Opera Karaoke: Thinking outside the box!

OPERA KARAOKE???

Seriously?

YES! --- It's true!

So... I was invited to sing at a local church, 

however I did not have time to connect with the pianist ahead of time!

I was slightly concerned because I was planning on singing

Puccini's "Donde Lieta," from the third act of La Boheme.

I had no idea if the church pianist was familiar with opera 

or with Puccini and we couldn't meet until 30 minutes before the service.

So, I began to brainstorm about how to make this work.

I was then asked - 

"Is there such a thing as karaoke for opera?"

I laughed and figured no - 

AND that even of there was, it probably wouldn't be any good.

Ma! (But!)  I was wrong!

Through an internet search, I found several options for 

Opera Karaoke or "Opera Minus Voices."

I found both piano and orchestral accompaniments.

Within just 5 minutes time I found an acceptable orchestral accompaniment

not only of "Donde Lieta," but several other well-known arias.

For less than a buck, I purchased this track and I was on my way!

So, after uploading this to my iPod, 

I grabbed my friend's iPod Sound Dock 

and pressed play!

I was so surprised to hear this beautiful orchestral sound 

bellowing forth from such small speakers!

I began to sing and knew all was golden!

Today I showed up, technology in hand, and sang!

The balance was perfect and while the tempo of the accompaniment

was a little faster than what I would prefer,

it worked out GREAT!

Now I know that I can sing anywhere!

From Italian to Russian

I am still in full Italian-mode - however for just a moment I want to talk Russian music!  Last semester, I took a wonderful class about the Kuchka (the mighty handful).  The Kuchka are a group of 5 leading Russian composers who were instrumental in the development of "Russian" music.  They are Moussorgsky, Balakirev, Cui, Borodin, & Rimsky-Korsakov.  I loved this class in part because I learned so many wonderful things about Russian music that I never knew.  For instance, Russian music was greatly influenced by Italian opera - namely the work of Rossini and the like.  Italian and French opera were huge in the development of Russian music.

So, recently I purchased a fairly new recording by Russian Soprano, Anna Netrebko entitled "Russian Album"  This is a fantastic album!  Her voice is equisit and soars with ease up to the high range.  It is just magical to listen to her sing this repertoire.  She has teamed up with longtime mentor Valery Gergiev.  The album was recorded at the historical Mariinsky Theatre.  If you have any interest in Russian music or simply in GREAT SINGING - pick this up.  It is worth it!

YES! I am still here!

Hello dear friends!

Sorry it seemed as if I dropped off the side of the earth!  I haven't!  After all that singing and performing - my body needed a rest!  SO - rest it is getting!

My latest challenge has been coming down off such a mountain-top experience.  As performers, we work feverishly toward a big performance and then it comes and goes with the blink of an eye.  Then what?  The life of a performer is such that you are then off to the next gig.  I am sure over the course of my life and my career there will be many gig's and people to accompany those gig's however - this was a truly special group of people and an experience that I am sure will be unparalleled to anything else in my life.  I will carry it with me always and it has forever changed me.  I am so thankful.  

Music is like that - but people make all the difference.  Singing Puccini in Italy is magical however meeting a befriending the people of Piobbico and those within The Professional Advantage was life changing.  We are impacted and influenced by people and relationships.  The people I met and befriended this summer gave so much to me both as an artist and as a person.  It was as if we knew each other for years.  And while that was not the case - it will be now.  These relationships will last far beyond Piobbico and cross way beyond language barriers.  I think part of why this happened had to do with timing and place in life, but also because of who these individuals actually are as people.  I have been so blessed to know them and they have deposited so much into my life.  

Grazie mi nuove amici e grazie Piobbico!

As for me and what's next... I am off to the next gig as they say.  It is time to start learning new music and thinking about the fall audition season.  There is always more to learn!  I also plan to join some type of Italian conversation group so I can continue with my language development!  I will keep you all posted as well!  Thanks for reading about my trip to Italy!  I hope you learned something and had fun alongside me!  Keep coming back - you never know where the adventure of music will take you!

