home sweet home

It's good to be home :)
The last show was probably the best one that we all sang. It always happens like that-- when you only have 4 shows, somehow, even when the last one is a matinee.
My flight was uneventful although I was kind of annoyed that we didn't have the touch screen tvs where you can watch one zillion movies the entire time. Instead, we had individual tvs, but the movies only played and synced up every 2 hours...I know, it's petty and shouldn't really matter, but on a nine and a half hour flight when you are not tired at all and don't feel like reading or sleeping, it makes a difference.

My next show is in FOUR DAYS! whaaaat? Hope I remember what I'm supposed to be doing! Last time I sang it was in...November? December? Who knows.

I get to enjoy the sunny weather and learn two new roles the entire summer, in addition to making sure my competition rep is in order since I'll be in WIEN for the Belvedere competition at the end of June.

For now, relaxing, not-really-unpacking, and enjoying two or three days completely off before starting to get back in the swing of things.

this is why Germany is better the the USA.

For the past three days I have had a little nagging pain the back of my mouth..riiiight around where my wisdom teeth WOULD come in IF they had enough room to do so.
Last night it was actually keeping me up at night and I could feel the inflammation..and so today I went to see a dentist.
current-opera-company was nice enough to call and set up a same-day appointment, I had two xrays taken, was poked and prodded for about 2 minutes, and got the confirmation that yes, I should get that wisdom tooth taken out.
In addition to the extra scare that it looked totally gnarly and there might be three roots instead of two down there...so expect a not-so-quick-or-regular recovery.
GREAT.
What did this cost me (even though the office DID accept my US health insurance--they don't submit the forms themselves)? 129 dollars.
For 2 xrays that took 2 seconds and the dentist saying, yea, that looks not so fun. Not including going to an oral surgeon twice and paying most likely in the thousands of dollars for a good one to deal with this surgery.

So, A.- that's not such a fun thing to have to look forward to. I've been delaying the wisdom teeth thing (they've been impacted and haven't moved in the xrays since I was 18) since I've frankly never really had the time to 'take off' and do it.
I know 'normal' people can recover in a matter of days. But for singers..you NEVER know what you will feel like, if you can open your mouth all the way, how the muscles lining your jaw will feel, etc.
Basically, I would have wanted a whole summer to recover.
Sadly, I have about 2 weeks if I get it done next month, and 2.5 weeks if I get it done in May..
In between performances and competitions.

B. this is a major buzzkill and freaked me out.

C. in germany this dentist visit and xray would have cost 10 euros, and I could have gotten in to see an oral surgeon the next day..and THAT surgery would have also cost 10 euros plus maybe a 10 euro xray fee.

So, D. I WILL wait to have this done in Germany.

And, E. It will NOT feel great until it happens. I can eat and chew and I don't have headaches or anything...but it feels like my back bottom right gumline is inflamed. And apparently, it IS- seeing as how a tooth that has NO room to be there, is attempting to peak out from behind my molar.

"Ah, incisor, we meet again".
Ugh.

ready, set, go?

It has now officially been a week and a half since returning from previous-show, and doing last week's koenigin.
Should I ... get back on TRACK of 'doing things'? Instead of oh, sitting on my behind checking out the interwebs all day?

Last week I had an audition out of the country. Well, it took two trains to get there, so it wasn't THAT far out of the country. Still, it was the 'first' audition of the fall season, well let's just say of the November/December season for me.
And I did what I normally do.
Woke up, got dressed, lip trills in the shower, light warming up before I get to the theater, got to the theater, had a pianist that asked kindly/refused to play Zerbinetta (meanwhile- what's UP with that? I know it's hard, but it's a WELL offered aria these days, especially from the END, so come on guys, can you take a LOOK at it please??), so then I end up looking like the A-hole who has to go back down to the KBB office and scratch out my previously written repertoire list since this pianist didn't want to play the Strauss.
Really?
Really.

