2 days...

OK - this morning I woke up stressed.  My suitcase is too full, my house looks like a tornado blew threw it and I need to practice!

I am about to go to ASU to have my final coaching with Dr. Mills and then I need to check some stuff out from the music library before I run through the entire Suor Angelica with Jeremy.  Balancing everything feels like a lot today.  

I always overpack!  It's mainly because I don't know what I will really want when I'm away so I just bring everything.  However with weight limits and the like I really have no choice but to leave some things behind.  We have a scale that we are using to weigh my luggage.  First I get on, log my weight and then I get on holding my bag & log that weight.  Then I subtract my weight from the total to determine how much my bag weighs.  Right now --- too much!

I am laughing at all my "gadgets."  I have my computer, my iPod, my recorder, my camera, my power converter and all the plugs that go with.  Just when I think to myself - never mind - I remember that once I am there I will be so glad that I have all these devices with me.  

When I check my luggage in, sit in my window seat, turn on my iPod and close my eyes, I'm sure I'll exhale.  However I suspect that today & tomorrow will be very full and probably very tiring.

Off I go...  

Video Greeting!

3 days to go & my iPod died!

Well, with 3 days until I leave my trusted, VERY USED iPod Mini...died.  At first I was overwhelmed because I use my iPod daily when 1) working out, 2) to listen to my repertoire.  PLUS, I had already planned that I would use it both in the airport (for my 10-hour layover) and on the plane to run through all my repertoire for Italy.  So having it die on me was TRAGIC.  Then I realized how thankful I should be.  Perche?  Because at least it happened here and not there!  Here I can replace it - there I'm stuck.  So, I bought a new RED iPod Nano yesterday which I hope to take with me to Italy.  Everyday is a chance to learn something.  

*Thanks mom

4 days 'til liftoff!

As I prepare to spend a month in Italy, my mind is racing with a million various thoughts, questions and "to-do's." I imagine the things I'll do, the people I'll meet and what the town will look like.  I go over in my mind what I should (and should not) pack.  I ponder what the food will be like and daydream about singing in an ancient castle with a fabulous orchestra!  In all of this I have made lists - packing lists, lists of errands to run and things like my itinerary.  I have also brainstormed about how to make sure to have the BEST possible 4 weeks in Italy!

One topic that I have thought a lot about is how to maintain my healthy, active lifestyle while on vacation and away from home.  When at home, I typically prepare my of my own food and eat a mixture of lean protein, fat-free dairy products and LOTS of produce.  I do cardio almost every day and do strength training 3 days a week.  These things are really important to me and so I have recently spent time thinking through how I will maintain all of this away from home.  Here's my plan:

I will be living in my own little apartment - complete with a kitchen!  GREAT!  I have been told that there are a lot of wonderful, fresh markets in town with lots of locally grown produce.  FABULOUS!  I have discovered that Piobbico is known for its beautiful hills and hiking, and with average summer temps in the 70's, I figure I will have plenty of opportunity to hike, run, walk and therefore be able to get in my cardio while discovering the beauty of my new surroundings!  AWESOME!  I also met with a trainer at my gym who showed me how to use a tube to work all my upper-body muscles, if no gym is available.  I have a cool workout journal where I have written down a lot of wonderful strength-training exercises that I can do without any machines - just in case.  YES!  And so I am feeling good about living healthy even while being in Italy for a whole month!!!!  *Of course I have also given myself permission to enjoy the local favorites such as pasta, gelato and wine - just in moderation!  

It is exciting to consider actually living in a new place.  I hope to meet a lot of locals and practice my Italian with them as well as learn all about their culture.  I hope to shop in the local markets and then head back to my little flat and prepare some wonderful, healthy meals complete with fresh herbs, fresh fish and fresh veggies!  MMMmmm!

So, I think what I have learned is that thinking ahead can make all the difference!  Imagining myself there and then considering what I can do or learn before I go to make my trip the best it can be really can make all the difference!

6 days...

Lots of little things are still left to be completed but overall I am ready to go!  I don't think I'll really believe I'm going until I'm there (or at least on the plane).  It still feels like a dream.

I have learned some ESSENTIAL Italian phrases - to get me through the next month.  They include:

- "Io non so."  [I don't know]

-"Io vuolle mangiare qual cosa." [I want to eat something]

- "Lei capisce L'Inglesi?"  [Do you speak English?]

HA! - Actually, it has been fun to revisit the Italian language.  I studied it as part of my undergraduate (years ago).  I look forward to trying out my new phrases on real Italians!

7 days...

So, it's 5 am and I have been awake for 90 minutes.  Can you tell I'm getting excited?  My mind is full - not of stress but anticipation!  This seems to always happen to me when I am preparing for something BIG.

I found some beautiful pictures online of Piobbico:  PICTURES 

Here's an idea of where I'll be in Italy:  MAP

8 days and counting...

Today has been one of those "wood-shedding" days. For weeks now I have been meeting with my vocal coach, Dr. Robert Mills as well as my pianist friend, Jeremy Peterman, several times a week to go through my music. We are at the point now where it is time to leave the score outside the room and really try singing through stuff OFF-BOOK.

