...has arrived!
Tomorrow will be spent packing (again!), translating things from French to English, and trying on my new dress which is maybe my audition dress (at least for any auditions in the summer/early fall) with different hair styles and shoes and accessories to see if I can pull it off!
It was a reward to myself for having teeth that my new dentist said were absolutely stunning, no cavities, and nothing to even write down or note as abnormal in the comprehensive exam!
Yea Crest whitening toothpaste with baking soda and Listerine.
07 July, 2009
02 July, 2009
meeeeemories....
That was so much fun! I just spent an afternoon singing through the entire role of opera.1.2010---
I haven't performed it since 2004, and boy--does it sound and feel different--in a REALLY good way!
What I have to figure out in the near-ish future are what cuts the company will be taking..as there are substantial repeated sections that are 'normally' cut, and also a few one page sections in 2 arias that are SOMETIMES cut, but sometimes..if the 'diva' wants them in, they stay...hmmm....is that MY decision this time? LOL...
So. I'm very reassured that this will be an easy and fun re-undertaking. Mostly some memory work, figuring out some new-er fun-er cadenzas, but in general, it seems to me like it will be great!
Now I'm waiting for score to opera.2.2010 to arrive so I can see what's in store for MORE french and french dialogue learning after this first French brush-up.
In financial news...I bought two round trip tickets to Europe today, as I have a wedding to return to in late September, and I am planning European-Invasion-Part-THREE for this upcoming Fall.
Ok, I will admit on a personal level, that yes, the MAIN reason (wow, am I even really admitting this?) that I am returning is for personal reasons....HOWEVER, I am going to take my work there seriously, as always, try to get every audition possible during that time period, and somehow try and make it known that I have a long list of roles completely prepared, already performed, and absolutely ready to SPRING EIN...ie, jump in...if ever someone should fall sick and need a last minute Queen of the Night to go rock the house.
I haven't performed it since 2004, and boy--does it sound and feel different--in a REALLY good way!
What I have to figure out in the near-ish future are what cuts the company will be taking..as there are substantial repeated sections that are 'normally' cut, and also a few one page sections in 2 arias that are SOMETIMES cut, but sometimes..if the 'diva' wants them in, they stay...hmmm....is that MY decision this time? LOL...
So. I'm very reassured that this will be an easy and fun re-undertaking. Mostly some memory work, figuring out some new-er fun-er cadenzas, but in general, it seems to me like it will be great!
Now I'm waiting for score to opera.2.2010 to arrive so I can see what's in store for MORE french and french dialogue learning after this first French brush-up.
In financial news...I bought two round trip tickets to Europe today, as I have a wedding to return to in late September, and I am planning European-Invasion-Part-THREE for this upcoming Fall.
Ok, I will admit on a personal level, that yes, the MAIN reason (wow, am I even really admitting this?) that I am returning is for personal reasons....HOWEVER, I am going to take my work there seriously, as always, try to get every audition possible during that time period, and somehow try and make it known that I have a long list of roles completely prepared, already performed, and absolutely ready to SPRING EIN...ie, jump in...if ever someone should fall sick and need a last minute Queen of the Night to go rock the house.
01 July, 2009
projects
There's nothing like a slew of side-projects to jump start my 's.i.s' (self-imposed-study) goals.
Score-2 is in the mail, Score-1 is being toted around wherever I go.
I am thinking about learning Fiakermilli- the whole role--since it's so small anyway-- just to have it done and ready in CASE that ever comes up..hey, it's shorter than Zerbinetta and it's actually being done quite a bit 'over there'.
I want to play with some new ideas for French and Italian arias. Not sure which ones yet...and maybe/most likely ones that I've learned/sung before, but have not necessarily used as audition pieces--that often.
Also, German. Need to study more every day..ok, that hasn't so much happened yet..at all. BUT the text books are next to me!
And then I pulled up the old musical that I was writing...(libretto) and am starting to have some cool ideas about that.
No, no, must concentrate on tasks at hand.
Opera1, Opera2, and upcoming audition season ass-kicking.
First, sleep.
Score-2 is in the mail, Score-1 is being toted around wherever I go.
I am thinking about learning Fiakermilli- the whole role--since it's so small anyway-- just to have it done and ready in CASE that ever comes up..hey, it's shorter than Zerbinetta and it's actually being done quite a bit 'over there'.
I want to play with some new ideas for French and Italian arias. Not sure which ones yet...and maybe/most likely ones that I've learned/sung before, but have not necessarily used as audition pieces--that often.