So anyway, audition went well- I think I spent more hours on a train in a 24 hour period of time than I ever had. Oh, scratch that. 29 hours on a train straight from Germany to Oslo in the winter of 2009 European audition tour.
Ok, so it wasn't 29 hours, but for the 10 minute audition turnaround, it seemed like a lot of hours on the train.

Also, someone (turns out it was someTHING) jumped in front of our ICE train. Which means- we stop for 2 hours while the police and ambulance are called, only to find out it was an animal, not someone who had written their last goodbyes and figured a train moving at 250km/hr was a good way to end it all.

Aaaanyway, yes, it's been a week.
I'm back now.
I cleaned the apartment today. Kitchen floors and EVERYTHING. Put my clothes away finally- no more suitcases in the hallway. And now, maybe JUST maybe I'm ready to focus on getting back to 'work'.
By work I mean SIS- self-imposed-study. Of course, I HAVE to do it seeing as how it needs to be memorized by February and then April and then October of 2011--(it, being- 3 operas).

I've said it before and will say it again- when you have NO time, is when you can do- and usually do- the MOST with your time.
And, sadly, I have.. a LOT of time.. right now.
And what do I do with my time?
huminahuminahuminaINTERNEThuminahumina....etc.

So it's back to attempting to be my own taskmaster.
Ready?
GO.

happy halloweeny

I'm not dressing up for Halloween or anything, but..since it IS Halloween here, I suppose I could comment on the fact that I do miss suburban life trick'er'treating for the BIG candy bars at the rich people's houses up the street from my high school, and I do miss 'urban' life's adult Halloween parties. What other day of the year do you have an excuse to dress up as 'sexy' batgirl, wearing pretty much nothing but pink boyshorts undies and a pink cape and parade around nyc freezing your butt off?

Last night I had another performance of Koenigin...except, this time, it was at PREVIOUS-theater...the one I've been Guest-ing at for the past year.
And I haven't done the show there since JUNE...
So, having just worked in another production, with a different maestro with COMPLETELY different tempi (if you can believe it, for the arias...yes, it's very very true)...and I found myself last night sitting in the dressing room and...thinking about whether I would LIKE to do Queens over and over and over again.
Yes, it's an 'easy' sing for me. But it's also kind of a mind-trip...going from one show to the next with no re-rehearsal. Of course, the blocking is never hard unless you're catapulted out of the depths of the earth at warp speed by a pulley-machine rigged to the OTHER Queen's weight which was not changed to YOUR (lighter) weight (yes, that happened to me right before Der Hoelle Rache), but there is of course the "pressure" of Koenigin.
The pressure that even though you know you can wake up and sing this aria right out of bed with the F's perfect EVERY.Single.Time...the pressure JUST to see if THIS time around in live performance they will all come out perfect. The pressure NOT to let your mind wander since it IS so 2nd nature already. The pressure to make it a perfect and memorable experience for the audience..who up until now is getting a bit sleepy after the long intermission and the slow beginning of Act II, and who KNOW this aria in and out...in whatever tv commercial, online version of an 11 year old boy singing it, etc. They KNOW it.
As "easy" as a sing as it can be...it's never easy once you get onstage.
And that's something that I have to keep reminding myself as I calmly sit backstage knitting or listening to some pop music on my ipod or playing wordwarp on my iphone backstage...feeling no nerves at all because I know I've 'done' it so much..but then getting out there and remembering how much of a 'performance' I do want to give.
It's like I have to remember to 'get pumped' before I'm onstage, even though that 'get pumped' feeling usually shows up by itself via nerves. Now I have no nervous feelings anymore, so I have to find something to replace that with, to get my body and mind ready to 'SANG' it.

Mondiale

It's been three to four days straight of soccer, ...ooops, I mean Fussball.
Yes, we bought a tv specifically for the occasion.
No, we didn't have one before, yes, I will probably watch the news in German now and see if I can actually understand everything.

That would be sweet.

Ok, today I have massive workout goals... since yesterday we had an American style BBQ to watch the Germany footie game.

And here is the clash of cultures once again.

