A Classical Singer's Journey - Opera, Sacred Music

Off to a Great Start This Year!

2012-01-17T14:21:00.001-05:00

I'm thrilled to be off to a great start this year, having just spent a weekend immersed in Renaissance and Baroque music.

I am passionate about continually educating myself, perfecting, and broadening my musicianship so that I can stay in great vocal shape, and keep sharp the intellectual skills that are a requirement of classical singing.

I am currently drafting a full review of my Early Music weekend, and will post it in coming days.

Do you like Renaissance music?

Do you like Baroque music?

Please tell me.....and thanks for reading my blog!

A Great 2011

2011-12-31T22:23:00.001-05:00

Wow, I can't believe I haven't updated this blog since July! Shame, shame (slapping the back of my left hand), shame on me! I absolutely must do better in 2012. Admittedly, I've been distracted. I've had a lot going on, but I have good things to report about 2011.

I made great strides this past year. I've made acquaintances with some wonderful colleagues, had some great performance opportunities in some wonderful venues come my way, expanded my repertoire, and nailed a key audition.

I'm looking forward to more great experiences and performances in 2012 (some of which are already in the works).

What would you like to see me do in 2012?

Thanks for reading my blog!

You Just Never Know......

2011-07-29T12:42:00.008-04:00

The scouting motto, "Be prepared," is one that I try my best to live by in my artistic life.

On this past Sunday afternoon, at the last minute, I was asked to step in for a soloist who, seemingly, was not going to make it in time for the opening of a national convention. The request came to me some 10 minutes before the start of the program, while I was in a waiting area trying to line up with the choir with whom I was there to sing. I was there to sing in the chorus, not to solo.

The ironic thing is that someone suggested to me, days before, that if something went wrong at the opening event, and a soloist was needed at the last minute, I might be the one called upon as the substitute. I put no stock into that suggestion, whatsoever. I spoke with that same person, days later, and the last thing they said to me was, "Okay, Cimarron, make sure you bring some repertoire with you to the event." Well, on the morning of the event, as I was relaxing at home, I thought to myself, "Hmmm, let me pull two pieces from my rep, and look them over." So, I looked at Faure's Pie Jesu, and Margaret Bonds' He's Got the Whole World In His Hand. I marked through them, so as not to stress my voice before leaving to go sing in the chorus, and then I slipped them into my concert binder. I remember thinking to myself, "Why am I humoring this friend? There is no chance that I will be asked, at the last minute, to substitute as the soloist. However, you just never know."

During the opening minutes of the convention, as I sat in the choir loft of Bright Hope Baptist Church, I was sure that the scheduled soloist had indeed arrived. Then I heard the emcee inform the audience that she was not able to make it, and that they had a "ram in the thicket" named, Cimarron Frazier. I thought to myself, "OMG, this is it." As I walked out of the choir loft and over to the front of the rostrum I saw the accompanist walking down the aisle towards the piano. I wanted to set the tempos of my two pieces with him, but I couldn't get near him because of the layout of the sanctuary. I remember our eyes locking, and I knew, instantly, that he was going to follow me, masterfully, and that setting tempos with him was not going to be necessary (although at the time I had no idea who he was).

I can honestly tell you that there was an energy emanating from that audience, and a spirit permeating the atmosphere that I felt to the marrow of my bones which made singing before them a wonderful moment for me. Many of the attendees approached me, at the end of the program, to congratulate me on a job well-done. As I thanked each and every one of them, I realized more, and more, what a gift the performing arts are to humanity, and what a joy it is to be a performing artist. Part of that joy, for me, is being able to connect with people through music.

We've all heard of instances like Sunday's happening to other people. I never thought it would happen to me. One of my former voice teachers - the late Graciella Silvain - often told me the importance of keeping my voice in top shape. She would say, "You must do something, everyday, with your voice, even if it's just 10 minutes of vocalising on days that you are tired, in order to keep your voice beautiful." That was her way of saying, "Be prepared."

I'm so glad I was prepared.

Me, with Joseph Joubert

Oh, by the way, Sunday's event was the opening of the 92nd Annual Convention of the National Association of Negro Musicians, the request to sing came from Marc Delano Jenkins, president of the Philadelphia branch, and I later learned that my accompanist was the magnificent, virtuoso pianist Joseph Joubert.

I Will Remember

2011-06-15T22:41:00.001-04:00

When I think about some of the people I've encountered in my artistic life my heart simply smiles.

There was this one man who bubbled over with zest, passion, and zeal. He really knew how to encourage and bring out the best in others. He was one of my first stage directors. I was struck, immediately, by the enormous amount of respect he demonstrated towards us singers. Some of us were seasoned performers, some of us were beginners, and some of us were somewhere in between, but there were no ranks of importance for Jim. His respect for all of us was equal.

Jim allowed artists to flourish, blossom, take wings and fly, because he was secure, and brave enough not to suffocate us with control. He would say something like, "Here's what's happening in this scene, now go, do it!" Then, he would stand back, watch us, and smile.

Jim loved chaotic scenes in operas, and he loved, even more, drinking scenes. In fact, one of the first things he'd tell every cast was, "There's a drinking scene in this opera. Anyone who's worked with me, before, knows that if I'm directing, there's a drinking scene."

I gathered that Jim loved those kinds of scenes because of his love for people. He was always reminding us to convey humanity in those scenes by touching each other; laughing heartily; grouping ourselves, instead of standing in a line formation; and facing each other even when doing so required some of us to show our backs to the audience. He would say, "This is how people were, hundreds of years ago, when they'd get together. Don't be afraid to touch each other."

Jim was always reminding us how to be our best, onstage. When we made mistakes he didn't yell at us, but he'd say something like, "Here's what you do." He was always concerned about any of us being upstaged. Oftentimes, when we were rehearsing a scene, he'd walk over and ask, "Do you feel like you're being upstaged?" Many times he would say to the cast, "Be careful that you don't upstage each other." Jim had so much respect for each and every one of us.

I remember one operetta production that Jim directed in which I was part of a female quartet ensemble. Although we'd gone over the curtain call in the dress rehearsals, at the end of the opening night performance our quartet did not get our curtain call due to some backstage hustle and bustle that caused some of the other comprimarios to take theirs ahead of ours. My quartet was upset about that, but we knew it was an innocent mistake, so we "got over it", and went home without making any ado. On the night of the second performance, when Jim came into the rehearsal room to give us notes before the start of the show, the first thing he said was, "Okay, I want to go over the curtain call, again, so we're all sure about who goes out, when." My heart simply smiled. Jim had so much respect for all of us.

A week and a half ago, I attended Jim's funeral. It was a beautiful service, full of beautiful music, and beautiful thoughts of Jim shared by his friends.

My heart has been heavy since the day I learned that Jim left this earth. He was just beautiful person.

Ever since my first experience working with Jim, each and every time I've researched a role, developed a character, or prepared for stage work I've thought of him.

I will remember James V. Wiest all the days of my life.

In the Baroque Quarters of Heaven

2011-05-23T23:51:00.002-04:00

I'm back blogging a week after returning home from a memorable 10-day choir tour (more about that in future posts).

I will begin this post with my Easter season performances; they were a success! I have to give much credit to my coach, Lisa Harer de Calvo, for that. She worked meticulously with me on the arias from Handel's Messiah, and the soprano solos in Dubois' Seven Last Words of Christ. Truthfully, you can't be too meticulous with me, because I am a perfectionist to the max. I want full justice given to every work that I sing.

Yesterday, during service at Bryn Mawr Presbyterian Church, I sang Bach's duet, Wir Eilen Mit Schwachen (from Cantata No. 78), with the marvelous mezzo-soprano, Suzanne DuPlantis. My goodness, was that a joy to sing. Initially, I was not too thrilled about this music when it was placed in my hands. You see, I still have "issues" with Bach that go back to my formative years when I had to learn to play those piano inventions of his. Even though I eventually came to realize that I'm not wired "instrumentally", those issues are still with me (I probably need some therapy - LOL), but I recognize an exquisite score when I see it, and I'm all for expanding my repertoire, and I LOVE all things Baroque, so I immediately began learning it. I can tell you I'm truly the better for it, too. The combination of the rich sound of Ms. DuPlantis' voice underneath mine, along with the organ so masterfully played by Jeffrey Brillhart, and the feel of the coloratura flittering through my voice, temporarily transported me to the Baroque quarters of Heaven!

Now, I am trying to decide if I can carve out enough time to get two pieces in shape for an upcoming salon whose date is fast approaching. As I mentioned in the beginning of this post, I've just returned from a 10-day choir tour, and I've been so busy that I'm just now getting around to unpacking. I'm still organizing my thoughts, and photos of the tour, and I will be sharing them, bit-by-bit, with you.

Well, that's all for now, and thanks for reading this post!

A Busy Week

2011-03-11T00:24:00.000-05:00

This is, without a doubt, one of the busiest weeks of my life, but I'm determined not to let it become one of the most stressful.

My week includes several final choir rehearsals for a weekend production, one afternoon for a coaching session, singing as one of several soloists on a weekend salon program, going to work every day, and on the evenings when there are no rehearsals to attend, spending time at home practicing and preparing all of the music for this weekend's performances...whew!

I spent time with one of my coaches, earlier this week, working on a couple of Messiah (Handel) arias for this weekend's salon performance. I've been engaged to sing them at a local church on Easter weekend, and the salon presents a great opportunity to try them out (with new ornamentations, phrasings, and breathing spots) on a more intimate audience, beforehand; a test run.

Having been down with a cold (sure throat, and all), last week, I'm not completely back to full voice, so I'm feeling like I'm behind a vocal 8-ball. I'm forcing (and pacing) myself to relax, and be patient with my voice, because if I don't I will begin to stress out, and that will lead to disastrous performances.

My social circle of friends will probably be upset with me for not returning their phone calls this week, but that's a price I'm willing to pay for the preparation time I so desperately need. Right now, this music must occupy the bulk of my free time.

OMG! I've been so absorbed in writing this post that a glance at the clock tells me it's time for bed.

Sleep, one more thing for me to do.

My Revelation

2011-02-22T13:26:00.000-05:00

I got another plum solo engagement since my last post. It's good times for me these days. Why? Precisely because I'm working towards performance dates. I like that!

Also, I like the autonomy of solo singing. It offers me creative freedom. Don't get me wrong, I like choral/ensemble/duet singing, too. They have their cherished places in my life, but after prolonged periods I begin to feel restricted in those settings; like a caged bird. My center of security is not there; it is alone, with instrumental or vocal accompaniment.

You see, I like going through the various steps of preparing a solo piece - choosing and writing ornamentations for my voice; working, tediously, on the dramatic delivery of a piece; deciding on the phrasings that best fit my voice; working with teachers, and coaches to bring a piece to perfection - all to create a sort of bespoke musical garment for my instrument.

Now, some may misunderstand this joy of soloing for conceit, but that's the risk I take for revealing this part of myself, a risk whose undertaking I debated long, and hard about. However, isn't baring my performing soul the very reason for this blog?

Picking Up During the Downtime

2011-02-07T23:37:00.002-05:00

I blogged, last week, about having downtime, these days. Since the beginning of the year I had no upcoming solo engagements. I admit to being somewhat discouraged by that, but I refused to give into that state of mind, so I resolved to make the downtime work to my advantage. (Read last week's entry.) In my heart of hearts lay a strong belief that I had to keep practicing and studying so that I'd be prepared for whatever opportunities I would meet with in the future.

Since my last post, I have picked up several engagements.

I'm still in downtime, because all of these engagements are a couple of months away, but you know what? I need this downtime to prepare for those performances, especially since one involves an intense work that I've not sung before. Preparation is the life-line of a performer's existence.

I will share more about these engagements in the weeks and months to come.

Embracing Downtime

2011-02-01T03:42:00.000-05:00

Well, this week will be spent memorizing lots of music, and keeping myself motivated. It's the times between engagements - the downtimes - when one can become lazy, and slack up on daily practice. It can easily happen, because the downtimes also give you the chance to catch up on the everyday matters of life that you put off handling during performance/rehearsal periods. You get busy and distracted, and the next thing you know it's time for bed, and you haven't gotten one minute of practice in for the day.

Also, as a performing artist you can become very frustrated when you don't know when and from where your next engagement will come. Some even question whether or not they want to continue the pursuit of performing. The truth is that it's during these times - the downtimes- that one must continue to move forward, nevertheless.

I'm taking this downtime to work on some standard repertoire from a new perspective, and to spiritually nourish my performance soul.

Remembering the late Shirley Verrett

2011-01-29T18:12:00.001-05:00

One month into this new year, and I've made both plans, and changes. I've sought and found new sources of motivation, and am encountering new experiences. I look forward to what this new year holds in store for me.

As I continue to tweak my plans, a chance meeting, a few years ago, with the late Shirley Verrett is ever present in my mind. I happened to attend a function over which she was presiding, and we got to talk, alone, for quite some time. She seemed as eager to talk to me as I was to talk with her, and that impressed me immensely. Our eagerness to talk with each other lay in the extremely similar backgrounds of our personal lives. We both knew that there are very few people whom we'd ever encounter with such similarities. I had so many questions for her, but I was surprised by the questions she had for me. We laughed, mused, sighed, and yes, encouraged each other like we'd known one another for a lifetime. Of course, Ms. Verrett's encouragement for me was more profound, I think, than any I could've given her, but she certainly did not make me feel that way. No, we did not talk about the business of singing, nor the techniques of the art, but rather of the human experiences that nurture, and nourish the psyche of an artist. I have no photograph of the two of us, together, nor an autograph of her's from that day, but I have a memory, and some sage advice that will last a lifetime. I am ever grateful to God for allowing our paths to cross, that day.

2010-12-27T17:20:00.000-05:00

First, I want to wish all of you a very Merry Christmas, and a joyous holiday season!