ROME

ROMA!

Wow! 

What a contrast from Piobbico! Everyone speaks English, for one. I was in a cab and the driver kept speaking to me in English even though I was speaking to him in Italian. 

I finally asked him if we could speak “solo Italiano…” 

He agreed. 

Rome is a hugely historical city. 

The coliseum, the bathhouses, the ruins. 

WOW! It is HOT too! Of course there is the Vatican as well.  

It is amazing to be looking at something you’ve read about your entire life!

There are a bunch of singers from ASU 

at the Rome Festival this summer! Rome is the hot spot I guess. 

Everyone in Rome wants to talk about America. 

It is so interesting! Trying to see everything in Rome 

in one trip is impossible, 

however there are a lot of things you can see. 

It is a very cool and very touristy city in the summer!

Today is a new day!

More pictures of Venice

Other Pics

Wrapping up Piobbico

Well, I must say that Piobbico, Italy is one of the most wonderful places I have ever been to in my life.  If you are ever thinking of going to Italy - consider visiting it!  Piobbico is 20-30 minutes from Urbino and Urbania.  It is a small city with lots of love and heart to give.  

Some highlights and recommendations:

Where to stay!

- My parents stayed in a beautiful "agriturismo," called "Perbacco."  Perbacco is a property that has three vacation apartments on the grounds.  The apartments are like homes.   They are spacious, clean, cutely-decorated, and complete with all the kitchen and bathroom items one would need.  Mom stayed in the first apartment, Infernaccio.  This place has two bedrooms, a huge bathroom and a loft.  The home is located right in front of Monte Nerone (the Nerone Mountain) and has a gorgeous hill-top view of Piobbico.  You are a 5 minutes walk from everything in Piobbico.  The owner, Luisa, is a kind, hard-working woman who even baked us a fresh tart with the fruits from her garden!

- I stayed in another vacation apartment right at the base of the Castello Brancaleoni.  My address was

1 Via Brancaleoni

Piobbico, IT

- OR - you could stay the the "Albergo Montenerone" (Montenerone hotel).  This hotel is quaint, clean, newly-renovated and located in the heart of Piobbico.  It is awesome!

Where to eat!

The food and wine in Piobbico are absolutely PERFECT!  You cannot do wrong, but here are some recommendations.

Il Burchio:  cucina e vino

61046 Piobbico (PU)
22, VIA GIUSEPPE GARIBALDI
tel: 0722 986517

*This restaurant is the very best in Piobbico!!!!!!!!

Everything on the menu is excellent!  Brothers Andrea & Marcelo Paiardini are the owners and they will treat you like family!  This restaurant is tucked away in an alley, and that allows it to be both romantic and quiet and fantastic!  After your meal ask for their signature "Crema di Lemoncello"  You will never be the same!

Another great place to eat is

Ristorante Montenerone Da Carletto
61046 Piobbico (PU)
28, VIA ROMA
tel: 0722 986282

Fantastic location in the heart of Piobbico!  Excellent food!  Carletto is the owner.  Ask for either him or Dino and they will take care of you!  I often allowed them to order for me - just whatever was good that day!

Finally - one of my favorite places to get a cappuccino and check my e-mail was the wonderful, family-owned cafe:  Caffe del Corso.  They are located right next to the Albergo Montenerone on Via Roma.  This wonderful cafe is owned and operated by 4 generations of one family.  They are always open and serve the best gelato in Piobbico!  You must go by!

I do hope many of you will consider taking a trip to Piobbico.  You can take a bus from Pesaro in just about an hour.  It is a glorious place!!!!!!

More thoughts and reflections to come...

VENEZIA!