Also, German. Need to study more every day..ok, that hasn't so much happened yet..at all. BUT the text books are next to me!
And then I pulled up the old musical that I was writing...(libretto) and am starting to have some cool ideas about that.
No, no, must concentrate on tasks at hand.
Opera1, Opera2, and upcoming audition season ass-kicking.
First, sleep.
28 June, 2009
order
I've written in the past about doing a clothing overhaul...realizing that yes, in the ideal world, I will one day have a huge walk-in closet that can house all of my shoes, dresses, and clothes that I've had since who-knows-when that still fit me, since I've been the same size since about my sophomore year of college.
Still, every season or so, I go through what I have, and give away things that I won't wear again...in exchange (sometimes...if I can handle the shopping which I so despise) for a few new items.
Well, once again, the downsizing began this week, as I have an entire lifetime packed away and carefully labeled in the basement of my parents home---waiting, wishing, and hoping, that one day I will be settled enough...SOMEWHERE to be unpacked and placed on the shelves and in the drawers where they so rightfully belong.
Interestingly...it's not that easy.
Since in this next year I still won't really have anywhere permanent, and I seem to be leaning towards splitting my time between the US and Germany at least for the next half year...it gets harder to take all of those 'must have' relics and reminders of the past across the ocean--without actually making an official move into a place.
And so over the past 3 days I have:
--Found my CD collection from Highschool through College--yes, the CD's that were TOO numerous to even make it to my first FOUR gig ipod (later replaced by 8, later replaced by 20, later replaced by 60gigs, twice)...I've found the collection, isolated about 20-30 cds that I may copy onto my computer/hard drive, and I will either sell or donate all the rest of them for about...oh, a dollar a pop --or LESS!
--Gone through THREE huge boxes of every book that I had to buy for my college classes. Umm, sadly, I had to part with much of my collection of books for my international relations classes...books I always thought that I would have forever and would one day sit on my shelf JUST in case a debate about what neoclassic theory REALLY says about the overthrowing of the first Shah of Iran and the consequent impact on emerging Near-East democracies.
(I kept all of my music history and theory books..even the jazz course books...just in case I ever decide to want to each some poor soul solfege or theory).
I'm left with one HEAVY plastic bin of classics that I had to read for courses such as "Modern Arabic Literature", "French Satire", "Literature 200 level: Love and Sexuality", "Modern Philosophy", "Kant and Nietzsche", and of course my favorite classics and modern epics that one just can't live without in a personal library...The Russians, the British playwrights, The American wartime novelists, etc.
---Sifted through two boxes of HIGH SCHOOL awards, medals, trophies, report cards, essays for English Honors Freshman through Senior Year, teacher recommendations, copies of college application essays--all things that, sure, would be nice to look at once every 5 or 10 years for the purposes of nostalgia, but that were really just taking up boxes and will never be 'prominently displayed' in my "HOME".
(Got that down to Half of a Box ...kept all the essays and poetry...and the diplomas...and the other half of the box is all of my journals, and my favorite childhood books that are a bit tattered, but inscribed to me with love from my parents dated from birthdays and holidays that I won't soon forget).
---SHOES. Given away about 10 pairs of cute/fun/fancy shoes. That is all.
---Electronics. If I couldn't find what the plug was for, the plug was trashed. Old printer connections, DELL laptops that cost THREE THOUSAND DOLLARS in 1999, wires and more wires that I have no idea of the origin or the purpose, but I surely don't have the electronic device that they are supposed to charge anymore.
---And last but not least---tried to get SOME, I repeat, SOME of my music in order.
Obviously the easiest thing to do is tackle my scores. Most of which are real scores that are bound and bought from stores, SOME of which are photocopied because of a rare edition, some of which are photocopied because the company supplied premieres that way, and about 2/3 of which reside in the basement--the other 1/3 scattered about the house and other suitcases depending on when I've had to use them in the last few years.
I made Piles and Piles of art songs, arias, musical theater pieces--all in the form of photocopies...that I have used in the past 5 or more years. I found my junior year undergraduate recital music (holes punched, but no binder..of course)...I found my HIGH SCHOOL musical review broadway tunes, I found everything..but could not find a place for it..just yet...because going through those loose pages would just about drive me insane for two days straight, and I had already been tackling this basement job for 3 days.
So I organized my scores alphabetically by composer, in one huge and long box with titles showing for easy access if necessary, and I left 4 or 5 insanely huge piles of: Musical Theater, Looseleaf Art Song, Bound Art Song, Choral Solo, Orchestral scores, Aria Compliations, and "Teaching Materials" from my days of assigning Vaccai and 24 Italian pieces to my students.