It has been a while since I last posted. I've had a lot of things happen in my life since then, a lot of good things which have occupied my time, leaving little computer time for me to post. I won't go into the specifics of it all, but I will say that just when I was at the end of my tether, and it seemed that life was no longer going to allow me conditions necessary to pursue performing, a breakthrough came; I thank God each and every day for it. It was one of those small, but significant breakthroughs that allow one to continue on their journey. As a result, I am surrounded most of my days by people who are in the arts, who nurture my creative soul like life-sustaining water. We laugh together, cry together, share concerns with each other, advise each other, encourage each other, and affirm each other. When we leave each other, we do so bolstered for an "outside" world that finds it difficult to understand the way we think, operate, and prioritize our lives.

I have already set goals for myself for the coming year, some of which I've begun to achieve. God has lately placed key people in my life to spur me onward, some are new associations, and others are rekindled associations. I am, admittedly, a very cautious, and fiercely independent person, but these recent events in my life are teaching me to recognize the hand of God in their occurrences.

I don't know how often I will be able to post updates on my journey, but please pray with me that the time between my posts will be spent making progressive steps towards my goals.

Note: My next post will be of my thoughts on the recent passing of Shirley Verrett.

Preparing......

2010-10-12T23:25:00.000-04:00

I'm practicing, this week for a program in the middle of next week.

It's a private engagement in which I will sing several pieces, and the pianist (who'll also be accompanying me) will play some solos.

I'm not singing any new repertoire, since I only got notice of this engagement a month ago, and since I've only had one voice lesson this season, and no time yet to see a coach. I wouldn't dare perform any works under such circumstances. These pieces are old friends, so the only thing I have to do is get them back into my voice.

It's a salon-like setting, pleasantly intimate. I've sung before this audience, once before, and I remember them to be gracious lovers of classical music, and very hospitable. I don't know who's more anxious, them to hear me, or me to return to sing to them. Audiences like this make it so easy to enjoy yourself while performing.

I still haven't decided on what to wear, but I can't wait too long. The evening's wardrobe must be all put together by Friday, so that I can focus the rest of the days on the music. I don't want to be running around at the last minute trying to find a replacement button, or thread to mend a hem, and so forth. The wardrobe is an integral part of the performance package.

Adequate rest is another must, too, for keeping my resistance up so as to avoid becoming ill.That being said, I'm signing off, now!

Thoughts on Joan Sutherland

2010-10-11T12:28:00.000-04:00

I don't know where I'd be as a coloratura soprano were it not for Joan Sutherland - more importantly, her discography. I never had the pleasure of seeing or hearing her live, but I've certainly collected and listened to her CDs.

I learned, today, that she died. She was 83 years old, had a magnificently successful career, so I'm happy about that, but I am deeply saddened to know that she has left this earth. When great singers like her die - particularly ones to whom I can relate, vocally - it just leaves a profound emptiness in my artistic soul.

She is a benchmark for vocal excellence for me. I listen to her CDs many times for the technique and artistry that she mastered, so well. One of my late coaches told me, often, how genuinely warm Ms.Sutherland was, how, despite her extraordinary voice and talent, she was so self-less and unassuming. My coach said that if Ms. Sutherland were in a room you wouldn't know she was there unless you turned around and saw her. In other words, she had an ego that was definitely in check.

Thank you, God, for Joan Sutherland!

Deciding on 4 Songs

2010-09-29T22:28:00.000-04:00

I'm making a return appearance at a local church, this Saturday afternoon; I think it's my 3rd annual visit. I had a couple of songs in mind to sing, but something told me to contact the person who made the request to find out just how many songs I'll be expected to sing. I'm glad I called, because I've been requested to sing 4 songs. Mind you, this all happened in less than two weeks. It's not that I don't have 4 songs in my repertoire, of course I have more, but since I've sung there more than 3 times in the past I want to take something new.

I always bring an African-American spiritual to this congregation, because they so love them, but I also want to bring a balanced set, style-wise and period-wise, so I've decided on the following:

Laudate Dominum - Mozart
At the River - Copland
Oh, What a Beautiful City - arr. Boatner
He's Got the Whole World in His Hand - arr. Bonds

These are all songs that I love, and they differ in tempo, key signature, language and dialect, which I think makes this an exiting set.

2010-09-13T10:45:00.000-04:00

Well, the 2010/2011 performance season has begun for me. I made my way back to rehearsals with 2 choirs, starting last week. Although I was trying to eke out one more week after Labor Day of summer fun, relaxation, and non-activity, I must say that it is great to be back singing on a regular basis. Aside from 2 church engagements in August, my voice and I had a month of performance rest that did us both good, and we're looking to do some wonderful work, this season.

I'm happy to say that I'm becoming more and more tech-minded. That's a must for this business. I can't tell you how many times I hear veteran singers complain about computers, MP3 players, YouTube, and all other things electronic-related. They complain that they're "too old to learn all about that stuff". Well, gone are the days when all a singer did was sing. I am one who believes in constantly educating oneself and keeping up-to-date with life.

For instance, I was en-route to an out-of-town engagement, recently. I was leaving home with no intention of taking my laptop with me. At the last minute I changed my mind about that, and boy, am I glad I did. As I was checking e-mail on the bus, I got two messages requesting me for an engagement. After responding with a "yes", I immediately went to my website to update it, accordingly. That was such a time-saver for me. It was relaxing to update while someone else was doing the driving, and while I could look out the window, periodically, and enjoy the passing scenery. It freed me up to do something else when I arrived back home. One of my immediate goals is to upload sound bites onto my website. No, I don't know how to do it, yet, but I am looking forward to learning.

This week I have two solo engagements to begin practicing for. I'm still deciding on the repertoire for one of them, which brings me to another goal - learning new repertoire. I feel like I've exhausted my supply for one of the audiences, and I really want to take something new to them. Hey, that gives me an idea...maybe I'll post my goals for 2010/2011 on this blog. Yes, I'll call it "My Goals", or something like that.

Here's to 2010/2011!

The "Feel" of a Song

2010-08-15T02:42:00.000-04:00

Okay, yesterday was my second time in eight days singing Boatner's arrangement of, "Oh, What a Beautiful City"; can I just tell you how much I enjoy the feel of singing that song?

The key is Bb, thereby sitting the song in the absolute sweetest part of my tessitura, coating my instrument like unending yards of silk charmeuse. The sparkly, shimmery brilliance of the tones seem to dance inside my head like stars in flight. When I shift the vocal dynamic to piano, I get the sensation of rippling water. When I shift the vocal dynamic to forte the sensation is that of fireworks bursting in the air.

In times past, people have asked me what it feels like when I'm singing certain songs, and it has been hard for me answer them, illustratively. I have no problem doing so with this song. Boatner's arrangement is just "beautiful" to sing!

Today's Church Engagment

2010-08-07T23:46:00.015-04:00

I had an enjoyable experience singing at Germantown SDA Church in Philadelphia, PA, today. I was contacted, several weeks ago, for this engagement, and I was happy to receive the request. The last time I’d sung there was several years ago, as the soprano soloist for a Messiah (Handel) performance. That performance was with full orchestra, and today’s was with piano accompaniment as part of the divine worship service, hence, a more intimate occasion.

I received this invitation several weeks, ago, and at that time I was unsure as to what I would sing. As the engagement neared, I began to narrow down my selection options. I ultimately decided on, “Oh, What a Beautiful City” (Boatner, arr.), and “Eternal Life” (Dugan). I took both pieces with me to my rehearsal session with the accompanist, yesterday. I also took with me, “He’s Got the Whole World in His Hand” (Bonds, arr.), just in case I didn’t like the way one of the first two went. That move proved to be a good one, because when I arrived at the church, this morning, I was informed that I would be singing three songs.

All three songs went over well with the congregation, and with me. For the first time I was able to evenly pace myself through “He’s Got the Whole World in His Hand”, and that was a wonderful, relaxing feeling which allowed me soar through the high D, near the end. I thoroughly enjoyed myself singing “Oh What a Beautiful City” and I played around with the dynamics, and colors, like kid with a new toy. Finally, I took great measures in phrasing “Eternal Life” in an effort to give each request in this prayer a life of its own.

My accompanist was Toni Caldwell-Hall. She was spectacular!

I am eagerly looking forward to returning to this church.

No Time to Post!

2010-06-18T01:01:00.000-04:00

I'm writing this entry while listening to the final NBA championship game between the LA Lakers and the Boston Celtics. (GO, CELTICS!) I'm also checking my Facebook page, and I see a note from a friend asking why I haven't posted any new entries, lately, so I've decided to blog about that.

The fact is that I've been so busy, too busy to post these past several weeks. I'd love to do nothing but just sing, but one must attend to the affairs of life, and along with the day jobs we singers have, there are periods of time when we do well to get in a half-hour of practice/study time, each day; that was my lot. The good thing is that I've been singing steadily, throughout. I'm currently enjoying an over-months-long, out-of-town church engagement in my favorite city, New York. I enjoyed a magnificent solo engagement at the church where I usually sing, a couple of Sunday's ago (something I will blog about, later), and I have an appearance before a very special private audience, this weekend.

I have some down-time over the summer, so I'll be able to post more often. In the meantime, I thank all of your for your patience, and I truly love you all!

Two Weekends of Great Singing!

2010-04-27T23:02:00.011-04:00

On Saturday morning, April 17th, I was the guest soloist at Ebenezer SDA Church, in Philadelphia, PA. I was warmly received, and that kind of reception makes you not think twice about returning. Many people told me how much they enjoyed my selections,which really made me feel good, because I wanted to present songs to them that they could both relate to, and enjoy. An especially humbling moment came when one of the elder congregants walked over to hug me, after I sang, and began to caress my throat with her hand, knowing that from there is where my voice emanates. Every time I think about that moment (even now, as I write) I'm reminded that one's singing voice is a marvelous gift from God.

I sang two songs; "Eternal Life", composed by Olive Dungan, and "Guide My Feet", arranged by Jacqueline Hairston. It was one of my best solo experiences, thanks to my accompanist, Ann Foster. She neither rushed me, dragged me, nor over-powered me on the piano. She seemed to anticipate my every breath and phrasing - without us having had the luxury of a rehearsal. She made it so easy for me to, well, just sing. Ms. Foster was magnificent.

This past weekend, I sang Aaron Copland's, In the Beginning, with my church chamber choir. This is an extremely (some consider impossible) work to perform. I really had to work hard, away from rehearsals, on the soprano lines. The entire work is sung a capella, is full of dissonances, and no one section gets much of any help from another section. There were times when we all wondered if it would come together, but it did. It is absolutely gorgeous music, and the audiences (we gave two performances) just loved it - including the children who were in attendance. It's a work that I'm now glad to say I've performed.

Program Preparation - Weeks 8-13

2010-04-16T11:23:00.005-04:00

Well, I'm back blogging, after a long absence; a lot has happened.

First of all, the April short recital date has been postponed due to unforeseen scheduling conflicts, but I am still working on it. As soon as all parties involved are able to agree on a new date I will let you know.

As you can see from my Shelfari bookshelf, I've read 3 books on Henry Purcell. I now have a better understanding of how Purcell composed and what his intent was for his compositions. I'm on a mission now to include more of his works in my repertoire.

Also, I found the book on Rodrigo to be of immense help in translating into English the texts of his songs. This book gives both the poetic and word-for-word translations, which are a must in order for me to know what I'm singing. This knowledge is vital to the artistic expression of a singer.

I had 2 Easter weekend solo church engagements, one was local, and the other out-of-state. At one of the churches I was requested to sing "I Know That My Redeemer Liveth" from Handel's Messiah. This was a short-notice engagement, so I used the Novello edition which has an abundance of ornamentations. (I still have not personally ornamented this aria to my satisfaction, yet.)

For now, I have two choral performances with my church chamber choir; a solo engagement, tomorrow morning; a big solo on June 6th (more about that in a later post).

Program Preparation - Week 7

2010-03-01T11:56:00.004-05:00

This was a normal week, as preparation goes. I got in the necessary amount of practice/study time. The highlight came at the local library when, while scanning the opera dvd shelves, I spotted The Fairy Queen.! I immediately grabbed it and checked it out so that I can view the aria, Hark, the Ech'ing Air, in the context of the opera.

My local library has greatly enlarged its selection of opera dvds, and I am so happy!

Program Preparation - Week 6

2010-02-21T11:46:00.004-05:00

Much of this week was spent shut-in by back-to-back snowstorms. Friday-into-Saturday's snowstorm forced the cancelation of an appearance at a church service. I was to sing a song composed for trumpet, voice, and piano. Although it is not included on my recital program, I was looking forward to presenting it to the congregation (so was the trumpeter and the pianist). These things happen, so it will be rescheduled, I just don't know when. Wednesday-into-Thursday's monster storm forced the cancellation of a choir rehearsal. So, between rushing around creation to stock up on provisions for the storms, and shoveling snow throughout the storm days I had a lot of time to focus on this recital program.

Time management has become an absolute necessity, now. I was fortunate to land an appearance on an upcoming program of Negro Spirituals with a local choir. That program comes a month before my recital, so that doubles the amount of music that I have to memorize. Along with singing in the choir, I will also solo. This is all in addition to the music I have to concentrate on for my regular church choir, and that includes a major performance a month before my recital, also. As with all musicians, I'm happy to be occupied, continuously, and that comes with great sacrifice of time. That is the life of a performer.

Program Preparation - Week 5

2010-02-18T01:51:00.005-05:00

The best part of preparation, this week, came while singing on both the Salon program, and the Haiti Relief Concert over the weekend. I sang the first three songs from my recital program and was able to identify specific areas that need improvement.

So, what is a Salon, you ask? It is a venue where singers come together for the sole purpose of singing. There is always an audience. Sometimes, we singers are our own audience, and sometimes the audience is people who are lovers of music. Salons are sometimes held in private homes, or intimate public gathering places. Sometimes, the audience is allowed to provide written comments to the singers about their performances.

The Salon was very beneficial, because I received comment cards from my peers. The comments were very positive and confirming. Also, it's not easy singing before your peers, especially when you know that some of them sing the same repertoire, so they know exactly how your selections should be delivered. Singing the Salon really let me know just how thoroughly I know my music, mainly because I did not get a rehearsal with the accompanist - none of us did. As a result, I realize that I need to be more secure with the note values of one of my pieces, so I'll be working on that. Singing the Salon also let me know exactly what I need to spend my time working on with my repertoire. In other words I am now more able to work "smart".

