Week 3 of AIMS

So after a dizzying first week of real classes, I had a fabulously relaxing weekend. Saturday was an easy recovery day for me, where I had the chance to catch my breath and refocus. Sunday evening was the very first AIMS concert, where the orchestra played "Fanfare for the Common Man" and "Also sprach Zarathustra," and Linda Watson sang some gorgeous Wagner.

The last three days I've been immersed in my classes. I've been focusing this week on "Caro Nome" and "Ach, ich liebte." I am determined to conquer "Ach, ich liebte"!!! Sra. Colon thinks that I sing it well and has been very encouraging. She has suggested to take some of the weight off my sound at the bottom of my runs, which has helped a ton. She has also been working on me rounding my sound so that there are more overtones in my notes. I have a horrible habit of spreading my mouth/sound horizontally. I need to think vertical. Looking in the mirror while singing is key for me until my mouth gets used to opening more vertically. One of the best moments of this week was when Sra. Colon said that she thinks I am very capable of having a successful singing career in Europe!!!!

There is a big singing competition at AIMS that I am entering next week - called the Meistersinger Competition - where there are two rounds of auditions and then the final 6-8 winners are chosen to sing with the orchestra in the very last AIMS concert. I need to have three songs prepared, and am still finalizing my choices with my teacher's help. Of course everyone else here is entering the competition, so my challenge is to figure out how to make my arias special and unique for my voice.

I have been cast in a few concerts, which is totally awesome! I will be singing in the Spanish music concert in a few weeks, as well as the Operetta concerts (there are four of them, plus one with orchestra that hasn't been cast yet). I am completely new to Operetta, so it's been great to learn a new and completely Austrian genre. What is not great is having to learn FIVE SONGS in one WEEK. I think I will be sleeping with the music under my pillow tonight and pray for osmosis to kick in.

Okay, time for bed! I have to wake up early tomorrow to do laundry, as I'm out of clean pants and it's supposed to be cold and rainy all week (like typical Seattle weather). I consider it a gift from the universe to help me feel love from home. :)

Governor's Reception

All gussied up with some of my AIMS friends.

On Friday evening (July 15th), AIMS was invited by the Styrian Governor to attend a reception at Schloss Eggenberg. They sometimes call this the "AIMS Prom" because everyone gets all fancied up. This is inside the "Planet Room" - so incredibly beautiful.

In the courtyard at Schloss Eggenberg.

Standing in front of the Schloss.

Wow - things are moving fast!

Has it really been 8 days since I last blogged?! Time is going by quickly over here. I am now in my second week of classes and am BUSY. :) Thanks for your patience.

So last week was amazing. My voice lessons and coachings have been so wonderful. It's really great to get two of each type of instruction each week. Each day is so incredibly full; it's a bit overwhelming at times. I have to consistently remind myself to focus on what my main priorities are here so that I don't spread myself too thin or get off track. Daily German classes are helping me learn the language, but I find that I'm a bit shy using it out in the 'real world' - except for in a restaurant. I'm pretty good at ordering gelato, but need to expand my repertoire, shall we say...

One of my favorite classes is Stage Artistry. I have a fabulous instructor, and she has been so helpful with providing me the tools to add more interest and color to my arias. I have some worksheets that I'm filling out for each of my arias, to be very purposeful with my actions/thoughts/emotions while singing. Very cool class - and very helpful for me.

As I wrote in a prevous post, I was really hoping to get cast to sing a certain aria with the orchestra. Unfortunately I did not get it, but a really talented and wonderful singer did and I wish her the best. I was upset about it for a night - thinking "I spent the last six months learning that aria and I think I do a really great job with it. What did I do wrong? Why didn't I get it?". But the next morning was a new day, and I realized I was being too competitive and that my energy should be spent focusing on improving myself, not on the things I'm NOT getting cast in. There are so many great singers here that I'm catching myself comparing what I have with others. I need to just keep focusing on doing my best, and great things will come in the right time.

We've had an agent and an Intendant come to AIMS this last week, which has been very informative. They have each spoken to the students about how the German/Austrian music system works and how a potential client can audition and work with them. A singer will audition for an agent, get signed on, and then the agent will send the singer to auditions that are appropriate for that singer's voice type and experience. When a singer auditions, she is expected to introduce herself and her song in German, and be able to converse with the panel in German afterwards. Talk about motivation for learning more German!!! The Intendant spoke about what singers should wear, what songs they should choose, what qualities he is looking for in a singer before offering him/her the job, how much money singers should expect to make their first year with a smaller house, benefits, etc. The Intendant and agent have been auditioning students who are ready for an international career. I have not been chosen to audition for them yet, but will keep you posted.

