Music, music everywhere, and oh what waterfalls to drink!

After I turned in my Verdi-Varesi paper and took my midterm yesterday morning, I got the most wonderful treat for the next 10 - yes, count them, 10 - hours: Total Music Immersion :) It may be better than chocolate. For those of you who know what a chocolate addict I am, this is saying something.

First, I got to spend an hour with the new piano in my favorite practice room. Gentle warm ups for my voice, engaging work with my new pieces and Laurie's Aria, and stretching and warm ups for my body made the time such a delicious luxury. The contrast with my past three days of desk work was amazing and made me appreciate singing even more.

Next was my hour-long studio class. My fellow students who study with my voice teacher are just flat out amazing. It doesn't matter whether they are undergrads or grads; they have a depth of expression, technical fluidity, and raw vocal talent that are all so powerful to see. Professionals in the making for sure. And I got to sit less than ten feet away from each of them as they performed everything from art song to opera. Big-voiced sopranos, an incredibly high tenor, and a lyrical baritone-tenor (he's in transition) all made for a wonderful concert. And then I got to do what I think a lot of musical people want when they see a concert: to jump up there and perform myself.

What's really neat about this environment of the studio class is that it is really a way to build deep confidence. It provides a super-positive performance experience in an intimate setting (often the scariest for singers because you can't ignore the audience). The other students are so warm and supportive; they exude genuine delight when you do well, and they are completely sympathetic if something goes wrong because they've all been there themselves. My voice teacher is completely positive. She jumps with joy when something you've been working on fits well, and she always starts the feedback portion with a very genuine compliment. She won't say something nice just to do the sandwich we see in business; rather, she picks something that really was good and celebrates that victory. Then, she moves on to the "area for development". But this never comes across as negative feedback. Instead, it's presented as a way to make the piece even better. And you try singing again, incorporating this new information. Except for diction (and even with diction sometimes), nothing is a quick fix. She points out something meaty enough that it will take time to fully incorporate. But you try it anyway and whole new dimensions of sound open up. I know from seeing my fellow students do this. It's like the piece leaps to another level. And the audience is delighted, and you're excited that you're making progress. It's all a wonderful celebration of the unending journey towards being a better artist. And that means that you don't leave focusing on the "right side of the review"; you leave feeling great, like you're already doing some things well and isn't it exciting that you're getting even better?

After studio class came two hours of opera workshop in which each of the 16 students performed his/her aria. The room is a black box theatre, and it's just right in its resonance: not too much so that you would lack clarity or get a "reverb effect" but not at all dry. These students are so gifted that it was an incredible concert. It's not just hearing an extraordinary sound; it's being drawn into the world they create for their characters. You are taken on an emotional ride through the whole class, feeling the anger of Donna Anna, the anguish of Orfeo after he watches Euridice die, the excited joy of Manon about to take her first big trip, the mischievious knowing of Oscar the page, and more. What is it that tips people over that edge from dramatically aware to can't-take-your-eyes-off-them-compelling? So, so neat to see. I can learn so much from all of these wonderful artists. What a gift to be here!

And then, to close the day, I had 2 1/2 hours of choir practice. By this point, I physically couldn't sing much. (You're supposed to sing no more than 2 hours a day or your voice can't handle it.) So, I lip synced a good bit and was able to listen across the wave of sound caressing Beethoven's Mass in C Minor, Schumann's Requiem fur Mignon, and Brahms' Schicksalslied. Just beautiful.

I dreamt of singing last night.

~Hope