I sang the third recital piece at the Haiti Relief Concert. Although it was not the sort of venue for receiving comment cards, it did serve to let me realize that I know this piece well enough to sing in my sleep. Still, there is some minor tweaking to be done, thankfully not major.

Program Preparation - Week 4

2010-01-30T03:02:00.002-05:00

This 4th week was hectic. Work obligations took up more time than usual, so much so that this blog post is late.

In spite of it all I got in a lot of reading on Purcell. I finished one book, Henry Purcell and the London Stage, from which I learned more about The Fairy Queen, how he wrote, and why he used certain key signatures in his compositions. I'm currently reading Purcell: A Biography, which chronicles his life from boyhood. It's fascinating reading.

Three of my recital songs had to be memorized for two performances this weekend. I was grateful for the opportunities to sing them before audiences prior to the recital. It's a great way to iron out any kinks, and get a chunk of my program under my belt early on.

Program Preparation - Week 3.....Hark! The Ech'ing Air

2010-01-18T00:01:00.004-05:00

One of my recital pieces is Henry Purcell's aria Hark!  The Ech'ing Air, from his opera, The Fairy Queen. This aria has long been in my repertoire, it's Baroque, and I love it! I love all things Baroque - the paintings, the sculpture, the architecture, and of course the music. I love its richness, its ornateness, its chiaroscuro. This aria is a joy to sing for the several reasons: 1) the text is joyous, 2) the melismatic phrases are incredible and allow my voice to dance, dance, dance, 3) ornamenting it stimulates my brain, and 4) I get a kick out of singing it around my neighbor's parrots who can't stop themselves from chirping along (but, alas, they won't be at the recital).
I've begun reading Henry Purcell and the London Stage.   I immediately turned to the section, in the back of the book, on the opera, and am gaining great insight into the work. This helps me to approach, and deliver the music more authentically, and it helps the music become a part of me. Once I finish reading this section I'll go back to the beginning of the book to gain further insight on English Opera, and the composer, himself. I take this book with me whenever I leave home so that I can get some reading time in on the bus and train when I'm commuting.

Some of last week's daily practice time for this recital program was in one long session, others in several short sessions. It just is that way some weeks because of work demands and life responsibilities, but daily practice is what is important.

I  have some appearances coming up that will allow me to sing some of this program's music in front of audiences. That's a good thing, because this also helps the music to become a part of me, and it helps me to connect better with listeners.

Program Prepartion - Week 2

2010-01-10T23:20:00.006-05:00

Last week was quite fruitful. I spent quality time working on my short recital program for this Spring's private engagement. I also got a coaching session in.

I put together a tentative program of eleven songs which includes arias, art songs, one song cycle, and sacred works, in five different languages - Italian, French, German, Spanish, and English. This is a basic program that I will be able to perform anywhere. It all took some time because I had to chose pieces with differing tempos, styles, and tonalities. Then, I had to time all of the songs so that I'd have at least a half-hour long program.

I started working on the song cycle with my coach, last week. Of the four songs only one is in my current repertoire. They're all relatively short songs, but they require a great deal of vocal coloring, so they're very challenging for a singer - which is why I chose them. (They're also very pretty, too.)

A program like this involves more from me than just singing the music. I also need to connect with the composers of the works, so I spent some time looking for reference material on them. I'll be picking up some books from my local library, this week. I'll do the reading while commuting back and forth to work, choir rehearsals, running errands, standing in checkout lines at the grocery store, eating breakfast, lunch, dinner, over the weekends.....get the picture? The onus is on me to do this program and the music justice. Therefore, a lot of personal sacrifice is involved, here, but the reward is oh, so sweet!

Program Preparation - Week 1

2010-01-06T06:28:00.003-05:00

Happy new year to all of you! I'm excited about all the goals and plans that I continue to make for 2010 - new songs to sing, new performance opportunities, new venues, new professional relationships to forge, and the continuing growth of professional relationships already forged.

I am in the process of putting together a mini-recital, of sorts, for a private engagement scheduled for this Spring. This will actually be a return engagement for me, and I'm looking forward to singing before this wonderful audience, again. The half-hour program will include repertoire spanning from Early Italian music to 20th century works. I'm excited about one song cycle that I'm contemplating including. Most of the songs I already know, but have never sung as part of one program. The new pieces will, of course, expand my existing repertoire, and they are gorgeous pieces that I long to sing.

There's so much preparation that goes into a program like this, and it can't begin at the last minute. I plan to spend at least an hour and a half, each day, working on this music. Since most of the repertoire is not new for me, that will lessen the amount of time I'll need for memorization - which I think is one of the biggest hurdles to jump. I will spend a great deal of time with my voice coach working on the artistic interpretation and development of the songs. With my voice teacher I'll work on ensuring that my vocal technique does the music justice. Then, there's the time I'll spend with my accompanist.

Another part of the preparation process is doing all that I can to stay in good shape. That means adequate sleep each night, eating a healthy diet, and getting in some physical exercise. An unhealthy regimen is no good for a singer, because our body is our instrument, and being healthy is one part of keeping it tuned.

Oh, yes....the wardrobe. As someone with a background in fashion design, performance wardrobe is very important to me. Once I get this program finalized then I'll know what "look" I want to present. One thing I do know is that it will be simply elegant.

Well, I will keep you posted as things develop.

How It Feels

2009-11-21T22:26:00.006-05:00

I was in choir rehearsal, the other night, singing the descant to an arrangement of a well-known hymn. The descant has me singing in an almost extreme upper register of my voice - I'm telling you, the tessitura is high. It's not difficult for a coloratura voice, but let's be honest.....people don't normally sing that high. Well, when we ended the song, my director looked over at me and asked, "What does it feel like to sing like that, up there?"

I was caught off-guard by the question, because no one's ever asked me that, so I've never had to describe the feeling. The room was quiet because everybody was waiting for my answer. I had this feeling that they were all waiting for a profound answer, too. The only one that I could come up with was, "Weird, it feels weird!"

My director responded, "Weird? Well, when I get to Heaven I hope I can sing like that!" I thought, as I looked at him, "You've got a marvelous bass voice. Why on Earth would you want to sing like this?"

(I suppose that was my alter-ego doing the talking 'cause I was thinking, "When I get to Heaven I hope I can sing contralto." - LOL)

I've thought about that moment quite a bit since that night. I've thought about how when I was a little girl, watching old movies and cartoons, and I heard coloraturas singing, I thought the sound to be the most ridiculous I'd ever heard. I mean, to me they sounded like a recording playing on fast-forward, like they'd sucked up helium just before singing, like they were on their way to being committed - just waiting for the papers to be signed and the straight-jacket to be put on them. They sounded WEIRD.

I had no idea I'd grow up to be one, and that's a good thing. I suppose if I had known I would not have pursued music at all. One of my former voice teachers once said to me, "Who knows why God put this voice inside of you?" I never asked her what she meant by that, but I do sometimes ask myself this same question. I don't believe I'll ever know the answer, this side of Heaven, but I do know this - it is God's gift to me and I am thankful and determined to be a good steward of it.

I need your help.........

2009-10-05T22:11:00.005-04:00

Okay, so I haven't blogged since the beginning of June, this year. Some of my readers made a point of mentioning that to me in the past few days.

What can I say? I was having so much fun this summer that I didn't make time for sitting in front of the PC to write and post entries. Maybe one day I'll get a laptop, and I can post while on the run.

Well, I got in quite a bit of soloing in churches, this summer. I was able to present some wonderful repertoire which included some African-American spirituals that I've been longing to sing. Life is now back to normal with weekly choir rehearsals. As soon as I can get my EXTREMELY erratic work schedule under control, I will resume voice lessons and coachings (and, trust me, I can't wait for that to happen).

Now, I need your help. I'm constantly thinking of ways to enhance this blog, so if there's anything that you'd like to see added (or deleted) please click on the "comment(s)" link, below, and let me know. After all, you're the reader whose satisfaction I aim to guarantee.

Suor Angelica and Sweet Little First-Graders

2009-06-03T19:50:00.019-04:00

It was Suor Angelica, again, and this time with a new company, for me - Center City Opera Theater (CCOT) in Philadelphia, PA. As before, I sang the role of Una Novizia (A Novice), as well as the first soprano chorus lines.

You've probably surmised from last summer's posts how special this opera is to me. I was all too happy to accept the request to be a part of this production. This time, however, participation came with a great challenge....MEMORIZING THE ENTIRE SCORE IN ONE WEEK!

"What?" you ask. "Didn't you perform this opera, last summer? How long could it have taken for the lines to resurface from your memory?"

Yes, I did perform Suor Angelica, last summer.....IN ENGLISH! This production was performed in the original language.....ITALIAN!

Oh, and about the ONE WEEK? Here's what that was about: I was subbing in a first-grade classroom, surrounded by gorgeous little children begging me for help with their classwork, when I saw the e-mail from CCOT. I actually thought it was SPAM and was about to delete it. (I was distracted by, and more concerned with helping, my little students.) I opened it, read the request to join the cast, saw that I could make all of the rehearsals, and replied with an enthusiastic, "Yes!" What I did not check was the performance date (busy helping my little students) which was NINE DAYS away! (Oh, yeah, did I mention that I received the e-mail the Friday before Memorial Day?) Anyway, I knew that I needed to have the score roughly memorized by the first rehearsal (which was FIVE DAYS away), so that is what I spent my holiday weekend doing.

I often joke about having a lot of men in my life who, unfortunately, are dead (those composers). Well, the steady man in my life, last week, was Puccini. I carried his score everywhere with me - on the bus, on the train, in the church choir loft during service (where I read over it whenever we weren't singing anthems or hymns), to my mom's on Memorial Day, etc... I even took note cards with me to a funeral. (Got the picture?) For an entire week all but the necessities of life (sleeping, eating, singing, breathing, working) ceased to exist. Laundry piled up, the chefs at Whole Foods were elevated to mega-star status by me, phone calls from friends were simply not returned, and I think you can guess the rest. When I wasn't reading the score, I was listening to the opera on CD. When I awakened in the mornings the first thing I did - after thanking God for waking up - was to retrieve either my solo lines, chorus lines, or ensemble lines from my memory.

If anyone had told me that I could have memorized that entire Italian libretto in one week I would have thought them delusional. The truth is I would've been the delusional one, because I did it. I MEMORIZED IT! A few days of intense rehearsals solidified it. I met a challenge that I would not have taken on were it not for being distracted by a roomful of sweet little first-graders. Children are truly a blessing (and this time in disguise).

As I walked through Whole Foods, the day after the performance, the voice of Chaka Khan (love her) was playing over the PA system. It was after I'd left the store with the song still on my mind when I realized that my life, last week, personified the lyrics she was singing. I was taken "through the fire, to the limit, to the wall" and to my surprise I HAD A BALL!

(Backstage with my sister-friend, Bertica. This was her very first time attending an opera.)

Wardrobe "Re"function

2009-05-04T00:00:00.005-04:00

I decided that I wanted to wear black and purple for my Maundy Thursday performance. I knew that purple was the liturgical color of the altar cloths in the sanctuary, and I didn't want to distract from that, visually.

I have a purple, long-sleeve shrug that I designed and made, several years ago, that I knew would go well over a black dress. What I'd forgotten was that I didn't have a street-length black dress. All of my black dresses are gowns! I realized this five days before the performance.

I was in a quandary as to what to do. My budget was not allowing for a new, off-the-rack dress, and even though I have yards of black fabric, I had no time to make anything. Then, I remembered a gorgeous, tea-length, sleeveless, black dress that I'd bought, a while ago, and had never worn. There was one problem, though, it was embellished with white beaded flowers. So, what was I going to do?

I took the beaded dress, hung it on a door, and proceeded to stare at it until an idea came to my mind. Then it hit me.....COVER THE BEADWORK. With what, though? I stared at it some more, and then it hit me....WITH BLACK, FABRIC ROSETTES. I did have time to make rosettes, and I love making fabric rosettes. So, on Wednesday morning, the day before the performance, I went to the fabric store and purchased several yards of black, satin ribbon, came home, and began making the rosettes. I lightly tacked them (for easy removal, later) over the beaded flowers that would not be covered by the shrug, and the rest is history. The effect was simply divine!

Well, there's a tip for you if you find yourself in a similar situation. Image is extremely important for a classical singer, and many of us emerging professionals are on tight budgets. (Who isn't in this economy?) I hope I've stirred your creativity and helped you to think outside of the box.

Back Blogging!

2009-04-30T14:35:00.005-04:00

It's been several weeks since my last post, and I'm happy to be back! (I'll try my best not to go so long between posts, again.) It was a jam-packed Holy Week and post-Holy Week. I was busy fine tuning music and wardrobe. I was jubilantly exhausted, afterwards, and took a week's "staycation". After that it was back to work (lots of work) which kept me too occupied to post. Things are settling down, now, so I hope I can resume my tri-weekly posting.

The O salutaris hostia went well on Maundy Thursday. My accompanist, Jeffrey Brillhart, raised the key for me (the score was written for baritone) which put me more in my tessitura. I sang in a zone that is oh, so comforting, and esoteric. I felt as if every tone issued forth from my body straight to God's ear. It was a memorable experience for me.

The Tristis est anima mea from the Poulenc motet went well on Good Friday, too. I spent a good deal of time perfecting that (Jeffrey helped me a lot by suggesting that I sing it syllabically as opposed to legato), and the reward was worth my effort. It's a brief solo line that is intense and haunting. I'm happy to have added that to my repertoire and resume.

I had a wardrobe issue that I resolved, quite creatively, for Maundy Thursday. I'll give the details about it in my next post.

A Very Productive Week

2009-04-04T23:04:00.002-04:00

I've had a busy week, so much so that I was too tired to post, yesterday. It was, though, a very productive week.