Well, as I said I plan to take a pausa and reflect on my time in Piobbico. However – in the meantime, I am in Venezia (Venice). Wow! Totally different than Piobbico! It is like a movie with all the Gondolas and the water on the canal. I love it! Today we went to Piazza San Marco, the Museo Correr and the Palazzo Ducale. We went sightseeing up and down the Grand Canal on a Vaporetto (water bus). We ended up in Lido, which is a separate little island near Venezia and we got rained on at the Rialto Bridge Marketplace. FUN TIMES! P.S. It is so hard to find your way around Venice. The city is like a maze and the maps are impossible to read. We got lost for over an hour twice today!

It has been interesting to notice the differences between Le Marche Region and Venezia. First of all, everyone here speaks English – even when you try to speak to them in Italian! I actually don’t like it (except when I am lost). I am trying to work on my Italian people! Plus, there are tons of tourists here (Americans, Europeans and Chinese mainly). There is also a LOT of seafood here because we are right on the Adriatic Sea. AND SERIOUSLY – there is Gelato on every corner (yum!) and of course lots of great wine! Mom, Dave & I had a very full day! It was fun to be tourists!

I slept so good last night! I think my month in Italy is catching up with me! I am pooped! After Venice, I will be heading to Milan and then taking some R&R around Europe with friends. Mom and Dave go back to Rome on Wednesday. I met a lot of really wonderful people in Piobbico and some of us are going to travel around Europe and see some sights before heading back to the states! Maybe Germany, France – who knows! The world is our oyster! I think this will be great for debriefing and reflection.

I’ll blog as much as I can. Thank goodness for Internet café’s!

Ciao!

Il Concerto a Urbania

WE DID IT! We had two glorious nights of Il Trittico by Giacomo Puccini. It was glorious. First, we had cast B present Il Trittico with piano accompaniment in the courtyard of the Castello Brancaleoni in Piobbico. I sang in the chorus of Suor Angelica and enjoyed watching my friends sing to the people of Piobbico. So many more people came than expected! It was standing room only! It was so special and personal because the majority of the audience was made up of members from the Scuola Italia and our friends and neighbors from town.

Next, on Friday night, we presented Il Trittico at the Teatro Bramante in Urbania with orchestra. I had the blessed privilege of singing Suor Angelica. It was a glorious and all encompassing experience. As a confessed perfectionist, my goal for myself was to do my best and just BE Angelica rather than get caught up in vocal technique and so forth. I can honestly say that I did it! I was so blessed to have the wonderful opportunity to enter into the life and pain and joy of a character such as Angelica. Through many months of reflection and many years of life experience and soul searching, I was able to find a very deep, real connection with Angelica and felt very much like I was Angelica throughout the entire production. It is so fulfilling to see growth and progress in yourself and your music. I received many compliments, most of which had to do with my acting and ability to convey the emotion of the character. This blessed me profusely because it was my very deep desire to do just that. I enjoyed every moment of the opera, which climaxed at the end with a small Italian child being brought out onto the stage to play the part of my son. When I looked over and saw this beautiful little one reaching out to me, I just lost it; I embraced the child and cradled him in my arms as the chorus finished and the curtain closed. My heart soured with thanks to God, both as Angelica and as Lindsay.

In the coming days and weeks I desire to reflect more on my experience in Piobbico, however for today I want to share my deep felt heart of appreciation and gratitude for the opportunity given to me on Friday night. Some incredibly talented and dedicated artists and now dear friends, who all collectively and individually gave of themselves way beyond the point of full capacity, surrounded me. I was so emotional Friday night, I could hardly stand up. I sobbed and sobbed throughout the evening as I reflected back over this month with my new friends and prepared to say good-bye. I have been so deeply touched and stirred and changed by this experience.

As I mentioned, I plan to reflect on this month a lot more and share many more wonderful stories here on my blog, but for now what I can say is that the production was a tremendous success and the opportunity of a lifetime. I am FULL!

Dress Rehearsal

Dress Rehearsal --- well - it happened! What can I say? I need to go back and listen to the recording before saying too much, however it was both exciting and scary working with the orchestra! Cast B performs tomorrow night and then we sing on Friday. My days in Piobbico are winding down and yet the memories will last forever!

