Week 4 photos

Eating dinner with some of my AIMS friends

Inside the Stefaniesaal, where our orchestra concerts take place

Schniztel - dinner of champions

On our way to the first operetta concert at the casino...looking a *bit* stressed

Week 4

Wow, the week has just flown by! The last week and a half of classes have been fantastic. Voice lessons are fabulous, my coachings are going well, I couldn't ask for more - except for things to slow down a bit. It's really shocking to think that I only have two more weeks left of the program. But WOW, what a couple of weeks it will be!

Most students went out of town to Vienna or Salzburg last weekend, but I chose to stay in Graz to relax, refocus and catch up on sleep. On Sunday I went to a spa about an hour away and basically spent the day in a hot tub. Not a bad way to spend a free day. :) I'm finding that rest is just as important as the work, as a lot of students are starting to get sick. There are so many things to do, and us singers are pretty social folk, so it's tough to say no and stay in my room. I've taken naps over the past week as I've needed them. This is mentally and physically exhausting work, and I certainly don't want to get sick.

So...updates on concerts! I was cast in 3 of the 4 operetta concerts with piano AND 3 additional operetta concerts with orchestra!!! We had our first operetta concert with piano this last Wednesday at the Graz Casino, and it was an intense experience. I had little time to memorize the music (with all of the other work I'm doing), so I felt incredibly nervous. The show went really well, considering how anxious we all were. There was one terrifying moment when I forgot about 4 measures of words and had to make up some German nonsense lyrics until my memory kicked back in, but I just had to keep going. Oh well. My other duet went really well so overall I felt good about the experience, and I have two more opportunities to perform the songs. I'm singing a different piece for the orchestra operetta concerts, so yet another song to learn in record time. This song is a duet and I can't wait to perform it with the orchestra! Our first orchestra concert will be at the top of the Schlossberg, which will be so cool.

Tomorrow is a really big day for me, as it's the first round of the Meistersinger Competition! 45 students signed up for the competition, and then 24 will proceed on to Round 2, and then 8 for the final concert. We all had to list 3 songs for the competition, but will only be singing 1 of the 3 tomorrow. My three are "Caro Nome", "Depuis le jour" and "Ach, ich fuhl's." I really wanted to get "Ach, ich liebte" in a good place, but it's just not competition-ready yet. And I guess it's a good thing, as I saw that four other women listed that song as one of their three competition arias. I feel really good about my three arias, and have chosen to sing "Caro Nome" tomorrow. I've had lots of time with that aria this week and feel confident I can rock it for tomorrow's competition. It's hard not to get all worked up about the competition, and wonder what other people are doing, but again, I just need to keep my focus on doing MY very best. Keep me in your thoughts and prayers!

Today was a very special day, as it was Abby's 8th birthday. I've never been away from her on her birthday, so I felt a bit of sadness throughout the day. I did get to Skype her this afternoon and send her my love and kisses, as well as a special happy birthday recording from me and my friends here at AIMS. I love her so much, and can't wait to see her in a week!

Okay, bedtime for me! Time to get in the zone and become Gilda (the character that sings Caro Nome). Gute Nacht!

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... :)