On Thursday I rehearsed Faure's O salutaris hostia with the organist and it went well. He complimented me on how well I handled the low notes and said that he might raise the key a whole step. At that point we ran through the piece, again, this time in the raised key. It was easier for me, singing the low notes, and the organist just loved the high notes. It remains to be seen which key I will sing it in on Maundy Thursday. I thought that I would be nervous in the rehearsal, especially since the first page of this piece sits in my middle voice (I'm still not confident enough singing in this register), and because the organist is such a BRILLIANT musician. (I dread making mistakes around the "BRILLIANT" ones.) Such was not the case, though. I was completely at ease and I hope that means that another "demon" has been conquered.

Tomorrow will be my first Sunday not cantoring, after having done so for the past five Sundays. I wonder if I'll miss it.

A Wonderful Coaching Session

2009-04-01T20:45:00.004-04:00

Yesterday's coaching session was intense and wonderful. After singing Faure's O salutaris hostia, upon arrival, my coach's response was, "Wow, you corrected everything since our last session." (I was so pleased, because I'd worked diligently on the changing dynamics in the piece.) My coach then began to work with me on coloring my voice to express the various moods and passions of the text. At one point, when I was singing in my dreaded middle voice, she looked up at me and said, "That, that's it. That's how you should sing whenever you're in middle voice." I must admit to that being one time when I was extremely comfortable and happy to be singing in middle voice. We spent at least thirty-five minutes working on this piece.

We also worked on the Boatner arrangement of Oh, What A Beautiful City. Again, the focus was on coloring the voice. There are many places in this song where a phrase repeats itself more than twice. My assignment for my next session is to color my voice differently for each repetition. This song is going to be a joy to sing. (Also, it's tempo is fast, so I'm forced not to drag it out.)

By the way, I talked with my coach about my tendencies to drag the endings of certain songs and phrases. Her response was, "Yeah, you and everybody else on the planet." It's nice to know that it isn't just me.

Well, that's all for now.

ECSTATIC!

2009-03-31T00:00:00.000-04:00

I am ecstatic, ECSTATIC! I've been given the opportunity to sing the soprano solo line in Poulenc's Tristis est anima mea motet.

Well, that's all for now, and that's enough!

A Month of Cantoring Ended

2009-03-29T18:22:00.008-04:00

I finished a month of cantoring Sunday services at Bryn Mawr Presbyterian Church, today. It was a rewarding experience and I am so grateful to the congregants for so warmly receiving me, and to my fellow choir members who were so supportive, affirming, and encouraging. I am eternally grateful to my choir director, Jeffrey Brillhart, for giving me the opportunity. It was he who composed the response that I cantored, which has aided me in my ongoing battle to conquer the demon of singing in my middle voice. (Personally, I still don't think that my middle voice is all that great, but apparently I am the only one who feels that way. I suppose this means that I've finally learned to stop listening to myself, something that some of my former voice teachers would be happy to know.)

I forgot to mention, in my previous post, that I had this nagging feeling that I was cantoring my line a little too slowly. Well, this morning I was asked to pick up the tempo, a request which caused me to silently laugh at myself. (Sometimes you just can't take yourself too seriously.) One of my tendencies is to drag the tempo of certain songs, so I've decided to work on some allegro pieces that have rhythmically moving accompaniments (Purcell, Rodrigo, for starters) which will force me not to drag so.

Well, that's all for now!

Happy To Be Blogging, Again!

2009-03-28T21:01:00.002-04:00

I've had a harried past couple of weeks of technical problems that prevented me from getting on-line on my home PC. I had to use the public library's computers and since I could only get the maximum of an hour of time on them, I wasn't able to make blog entries, as that little bit of time was spent checking e-mail and doing on-line research. I'm happy to report that all is back to normal, now, and I expect to resume my regular blog schedule.

Well, tomorrow is my last day of cantoring Sunday services for this Lenten season. I suppose I shall miss it, but I won't know for sure 'til after tomorrow. It has been a rewarding experience, though, one that has tested my nerves and made me more comfortable singing in my middle voice. Last Sunday's cantoring was quite interesting. In the first service I kept thinking that I was a little flat, then in the second service I kept thinking that I was a little sharp. Both services ended with people telling me that I sounded the best out of all of this month's services....go figure!

Now, I'm working on Faure's O salutaris. which I will be singing on Maundy Thursday. I have 98% of it memorized. It's a beautiful piece, but there are a few intervals that are giving me the devil. Tomorrow, I will sit down at the piano and pound them out over, and over, and over, again. I should have known that this piece was too beautiful to be without its challenges. I'm also working on Edward Boatner's arrangement of Oh, What A Beautiful City, which I'm scheduled to sing later on this season. This piece keeps me in my high voice tessitura so singing it poses no vocal challenges for me. The challenge is in the rhythm, it gets very tricky in places. For as high as its written I'm still adding some higher ornamentations to it. I will be taking both of these songs with me to this week's coaching session.

Well, that's all for now.

Fraternizing and Coaching

2009-03-18T20:58:00.002-04:00

This evening, I got together with a colleague just to chat and network. We caught each other up on our professional lives and we shared information on performance and career enrichment opportunities. It's great to have colleagues with whom you can fraternize like this.

Yesterday, I got together with my coach. I took Faure's O salutaris (which I'm singing in a Maundy Thursday service), and Boatner's arrangement of Oh, What A Beautiful City (which I'm singing on a special program) to work on. We worked on the pronunciation of the Latin in the Faure piece and I was happy to know that I was pretty much perfect in that area. In the Boatner piece I had to check the rhythm of the vocal line several times because it is quite tricky. Also, without realizing it, I was "swinging" the song, which had me clashing with the accompaniment. We worked on adding some high Ds to the song and I will continue to work on adding more at home.

O salutaris sits in my middle voice, which you know I'm not to crazy about, so it's not a piece that I would have chosen to sing. (My choir director chose it for me.) It's a good thing for me, though, because singing it is helping me to become more comfortable with and confident in that part of my voice.

I have an as-yet-to-be-scheduled short concert program coming up within the next month, so I will begin memorizing all of those songs, this week.

Well, that's all for now.

Dissipating Nerves and an "Okay," from Above

2009-03-17T20:20:00.004-04:00

On Sunday I cantored for the fifth and sixth time (two services). It wasn't until the second service that my nervousness dissipated. It just miraculously happened as I was sitting in the pew, waiting for the clergy team to walk onto the pulpit, which is my signal to join them. I don't know why it happened, then. I mean, all I was doing was sitting there. I wasn't praying for it to happen. All of a sudden this sense of calm came over me and the nervousness just melted away. I was ever so grateful.

Before warm-up for the first service, one of my fellow choir members came over, warmly embraced me, and began to tell me how wonderful it is for her to hear me cantoring. She told me in detail, too. Since I began doing this, several other choir members and some congregants have done the same. I am ever so grateful to them and humbled by what they've told me. You see, I'm completely shocked by their compliments, because most of what I'm singing lies in my middle voice which I don't think is all that great. I think it is shallow and lacking in substance and texture in comparison to my upper register which is where my tessitura lies. As a result, I am not at all confident singing in my middle which is why I've prayed doubly before cantoring, these past few Sundays. Part of my prayer is a request for God to take over my voice and sing for me. It's wonderful to know that He answered, "Okay."

Blessed Assurance

2009-03-11T21:13:00.003-04:00

I have been so haunted by how nervous I was cantoring for the second time on Sunday that I had to go back and read my post about my first Sunday, cantoring. Now I feel like slapping myself back to sense, because I wrote that my prayer is never to lose that "holy fear" that I always feel when singing in sacred services. What I have to do is take assurance from it that I will be alright.

This is a short post because I have a lot of music to sing through before going to bed, tonight. I've spend the past hour on-line searching for a Latin-English dictionary so that I could write the word-for-word translation of Faure's O salutaris hostias. This is the song that I will be singing on Maundy Thursday and I have to know the meaning of the text in order to express the song appropriately to the congregation. I wanted to have the translation written on the sheet music by the time I saw my coach, which I hope will be sometime next week. My mission has been accomplished.

Cantoring, Nerves, and Progress!

2009-03-09T23:17:00.003-04:00

Well, my second Sunday of cantoring went well. Actually, I thought I was not as good as I was on my first Sunday, but my voice teacher told me the opposite. She said that yesterday was better. Ironically, I had a conversation with one of my fellow choir members just before warm-up, and it was all about how I've been told over and over to stop listening to myself. I didn't heed that advice, yesterday.

I was also nervous, still, and I'm beginning to wonder if that will ever leave me. As I was sitting in the pew, before the start of the second service, a very distinguished looking gentleman came over to introduce himself and to tell me how pleased he is to have me there, at the church. Little did he know how much of a Godsend he was. His chatting with me served to calm my nerves, completely. Whereas audiences/congregations actually unnerve many singers, they actually bring me great comfort. However, as soon as I stepped up to that lectern, the nervousness returned, BUT as soon as I started singing they subsided. I attribute this to that "holy fear" that I blogged about, last week.

On Saturday, I received the solo music that I will be singing for Maundy Thursday and it is glorious. I will spend this week thoroughly learning it and then begin coaching it next week, hopefully.

Tonight I attended the first chamber choir rehearsal for Good Friday service. We're singing Poulenc motets along with several other pieces. I received this music for the first time, tonight, and joy of joys, I sight-sang it all with 90% accuracy! I am just so pleased with my progress in this area. My hard, diligent work is paying off.

Back With My Voice Teacher

2009-03-07T17:18:00.004-05:00

Earlier this week I returned to my voice teacher for the first time in several months. (It was circumstances and not desire that kept me away for so long.) It had been snowing all night and was still snowing that morning, but I was determined to make it to her. Oh, it was so wonderful to be back! I was surprised to discover that I'm in great vocal shape after so long an absence. I was afraid that perhaps my technique had slipped and that I'd picked up some bad habits, but such is not the case. Instead I'm now able to work on some additional technique that will further polish my instrument.

Sometimes people ask me why, as a professional singer, I still see a voice teacher. They figure once you've "trained" your voice, that's it. I explain to them that the training of the voice is not a one-time deal. Sure you eventually reach a point where you don't have to see your teacher as often as you did early on in your singing life, but in order to maintain the quality of your voice and the integrity of your technique you have to work with a teacher, periodically.

Many of you know that my alter-ego is an alto, well, she's also an Olympic gold medalist figure skater/ice dancer/rhythmic gymnast. (That's right, she's all that!) Do you know any of these athletes who coach themselves to success? No. The singer needs her teacher the same way these athletes need their coaches. For as long as one is professionally singing, one should also be with a voice teacher.

Cantoring for the First Time

2009-03-04T10:41:00.006-05:00

I accepted an opportunity to cantor the opening of Sunday worship services this month. It is an humbling experience.

Having grown up in a traditional African-American church, cantoring is something I'd never done. While call-and-response singing is very much a part Black church services, it is more choral, impromptu, and improvisational in nature than it is liturgical, in my opinion.

A cantor is, basically, the chief singer who leads the congregation or choir in the singing or chanting of prayers. Some sources define the cantor as a member of the liturgical team. Knowing all of this made this singer, who already approaches singing in any sacred service with "holy fear", scared out of her wits! Also, having to stand at the lectern while cantoring didn't help matters. True, it was only a few measures of solo that I had to sing, but I thought, "God, what if I mess up, what if my voice cracks, what if I open my mouth and nothing comes out, etc., etc, etc....? This is no song I'm singing, this is a prayer, and I'm beginning it, thus setting the mood for these services. (There are two back-to-back services). Why me? I mean, I'm new to this choir and I've never cantored before in my life (as if God didn't know that). Don't you think somebody else, more experienced, should be doing this? I mean, at least their nerves will be in check. Look, it doesn't matter that my brilliant choir director (whose brilliance I was now beginning to question) has all the confidence in me, I don't. Okay, God, let me speak plainly- if I mess this up it's YOUR SERVICE that I will be ruining." (Like I, a mere mortal, could really mess up God's service?)

Now, I don't know what goes on in the minds of other singers before performances, but those were the thoughts that ran through this singer's mind and I am not too full of myself to share them with you. I think, for me, that these thoughts serve to remind me that while I am the possessor of this gifted voice, I am not the owner of it, so I'm always mindful to connect to the owner - God - in prayer, before I use it. So, I prayed and all went well.

One of my fellow choir members asked me if I was scared, and she was shocked when I answered, "Yes." She then asked if seeing all of those people in the congregation scared me, and I responded, "No, the people actually comfort me...it was standing at that lectern." For me, that lectern represents holy ground and standing there was my burning bush experience. I know that the rest of the Sundays will go much easier for me because I know what to expect from myself, now. I pray, however, not to lose that "holy fear" that keeps me ever mindful of the privilege I have to sing for the glory of God, the owner, maker, and giver of my voice.

Singing at Chestnut Hill SDA Church in Philadelphia

2009-03-03T18:43:00.003-05:00

There's three days of events to write about, so today's blog entry will detail Saturday's engagement at the Chestnut Hill SDA Church, in Philadelphia.

It went quite well, in fact better than I thought it would. On Friday evening I was so tired after having taught for a full week that I got no practice time in before going to bed. When I got home from work I had to decide on which to do first, wash and set my hair (we females have to consider such things when going before audiences and congregations) or practice. I decided to wash my hair, first, figuring that it could dry while I practiced. I decided to sit under the hooded dryer for forty-five minutes to accelerate the hair drying process. Well, under the hooded dryer is where I woke up some two hours later! I then decided to go to bed and get up early Saturday morning in time to vocalise and sing through the song (even though I still had not decided what to sing) before leaving for the church.