Last night the mayor of Piobbico and several locals hosted a wonderful dinner for all of us at Il Burchio - which by the way is a FABUOLOUS resturant. It was a polenta party! They made polenta from scratch and we all enjoyed an authentic and scrumptious Italian dinner! My parents joined us and they just took in the beauty and the people.

Singing on the stage with the orchestra was a wonderful gift to me and I can only hope that Friday night will be even better once we have an audience! I am SUPER busy over the next few days, so if my blog seems slow - hang in there with me! I will share all my stories and photos in due time.

Cioa and Buona notte!

Teatro Bramante

Yesterday, we took our first trip over to Urbania to rehearse with the orchestra at the Teatro Bramante in preparation for our performance on Friday night. It was incredible. This quaint little teatro was the sight of the premier of Verdi’s Il Trovatore. The theater is ornately decorated with artistic design and filled with rich, vibrant colors. Just to be standing there on the stage was like a dream. It was one of the most beautiful buildings I have seen in Italy. I am thrilled to have the chance to sing there on Friday. The small, 20-piece orchestra played wonderfully! I sat and listened to the other two of the Il Trittico and I was just so impressed! Our Tabarro cast is absolutely outstanding and I could hardly believe it when I was listening to them sing. Again, the same is true with the cast of Gianni Schicci. The performance is going to be very memorable and quite a spectacular evening!

Upon arrival in Urbania, I received a message from an Italian man I had ever met before. He was looking for me because an old friend of mine, who is now living in Rome, found out that I was in Italy. The man asked – do you know Jason… and I was thinking – say what??? Jason and I studied together with Janice Yoes at the University Arkansas 12 or 13 years ago. He was older and left long before me. He now lives in Rome with his family and wanted to connect with me here in Italy. Janice must have told him I was here! The world is actually a very small place!

Today we have our last day of musical wood-shedding. Tomorrow night is the dress rehearsal with the orchestra, back in Urbania. We then have two performances – Thursday & Friday! This is what we have been working towards! WOW! - Have I said “Wow” enough??? I am in a constant state of awe!

Successful run-through!

Well, yesterday was a big day for me! We ran through the entire Il Trittico and my parents arrived in Piobbico!

First - the run through! Can I just say "WOW!!!!" I am so full you better watch out or some may get on you! I had such a fantastic time singing and just being in the moment of the music - I never wanted it to end! I was dripping with sweat and totally starving after - yet completely full and brimming with joy. It went really well and I can see the growth of the last two weeks. I love singing and being a part of the deep communication of music. I am so blessed on this earth! Tomorrow we drive 30 minutes over to Urbania to have our first rehearsal with the orchestra in the Teatro Bramante. Is this my life????? Why YES - it is! Words area pathetic excuse for communicating how I feel right now.

To top it off - my mom and Dave arrived in Piobbico yesterday!!! It has been a glorious 24 hours with them. What a joy to share this bit of heaven with them. Today I had the day off and so we drove throughout Le Marche, visiting Urbino and Urbania. We just finished dining at the most fabulous restaurant in Piobbico - Il Burchio. I am so blessed, words cannot say! This is going to be a big week and I just hope to enjoy and be present in every moment of it.

More to come....

I am speaking in complete phrases!

I realized yesterday that I am speaking in more complete phrases, rather than just shooting out words. Italians I have befriended here have noticed and provided encouragement! Woo-Hoo!

Last night we presented our second night of opera scenes and arias. I joined in on the encore "O sole mio," however other than that I was off in preparation for my big Suor Angelica performance this next week. The singers I am with are just fabulous and as you'll see from some of my pics, we had a wonderful evening!

My mom and Dave arrive in Piobbico tomorrow afternoon. They are here for the week and the opera and then we will all head to Venice. I am so excited to actually get to share this place with people I love!