If I do say so myself, I make a mean guacamole.
It's not THAT tough, I know..but still- people at parties and bbq's usually go through a quite LARGE bowl of it before the food is even ready to be put on the grill.

So we bought 6 avocados, 3 bags of chips- expecting 10 people to easily tear through the stuff.

And- NOTHING!
They don't snack here!
I mean, if you have some GERMAN snacks they'll eat it (LIKE- TZATIKI sauce and BAGUETTE!!! WHAT?!?!?!), but they barely touched the guac AND the tortilla chips and THEN some of them put it on the burgers!
Umm, it's not KETCHUP! It's guacamole!

Ok, the burger thing was acceptable, but still, I was shocked at the amount that we had leftover, and the 2.5 bags of uneaten chips.

ALSO- there is this sauce here called "hamburger sauce". Don't ask me what it is. It looks a little orange. I did not try it. But I am guessing it is a combination of mayo and something..which would render it... GROSS...for my tastes.

Well, we had it last night, along with AMERICAN YELLOW MUSTARD and ketchup..
and again... what was opened and used?
"Hamburger Soese"....
what is THAT about people?

So our American style bbq really turned into a cultural awakening and me sitting here with a bowl of guac hoping not to gain a kilo by "having" to finish it.

I'll be seeing you after the run, the bikeride, the bikram class, AND the swim later this evening.

thanks.

Koenigin number...7 maybe?

Sunday not-really-matinee performance of Flute yesterday. It started just one hour earlier than the evening shows, so it didn't FEEL like a matinee although...it sure was Sunday and I sure did want to sleep in!
I stayed under the blankets for as long as possible and then made the mad dash to the tram, the train station, the train, and the theater. Which I'm called to Extremely early because I am the first hair and makeup call- 1:40 before the show.
So I have SO SO much time to warm up, sit around, eat a sandwich for dinner...
and really, after I warm up for about 30 minutes...there's not much to do but sit around and wait for the show.

I realized last night just HOW unproductive I am during a show. And this happens to me in almost every show I"m in. NOT during rehearsals or during the day of course. But once I'm at the theater, I cannot concentrate on ANYTHING else but the show.
Not even a magazine. Not sudoku. Not other music in my ipod. Not another score.
MAYBE one or two text messages.
But everyone around me seemed to have things to do--whether it was write in their schedules for next week, look at some other music they needed to learn, read a magazine, or do a book of sudoku.
Me- nothing. Sit there. Listen to the music. Think about my upcoming music.

Even if I had another score there I don't think I'd be able to do much.
What I CAN do is translate and highlight. But actually learning other things during an opera? I guess not.

And Koenigin is the WORST in terms of roles like this!!
Get dressed, show opens, sing 15 minutes into the show. Wait, Wait, ActI done, WAIT, intermission, OK second aria...WAIT WAIT WAIT -quintet/die.
Wait.
Bow.

I mean, just THINK of the possibilities if I COULD do things! Study the language? Memorize other piece? Get my audition binder back in shape?
ANYTHING?!
But no, that is- so far- not for me.
Maybe when I have 6 new roles to learn, 2 bit parts, and 4 roles to keep in repertory like the 2nd lady who is a Fest Mezzo and just found out her assignments for next year and this summer--maybe then I'll be doing a bit more than highlighting in the Garderobe.

But for now- Nix.

QOTN#7 or so....

Last night I had a performance of Zauberfloete- after about 3 months off!
Oh, German repertory rotation system, how I love thee.
I was not nervous about the singing at all...BUT I had to make sure that I went over the text to the dialogue AND scenes in my head before each entrance!
I mean, three months off and something is bound to trip you up.
We also had a new conductor last night (an asst. conductor), but even with the heightened 'newness' of it all, the show was really great.
There was about one and a half seconds where the blinding lights mixed with new conducting pattern threw me off--during the first aria. But I quickly made up for being a milisecond behind for that 1.5 seconds by nailing the rest of it, and delivering what I think was one of my best Der Hoelle Rache's yet.
So I'm happy with the performance- added bonus- Intendant was there, and he remembered the nice note I wrote to him at the end of 2009 to thank him for the opportunity to sing there, and also, our director is up for some kind of award for this K.razy 'konzept' staging, so some reporters were there to take little video clips and see what it was all about.