Although I have always been a pack rat--I've been an organized pack rat...I know what I have, where it is (usually), and why it's there--there's a method to the seeming madness...
But it somehow felt really good to consider whether these items would REALLY be in my 'House" someday...and where they would be...WOULD there even be room for them.
If they weren't shelf-worthy...I most likely didn't keep them.
And so having to choose between keeping "blue-y" (a light blue dog) my favorite stuffed animal from when I was about 7 years old, and a stack of musical theater reviews and the "All Around Music" Award from my high school didn't seem so tragic after all.
(Blue-y won).
Still, every season or so, I go through what I have, and give away things that I won't wear again...in exchange (sometimes...if I can handle the shopping which I so despise) for a few new items.
Well, once again, the downsizing began this week, as I have an entire lifetime packed away and carefully labeled in the basement of my parents home---waiting, wishing, and hoping, that one day I will be settled enough...SOMEWHERE to be unpacked and placed on the shelves and in the drawers where they so rightfully belong.
Interestingly...it's not that easy.
Since in this next year I still won't really have anywhere permanent, and I seem to be leaning towards splitting my time between the US and Germany at least for the next half year...it gets harder to take all of those 'must have' relics and reminders of the past across the ocean--without actually making an official move into a place.
And so over the past 3 days I have:
--Found my CD collection from Highschool through College--yes, the CD's that were TOO numerous to even make it to my first FOUR gig ipod (later replaced by 8, later replaced by 20, later replaced by 60gigs, twice)...I've found the collection, isolated about 20-30 cds that I may copy onto my computer/hard drive, and I will either sell or donate all the rest of them for about...oh, a dollar a pop --or LESS!
--Gone through THREE huge boxes of every book that I had to buy for my college classes. Umm, sadly, I had to part with much of my collection of books for my international relations classes...books I always thought that I would have forever and would one day sit on my shelf JUST in case a debate about what neoclassic theory REALLY says about the overthrowing of the first Shah of Iran and the consequent impact on emerging Near-East democracies.
(I kept all of my music history and theory books..even the jazz course books...just in case I ever decide to want to each some poor soul solfege or theory).
I'm left with one HEAVY plastic bin of classics that I had to read for courses such as "Modern Arabic Literature", "French Satire", "Literature 200 level: Love and Sexuality", "Modern Philosophy", "Kant and Nietzsche", and of course my favorite classics and modern epics that one just can't live without in a personal library...The Russians, the British playwrights, The American wartime novelists, etc.
---Sifted through two boxes of HIGH SCHOOL awards, medals, trophies, report cards, essays for English Honors Freshman through Senior Year, teacher recommendations, copies of college application essays--all things that, sure, would be nice to look at once every 5 or 10 years for the purposes of nostalgia, but that were really just taking up boxes and will never be 'prominently displayed' in my "HOME".
(Got that down to Half of a Box ...kept all the essays and poetry...and the diplomas...and the other half of the box is all of my journals, and my favorite childhood books that are a bit tattered, but inscribed to me with love from my parents dated from birthdays and holidays that I won't soon forget).
---SHOES. Given away about 10 pairs of cute/fun/fancy shoes. That is all.
---Electronics. If I couldn't find what the plug was for, the plug was trashed. Old printer connections, DELL laptops that cost THREE THOUSAND DOLLARS in 1999, wires and more wires that I have no idea of the origin or the purpose, but I surely don't have the electronic device that they are supposed to charge anymore.
---And last but not least---tried to get SOME, I repeat, SOME of my music in order.
Obviously the easiest thing to do is tackle my scores. Most of which are real scores that are bound and bought from stores, SOME of which are photocopied because of a rare edition, some of which are photocopied because the company supplied premieres that way, and about 2/3 of which reside in the basement--the other 1/3 scattered about the house and other suitcases depending on when I've had to use them in the last few years.
I made Piles and Piles of art songs, arias, musical theater pieces--all in the form of photocopies...that I have used in the past 5 or more years. I found my junior year undergraduate recital music (holes punched, but no binder..of course)...I found my HIGH SCHOOL musical review broadway tunes, I found everything..but could not find a place for it..just yet...because going through those loose pages would just about drive me insane for two days straight, and I had already been tackling this basement job for 3 days.