I am still growing all the time: learning about how to use my body more effectively, as well as my instrument. I am studying my character and deepening my understanding of the language. I have realized (once again) that in order to really learn something and grow in something, one must DO IT! Living in Piobbico where most people do not speak any English has totally forced me to grow in my Italian - what a gift! Working on the opera all day, everyday has helped me to grow in ways that I just can't in a school environment. That is partly why things like this exist! If you are a young singer and you are reading this, I encourage you to attend a program such as this as soon as you can! There is no way to learn and grow like this at home or at school. In fact, being here has helped me to reexamine the steps I am currently taking to improve my craft and consider additional means of learning , growing and developing as an opera singer. *Yes, I am being intentionally vague. I have not figured everything out yet, but I promise to share once I do!

As I head into the weekend, I head into a very full time of rehearsals and the like. Tomorrow we will actually run the entire Il Trittico, straight through for the first time. EXCITING!

I'll let you know how it went!
Ciao mi amici!

How to enter into a character

With 1 week until our big production of Suor Angelica, I have been focusing a lot on how to really be my character and allow what I am doing on stage to be organic and natural - gripping and compelling. The last thing I want is to just stand there and sing! This story, if you are unfamiliar with it, is so powerful and dramatic and real! *Verismo! Angelica came from noble birth, however after her parents died and she and her younger sister were taken in by her aunt, she found herself unmarried and pregnant. She was forced to give up the boy for adoption and live the rest of her days in a convent. For sever years she has lived in the convent without any word from home. She has grieved and obsessed with her son and longed for someone to come and see her. Then - it happens. She can hardly believe it - a visitor. It is her aunt! However, she enters the room without as much as a glance toward Angelica. She is cold and neutral and unemotional. She has come only to have Angelica sign away her remaining inheritance to her younger sister, who is to be married. Angelica looses it. WHAT ABOUT MY SON!!!!! I have not had a word in 7 years - please tell me something! In a very callous and cold manner, her aunt informs her that 2 years prior, her son fell ill and died. Upon hearing this most devastating news, Angelica crumbles to the floor. She sings her aria "Senza Mamma" where she mourns the loss of her baby. She then envisions taking her life so that she can be with her son in paradise. She creates a poison to drink and drinks it without hesitation - and then.... Then she realizes she has just committed a mortal sin and will be lost forever. She cries out to God to save her and a miracle occurs - she is saved.

Emotional huh? YES! My goal is to not make all of this too "mello-dramatic" but to just be Angelica and be authentic. That is the goal. So, now that I have learned all the notes and rhythms and words, I am meditating on how to be Angelica allow what Puccini wrote to be received into the hearts of those in the audience. It has been an emotional journey for me - one that I welcome and love. I am being stretched and I am growing.

More to come....

http://operanotes.blogspot.com/

Italian Life Lessons

Life lessons

I would be leaving out a big chunk of my experience in Italy if I failed to discuss the deeper life lessons that I have been learning here. As I have blogged about in the past, we cannot compartmentalize our lives, our singing, etc. We are one person and our emotions, experiences, beliefs, etc. all go together along with our singing and musicality to form one complete being. There have been many, many times throughout the years where I have found that the very issues I am struggling with in my personal life are also the very issues I am struggling with in my singing – such as letting go or being afraid. If I, Lindsay, am seeking to be in control of all things at all times, it will show itself in my singing – like with the presence of jaw tension. Or, if I am struggling with fear of man in my personal life, I will stand on the stage and do the same thing. Therefore, all the lessons we learn (and need to learn) go hand in hand between our “personal lives” and our singing.

While in Italy I have had the great privilege of meeting some outstanding people. The other participants are professional, mature, serious about music and passionate about singing and opera. The coaches, teachers and other staff are likewise professional, deep, insightful and extremely knowledgeable individuals. Being around them and wandering in and out of conversations with them about life, music and so on has been a wonderful gift to me. I see more clearly how much I have been living in a box. I have not been putting myself out there as I could – due to fear. Yet – I will never achieve all that I hope to if I stay locked in the box of fear. I will never be the singer, actress and person that I want to be (and am on the inside) if I don’t step outside my comfort zone and take risks. A risk could be something as simple as trying not to sing everything forte. What would happen if I took a risk, in an attempt to sing pianissimo? Well – I might crack or not make any sound at all. OR – I might discover the path to communicating a new idea through my singing. One thing is for sure – I will never know if I stay in my little safe mezzo-forte/forte box. The point is – take a chance. You might fall flat, but then at least you learned something and can move forward from there. *I am talking to myself, of course.