Weekend of relaxation ahead.

einspringen

At last night's performance, we had an Einspringer--that means, last minute 'jump in' to the role because someone is sick or had an emergency, etc.
Our new Third Lady joined us in the dressing room about 2 hours before the show, after rehearsing for 2 hours in the afternoon ALL of the blocking with the First and Second Lady.

Now- ok, third lady...no big deal, right?
WRONG! The ladies are ALL over and ALWAYS blocked with plenty of action, choreography, shtick, and other blocking-related requirements.

So- this was a big one.

But our new Dritte Dame could not have been MORE relaxed and fun-loving for the whole process.
They didn't even have a matching costume that fit her, so she had her own black tank top on, with a sheer black wrap, and the costume department tacked big silver stars onto it (to match the other ladies).
No wig fit--she used her own hair.
Shoes- her own black shoes with added stars.

Blocking--she didn't even ask the ladies backstage before each scene--ok, here we do this, right?
Nothing!!! SHe just laughed and joked and said she hoped she would get all the dialogue right...and talked about her family, and her other opera house, and wishing that she was a soprano, and how she sings all the "Hexe" roles (witch parts)..even though she's not one...
I mean, this was one FUNNY lady that added an air of lightness and joy to the room instead of freaking out about what was about to happen on stage!

I guess that's what comes with being completely musically prepared to jump into a role. It doesn't really MATTER what the choreography/blocking is (well, of course it does, but still)...you can DO it because no matter what the MUSIC will be there to back you up..and if you get up or kneel down a second too early or too late, that's ok too!

It was thrilling.

OH. And in the middle of my second aria the audience clapped after the high F's....which was cool, except that they clapped so long they didn't hear the first two:
Verstossen Sei auf ewig, Verlassen Sei auf ewig's.
Fun.
AND I had a total ONE word brain fart in der hoelle rache.
WHAT?
HOW long have I been singing the aria?
So here's How it went:
Fuhlt nicht durch dich Sarastro WIRD ERBLASSEN (which...ARE the correct words from the END of the aria..just not right there), and then immediate recovery: SARASTRO TODES SCHMERZEN...so bist du meine tochter nimmer mehr...etc. etc.. high F's, etc.

Nice.
Glad all that is on descending scales so no one cares about the final words anyway.
But it was SO SO strange to not be in control of the words that came out of my mouth and all of a sudden be like- uhh...huh? that wasn't right. It didn't FEEL right..and NOW here are the right words.
Weird.

Anyway, no one seemed to care or notice since they were all just waiting for the high notes....

A lovely evening. And I still have glitter in my hair. Again.

European Debut

Fun, Fun, Fun.
SHould I get into specific musical things alREADY? Well, this is a blog for my personal records, so sure, why not?
I liked EVERYTHING I did musically except for ONE thing.
I took one catch breath in the long Alle Bande phrase of the 2nd coloratura in the 2nd aria.
Yess....I recorded it sneakily w/my iphone because I have an entrance from the audience so I can hide the phone there right before the 2nd aria and come get it after Sarastro's aria. don't h8.

So. While I can hear it and it annoys me that I had to do it because suddenly today our conductor was inspired to take the triplet section three, yes, THREE ticks slower than the beginning of the coloratura section...I HAD to do it. There was no other choice. The aria was already kind of slow, and once I saw him slow the orchestra down to brace for that next section I knew that I would have to do it. So I chose as sneaky of a place as possible, took a tiny catch breath. And basta.

Otherwise, all the F's, all the arpeggios, all the german text, all the everything else that needed to happen--happened.

Yay.
Very happy about the first performance, and looking forward to the rest of the run...minus the glitter left in my hair for days after each show.

it's the TAG of the show y'all!

