| Newsletter Spring 2007 |
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Welcome to the Spring 2007 Newsletter! I am still in Vienna, Austria until the end of July! I have finally decided where I will be taking up residence next year, are you ready…University of Wisconsin, Madison! I am very excited! I will be working with the Opera Faculty as a Teaching Assistant next year, which I am really looking forward to, as it will give me more insight to the workings of University Opera. I also will be singing TWO roles next year: Pelléas in Debussy’s Pelléas et Mélisande and Ernesto in Donizetti’s Don Pasquale! I am so looking forward to both roles. It is going to be a GREAT challenge and I am ready for it. I will be living with a wonderful friend and great soprano, Caitlin Cisler! We have found a marvelous apartment that will afford us the opportunity to practice at home, as well as be away from the “College/University life” of parties and such! We both have so much to do that we didn’t want to be in the region of such things! We will also have a third roommate, a little Kitten that Caitlin has acquired from friends! He is so unbelievable cute (I have only seen pictures, and heard about him, but I believe everything I hear – he is a kitten after all, what’s not to like!) Needless to say, I am very much looking forward to get settled there and hopefully will not have to move again for a couple years! Lately I have been quite involved with things here in Vienna! I am currently working on two projects with the Konservatorium Wien (Lied and Oratorio Department); I am singing Adelaïde with one of the Piano students, as well as a duet from Britten’s War Requiem with a Baritone. It is always great to work at the Konservatorium and with Carolyn Hague one of the Co-Directors of the Department! She is so knowledgeable and I love anything that she has to offer! The work on the Adelaïde has been so wonderful and I just feel it has grown leaps and bounds! That is just exactly what I will be doing the next two years as well; working with Julia Faulkner at Madison is going to be so wonderful! She and Michèle Friedman (current teacher) are both on the same path for me so I know the next few years are just going to help me immensely and I will reach my goals as a singer! So I don’t think I have to say that I am very pleased and excited about where my voice is headed! This past March, in order to get away from the “Decision 2007” I had the opportunity to go on two ski trips! The first was to meet my Dad my sister Lea Ann, her husband Jon, and my niece Hannah in Frisco, CO. My Dad is now living there and has a wonderful condo, which is so convenient to many ski hills! It was a great trip and I got a lot of skiing in! Even a lot of HARD WORK skiing! The weather was so great the last day that I spent about two hours too long on the moguls! Oh well, it was totally worth it! The second trip was with my friend Georg and some of his friends. We went to the Austrian province of Salzburg and did a three-day ski tour! The first and last days were extremely foggy and cold, but the snow was amazing! You can’t have perfect conditions all the time! The second day, however was amazing! It was sunny, warm, and glorious! We sat outside for Lunch and got a little sun! It was so “angenehm” (comfortable) as we would say here in Austria! When I was in the States in January I was able to ski a couple days with my Dad as well, so that puts this year’s count up to 8 days of skiing! Not bad, seeing as last year I didn’t get ANY ski time! I just finished work on my second recital of the year! I performed Schumann Op. 90 the Lenau Lieder as well as two pieces by Duparc: Extase and Chanson triste. My friend and former roommate, Anne Wieben sang on the recital as well! It went very well and I was pleased with the way I sang. I still have a lot of work on the pieces, however, I know where I need to go and where I am, this was the goal for me! I have now started on putting together the last recital/music event I will do this year in Austria! I am putting together a bunch of my musician friends for a music weekend. The idea is to perform the music you don’t get the chance to perform normally! I am working on some Kurt Weill and Noël Coward music as well as some Oratorio and Early Music works! There is a lot of music out there and I am working on finding things that are less performed so that I keep my mind fresh while working on roles and standard repertoire! It is the “Curious George” in me I guess! Besides, I love leaning obscure and fun music! Why not? I am also working on putting a recital on in Baldwinsville, NY (hometown) this August in honor of my first voice teacher, Ms. Phyllis Orth! I studied voice with her for 13 years (I started in Kindergarten), and I want to set up a scholarship fund in her honor to be given to a student from CW Baker High School continuing on to college toward a degree in Voice or Musical Theater! I will be sending updates as I make more progress on both upcoming events! Yesterday I started my second Italian Course at the Italian Institute here in Vienna! I am working on getting the basics learned so next year I can take a more advance course at the University and begin French. This way I will not have overload on the brain in learning two new languages from day one! That would be a little much! I am hoping the class continues; however we are one person short and if we can’t find another person to join, the class will be canceled! If that happens, I will use the money for private Italian lessons! I have a couple of contacts here in the City, so either way; I will get my Italian in for this year! It is such a beautiful language and I look forward to the day when I don’t have to think so much about saying something! I know it will come, patience is all I need! Last week I was in Dublin to meet up with my sister Sarah! My friend Georg came with and Sarah’s friend Katie came with her! The four of us had such a great time! Ireland was really interesting and we got to see as much as five days will allow. Now I am back to Vienna for a couple weeks! I then travel to Berlin for a couple days in June as we have a holiday in Austria. Going with friends and I will get to hopefully see a wonderful coach and friend Kathy Wright! I hope that we can find time to work on the Pelléas to get ready for the fall! I just want to see her if nothing else! I met her at the Tyrolean Opera Program last year and she is AMAZING! I can’t wait to catch up! In July I have been invited by Georg’s family to join them on a trip to Greece! I am not sure exactly where we are going, but it doesn’t matter, it is GREECE! So I will be there from the 7th to the 14th! Once I am back it is time to pack and get ready to head back to the states! I can’t believe the time has gone by so quickly! I must have been working hard and having fun at the same time (no question about both!). Anyway, it will be nice to then sit in one place for a bit and get solid work done for the next two years! I am really looking forward to it! |