I have been sitting in the practice room up at ASU all day just hammering words into my mind. Overall I am doing good with memorization - there are just certain spots that need to be ironed out. However I must admit that locking myself in a room and trying to memorize repertoire is not my favorite part of the job. I prefer to just practice and practice and eventually, naturally memorize everything. However in this case I have not had the luxury of time to do that. With only 8 days to go, I need to just do it until it's done.

So, in the end I will be glad for the progress made but yikes it's tiring! *Whenever I feel tempted to complain - I just remind myself that in a week I will be in Italy having a blast and these fleeting moments of madness will be gone and forgotten about!!!!

9 days...

More travel details...

Toward the end of my time in Italy I will be joined by my mom and step-father!  They are traveling to Rome for vacation and then they will make their way to Piobbico to see our final production, Suor Angelica.  After my program is over - mom, David and I will head to VENICE for a few days!!!  Then after that I will take a train to MILAN where I hope to see the "Teatro alla Scala" (La Scala) before catching a flight home.  *La Scala is the most famous opera house in the world besides the MET in New York.  Teatro alla Scala

I doubt I will see an opera there, however just to stand in front of the building where so many of my favorite works have premiered will be thrilling!

More later on...

10 days and counting!

Gees - I cannot believe all that goes into leaving the country for a month!  Thank goodness for family & friends!  I am starting to get really excited!  I think it's finally hitting me that I am going to Italy for a month!  

One of the most common questions I get is - "What part of Italy will you be in?"  My trip starts by flying into Bologna (northern Italy).  I will stay the night and then take a train 2 hours south-east to Pesaro.  Pesaro is located in the center, East Coast of Italy, on the Adriatic Sea.  From there I will take a bus to Piobbico.

I will be in the "Marche Region" of Italy, (Le Marche) near Urbino.  The city I will be in, Piobbico, is so small that you won't find it on the map.  Piobbico is up in the mountains and the climate there is cool (70's and 80's).  There are rolling hills and lots of beautiful countryside.  It is known for olives, cheeses, hiking and the arts!

Once in Piobbico, I will have my own 1 bed/1 bath flat!  I will be within walking distance of everything - right in the center of town.  My mornings will be spent at the Scuola Italia where I will have three hours a day of Italian class.  We will then break for lunch and in the afternoons and evenings I will participate in music rehearsals.  I will be able to shop for fresh fruits and seafood at the local markets and eat gelato at the local cafe!

The first weekend we are there we will present a night of arias and scenes in Piobbico.  I will perform Act III of La Boheme, by Puccini, singing the role of Mimi.  The following weekend we will again present a night of scenes.  This time I will perform the sextet from Don Giovanni, by Mozart, singing the role of Donna Elvira.  Finally our last weekend there, we will travel down the mountain to Urbania where we will perform all of Il Trittico, by Puccini, with orchestra.  Il Trittico consists of three one-act operas:  Il Tabarro, Suor Angelica and Gianni Schicci.  I will be singing the role of Suor Angelica in Suor Angelica.  We will perform this with a full orchestra at a beautiful historic castle.  *Yes a castle!

Throughout my time in Piobbico I will also have the opportunity to work with professional opera singers, coaches and teachers.  I will have one-on-one and group instruction.  There will be about 30 singers there from all over the USA and beyond.  This will be an amazing experience, I'm sure, and I will hopefully be able to use my computer there to keep in touch - so check back frequently!

More to come before I depart!

16 days 'til departure!

Buon Giorno!

It's been a while since my last post!  After my recital I fell over dead!  Then finals and now finally I'm back!  I leave for Italy in 16 days and I cannot believe it!  Learning mass amounts of music in a small amount of time has been a crazy growing experience!  I have been spending many hours each day speaking through, singing through and translating Suor Angelica, La Boheme and the scenes from Don Giovanni and L'elisir Damore.  It seemed like a good topic to discuss:  how to learn music well.  Especially if you are learning vocal music that will be sung in a foreign language, I recommend to start with a word-for word translation and IPA of the text.  This will allow you to know each word and how to pronounce it.  Then, especially with languages like Italian, it is key to try to speak the text in rhythm.  There are twice as many syllables as there are beats per measure and so it is key to be able to say it before trying to add pitches.  THEN - just do it over and over again until it's memorized.  Listen to recordings, watch DVD's of the performance and just practice a lot!  This type of repetition works great for me. 

In addition, I have also been working on reviewing my Italian!  There are some fabulous resources out there, such as Simon and Schuster's Pimsler audio-only method.  This set of CD's allows you to interact in conversation.  The vocabulary used in each lesson is then repeated and built upon in the following lessons.  The speaker also breaks down the pronunciation of each word.  I also purchased a wonderful workbook on Italian verb tenses by McGraw-Hill.  This is very similar to a workbook a student might use in a classroom setting.  There are lessons and then fill-in-the-blank questions.  There is a key in the back that allows you to check your work.  These resources have been GREAT!

I am really getting excited about the trip.  I know I will learn so much from the instructors and the people of Piobbico.  I also look forward to meeting many new people!!!!

Italian words of the day:

Buon Giorno! = Hello!

Scusi = Excuse me

Arrivederci! = Good-bye