Well, except that it's :38 and I haven't gone to sleep yet...so it's "literally' the day of the show, however, I haven't 'woken up' for the show day .. yet.

That's ok.
Show starts at 4pm. I have to be there for makeup call at 3:20, which means since I'm completely paranoid about my trains being two hours late, I will leave the apartment around 12:15 and take a super early train to get to the theater around 1:45/2.

Spent the day relaxing, had dinner with friends and tried not to talk too much, hoping to get a good night's sleep, but happy that I can sleep in if needed.

Feeling pretty matter-of-fact about the whole thing. I guess I'll be more excited tomorrow on my way there or in my costume or on stage.

Until then...buona notte.

lost in translation

Actually, not really lost with anything having to do with musical things..at all. I have the German dialogue DOWN! I recite it before I go to bed, and when I wake up, and when I'm eating all that bread, cheese, and chocolate (not always in that order) that is so good here in Deutschland.

But for everything else that I need to take care of--oh, you know--things like--
Becoming a Resident/getting a work visa, getting a driver's license, opening a bank account so that I can be paid--yea, all that--in German.

Thankfully--someone is by my side to do MOST of the talking (unless they ask me directly whether I am a member of one of Germany's 3 "Churches"- Protestant, Catholic, or Jewish ...yes, you pay taxes if you say YES), and I get flustered and confused and say NO with a big smirk on my face.

German Dialogue

Mmm, so tasty on the tongue.

Especially when you have to yell it running up some stairs, carrying a knife, wearing 6 inch heels, and a dress that poofs out 2 feet on each hip.

Nice.

holy European debut, batman!

People of the blog-o-sphere that sometimes visit here (yes, all 42 of you), behold my thunderous announcement and try to refrain from shock and awe:

I am making my European stage debut (well, kinda- if you don't count that semi-staged Candide at a summer festival 2 yrs ago) singing the role of Koenigin der Nacht- in TWO WEEKS!

Yep, you heard me.

Here is how it went down:

Tuesday 2:30pm : missed call
Tuesday 2:50 pm: listen to a voicemail from an agent telling me to call them back as soon as possible
Tuesday 3pm: call agent who asks me how quickly I can get to Heidelberg from Frankfurt (it takes an hour), and can I audition for Queen that same day--ie, in a few hours?

Me: SURE!

Me between 3:40-4:50: (getting stuff ready, warming up briefly, getting on the train, getting to the theater ...early.....of course)

5pm- change at the theater and warm up
6pm- audition on stage. They request Der hoelle rache and then O zittre nicht.

6:12pm- they say- we like you, come meet everyone, oh yes, and- we have rehearsal at 6:30- can you STAY for it and sing the arias with orchestra?

UMMM--yes please!!

I still didn't have an official 'offer', but during the 'pausa' 1.5 hours into rehearsal, the head of the KBB pulled me aside and said they would like me to take over the contract for the other Queen who had to withdraw from the performances and they would be very happy to have me...and...could I show up to rehearsal tomorrow at 9:30am?

Yep, and Yep!

So- I get home at 11:30pm, exhausted from the frenzy of the last 6 hours and the general awesome-ness that is to be my life for the next few months...
Email the agent who set this up with a few requests and clarification questions (since- I started working with no contract I had to see what I was in for...and the agent had no idea they hired me on the spot, of course).

Next day (yesterday): Call the agent in the morning, go through my requests regarding the contract. Go to rehearsal, get blocked into the show (which--is so "Euro-amazing" (some would substitute another word for 'amazing'))...run the arias once and the finale once. Have 5 hours off in the afternoon. Come back at night to work a few details in the first aria.
Released.

And with that, I'm 'blocked' into the show. Aaaand we open October 4th.

Aaaand: go!

we don't 'act' as much in European auditions as you do in American auditions....

Ok, then don't "ask" for ZERBINETTA!

upcoming 1 and 2: MEMORY

The last time I sang UpcomingRole1 I was fresh out of Undergrad and ready to take on the world.
This time I get a chance to do it all over again, x years later, a few legato notes and cadenzas wiser.

