Stags, then the second half was his only opera Bluebeard's Castle. It's a one act opera. The soloist, Michelle DeYoung, is an American dramatic soprano and will be singing Isolde this year for the Met. The production was very minimalist, especially since it was on the giant stage and all the action was on the front central part of the stage. there were one black backdrop with light shining through, three dresses, and Duke Bluebeard was in a wheel chair. That's all that the set was. But the music painted an even better picture. It was amazing when he opens the 5th door and she sings some bombastic high note and the brass pulls out all of the stops. It was so cool especially since they had the trombones up in the balcony for that moment, where we were sitting. Of course it's going to be good, it's the Vienna Philharmonic. Though, I was surprised that there were only 5 women or so in the entire orchestra.
Today Michelle came to give a masterclass. The first half was a question answer session. She was so much fun to listen to speak, good personality. I liked that she joked around too.
Tonight La Traviata, the Netrebko and Villazon production, is playing on the large screen in the domplatz. I might just not go, but I do really want to see it, it depends on if I feel well.
I need to spend so much more time in a practice room. I got some of the best advice the other day. So remember how we sat in the masterclass with Christa Ludwig and there was this awesome Chinese baritone and Turkish mezzo who sang? Well we ran into them at the bus stop. They happen to ride the same bus as us and get off at our stop as well. Angelina asked them who they'd recommend for voice teachers, since both of them studied in the US. They said that in the end you are your best voice teacher. Then they went on to recommend Barbara Bonney who they said explains things so clearly and is such a caring person. But that really struck me, I am my best voice teacher. I'm the one who has to work at this and make my voice better. Teachers are only there to give suggestions. I then considered this in all aspects of my life. I'm the only one who can make myself better. The people we meet along the way are just inspiration or they introduce us to things. The next day I had one of the best practice sessions I have ever had. What used to happen was that I would just sing through things and memorize and then go find what i need to fix at my voice lessons. Instead, I started a new aria and found the things I needed to fix in the moment of learning the piece. I need to be a set of ears like my teachers before I get to the lesson, so much more can be accomplished. So I was super knit-picky when learning the aria. I sang through each phrase on my most resonant vowel 'ee' and focused on line and constant moving forward then sang just the vowels in the music, and then finally added the consonants, if it wasn't just right I went back and did it again. It took so much more time, but it was totally worth it.
The next morning I went to my voice lesson. I asked to sing the aria I had worked on ("Kommt ein schlanker bursch gegangen" from Der Freischutz) This was my first time bringing it to a lesson. It was going very well. When the accompanist came in to play, my teacher said to her "She's singing the poop out of this piece." I really liked it. So now I'm trying to memorize it for the final. That is, if my voice holds up. I actually don't have to do the final since I am in one of the opera scenes. But my opera scene is quite short and was a breeze to memorize, so I don't feel I qualify to take the free ticket out of the final, since i could easily do both.
Yesterday I bought more cherries from the outdoor market in front of the University Church. I am on fresh fruit withdrawal and bought nectarines and cherries. Which will both be gone by the time I get home. So yummy!
The last couple days we had masterclasses with Mary Dibbern, one of the leading French diction experts. The diction coaching can get a little tedious, but it was very helpful. There were a number of diction things with French that I had been taught incorrectly. When Mary explained how things should be pronounced, like the schwa, etc. it actually made it easier to sing French. It's not as closed as we think it needs to be.
After yesterday's masterclass, Lindsey, Ryan, and I went to dinner at Cafe Republic, the popular place to go after the day (just down the street). Lindsey and I were heading to the concert/opera and Ryan was heading to see Romeo et Juliette (he payed 390 Euros for a return ticket, but it was 4th row center). I went and saw the Vienna Philharmonic perform and evening of Bartok. They first played his Four Pieces for Orchestra, then the Cantata Profana: The Nine Magic Stags, then the second half was his only opera Bluebeard's Castle. It's a one act opera. The soloist, Michelle DeYoung, is an American dramatic soprano and will be singing Isolde this year for the Met. The production was very minimalist, especially since it was on the giant stage and all the action was on the front central part of the stage. there were one black backdrop with light shining through, three dresses, and Duke Bluebeard was in a wheel chair. That's all that the set was. But the music painted an even better picture. It was amazing when he opens the 5th door and she sings some bombastic high note and the brass pulls out all of the stops. It was so cool especially since they had the trombones up in the balcony for that moment, where we were sitting. Of course it's going to be good, it's the Vienna Philharmonic. Though, I was surprised that there were only 5 women or so in the entire orchestra.
Today Michelle came to give a masterclass. The first half was a question answer session. She was so much fun to listen to speak, good personality. I liked that she joked around too.
Tonight La Traviata, the Netrebko and Villazon production, is playing on the large screen in the domplatz. I might just not go, but I do really want to see it, it depends on if I feel well.
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