I awoke on Saturday morning with two songs in mind, He's Got the Whole World in His Hand (arr. Bonds), and Father Almighty (the Protestant text of Bach/Gounod's Ave Maria). I usually sing a high D at the end of "Whole World", but for whatever reason I just wasn't singing it with satisfactory ease during the week, and that was probably due to the vocal stress from teaching every day and from physical fatigue. After vocalising and singing through both pieces, I felt strongly impressed to to sing "Whole World" even though the high D wasn't as I wanted it to be. Since I had very little time to focus on the song during the work week, I listened to a recording of it, repeatedly, while I bathed and dressed just to stamp it on my psyche. When I arrived at the church I was able to run through it with the accompanist, the wonderful June Davis. The entire song still wasn't where I wanted it, vocally, so I just prayed. I asked God to relax me, to help me focus on the placement of the high D, and to help me control my breathing. Now, I had done all of these things during the brief moments of practice that I was able to get in during the week, so I had no doubt that He would help me, because I'd done all I could to help myself. The results when I sang? I was calm and collected, and the high D came with shocking ease! It just soared like a dove out of me and hovered around in the air of the sanctuary. Once it left me it took on its own existence and I was no longer aware that I'd produced it. In fact I was so captivated by it that I almost forgot to sing the last three words. There is no conceit in what I'm expressing here, only profound awe and gratitude for a God who can make all things possible.

You Just Never Know..........

2009-02-25T21:18:00.003-05:00

Well, it's turning out to be an extremely busy week for me. I spent two days substitute teaching fifth grade boys, one day with first graders, tomorrow I'll be covering PE and Friday I'll be with third graders. All this while running errands after work and practicing my music once I get home. Oh, and the backed-up laundry? Well, that just has to wait 'til the weekend, now.

I walked around the supermarket, this evening, trying to figure out the fastest and easiest-to-prepare breakfast foods to buy. I narrowed it down to dairy-free yogurt and granola bars. You see, I need at least two hours of practice time in the evening and seven hours of sleep each night. That doesn't give me much time to make or even eat breakfast at home in the mornings. I usually take breakfast with me to work and eat it during those quiet few minutes before the children arrive or during morning prep periods. This way I get the rest that I need (a fatigued singer is no good to anybody) along with healthy nourishment. (A singer must keep herself in as best of health as she possibly can.)

The sweetest moment of this week, thus far, came yesterday with the classroom of fifth grade boys in which I was subbing. A few of them happened to be standing over my shoulder when I opened an e-mail attachment of a song sheet that my choir director sent to me. (I will be cantoring this song on Sunday morning.) The boys were fascinated by the notation and wanted to know why it was sent to me. When I printed it out, the rest of the boys in the classroom rushed the desk to look at it. Many of these boys are in the school band and they began to name all of the notes on the page. Some of them missed the accidentals because they're not that cognizant of key signatures, yet. When I pointed out the key signature to them and explained how it can change the notes on lines and spaces to sharps or flats, they were charged by the enlightenment. They saw the word "cantor" on the page and asked me about that. Once I explained it they insisted that I sing the song for them. I did and they decided that the song was "beautiful, nice and decent". They insisted that I sing it again so that they could respond with their own improvised melody. They insisted that I tell my choir director (the composer) how much they liked the song, and I did. I can only hope that sixteen more people have been added to the next generation of classical singing audiences.

Harmony Heaven and a Week's Agenda

2009-02-23T10:03:00.003-05:00

All of you followers of this blog know that my alter ego is an alto, 'cause I just love that voice. You know that I love having an alto singing next to me, too. Well, after several weeks of abandoning my attempts to position myself in the alto section of my choir, and after resigning myself to "behaving" and sitting with my fellow sopranos as assigned......YESTERDAY HAPPENED! During warm-up I was moved from my assigned seat and placed between TWO altos, and that's where I remained for the duration of both services. OMG, I was in Harmony Heaven. IMHO, my choir director achieved sainthood, yesterday.

My sight-singing has improved by leaps and bounds, thank God. I've been working diligently at it. Yesterday, I sight-sang pretty much all of the anthem. Aside from having difficulty placing a couple of starting pitches, it went smoothly for me. I don't always sing out, volumewise, because I fear making a glaring mistake. So, this progress has infused me with confidence and that is such a wonderful feeling.

This week I will spend each day singing through the pieces I've chosen for a worship service on Saturday, Mozart's Requiem, a collection of songs by Vaughn Williams, and other church choir music. I will also continue viewing a DVD of Maria Callas in interviews and performances.

Decision-Making

2009-02-19T23:29:00.006-05:00

Well, I was back at rehearsal, tonight and singing for the first time since having come down with that cold, a week ago. It was great to be back.

While I'd not been able to sing for almost a week, and was bed-ridden for a couple of days, I used my time wisely. I worked on the theory side of sight-singing, I mentally sang through some new music, and I watched a DVD of interviews with and performances by Maria Callas. (Oh, that woman was a consummate artist!)

I also had to agonize over a decision. While I want to share as much as I can about my professional life with you, somethings must be enshrouded in secrecy for the good of various parties involved. Suffice it to say, sometimes one has to stand up for herself even if it means severing a professional relationship. That is what I had to do, this week. I realized that if I didn't I would not be respected as an equal and that the disrespect would make for an impossible working situation as time went on, to the point of potentially affecting the integrity of the scheduled performance, negatively. I did my best to take the high road and to not retaliate for the wrong done to me, and I sincerely wish my colleague well. I hope that sharing this with you will be of help should you ever find yourself in a similar situation.

Searching for a Coach

2009-02-17T23:47:00.003-05:00

My magnificent, marvelous, super-wonderful voice coach will be away for the next couple of weeks, just when I need her most. So, I'm on the hunt for an additional coach, now.

I have some rep that I want to polish for performance, two weeks from now, hence my urgency. I could perform these works without the coaching and they would go over well, but I will know how much better they could've been, otherwise.

For me, most of the time it's not about how well I'm received by an audience, but how well-prepared I know that am to stand before them. It's also a matter for maintaining the integrity of the work and the art, itself. One does not just sing words, one expresses the meaning and sentiment of a work and all of that is worked on, diligently, through coaching.

I'll keep you posted on how my search progresses.

Mission Accomplished

2009-02-13T22:53:00.002-05:00

I woke up, yesterday morning, with the beginnings of a sore throat. I grabbed my Zicam and Tylenol and headed out to work. I managed to get through the workday with a class of fun fourth-graders who really made me forget that I was feeling under-the-weather. Even still, by the time they were dismissed for the day, I was feeling worse and just wanted to go home and get in the bed. However, I dragged myself to the local public library to carry out my mission of finding repertoire for the Lenten service in which I'm singing in April.

Mission accomplished....I was able to look at an old book of high soprano sacred solos in which I found four selections. The book is so old (really, it contained over twenty solos with an original price of just $1.25) that it's not allowed to be checked out so I had to sit there and read the texts of each song. Then, when I decided on the four, I photocopied the pages. Oh, and that was just one of about five song books that I looked through. I haven't yet looked at the songs in detail because when I finally got home I crawled into bed and was only good for watching some more of The Thornbirds. You see, by then I was feeling much worse and just not up to any cerebral activities. I was even too out of it for Mozart.

The OTC medications are working so that I only feel the surface effects of this cold. My throat feels a little scratchy, but not sore. I spent a longer time than usual in bed, this morning, since I had the day off, and the rest has done me good. I've learned not to wear myself out when I get a cold, because I believe that doing so stalls the healing process. I did not go to choir rehearsal, last night, for that very reason as well as not to infect the rest of the choir members. Hopefully, I'll be back to normal by Sunday and singing again.

New Mission

2009-02-11T20:44:00.003-05:00

I am on a mission to find four songs that will fit the theme of a Lenten service at which I will be singing, solo, in April. I will only be singing two songs, but I always have a double amount as back-ups. I would like to have all of the selections made by the end of the week so that I can start coaching them, ASAP. My aim is to have them completely polished by mid-March, so that all I'll need to do 'til April is sing through them, daily. This way, come performance time, singing them will be as easy as engaging in a friendly conversation.

Tonight, I will practice sight-singing, Mozart, my songs for my return engagement to Chestnut Hill SDA Church, and then I will watch a half-hour of......The Thornbirds. That's right, everybody needs a break from routine, every now and then, and this drama/saga fits the bill!

Eliminating Negativity

2009-02-09T19:58:00.005-05:00

We're into the second month of a new year and I'm finally getting around to dealing with one of the issues that I feel will propel me forward, and that is: putting distance between myself and the negative people around me.

Now, this is a difficult thing for me to do, in some cases, because some of these folk have been a part of my life for quite sometime. These are the folk who give me backhanded compliments; who, when they learn of any accomplishments I may achieve, act as if they either never happened or are insignificant; who, when asked for their advice, ridicule and scold me for not being wise or knowledgeable enough to handle a matter correctly, myself; etc, etc. (you get my drift).

Why these people are so negative, I don't know, exactly. Some of them are jaded and some are jealous, for sure. Unfortunately, I've come to realize that their negativity is not benefiting me and will ultimately stall me if I continue to place myself in a position to receive it. Since I can't change these people, I've got to change how often, if at all, I interact with them. If any of you readers have suggestions for how to respectfully go about this, please submit a comment. Even if you have no suggestions but can relate to this situation, leave a comment. Let's help each other.

Diligence Gets Her Due

2009-02-07T20:10:00.004-05:00

Things went well with my singing engagement, today. The place was Chestnut Hill SDA Church, in Philadelphia. The song was, Lawd, I Wants to be a Christian. Even though I was requested to sing one song for service, wisdom dictated that I prepare three. (You just never know when you'll either need to substitute the original due to vocal issues, or if you'll find yourself without an accompanist, or if you'll be asked to sing another piece.)

Murphy was really trying to lay his law down on me today. The bus that was to get me to the church, a half an hour before the start of service, was a half an hour late. Subsequently, I arrived at the church 10 minutes into service and did not have an opportunity to rehearse with the organist. (My friend who booked me for today's service, James Kimpson, was sitting on pins and needles.) I decided (while waiting forever-and-a-day on the bus) that, if necessary, I'd sing an a cappella piece that was one of my back-ups. Everything worked out well, though, because the organist, Rebecca Heinrich, is wonderful and was able to follow me, throughout. Since we'd not had a rehearsal, I was careful to follow all of the markings as written so as not to spring any surprises on her. Again, she was magnificent.

Had I not diligently and methodically rehearsed this song at home, the past two days, I would've really had a difficult time of it today. I would have arrived a bundle of nerves and devoid of the confidence needed to deliver the piece well. As it was, I arrived very calm, cool and collected. Since I knew there would be no time to warm-up at the church, I did so on the bus by humming the Mozart Requiem that I was listening to on my MP3 player. (Yeah, Mozart came with me. I pretty much can't leave home without him these days.) The person sitting in front of me turned around and sort of glared at me which let me know that I was humming too loudly, so I piped down some. (Personally, I think he was in a foul mood 'cause no one else seemed to mind my humming.) When I entered the sanctuary the congregation was singing a hymn and I joined in which helped me to finish warming-up. Smart time management is a must in this profession.

Oh yeah, remember those boots that I shopped for, yesterday? Well they went well with my attire today. They looked good and they were oh, so comfortable to stand in. I'm telling you, feeling self-conscious in what you're wearing can throw off your delivery as much as not being prepared vocally. Also, your audience is set ill-at-ease, because it becomes a visual distraction for them. Your appearance is one of those major things that many people deem minor.

Well, my diligence paid off. The congregation was greatly edified by the selection, which is the goal that I aim for in all church service engagements. I've been scheduled to return at the end of the month. (Trust me, I plan to arrive an hour before service, then.)

Reality Life

2009-02-06T22:49:00.004-05:00

I am so tired and very sleepy. I had a lot of errands to run after work which consumed all of about four hours. We have a lot of snow on the ground since Wednesday's storm, and the slush and salt have damaged my boots, so I needed to get a decent pair to wear to the church service in which I'll be singing, tomorrow. This took a lot of time, the trying on of boots and looking for a pair that are functional, yet elegant. Once I got home I had to eat and do a load of laundry (which I still have to hang up to dry). I refuse to stay up late, so I'll only be going over the songs I'm singing only once or twice, tonight.

The good thing is that I did not go to bed, last night, without going over one of the songs several times. I sang the melody on a "nu" syllable, first. Next, on "nu", I sang the melody with strict attention to the rhythm. Third, still on "nu", I sang the melody, focusing on the dynamic markings. After that, still singing "nu" I focused on the tempo changes. Finally, I sang the text of the song. (Since I've not sung this song in a long time, I figured this was a good way to etch in my mind.) Not knowing what today's schedule would be like, last night, I took advantage of the time that I had, then, to thoroughly review this song. It's nice to get singing engagements, but the last-minute ones can sometimes wreak havoc on one's daily schedule. Oh, well, that's the reality of a classical singer's life.

Making Good Use of a Snowstorm

2009-02-04T20:37:00.002-05:00

Yeah, it was me and Wolfgang, together, again, shoveling snow. I listened to the Requiem while clearing snow and I must say that doing so completely obliterated the chore of shoveling from my mind. I mean, I actually enjoyed myself.

Well, we got 3-6 inches of snow, today. Schools were closed, so I had a day home from substitute teaching. I used the time to update my website, and bone up on my sight-singing (which I must say is improving steadily). Also, I got requests to sing for a church service, on Saturday and a Lenten service in April.

I'm in the process of deciding on the repertoire for both services. I'm not sure of what is appropriate for the Lenten season so I've issued an SOS, of sorts, to colleagues for suggestions. I'm eagerly awaiting their responses. At any rate, Saturday's service is top priority, so I will definitely decide on what I'll sing before going to bed, tonight. I want to mentally sing through the repertoire before retiring. Doing so will stamp it into my subconsciousness while I'm sleeping. (Sorry, Mozart, you're going to have to take a back seat 'til the weekend.)

Traveling with Mozart

2009-02-02T20:31:00.005-05:00

Train rides are very important to me and right now so is Mozart. That being said, yesterday I took my Mozart Requiem score and MP3 player with me to study and listen to while riding the train home from an out-of-town church engagement. Since I find train rides to be relaxing and oh, so peaceful, I had no distractions to impede this learning process. I need to know this score well enough to sing it in my sleep, so I've decided to devote as much of my free time as possible to it. It's working because this morning I woke up with one of the movements on my mind, I mean I was actually singing it, mentally.