Without divulging too much, I want to share how I have been learning from those around me and how it has challenged, encouraged and at times frightened me. It has been a very enriching time of seeing and discovering for me and I am forever changed by it.

Bella Italia!

I just had the most beautiful experience - some friends and I went for an all-day bike ride throughout the back hills of the Marche region.  It was so glorious - words cannot express it.  I am sure that the most people will never see the sights I saw this weekend.  It was so wonderful!

Today starts our second full week - and the beginning of the preparation for Suor Angelica.  I am so excited to dive deeper into my character and the music.  The coaches and directors on staff here are simply amazing and I am grateful for the chance to learn from them.  I am so fully in love with Italy and Puccini right now - I can't explain it!  Bellisimo!

More soon...

Ho cantato il primo concerto ieri sera a Piobbico

New pics

Ho cantato il primo concerto ieri sera a Piobbico. I sang my first concert last night in Piobbico.

It was wonderful! We performed outside in the courtyard of the Castle Brancaleoni, which created an intimate and fairytale-like atmosphere.

The evening started with a cute and entertaining chorus scene from Act II of L’elisir d’amore by Donizetti. In this scene Giannetta gathers around all of her girlfriends to share the exciting news that Nemorino has just received a very large inheritance. Giannetta and the girls become excited thinking of how they might benefit in some way from this. Each of them begins to dream of how he might choose them to be his love. Giannetta continuously tells the girls to be quiet so as not to let anyone know of this new secret. Next Nemorino enters the scene, unaware of the ladies. He is drinking from a bottle of wine, which he believes is a love potion (an elixir of love). He’s been told that by drinking this potion, all women will adore him. The ladies see Nemorino and begin to get excited. They rush to him and begin to gawk & flirt. Nemorino believes that the love potion must be working, however he is unaware of the fact that the ladies are pursuing him because of his inheritance. Soon afterwards, Nemorino’s true love, Adina, enters the scene. She observes the women with Nemorino and becomes very jealous. We also see the entrance of Dulcamara, the doctor who gave Nemorino the love potion. He is astonished at the apparent success of his concoction. The scene builds as each character expresses their joys, frustrations and wonders and ends with a grand exit of Nemorino and the ladies.

Next I sang the Sextet from Act III of Don Giovanni by Mozart and I ended the evening singing all of Act III from La Bohème, by Puccini. This was the climax of the night for me. I have fallen head-over-heels in love with La Bohème. The music is brilliantly written and is glorious both for the singer and the audience. My character, Mimi, has been up all night – anxious – wanting to speak with Marcelo. Marcelo is sort of like a big brother to Mimi and is the close friend of Mimi’s love, Rodolfo. Mimi is in deep pain and anguish over her relationship with Rodolfo and she cannot contain it anymore. She cries out to Marcelo for help. She explains, maybe for the first time out loud, how Rodolfo has been acting very strange. He has developed a very serious jealous spirit. Even when someone simply passes by or speaks a word to Mimi, Rodolfo assumes the worst – that Mimi is somehow untrue to him. She continues telling Marcelo how Rodolfo even watches her sleep and has said to her you are not for me. She does not understand why her soul mate and the true love of her life is behaving in this way. She acknowledges that she and Rodolfo must part and begs Marcelo to help her. Meanwhile, Rodolfo is searching for Marcelo and begins to come outside where Mimi and Marcelo and speaking. Mimi hides and Marcelo and Rodolfo speak. Rodolfo tells Marcelo of his anguish over his broken relationship with Mimi and though he tries to say that it is about jealousy, he confesses that it is actually because Mimi is dying. Rodolfo has known for a while that Mimi has a terrible cough and will not live long and in a sense of denial and mourning – he drives her away so as to avoid the pain of losing her to death. Rodolfo does not realize it but Mimi is listening to this entire conversation. Up until this time, Mimi did not know that she was dying. She becomes grief stricken over her own life and breaks down crying. Her crying exposes her presence and Rodolfo runs to comfort her. However, she begins to say goodbye. At this time, she sings her famous and glorious aria “Donde Lieta.” She tells Rodolfo she is leaving and asks him to gather her things from his home so she can have someone retrieve them. As she lists the items, she begins thinking of the beautiful bonnet that he bought her and her heart begins to swell. She tries to be strong and leave however he stops her. While they know they must part, they sing of their love and seek to hold onto each other for a little while longer. Marcelo has come back in with his lover, Musetta and their counter duet creates a sense of rhythmical and emotional contrast to that of Rodolfo and Mimi. The four sing what has to be some of the most glorious music ever written and then Musetta and Marcelo exit. The act ends with Rodolfo and Mimi singing their love duet and trying to hold on to one more day together before they know they must part forever.