I've been doing a bit of memory work recently, and here is the conclusion that I've come to regarding how it works for me personally.

Whether I spend three days crash-memorizing a role that I have to jump into (see Summer 2007), or whether I prepare a leading role 9 months in advance, at a leisurely pace while on the beaches of the 'motherland' (See Summer 2007 ALSO), memorizing works in mysterious ways for me.

Sometimes I can look at the score, listen to a recording once and just 'get it'. The melody will be in my head always. And all I have to do is memorize the words and fit them in the right place. Of course this is RUDIMENTARY role acquisition. I'm not talking about being musical, making the nice sounds, or building character. I'm simply talking about memory work.

Sometimes, it doesn't help at all to listen. I have to be at the piano, banging out notes and little tunes and themes for what seems like ever, learning the words at the same time as memory cues, and I can learn the whole thing that way. As something 'hand in hand' in terms of music and lyrics.

MOST times I've had to learn a role whether I'm at the piano, or just flipping through the vocal score sightreading (in my head, and usually on an airplane), or listening to some old recording of someone who I would NEVER want to copy, just so that the music can get in my ear), I always remember the music. NOT so much the words.
Which is why about a month before the production begins, I am usually walking around with little folded pieces of paper on which I write out the words to the entire opera. Numerous times. Every day.


And (knock on wood) I've never had a word blip or brain fart (as they say) on stage or during rehearsal that has been so ridiculous that I couldn't recover from it on the next note or phrase.

But it's so strange--I work so hard to GET to the first rehearsal, have five weeks basically sleeping, eating and living a show, and then, one month later, it couldn't be farther in my mind.
It's almost like I WILL my short term memory to 'forget', so that I can make room for new things!
Of course, I haven't forgotten all of it. On the contrary, I think I actually remember about..92-95 percent of it.
But it's those little ensembles and the accompanied recits and that big choral number--the parts that I usually don't LOVE to practice because it's not all about 'me,me,me' in that there are long breaks, other things going on, or a high note held above 26 measures and then some patter.

Well. So. UpcomingRole1.
I just listened to it while power-walking/Yogging (it's a soft J) for an hour and a half...and for the MOST part, my memory has served me just as I thought it would.
I recall all of the major things, and there are a few minor patter/chorus/middle of duets/talky parts that I need to stop fooling myself into thinking that I'll remember, and actually start writing down. Every.Day. Ah- routine.

UpcomingRole2?
WELL- I am starting to work through that, but I think it's going to be the piano-banging-type.
It's French (also), there is MUCH patter, MUCH repetition as in couplets, MUCH fast Frenchiness (basically, more cowbell....)....and with THAT I will end the entry and say that I am not sure I'll ever really figure out how I learn best, because there ARE so many choices.
To each his own, and seemingly sometimes...to each OPERA its own...

first audition

done and done.
Took the train, warmed up in a lovely park, walked in, found the KBB office, and they were super-nice--showed me everywhere to go from there. Another warm up room, rehearsal with the pianist (this is like the 5 star treatment compared to auditions in the US), and then audition on stage.

There were only three people!
Soprano, soprano, counter-tenor.
We each sang one piece, then rotated and were then asked to sing a second piece (so kind of like 2 rounds)--which is fun because you get a break after starting with Der Holle Rache!

My trusty iphone/italk was there to record from back stage, and what I heard, I like :)

Munich

It's SO nice to be back in a city that I know well!
I spent the summer here two years ago studying German and going to the opera...a lot...and as soon as I stepped off of the train I felt at home.

I had an audition this morning specifically for QOTN.
More specifically, the house was hearing 13 singers for that role.
One after the other.

I'm sure they NEVER want to hear that piece again in a loooong time.

So- of COURSE, I was first to show up and fill out my papers at the KBB, and my audition was scheduled LAST on the list. (Singing began at 11am---rehearsal with the pianist began 9:45am).

a. that is really mean to do to MOST sopranos. (I don't really care, but there were some that looked like waking up that early and warming up to an F wasn't really their cup o' tea.

b. Since I was last I felt obligated to let every girl that knocked on the one out of two warm up rooms to warm up before me..since I had so much time.
c. I let SO many girls in front of me that I didn't get to rehearse with the pianist (although that's not something I care about for these Queen arias).