I have a jury duty day coming up, soon, and I thought of taking the score and MP3 player with me to study and listen to during the waiting time. I decided against doing so since my MP3 player doubles as a recording device, so I don't think I'll be allowed to take it into a courtroom. Also, there's no way I'm going to run the risk of it being temporarily taken from me and then possibly lost. If that happened it would be like me auditioning a "mad scene".

MP3s and Commuting Life

2009-01-30T09:31:00.004-05:00

Electronic technology makes life so much easier for a classical singer. I decided to copy my Mozart Requiem CD onto my MP3 player so that I can listen to it during commutes, waits in lines, etc... I've had this gadget for quite some time, now, but I've pretty much used it solely for recording my voice lessons and coaching sessions. I like it because it's small and thin and I like traveling light. It took me forever to do the download because I've not done the process often enough. I mean, it took me almost two hours trying to follow the instructions in the user's manual which were neither precise nor explanatory enough. I realize that the only way to make this process a breeze is to download more often, 'til I can do it in my sleep.

Well, I was so tired after work, yesterday, that I literally had to force myself to go to choir rehearsal, last night. It was all I could do not to fall asleep on the train and thus miss my stop and then be late for rehearsal. I managed to stay awake, though. Once there, I was okay, but I would've been more mentally engaged if I weren't so tired. Sometimes it's like that.

When I boarded the train to go home I saw a castmate of mine who was talking with a friend, seated behind him. When he saw me he asked, "Okay, what rehearsal are you coming from?" The both of them laughed since they were also coming from rehearsals. As it turns out we all had three separate rehearsals, last night. We talked about our day jobs and how we manage to get to rehearsals that are all over creation, in the evenings. I was amused, especially since one of my choir members had earlier asked my about my commute to rehearsals. She seemed shocked by how I accomplish the commute, but to me and my two train buddies it just comes with the territory.

Every Little Bit Helps

2009-01-28T23:21:00.004-05:00

I had a day off from work, yesterday, due to inclement weather. I wish I could say that I spent it practicing and studying my music, but such was not the case. I decided to run all the errands that I'd scheduled for the rest of this week's after-work-hours so as to free up those evenings for intense practice/study time. (I also had to shovel snow and salt my sidewalks.) I did get a couple of hours of practice time in, though. I remember a former teacher of mine telling me, "If you can only get a half hour in, some days, do that. Every little bit helps."

A Musically Fullfilling Weekend

2009-01-26T21:12:00.003-05:00

It was a musically fulfilling weekend for me that included a Mozart's Requiem rehearsal and singing two Sunday morning church services.

The Requiem rehearsal was thorough and meticulous. Our director, as usual, infused us with vocal technique, interpretation and music history. I learned quite a bit about Mozart and his style of composing. While I'm singing in the chorus for this performance, I was still daunted by this work when I first looked at it. It was challenging solidifying the German Latin pronunciations, for one thing, but I'm a lot better at it now. One of the reasons I sing with this choir is to enlarge my choral repertoire knowledge and having a skilled, knowledgeable and patient director has been of significant benefit to me.

It was good to be back in the choir loft on Sunday since I've been away for a couple of weeks (although I haven't missed any rehearsals). As I sat there, in the loft, I realized what a privilege it is to serve God and humanity in that capacity.

Determined and Committed

2009-01-23T17:41:00.003-05:00

My independent-study project has gone well, this week. I'm realizing small results, already. I've been very good at sticking to an evening study time. I had a rehearsal after work, last night, so I was only able to get a modicum of study time in before going to bed - thirty minutes, to be exact - but it helped to reinforce something from what I studied the night before. I had planned to begin my course on Tuesday night, but I had to be realistic. There was no way I was going to let the historical event and on-going celebrations of that day escape my full attention, so I delayed my start 'til Wednesday.

I've set up an evening study schedule for myself just as if I'm physically going to a class. I was in the middle of an intense phone conversation, on Wednesday evening, when I looked at the clock and saw that I was two minutes late for "class". I immediately told the person on the other end that I had to go and hung up. That's how determined and committed I am to seeing this independent-study course through to the end, because doing so will make me a better, more skilled, more confident musician.

Just once..........

2009-01-21T10:32:00.004-05:00

I was in a rehearsal, recently (I won't say when nor where), when I made a glaring mistake and the conductor yelled out. The conductor did not call my name but looked in my section's direction. The mistake would not have been made if I were a little more skilled in a certain area. I was angry about the incident and still am. I'm angry at myself, not the conductor. The incident served as a catalyst for me to hone that particular skill, which is why I am, in fact, grateful to the conductor.

So, I'm on a mission. Yesterday, I went to the local library, checked out the pertinent resources and began a several-weeks-long, intensive, independent-study project. You see, there are certain things that I allow to happen to me just once.....just once.

Learning to Let Go

2009-01-18T15:09:00.000-05:00

One of the things that my voice teacher has been working with me on is getting me to produce more sound. The struggle for me is trying to maintain control of a sound that is so big that I feel it leaving me altogether. My teacher keeps telling me to stop trying to control it (my voice) but I'm afraid that if I don't control it I will sound horribly uncontrolled. Also, I'm somewhat embarrassed by this big sound because I wind up having people stare at me and I'm uncomfortable with that kind of attention. Well, all of that is changing, this year, and it started today.

I was present for a congregational singing and I thought it the perfect place to let that sound out, especially since most of the congregants seemed afraid to sing anything over a whisper, so therefore, there was little to be heard of the glorious hymn we were singing. (This is one thing that I know for sure frustrates preachers to the max.) Because the hymn was pitched in key too low for me to comfortably sing the melody line in , I sang above the melody line, throughout. Yes, people were turning around, looking at me, but I kept singing as if I didn't see them, thus training myself not to be embarrassed nor focused on myself. I knew that I was on pitch and harmonizing perfectly, so I kept singing. After the service someone came up to me and told me that he really enjoyed hearing me. "Okay," I thought to myself, "now I know that I was not annoying the folk." (Something else that always concerned me when producing that big sound.)

Don't get me wrong, I know exactly when to sing softly in such settings, but that was not the time. Later on, during the service, a soloist with a gorgeous alto voice (and you know how much I love alto voices) was singing a hymn and asked the congregation to join her on the last verse. At that point I sang mp because she was the soloist and it was not my place to upstage her. Even then my instrument was soaring, but that's what it does and I'm learning to live with that. My voice teacher would be so proud of me.

Decisions

2009-01-16T10:48:00.003-05:00

I'm so happy to have gotten in three blog entries, this week. I made that three-entries-per-week commitment to myself several weeks ago, but it's sometimes difficult to find the time. Today, it's difficult to decide what to share with you.

First of all, I want to thank the people who actually follow my blog. They are there even though they don't comment. One, in particular, often asks me, "Did you write something, today?" That lets me know that I'm touching someone positively via this blog. That's important to me.
Someone asked me, recently, "What's the point of this, why is it important for you that people know this stuff about you?" My response was that maybe there's someone out there who can benefit from reading my blog as I have benefited (and continue to benefit) from reading the blogs of others.

Now, this week I've been struggling with career decisions that will not be revealed at this time. As with all such decisions, I consulted with others in this business for advice. I received good advice, too, but the ultimate decision was to be made by me. I considered all of the advice that I received, slept on it, and then decided. The overriding advice I received was in the form of a question, "How is this benefitting you?" This forced me to assess my goals and determine how else it's possible to achieve them. I realized other options and now I look forward to exercising them.

Coaching

2009-01-14T10:54:00.003-05:00

Coaches are so important to a classical singer. I saw mine, yesterday, and the time spent with her was priceless.

Since this was my first time seeing her since the Spring of last year, we spent the first part of my session with me bringing her up to speed on my goals and plans for this year. I learned that I'm pretty much on track, but more importantly, that one of the moves I'd intended making is not a good one for me as my coach considered it to be a waste of my time. I needed to know that and it served as a reality check for me. Sometimes I'm not quite sure if I'm too advanced for somethings or not advanced enough. Also, there are times when I need to know if I'm indeed ready to move to that next level. It as at these times that feedback from coaches and teachers are of supreme benefit and necessity. While I may feel as if I'm ready (or in some cases not ready), I have to remember that I cannot judge myself to that extent, as a singer/performer, because I cannot hear myself nor see myself the way audiences and auditioners do.

I brought a new aria to my coach, yesterday. We worked on the language pronunciation, as well as the tempo changes and how those changes express the story line of the scene in which this aria is sung in the opera. Had I not coached this aria I would not have been aware that the music copy that I had was not the original score. There were missing tempo markings and rhythms that my copy did not have. Those things are important when you're preparing a piece for auditions. So, coaching truly is part of the life blood of singing. Every singer should coach.

Absence Makes The Art Grow Fonder

2009-01-12T23:16:00.004-05:00

Getting back into my daily singer's routine wasn't as easy as I'd anticipated. I did all of the planning, but the execution proved a little taxing. The fact that I'm still celebrating Christmas (a la the Julian calendar) may have something to do with it, do you think? Well, I've had to implement a little bit of the plan a day at a time. So, I have begun working on one major piece and will begin coaching a Spring concert program, tomorrow.

I am overjoyed at the thought of seeing my coach again, tomorrow, for the first time in months. I took some time off to deal with some personal/family matters. I was able to continue performing through it all, but I realized that the depth of focus needed for lessons and coachings was just not there, let alone the time. The time away has left me hungry to return and that's a good thing in that I realize just how much of my life singing fills and sustains.

Making Good Use of Time

2009-01-07T20:42:00.003-05:00

I had a funeral to attend, today. I knew I'd be involved with it pretty much all day since I volunteered to help out at the repast. Normally, I wouldn't give up so much of my time, but this was family. Since I knew that I would not be going to the cemetery I brought some music along with me to study during the time between the interment and the repast. During that relatively small amount of time I was able to solidify in, my mind, the rhythm of a new piece that I'm memorizing. So, now I can check off that one step to memorizing songs. I try my best to make good use of time, as it regards singing, whenever I must attend to time-consuming "life" responsibilities, and I'm very pleased with myself for having succeeded at that today.

Preparing to Resume My Singer's Routine

2009-01-05T09:12:00.004-05:00

Okay, I took all of last week off from blogging as part of my Christmas vacation. On Boxing Day I decided to celebrate all 12 days of Christmas (you know, like that song goes) so as to extend the holiday season for myself. Today, if I've calculated right, is the 12th day, so I'm celebrating. I'm playing Christmas music CDs, watching Christmas movies on DVD, reading Christmas stories, and (if I can find some) I'll be sipping Soynog (I don't do dairy, guys).

I'm mentally prepared to get back to my singer's routine, first thing, tomorrow. While I'm listening to Christmas music, today, I'll be scheduling study/practice time on my calendar and making decisions on the administrative responsibilities of a singer's life (finances, marketing, organization of music, etc...). I'm eagerly looking forward to resuming my routine, so the break has done me a lot of good by revitalizing me. It's been a wonderful Christmas music season for me.

Finally, I'm enjoying Christmas!

2008-12-29T11:50:00.004-05:00

Although Christmas Day has come and gone, we're still in the Christmas season and my celebration began yesterday. (It took me a few days to rest up from the hustle and bustle of holiday-related rehearsals and performances.) I rode down Fifth Ave. after leaving my church job, yesterday, enjoying the magnificently decorated store fronts. (Cartier's is simply enchanting.) On my way to Penn Station I took time out to enjoy the window displays at Macy's on 34th st. Today I will enjoy the light show at Macy's here, in downtown Philadelphia. Riding the train back to Philly, last night, afforded me an opportunity to marvel at the beautifully decorated houses along the route, all festooned with lights and lawn ornaments. This is the best time of the Christmas season for me, when I have no rehearsals nor performances and I can revel one hundred percent in the festiveness around me.

I do have a few career-related items on my agenda, this week. I want to update my resume and website before the new year arrives and store away all of my Christmas sheet music. Next week, I'll return full swing to preparing for upcoming engagements and auditions. Now, I'm going to go watch some favorite movies!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

2008-12-25T12:35:00.000-05:00

I heard the bells on Christmas Day

Their old familiar carols play,

And wild and sweet

The words repeat

Of peace on earth, good will to men!

And thought how, as the day had come

The belfries of all Christendom

Had rolled along

The unbroken song

Of peace on earth, good will to men!

Till, ringing, singing on its way,

The world revolved from night to day,

A voice, a chime,

A chant sublime

Of peace on earth, good will to men!

And in despair I bowed my head;

"There is no peace on earth," I said;

"For hate is strong

And mocks the song

Of peace on earth, good will to men."

Then pealed the bells more loud and deep.

"God is not dead, nor doth he sleep!

The wrong shall fail,

The right prevail,

With peace on earth, good will to men!"

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

A Wonderful Amahl!

2008-12-22T12:29:00.004-05:00

I finished Amahl, Saturday night. It was a wonderful experience for me and a virtually flawless performance for all of us. The dance scene with my other two castmates was perfect and that with having a much tighter space in which to perform it at Saturday night's venue. I was in good voice and did not flub any of my lines. I couldn't ask for anything more. That performance has definitely put me in the Christmas spirit.

I left immediately after our curtain call because I had to get home and to bed, early. I had to travel to NYC on Sunday morning for a church engagement. The weather forecast was inclement for Sunday morning and I knew that I needed to get the earliest bus out so as to allow for slow traveling conditions. I made it to the church at 9:40 AM. Anyway, because I had to skip out after call, I missed the cast party, Saturday night. Cast parties are so much fun and a wonderful way to come down from your performance high. Also, you never know when you'll see your castmates again, so they're great opportunities to get to know each other a little more. (There's not a lot of time for socializing during rehearsals. Whatever small breaks you may get are usually spent fine-tuning and memorizing lines, blocking, being fitted for costumes, etc....)

I was fortunate in not needing to wear a lot of makeup for this production. I was a shepherdess with my head covered, so, the only thing I had to guard against was face shine and that was remedied with powder. At some point I'm going to have to bone up on the art of stage makeup application because I suck at it. (I don't beat myself up, too badly, about that because I was not a performance major.)

Well, next up is two Christmas Eve services with my church choir......those, I'm really looking forward to because I LOVE Christmas music!