So I organized my scores alphabetically by composer, in one huge and long box with titles showing for easy access if necessary, and I left 4 or 5 insanely huge piles of: Musical Theater, Looseleaf Art Song, Bound Art Song, Choral Solo, Orchestral scores, Aria Compliations, and "Teaching Materials" from my days of assigning Vaccai and 24 Italian pieces to my students.
Although I have always been a pack rat--I've been an organized pack rat...I know what I have, where it is (usually), and why it's there--there's a method to the seeming madness...
But it somehow felt really good to consider whether these items would REALLY be in my 'House" someday...and where they would be...WOULD there even be room for them.
If they weren't shelf-worthy...I most likely didn't keep them.
And so having to choose between keeping "blue-y" (a light blue dog) my favorite stuffed animal from when I was about 7 years old, and a stack of musical theater reviews and the "All Around Music" Award from my high school didn't seem so tragic after all.
(Blue-y won).
26 June, 2009
maybes
I received a call yesterday about a POSSIBLE opportunity that would pretty much allow me to do the 'ideal' Fall split between New York and Germany, and also make a bit of money and add a new role to my repertoire along with it.
It's silly to imagine that everything that is a 'maybe' will somehow work out, but all I will say is that it would be REALLY nice if this could actually work out.
So, in the meantime, I'm not thinking about it (THAT much), I'm just blogging it to note that it's a possibility and if it happens I can look back here in however many years and consider the moment.
It's silly to imagine that everything that is a 'maybe' will somehow work out, but all I will say is that it would be REALLY nice if this could actually work out.
So, in the meantime, I'm not thinking about it (THAT much), I'm just blogging it to note that it's a possibility and if it happens I can look back here in however many years and consider the moment.
24 June, 2009
back 'home'
Although I'm not really sure what I can call home these days, seeing signs that are written ONLY in English felt like a return to 'something normal'.
I arrived at the airport yesterday morning, stayed awake for as long as I could, and woke up around 6:30am today. Not too bad for post-Europe jetlag, but I will still be tired 'early' tonight, I'm sure.
The run-down of life for the past month and a half? The right choice.
For so many reasons.
For all of the crazy last minute decisions that I had to make, this one felt right...and so I can say that I'm glad that I went, glad that I had the opportunity to do the 'important' audition that most of the decision was based on, and no, I don't have an answer or feedback yet..still waiting to see if this possibility could work out for a future season.
Looking at finances again (because that's just what I do, I guess)--I again saved as much as possible while I was there, paying for 4 cheap hotels, and with the Eurail travel, again, saved a lot of money that would have otherwise been spent on travel. Food? Yes, it was expensive, but that's a given anywhere unless you live on Ramen Noodles like in college...and frankly, I didn't see those in the stores...nor did I have a microwave to heat water!
Considering what the next 6 months will look like is my new pet project.
Working backwards:
I know what I'm doing beginning in Mid-December through early February.
Upcoming shows 1 and 2.
I know that I want to be in the US for the majority of 'ny audition season', but the thing is..looking at my calendar from last year, I had three auditions between August 15 and September 20th, and then tons of auditions only after October 20th. The audition season that once was September, October, November, December, is now looking more and more like- end of October through December...due to financing, I'm sure--but still. Unknown.
Add to that my wish to return to Germany to do this YET again...at the 'right' season--even though September is still on the early side of auditioning for theaters that may not know what openings they have for the next season.
Add to that general anticipation of possibly hearing that I've made a good enough impression from previous-big-audition-in-Europe to actually GET the job? Maybe?? And then know that I am "set" for a certain period of time..which would of course mean, that I don't HAVE to worry about what is on the schedule for 2010 in the Fall.
Ok, that is the longest shot ever, but it would make me so so ridiculously happy to know that I don't have to think about where I'm moving/living every 5-6 weeks if that kind of offer came my way.
So, apparently because of 'life', somehow my 'ideal' has changed a bit. It's not 'ideal' for me to hang out in NYC with friends from August to December, as I did last year, and wait around for auditions to happen or not happen while living it up in the big city--because there IS a place I'd rather be, or rather, a certain person I'd rather be with--who happens to be NOT in NYC.
That doesn't mean I will ever just give up on NYC...I know I need to be there for auditions in the US, and how important it is to try and get there during audition season. And I remember how many auditions I missed when I was doing a production across the country that only ended in Mid-November about 2 years ago..and how I didn't know what to think--was it better that I was doing this job, or was I missing too many audition opportunities for NEXT year?!
In short, there are a number of decisions to be made. And again, they must be made without confirmation of specific auditions or work in either place that I'd like to be in the next few months.