So. The audition.
Get there at 11, make SURE that I'm last. Go to the Kanteen (this is the cafeteria that every opera house has INSIDE--how cool?! that you can get your breakfast lunch dinner or coffee at any time in between rehearsals instead of braving whatever weather is outside).

Sit around. Eat a croissant. Find a now-empty practice room and sing through Queen2 (which I what I wanted to start with).
Go back downstairs. They are only on number 7.
Hear some not-so-high-F's, here some not-so-clean runs.
Figure out that they are MAKING everyone start with the first aria, and only if they like you, you get to go outside while another singer comes in, take a break, and then you are asked for the 2nd aria.

BOO- because I wanted to show the 5 F's right off the bat.

So far- 2 girls have been asked to come back for a 2nd.
Wait some more.
Put on my heels (yes, I was wandering around in my audition outfit and my fake Uggs (FUGGS)).

Wait some more.

FINALLY- go out, introduce myself and say something about being the last but not least--that got a chuckle. sweeeeet.

First aria. O Zittre Nicht- I decided that I was going to distinguish myself, if not by accurate voice alone, then by a helluvan acted performance.
So right away I'm into it, moving around (with PURPOSE), and being 'dramatic'.
As soon as I was finished--YAYYYYY! They ask for a 2nd piece! (Der Holle rache).
Now, all of the other girls have gotten to WAIT for 5 minutes before attempting the 2nd piece.
I have to sing it right there.

Whatevs. Same thing to me.
So I start. This piece is easier than the first one anyway.
Knock out the high notes, knock out the low notes, have fun, be musical, have line, have purpose...and just like that it was over.

The agent that sent me on the audition was there and got almost immediate feedback (within the hour)....which was:
They like me, like my voice, like all the rep. listed on my resume, BUT they are going to go with the QOTN who looked amazonian, sounded dramatic, AND knocked out all the high notes.
Now, I did hear her, and she was awesome.
So no hard feelings.
I am usually disappointed by 'dramatic' voices in Queen because frankly, they are not accurate MUCH of the time...(at least when I've heard them)....
But this girl rocked it.

So- she was older, she was already an established Fest singer at another big house, she LOOKED the part (amazonian) and it's ok if I 'lose' to her. She was damn good.
And so was I. In a different way!
We are alllll special.

Rainbows and bubbles for everyone.

Frankfurt part II AND crossing one of the "25 things" off!

I'm actually already in Amsterdam, but it's still worth writing about the rest of my weekend in Frankfurt.
I crossed one of the things OFF OF MY LIST

Ok, so it was MODIFIED---BUT.

I can now officially drive a stick, NOT just in theory, but on a GERMAN HighWay!

Ok, I was too scared to really go fast, but I did it! and my heart was racing the entire time.

I think I got the timing of the clutch/gas thing, I didn't stall the car, I didn't CRASH the car (and yes, there were cars around)...and most of all, it was one of those things that just felt so exhilarating and new!

I had been talking about it in passing to my gracious host and joking that I couldn't take over so don't be tired! And then...jumped out of the driver seat, switched with me, and off we went...with me at the wheel feeling like a million bucks.

Wow- if this is how it feels to do something that you've really only dreamed about or never really thought would happen...however small, or big...I had better get to the rest of that list!

Frankfurt (or, when in Rome)

Now this is what a weekend should really be.
Since nothing really happens in terms of ‘business’ from Friday through Sunday, I had a choice of where to go for the weekend.
Well, my choice was- pay to go somewhere for the weekend, or call upon all friends and friends of friends to see who would house me for three to four days (my weekend began on Thursday in Vienna).
So I got in touch with a friend of a friend…we had never met before, but we decided to meet in Frankfurt and spend the weekend exploring the city.