KEY WORDS!

2008-12-20T11:25:00.003-05:00

"Christmas is angelic music in the form of a carol and oratorio with a celestial descant."

Unknown

In Need of Rest

2008-12-18T23:59:00.002-05:00

I'm feeling a bit tired so I've resolved to resting as much as possible, tomorrow, so that I'll be energized for tomorrow night's Amahl production. I've been in reheasals Tuesday night, Wednesday night and tonight. Amahl performances are tomorrow night and Saturday night and I have church job on Sunday (It's going to be a long service, with lots of music to play and I have to conduct an early morning choir rehearsal.)

I will spend tomorrow playing through all of Sunday's church music, rehearsing the Amahl dance scene choreography and mentally singing through all of the choruses. That's what I call "resting".

Crunch Week

2008-12-16T13:18:00.005-05:00

It's crunch week for Amahl - final rehearsals (tech and dress) and performances. I've got to make sure that I'm well-rested this week. I cannot perform at top level if I'm sleep deprived which is what I've been for the past several weeks. I got more than enough sleep, last night and I feel like a brand new person, today.

Okay, I did do my research on the lives of shepherds at the time of Christ's birth which led me to information on sheep and now it's all clear to me, why those sheep were so important. The information on the close and trusting relationship between a sheep and its shepherd almost brought me to tears. I'm feeling my character a lot more, now.

We had no Amahl rehearsals last week and I'm having trouble remembering the choreography for my dance scene. I remember the first third of it, so I'm hoping that my other two castmates in the scene with me remember the following two thirds. We rehearsed it over and over the last time we were together (at my insistence), so I know that it's ingrained in my mind, yet I'm paranoid that total memory recall will elude me at tonight's rehearsal. Oh well, at least I have the text totally memorized....yeah!

Back from rehearsal........

Okay, I screwed up the dance choreography. First of all, one of my dance trio castmastes was absent, so the remaining two of us verbally ran through the choreography while waiting for the rehearsal to begin. We both forgot one dance sequence - the Egyptian moves. I start the dance by raising my left arm, then the other two shepherdesses raise their's and clasp my hand. We then dance, pinwheel-like, moving counter-clockwise, in front of the kings. Whenever we pass the three kings we dip our fruit baskets, which we hold in our free hand, in front of the kings. Well, instead of raising my left arm, I raised my right arm and threw off the choreography by moving clockwise. I quickly lifted my left arm to correct the mistake which then distracted us from counting the step patterns of the spin, because by the eighth pattern we have to lay our fruit baskets on the floor in front of the three kings. Luckily, we were able to take our cue from the music and we laid the baskets down at the right time. When we ran through the entire opera, the second time, I was so much in character, that I got caught up in the awe of being in the presence of three real kings and gave one of them my fruit basket (which he gladly accepted, I might add) before beginning the dance. Hence, I had no basket to dip in front of them during the dance. (That king who gladly accepted my fruit basked laughed at me, too. He won't get my fruit basket at tomorrow's rehearsal. Oh, such ingratitude!)

Oh, yeah, I also lost all cognizance of the fourth wall and wound up sitting with half of my body outside of Amahl's house and the other half inside. (I did remember the fourth wall when we ran through the opera the second time.)

The good thing is that I remembered ninety-eight percent of my lines which gave me the highest percentage point of both rehearsals (ha, ha).

KEY WORDS!

2008-12-13T00:01:00.000-05:00

Let saints and angels sing before You;

As harps and cymbals swell the sound.

From the Advent hymn, "Sleepers, Wake!" A Voice Astounds Us

Philipp Nicolai

Love What You Do!

2008-12-12T00:38:00.004-05:00

If there was ever a night that I wanted to skip choir rehearsal it was last night. It was cold and rainy, rainy and cold, wet and rainy, cold and wet.....need I go on? I'd subbed in a third grade classroom all day and those sweet kids were live and active. I had an early, small group rehearsal to attend before regular choir rehearsal so I did not have time to go home, after work, to rest a bit and get something to eat.

I left work, went to the local mall, got something to eat in the food court and then boarded a train for choir rehearsal. Funny thing was, as I walked from the train station to the church in the cold rain, I began to relax. Yes, I was even singing a song along the way. Rehearsal was grueling. We have an Advent service to sing on Sunday afternoon with lots of music. For as grueling as rehearsal was it proved therapeutic for me. The singing energized me and prevented me from focusing on how tired I was. I'm glad that I went.

So, why did I drag myself out to choir rehearsal in miserably cold, wet weather while all the while being absolutely dog-tired? I did so because I LOVE being a classical singer. While I was too tired to drag my body around and about creation, I was not too tired to sing. What I've come to learn is that when you LOVE what you do, then you've got all the motivation you need to do it.

Strange Produce and Middle Eastern Dance

2008-12-09T00:00:00.000-05:00

You know all of those fruit, spices, oils and plants that the chorus sings about in Amahl and the Night Visitors? Well, I decided to find out just exactly what some of them are. I began an investigation into quinces, nutmeg. myrtle, medlars, citrons, and musk, specifically. I wondered why these things were so esteemed by the shepherds that they would present them as gifts to the three kings. My investigation proved to be enlightening and informative and now I know what I'm singing about. I can feel myself becoming closer to my character, too.

This is my third time singing Amahl, but it is my first time being cast in the dance scene. Our stage director choreographed a Middle Eastern dance for me and two other castmates and I'm loving it. In the opera, we perform this dance before the three kings. When we first practiced it, a few days ago, one of our trio was absent, so she learned it at last night's rehearsal. After working with our stage director the three of us went off to ourselves to fine tune the dance. We listened to the dance music over and over to count the number of measures for each dance pattern. Then, we practiced the entire dance scene, over and over and over, again. We nailed it! When we went on stage, however, we realized that the space in which we dance this scene is a lot smaller than we'd anticipated, so, now we'll have to fine tune it some more. (I mean we were almost smacking the three kings in the head with our arm movements.) I'm going to use my belly dance workout videos, this week, so that I can become more familiar and comfortable with the music and dance genre. (No, we're not belly dancing before the three kings, but this is the practice-at-home-closest that I can come to Middle Eastern music and dance.) Doing this will help me to stay connected to my character especially since we don't have rehearsal again 'til next week.

KEY WORDS!

2008-12-06T00:01:00.002-05:00

"I believe that the finest carols are often sung by the poorest voices; from hearts made warm by the wonder of the season."

Anonymous

Singing Advent Music

2008-12-04T12:31:00.004-05:00

Okay, true to my word (this time) I'm blogging for the second time, this week.

It's Advent season and I'm so enjoying it! I look forward to this time of the year if for nothing else but the music. I love Advent/Christmas music and I love singing it even more. I've been rehearsing Advent songs in church choir rehearsals for over a month and now that the season has officially begun I'm revved to the max! I'm also in rehearsals for two productions of Amahl and the Night Visitors (see website) so it's beginning to feel a lot like Christmas for me, now.

In Amahl and the Night Visitors I'm singing chorus as a shepherdess. I've never really thought much about those shepherds who witnessed the majesty of the night of the Savior's birth. Even though I've sung this opera at least three times, now, I'm ashamed to say that I've not thoroughly investigated that character. That will not be the case, this year. I'm on a mission to learn as much about shepherding as I can as well as the day-to-day lives of the shepherds who lived at that time. Menotti certainly thought that one's sheep were as important as one's children in those days and I want to know why I'm asking my fellow shepherds about the welfare of both their sheep and their children in that first chorus. I"ll feel more natural singing those lines, then. Yes, researching the specifics of characters, time periods, geographical settings, social structures, etc... is one of the responsibilities of performing operas that I've come to love.

Finally, my sincere thanks to Pastor Keith Goodman for the comments that you posted on yesterday's blog. While I feel soooooo undeserving of them, I pray that I live them out in both my professional and personal life, continuously. You served to remind me of exactly why I was given this gift of the voice. It is a gift that I thank God for from the bottom of my heart.

Scenes from 50+ Club Day at Ebenezer SDA Church

2008-12-02T08:39:00.024-05:00

One of the "catch-up" things I'm doing today is posting pictures from my October 4th appearance at Ebenezer SDA Church, here in Philadelphia. We were all there to celebrate the annual 50+ Club Day. I told the beautiful people in attendance that if they posed for pictures I'd put them up on my blog. so I'm finally making good on my word.

I coerced my sister-friend, Alona, to take photos while I was singing. She protested quite a bit, saying that she didn't know how to work a digital camera, she might mess up, asked me all sorts of questions about what she needed to do, etc, etc, etc....... I wasn't taking, "No," for an answer and as you can see, she did a great job! Pastor Goodman snapped the picture in which Alona is seen. I hear he's a great photographer in his own right. I've finally nailed the habit of taking my camera with me to engagements/performances. The problem, now, is remembering to take somebody along with me who will actually work the camera. At my last engagement I forgot to do that and I'm a bit upset that I don't have pictures to post.

Karen Thomas was my accompanist for the afternoon. We did not have an opportunity to rehearse together prior to the event, so we had a brief warm-up before the start of the program. Karen has accompa-nied me in the past and it was good working with her again. It's always a pleasure having a solid accompanist because they make the singing so much easier for you.

I sang three works that afternoon: a protestant version of the Bach-Gounod, Ave Maria; a Moses Hogan arrangement of Walk Together Children; Margaret Bonds' arrangement of He's Got the Whole World in His Hand.

My good friend, George O'Bryant is the leader of the 50+ Club and invited me to sing. He and I used to sing together as choir members. When I was Minister of Music at Ebenezer he worked wholeheartedly with me and was a tower of support. George put together a great musical program that afternoon and I was fortunate to be included amongst some fantastic artists and choirs.

Here I am with George, Karen, Jane Boyd (a choir member at Mt. Carmel Baptist Church and Ebenezer SDA Church), and Pastor Keith Goodman of the North Philadelphia SDA Church and choir director at Mt. Carmel. Not only is Pastor Goodman a dynamic preacher he is also a skilled pianist and organist, and has a fantastic tenor voice. He totally blew me away with his organ accompaniment of Cornerstone, that afternoon.

Finally, my sister-friends. These ladies are very dear to me. We worship together, eat together, restaurant-hop together, laugh together, socialize together, shop together, etc., etc.... We come from all walks of life and various professions and there's never a dull moment when we're together. They keep me grounded which helps me stay true to myself. They also accept me with my sometimes (they'd probably say, "all-the-time") quirky, "diva" ways. (Okay, they probably just ignore my quirky, "diva" ways. In fact, I'm convinced that Judy finds them a source of comic relief.) Every woman should have sister-friends like these.

From left to right: Alona Edwards, Marci Daniels, me, Edith Vanessa Slocumb-Williams, Judy Johnson

Well, I hope you've enjoyed viewing these photos and reading this entry.

It's been so long....

2008-11-27T01:41:00.003-05:00

OMG, it's been so long since I last blogged that I'd forgotten my password. I'm glad to be back. Things have been hectic and quite frankly life just got in the way of blogging. My relative with the health crisis is making steady progress, so my life is slowly getting back to normal, relatively speaking.

I've got lots to catch you up on and I will a little at a time. I'm going to try to blog at least three days each week for the next couple of weeks. Hopefully, after that I can resume daily blogging.

Have a great Thanksgiving Day!

I'm Back, Blogging.........

2008-10-26T23:50:00.004-04:00

I'm so happy to have some blog time, again. My relative is home from the hospital and convalescing. What with visiting her several times a day, preparing meals for her and doing all that one does for someone in her situation, as well as going to work, taking care of my personal needs and preparing for an opera production, blog time just wasn't happening.

I had to take a couple of weeks off from my church choir, but I returned to rehearsal, last week and singing for services, today. This proved therapeutic for me and it gave me sense of normalcy. I still have a lot on my plate, but I'm getting better at managing it all.

So, today, I tried again, of course, to sing the duration of both church services in the alto section. We were missing a whole row of female choir members (maybe they were sleeping late after having stayed up 'til the wee hours of the morning watching the Phillies' World Series game) so I saw an opportunity to devise a fool-proof plan. I sat on the empty row! There I was on a row all by myself, sandwiched by a full row of sopranos in front of me and a full row of altos in back of me. I saw no reason for the director to move me. When we began rehearsing the first anthem, I marked because I didn't know the piece and was sight-singing it, so I wasn't going to make any loud mistakes. (By the way I sight-sang it with 98% accuracy!) I figured that since the director wasn't hearing me over the others he REALLY would have no special use for me. Also, just to insure that I didn't visually stick out like a sore thumb, I temporarily moved down to the soprano row, for camouflage purposes. My plan was working. THEN, Mr. Director looked over at me and said, "Cimarron, why don't we have you come over here," which placed me in the middle of the choir loft, right behind the organ and therefore in front of him. All I could do was smile and MOVE like the dutiful choir member that I am.

I couldn't believe it happened! I still can't believe it happened. I couldn't lose for winning. I mean what's a coloratura whose alter ego is a contralto to do?!

Well, it's time for bed. I've got a lot to blog about since this is my first entry in over a week, so check back, daily!

Unforseen Emergencies.................

2008-10-13T23:37:00.004-04:00

I've had a rough weekend. I had to 911 a close relative to the hospital on Saturday night after finding her breathing, but unresponsive, in her home. I've spent much of these past two days in the hospital making sure that the medical staff do all that's necessary to determine what is going on with her. Fortunately, I have relatives and friends who are medical professionals to help me understand everything. I've come home in the evenings, completely exhausted.

I'd planned to spend this holiday weekend memorizing my lines to the Don Pasquale choruses. Fortunately, I tend to think very logically in times of emergency, so on the way to the hospital, Saturday night, I grabbed my score. I knew I'd be sitting in ER for hours, so I figured I'd use the time memorizing the lines. Otherwise, I'd just be sitting there bored. I wasn't worried about my relative, at that point, because she came around as soon as the EMTs layed her on the floor, before placing her in the ambulance. (They never had to administer oxygen nor use the cardiac arrest equipment. They figured she'd passed out due to her blood pressure having dropped from sitting up, too long.)