Off to pack my things yet again, for a few days of 'country' unpacking, repacking, going through stuff in the basement that has been there for 10 years and deciding what I'm keeping and what I'm giving away, and then Boston for a few days.
I arrived at the airport yesterday morning, stayed awake for as long as I could, and woke up around 6:30am today. Not too bad for post-Europe jetlag, but I will still be tired 'early' tonight, I'm sure.
The run-down of life for the past month and a half? The right choice.
For so many reasons.
For all of the crazy last minute decisions that I had to make, this one felt right...and so I can say that I'm glad that I went, glad that I had the opportunity to do the 'important' audition that most of the decision was based on, and no, I don't have an answer or feedback yet..still waiting to see if this possibility could work out for a future season.
Looking at finances again (because that's just what I do, I guess)--I again saved as much as possible while I was there, paying for 4 cheap hotels, and with the Eurail travel, again, saved a lot of money that would have otherwise been spent on travel. Food? Yes, it was expensive, but that's a given anywhere unless you live on Ramen Noodles like in college...and frankly, I didn't see those in the stores...nor did I have a microwave to heat water!
Considering what the next 6 months will look like is my new pet project.
Working backwards:
I know what I'm doing beginning in Mid-December through early February.
Upcoming shows 1 and 2.
I know that I want to be in the US for the majority of 'ny audition season', but the thing is..looking at my calendar from last year, I had three auditions between August 15 and September 20th, and then tons of auditions only after October 20th. The audition season that once was September, October, November, December, is now looking more and more like- end of October through December...due to financing, I'm sure--but still. Unknown.
Add to that my wish to return to Germany to do this YET again...at the 'right' season--even though September is still on the early side of auditioning for theaters that may not know what openings they have for the next season.
Add to that general anticipation of possibly hearing that I've made a good enough impression from previous-big-audition-in-Europe to actually GET the job? Maybe?? And then know that I am "set" for a certain period of time..which would of course mean, that I don't HAVE to worry about what is on the schedule for 2010 in the Fall.
Ok, that is the longest shot ever, but it would make me so so ridiculously happy to know that I don't have to think about where I'm moving/living every 5-6 weeks if that kind of offer came my way.
So, apparently because of 'life', somehow my 'ideal' has changed a bit. It's not 'ideal' for me to hang out in NYC with friends from August to December, as I did last year, and wait around for auditions to happen or not happen while living it up in the big city--because there IS a place I'd rather be, or rather, a certain person I'd rather be with--who happens to be NOT in NYC.
That doesn't mean I will ever just give up on NYC...I know I need to be there for auditions in the US, and how important it is to try and get there during audition season. And I remember how many auditions I missed when I was doing a production across the country that only ended in Mid-November about 2 years ago..and how I didn't know what to think--was it better that I was doing this job, or was I missing too many audition opportunities for NEXT year?!
In short, there are a number of decisions to be made. And again, they must be made without confirmation of specific auditions or work in either place that I'd like to be in the next few months.
Off to pack my things yet again, for a few days of 'country' unpacking, repacking, going through stuff in the basement that has been there for 10 years and deciding what I'm keeping and what I'm giving away, and then Boston for a few days.
22 June, 2009
free wifi at the airport
Me-Like.
It just makes traveling so much easier. We already have to show up three hours early to the international flight check in, I've already waited in too many lines to count, checked my bag (ONLY because it contains a seriously sick amount of Hummus from the Homeland and they won't let me take that through because it's KIND OF a liquid), scanned the duty free shops (and bought my favorite lotion), and had breakfast. And now I can just relax with my wireless---email, NYTIMES, facebook, and everything else that needs catching up on or more relaxation before I board my flight and arrive in Frankfurt once again.
Upcoming week COULD be a bit hectic depending on whether I receive a call or email about a last-minute flight change that I may need to make today.
Otherwise, will be back 'state-side' tomorrow morning!
It just makes traveling so much easier. We already have to show up three hours early to the international flight check in, I've already waited in too many lines to count, checked my bag (ONLY because it contains a seriously sick amount of Hummus from the Homeland and they won't let me take that through because it's KIND OF a liquid), scanned the duty free shops (and bought my favorite lotion), and had breakfast. And now I can just relax with my wireless---email, NYTIMES, facebook, and everything else that needs catching up on or more relaxation before I board my flight and arrive in Frankfurt once again.
Upcoming week COULD be a bit hectic depending on whether I receive a call or email about a last-minute flight change that I may need to make today.
Otherwise, will be back 'state-side' tomorrow morning!
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