Masterclass Photos & More

World-class Wagnerian soprano, Linda Watson - giving a masterclass

My fellow students, watching the masterclass

Before the Faculty Concert

Linda Watson Masterclass & More

World-class Wagnerian singer, Linda Watson, gave a masterclass tonight, and wow, it was fabulous! I can't believe I'm in the presence of so many great singers and instructors. This is really top-notch training I am receiving. There is so much to learn from watching and listening to other singers, and I feel like we are a supportive bunch. I love cheering on the other students, and there is always something that I hear that I can apply to myself.

I'm still waiting to find out which concerts I'll be performing in over the next several weeks. I am really sending a plea out to the universe to let me sing in an orchestra concert, hopefully for "O quante volte" (I Capuletti e i Montecchi) but I'll just have to wait and see. There are plenty of opportunities for us students to perform (masterclasses, voice studio, stage artistry, voice recitals, etc) but I REALLY want to sing that particular aria while being accompanied by the AIMS orchestra. I'll let you know... :)

My Class Schedule

Wow - what a wonderful couple days it has been! I received my class schedule on Sunday, and here it is:

Mondays & Wednesdays

10:40-11:25 German

11:30-12:15 Voice Lesson w/Evangelina Colon

12:15-1:00 Lunch

1:00-1:45 French/German/Italian Diction

4:15-5:00 Voice Recitals on Mondays / Vocal Coach Studio Class on Wednesdays

Tuesdays & Thursdays

9:50-10:35 Stage Artistry

10:40-11:25 German

11:30-12:15 Audition Training Seminar

12:15-1:45 Lunch

1:50-2:35 Voice Coach w/Darryl Cooper

4:15-5:00 Voice Studio Class on Tuesdays / Special Seminars & Concerts on Thursdays

Fridays

10:40-11:25 German

Isn't that fabulous?! I get to sing and learn about singing ALL DAY, and there is usually something exciting going on in the evenings.

I am so fortunate to be working with my voice teacher, Evangelina Colon. She is from Puerto Rico and has a ridiculous amount of performance and teaching experience. Her teaching philosophy is similar to Awilda's, so I feel like we are already speaking the same language. In our first lesson, we mostly spent the time getting to know each other. She also vocalized me to get a sense of my range and timbre. My current range is a low E to a high F! Yay! She suggested that we work on my songs that highlight my coloratura abilities, so we are going to be working on "Caro Nome" (Rigoletto), "Piangero" (Giulio Cesare) and...my dreaded "Ach, ich liebte" (Die Entfuhrung aus dem Serail). I sang "Ach, ich liebte" for my Met audition last Fall, and it has since gotten worse - mostly because I feel a deep anxiety when I sing it and so my throat literally closes up. I really want to overcome my issues with that aria, because I know it fits my voice well and could be a fabulous song for me. Just need to get over the mental part. 90% of singing is mental. I'm really looking forward to working with Sra. Colon!

I am also incredibly fortunate to be working with Darryl Cooper. As a vocal coach, he will be making sure I am singing my songs with proper diction, phrasing and with proper musicality for the aria. He currently works at the San Francisco Conservatory. We had our first coaching session today, and I'm already a big fan. We worked on "Ach, ich fuhl's" (Die Zauberflote) - and he helped me think about the song in new ways. We talked about Pamina's state of mind when she sings the aria in the opera, and how heartbroken she is, as well as how I can phrase the music to reflect the emotion while staying true to what Mozart wrote. When I lift my head up I need to BE Pamina, with all of the heartbreak and deep sadness at the thought that her love with Tamino is gone. Darryl told me to just go for it, and let go, and take risks. I didn't realize how little I was opening up my heart with this song. I have felt deep sadness, and need to let that come out to connect with my character and ultimately, my audience. If I don't feel it in my heart, how can anyone be touched listening to me sing? Darryl is going to be great for me.

This is so exciting...I am just incredibly happy to be here and know that it's going to be a great summer! I go to bed exhausted every night, but it is a good exhaustion. I am so energized by this work.

Photos

Here I am at the top of the Schlossberg (big hill with an old fortress at the top)

The Studentenheim - home for the next five weeks

Inside the Graz Dom (cathedral)