Being led by a ‘native’ really does make a difference.
I arrived at the train station around 7:30, and was immediately chauffered via automobile ! First one I’ve been in since this trip began..through the city. This building, that church, look at the river—all of the sights—out of the car window instead of a tram or by foot during the day using a lonely planet guide.

Then- dinner at a restaurant where the chef was a friend, we got an amazing free dessert (after pasta with black truffle sauce- YUM!) which consisted of cherry ice cream, a molten chocolate cake, syrup drizzled by professionals, and even a little mint leaf as garnish.

After dinner- more sights in the car, and finally, arrival at a destination with my own bed, a warm blanket—what more could I ask for.

I spent the day Friday mostly by myself since my gracious host had to work. But. In the evening I had a Friday night I will not soon forget.
After eating an apricot filled “Berliner” (scrumptious filled pastry sugary thing), we headed to Wiesbaden for the evening. Hung out with other friends and drank Riesling FROM their vineyard. I mean, really. That was amazing in itself.

And THEN we headed to …what else?...a spa. When in Rome… (aka- Wiesbaden- a hot springs central health spa haven for the Germans and the tourists).

We walk into what looks like a tiled hall of Roman marble, find a locker, and off come the clothes—oh yea, did I mention that “German” spas here are all naked? Both sexes?
Yea. Puritan America just had a heart attack. This would NEVER fly as the ‘norm’ in the US.

So, no clothes (and yes, I just met my host less than 24 hours ago), we first take a shower BEFORE we can enter the spa.
First off- sauna room which had lemongrass salts added to it.
15 minutes.
Next, an ICE SHOWER followed by ICE bath- 5 minutes. Yes. It was painful.
Next, a pool of lukewarm (well, it FELT lukewarm by the time we had finished with the ice shower…but it was actually quite cold) water, next a pool of actually very very hot water—(not jets like a whirlpool).
All the while, naked all around. It was 10pm and the place was hopping.
Next, steam room- PLUS you get some salt to rub all over your body like a scrub until you glisten and sweat it all out again. More ice-shower.

That round of all of the above took about 30 minutes. Now we were ready for a ‘treatment’, which meant that a woman came into the sauna and put special scents inside that were supposed to encourage “deep deep relaxation”….or cleansing or something like that. So we are sitting there for 10 minutes while chamomile and lavender purify our nostrils, and the woman is whipping around a towel to make the scent go up more into our noses and the heat kills me a little more. Really, there WERE about 10 seconds that it was so hot that I didn’t want to breathe. Although I WAS sitting at the top level where the heat rises. But in the end I was fine, I managed to take all the deep breaths that I needed, and so the sauna treatment ended.
Onto the ice shower (really, pieces of ice came out onto my head), ice bath, luke-warm pool, steaming hot pool, and finally a jet-sauna pool.
Now we have been here for about an hour and a half and I’m ready for the longest nap or night of sleep ever.
So, quick shower, walk through the unisex dressing room—which is by now almost empty with a little bit of nakedness left over, and instead of going to sleep we decided to top the night off with a healthy lassy drink with peppermint inside…and then the ever-so-healthy chicken sandwich and French fries.

Ok, let me just take a minute and write about being naked among many many people that were my age, older, and of both sexes for an hour and a half.
It was totally and completely normal. I wasn’t sure what I would really think of the whole thing….when I knew we were going I had a feeling that it would be naked…but maybe I thought there would be separate dressing..undressing rooms…but no. It was…get here, get a locker, take it off baby.
And you know what? It was totally civilized and natural and…well, I don’t need to convince anyone one way or the other…but I’ll just say…that I was pleasantly surprised…as I was this whole weekend, at the amazing experiences that one can have…in places where you may never have known to go unless someone ‘in the know’ told you about it…and introduced you to that experience.

And so—that was only my SECOND night in Frankfurt….there is still a blog entry to come about all of Saturday which was a mixture of singer-life and real-life.
And oh yea, I’ll be on a train to Amsterdam tomorrow morning at 9:30.