Yesterday, I was at the hospital for a total of eight hours, sitting with her and speaking with her health care providers. I had my score with me as well as my practice CD, so I got a lot of memorization done.

I had to skip a dress rehearsal, tonight, because I needed to speak with her doctor, who didn't make his rounds 'til the evening, in regards to CAT scans done today.

I expect to make tomorrow night's tech rehearsal.

This is what we do when personal life throws our performance lives curves.

Preparing for a Studious Weekend!

2008-10-10T19:10:00.004-04:00

The end of the work-week has arrived and I greet it with glee!

I'm looking forward to the long holiday weekend during which I will have my head buried in the Don Pasquale score, memorizing the choruses. I'll also spend some time developing my character. I have a vague idea as to how I'm going to portray her, but she's pretty much still being shaped.

I thought that I'd have photos from Saturday's appearance posted by now, but there just hasn't been time enough to do so. I will try my best to post them, next week.

Exciting Times

2008-10-09T09:34:00.002-04:00

It is a little past 9:30 AM and this is probably the only time I'll get to blog, today.

I'm sitting in an empty 5th grade, all-girls classroom (they're in Health class, right now. When they return we will be going outside for the duration of the day to enjoy fun and games. (It's sort of like May Day in the Fall.)

When I get home, I'll have just enough time to change clothes, grab something to eat and head out to two rehearsals, tonight; Chamber Choir and Senior Choir.

When I get back home, after rehearsals, I'll have just enough time to check e-mail and then get ready for bed.

By the way, Don Pasquale rehearsal was a riot, last night. Nobody was off-book (just as I thought) and since I missed the one-and-only-blocking rehearsal I was running around during the opening scene of Act 3 totally clueless....and it worked! This scene is one of utter chaos, anyway, the problem was I couldn't remember which prop was blocked where. (The props are not finished yet and we rehearsed in a room because the stage was being occupied by a White Elephant sale.)

It's exciting times!

A Quicker Entry

2008-10-08T17:36:00.005-04:00

Okay, I have 5 minutes to blog before I have to leave to meet my music director who's giving me a ride to Don Pasquale rehearsal.

I subbed in a 5th grade classroom, today, all boys. It was a live day.

I got a chance to write out the 3rd-act choruses on 3x5 cards, so I can comfortably "cheat" on stage, tonight.

By the way, I had to miss Chamber Choir rehearsal, tonight for Don Pasquale. The opera takes priority since it's first up on the performance calendar.

Gotta go!

A Quick Entry

2008-10-07T20:47:00.003-04:00

Okay, I have about ten minutes to make a short blog entry.

I spent the day substitute teaching in the computer lab of an elementary school. I put most of my classes on a power point assignment. I figured it would keep them quiet and "edutained". While they were busy working away, in between monitoring them to make sure they weren't on a game website, I worked on updating my website. We all got our work done. I learned a lot about power point presentations (something I'm virtually clueless about) from my little students and a few of them were fascinated with my web-building skills. Some of them were even more fascinated about my classical singing life and that's good. After all, they're the next generation of classical music audiences.

I have a Don Pasquale rehearsal, tomorrow night. I've been informed that the stage director intends to run through the entire production and that we are not to have any scores in our hands. (Okay, so I'll use 3x5 cards.) I'm almost completely off-book and will be, for sure, by the end of the week. We have a week and a half to go before performance.

Time's up, gotta go!

A Wonderful Weekend!

2008-10-06T22:05:00.002-04:00

I had a wonderfully busy weekend.

On Saturday afternoon I sang on a program at the Ebenezer SDA Church in Philadelphia, PA. It was 50+ Club day there and I was asked to sing two songs. I prepared four songs so that I'd have back-up options from which to choose in the case that I was feeling vocally compromised. As it turned out I was in good vocal shape, but once there I was asked to sing three songs so my preparation was a smart move. The congregation enjoyed my selections and I enjoyed presenting them.

When I returned home, I ate dinner and then immediately began practicing music for a communion service that I had to play at a church in New York City on Sunday. While I can play piano, I don't consider myself a pianist so I really have to prepare for these kinds of things. I did not receive the sheet music 'til Thursday and what with work and preparing for Saturday's event I really was pressed for rehearsal time.

I was up, early, Sunday morning to leave for NYC. I had a choir rehearsal to conduct before service and needed to be at the church at 9:30. Because of traffic jams resulting from a bike race that diverted traffic from the Lincoln Tunnel and because of paving being done in the Holland Tunnel I did not get to the church 'til 10:10! I was fit-to-be-tied because I do not like being late for engagements nor do I like to keep people waiting, especially a choir-full of people depending on me to prepare them for service. So, I had to calm and collect myself, which I did. We were able to get a good forty minutes of rehearsal in and guess what? Service went fine. (I'm learning, more and more, to go with the flow and to not stress out.)

The rest of this week will be consumed with a staging rehearsal with orchestra for Don Pasquale, a Chamber Choir rehearsal for an upcoming performance of Bernstein's Chichester Psalms and Senior Choir rehearsal for services on Sunday. (Oh, yeah, I forgot to mention substitute teaching, two part-time work assignments and everything else that life presents....it's exciting times!)

Lots to do, today!

2008-10-03T10:43:00.003-04:00

I have a heavy schedule, today.

There are two work assignments that I must complete at two separate sites. Each assignment will take about two hours to complete.

I have a church service-full of music to play through for Sunday. (I was contacted at the beginning of this week to play for this service and the music just arrived, yesterday.) There's choral music, to play through as well.

I have to look over and sing through the songs that I'm singing on a program, tomorrow afternoon. The good thing is that I'm not singing anything new, so this will be a refreshening of repertoire, for me.

I must sing through and continue to work on memorizing the choruses for Don Pasquale, because I should've been off-book, this week.

I need to go grocery shopping.

I need to do laundry.

So, I'm looking forward to Sunday afternoon, when I can kick back before Manic-Monday arrives!

A long day.....

2008-10-02T23:30:00.004-04:00

I had a long day, today. It started with a call to sub for a first-grade class. (I had a marvelous time with the children.) When I returned home I had just a couple of hours to grab something to eat, check e-mail and take care of some business matters via telephone. Then I headed out, again, for two evening rehearsals.

Now, I'm going to get ready for bed.

Don Pasquale

2008-10-01T23:37:00.004-04:00

Chorus rehearsal for Don Pasquale went exceedingly well, tonight. It was passages in the "Che interminabile andirivieni" and the "Serenade" that were giving us the devil of a time (some of the rhythms are tricky), but we sailed through them, tonight. We all left with more of a feeling of readiness for performing this opera. Also, I think for the first time, we had fun singing these choruses. We're now eagerly awaiting our staging rehearsals to find out what we will be doing while singing as well as what the sets will look like. (I'm curious about the costumes, too.)

Expelled from Harmony Heaven

2008-09-30T13:45:00.006-04:00

If you've been reading this blog, for a while, you'll know how I feel about altos. That being said, you'll really appreciate this entry.

So, I was sitting on the end of a row of altos (I was in a designated soprano seat), this past Sunday. I was happily singing along, during warm-up. There I was, in harmony heaven, when the sopranos, two rows below me, told me that I needed to come and join them. (As if!) They were actually mouthing this command to me while we were singing so I acted like I couldn't read their lips. (I was hoping that I could stay with the altos, but my tactic didn't work!)

As I was making my way down to the sopranos, one of them said to me, "What are you doing stuck between those altos?" (Maybe one day she'll read this blog.)

When I finally took my place with the sopranos, one of the altos said to me, "We'll miss you."

I responded, "Likewise."

If the altos only knew how disappointed I was!

(Still dreaming.........)

Time Stealers

2008-09-29T03:53:00.002-04:00

Okay, life got in the way of me making entries to this blog for the second half of last week.

I spent a good portion of Wednesday muddling through the bureaucratic red tape of a certain municipal department. They contended one thing, I contended another......I won out.

On Thursday, precious time was spent battling the deplorable customer service of a certain national retail department store. (I'm a retailer's worst nightmare in these instances) I, finally, had to spend on-line time filing a complaint with the corporate office.

On Friday, I wound up sick, in bed with a 24-hour virus.

So, this weekend was spent attacking my music workload with a feverish passion to make up for lost time.

As a result of last week's distractions, I'm doing my best to write "reserve" blog entries that I can schedule for publishing on days that I don't get the time to write.

Sight-Singing Workout!

2008-09-23T14:09:00.003-04:00

Last night's chamber choir rehearsal proved to be an intense workout for me. We spent a great deal of time working on Bernstein's Chichester Psalms. I'd never seen nor heard the piece before, so I had to sight-sing it as best I could. I did better than I thought I would, but it taxed me to the max. Fortunately, we sang it through, several times, on a syllable which gave me time to acclimate to the rhythms, and they are tricky. (At several points, I was convinced that I'm dyslexic.) Finally, we began singing the text and that proved to be easier for me than I thought.

I'm in a "be careful what you pray for, you just might get it" period of my musical life. I, secretly, wanted to be a part of this chamber choir and was surprised when I was added to it, last season. Also, I've prayed for opportunities that will stretch my skill level. Well, I've got what I've been asking for and it's working me out. Last night, I felt like I was in a boxing ring at a gold medal Olympic event. Okay, so this is my reality and, believe me, I intend for each new sight-singing challenge to be easier than the previous one. I'm determined to succeed at this.

Vincit qui se vincit.....life's real goal to gain!

Lots going on!

2008-09-22T16:08:00.004-04:00

In the interest of honoring my personal commitment to make daily entries to this blog (Mondays - Fridays), today's will be short.

Actually, I'm pressed for time, today and in the coming weeks. I have a jam-packed rehearsal calendar, this Fall. I have rehearsals for chamber choir, church choir, opera company, my Senior Home engagement and whatever else should arise. That's aside from my personal practice/study time AND work (bills to pay, etc.....).

Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining. I LOVE having all of these projects with which to fill my time. They keep my skills honed and I'm learning new rep and polishing existing rep.

Well, gotta go alter two pairs of pants for my neighbor (another one of my part-time jobs).

P.S....can't wait to blog about my inspiring day in NYC, yesterday!

KEY WORDS!

2008-09-20T00:18:00.014-04:00

"Naturally I could only give out the amount of volume I have and no more, otherwise the sound would be forced and ugly."

- Lucia Popp

Senior Home Engagements!

2008-09-19T00:00:00.000-04:00

I've settled on two dates for these engagements. One, this fall and the other in the spring.

I gave my accompanist a couple of sacred pieces and a couple of arias, this past Sunday. I want to add some Broadway numbers, too. I want to sing some pieces that are nostalgic for the seniors, so I will be tweaking this program a little more.

I'm excited about these engagements for several reasons: first, I'll be singing a variety of musical styles; secondly, my friend and I are finally getting a chance to work together (she's my accompanist); thirdly, I'll be performing in a more intimate setting than the opera stage and that offers me a new experience!

NET Savvy

2008-09-18T08:52:00.003-04:00

I'm getting quite NET savvy these days! My latest venture is an e-newsletter, which I will publish whenever I have an appearance/performance to announce.

People have been getting a bit upset with me for not notifying them of upcoming appearances/performances, so, now I can send a mass e-mailing to everybody, at once. This is a great time saver and a very professional way to get the word out.

Just about everyone I've told about my e-newsletter has expressed their excitement and has subscribed to it. I will publish my first edition, tomorrow.

So, in addition to this blog, I now have a website and an e-newsletter....now that's progress!

Wardrobe Drama

2008-09-16T09:10:00.002-04:00

I am a couple of weeks away from a church appearance and I'm trying to decide what to wear. I'm told that audiences don't like to see a singer wearing the same thing more than once, at the same venue. For that reason I keep a photo log of every outfit in which I perform. Beside each photo I write the name of the venue, the date and the occasion for which I sang. (This rule doesn't apply to weddings and funerals.) I have clothes designated strictly for performances, some of which I've not worn, yet.

I need to make a decision, now, because if something needs altering (which I can do, myself) I want it completed by the end of this week. That will make for one less thing to worry about if something pressing should come up close to the appearance date. All of my accessories have to be set aside, too. (That reminds me, I have to stock up on hosiery, something I don't wear in the summer.) My male colleagues love to rub it in that they don't have to go through wardrobe drama "like that". All they need, they say, is a basic black suit, and those who've shaved their heads have it made in the shade! (OMG, gotta figure out what hairstyle to wear.)

Altos Rock!

2008-09-15T20:01:00.005-04:00

At yesterday's church services I sat on the end of a row of altos and I was in choir heaven! I LOVE singing next to altos. Their rich voices stir the depths of my soul and give my flighty soprano-self a strong sense of foundation. I never cease to be amazed at how women are able to produce that deep sound and I am always left thinking to myself, " I could sing like that if I were them." Don't get me wrong, I love my instrument, love it to the max, but I am awed by the alto instrument. Yes, altos rock!

.....KEY WORDS!

2008-09-13T00:01:00.005-04:00

"I am always humbled by spontaneous inspiration, that moment on stage when something new occurs to me and... I have the courage to try it. I never, ever feel more alive than in that moment. "

—Renee Fleming

Back in the Routine of Church Choir Rehearsal!

2008-09-12T00:06:00.004-04:00

Last night, I made it to my first church choir rehearsal for this 2008/2009 season (I missed the official first rehearsal, last week) and it was rousing, invigorating and motivating. We rehearsed an eclectic repertoire that included works by Brahms, Amy Scurria, and Moses Hogan. One thing that I love about this choir is the variety of musical styles that make up our repertoire. I believe, strongly, that at least one choir in every church should sing music that represents all of the ethnicities of the world, because doing so reminds the congregation that God's family is multi-cultural and that we are all siblings in that family.

I was seated between a bass and an alto at rehearsal, but it was not as bad for me as on Sunday. That could've been because we were sitting while singing, most of the time, so I could hear better enough to blend. I was amazed at how well I sight-sang the rep, too. For most of last season I was greatly frustrated with the atrophy of my skill in that area. It seemed like I'd never improve and regain it. Well, all is different now and I see victory in sight!