Puccini and Bohème are simply magical. When I was outside in the courtyard of the castle singing – it was like a dream. As I have written about in the past, there is always the temptation as a performer to simply judge yourself all the time and focus solely on technical accuracies and the like, never entering into the passion and heart of the music. However I made the choice yesterday, as we all can, to let all of that go and just be Mimi and sing. I did not want it to end. And consequently, I felt the scene went very well because all of us just poured out our hearts.

Overall I felt the evening was a tremendous success. The people of Piobbico seemed happy with us and I think each of us were thrilled to have been given the glorious privilege we had of singing under such phenomenal circumstances. What a gift and what a joy!

Venerdi e Il Mercato

Buongiorno!

Piobbico e molto buono.  Mi piace Italia e mi nuove amici!

Today is Friday (venerdi) and that means it is time for the open market!  All up & down the streets of Piobbico venders spread their goods for all of us to purchase.  There were fresh vegetables (vedure) and fruit (frutta) as well as shoes (scarpe) and dresses (l'abbigliamenti).  You could buy fresh cheese (formaggio) and homemade meats (salumi).  It was a lot of fun!  Our Italian class went - sort of like a field trip.  It was a wonderful opportunity to practice my Italian!  A fun time was had by all!

We also had a very FULL day of rehearsals because our first performance is tomorrow night.  I am honestly totally exhausted right now & plan to sleep soon (Io stanca & Io vorrei a dormire).

I will write more soon after we have our first concert!  I am really excited about it!  

Until then -Buonanotte! 

Great Resources

As part of my training here I will receive a private coaching &/or lesson with each member of the staff. Yesterday I had a voice lesson with Soprano Amy Johnson. Can I just say - WOW! In one hour we accomplished so much I could hardly resist the urge to cry. We discussed technique and she gave me some simple tips that created enormous difference in my sound and body usage. I am still flored! I also had an acting lesson with Tenor Mark Thomsen. I feel so much more centred and confidant! It is simply amazing to me. I have been given some superb people to work with.

We are doing an evening of scenes on Saturday night where I will be performing the La Boheme and Don Giovanni. It has been exciting putting all of this together with people from around the globe. We have singers, directors and coaches from 8 different countries participating in this program. For my Boheme scene I am singing with two powerhouses, professional, experienced men (Marcelo & Rodolfo) and an up and coming Musetta. I almost wept after singing through this scene with them because it feels like a dream. To sing the glorious music of Puccini's La Boheme in Italy with professional singers alongside you is like a dream come true. WOW!

Once the scenes night is over I will be solely focusing on Suor Angelica. It is a glorious work and I love the privilege of singing it. This experience continues to blow my mind. It is almost indescribable and I am fully aware how weak my little words are describing it. All I know is I am the luckiest girl alive.