Thursday, September 30, 2010

Accomplishments

Even without internet in my apartment (it's been 8 weeks now, kind of amazing...I spent a significant amount of time yelling at an RCN man today), I managed to get most of my goals for the month accomplished.

I did my 2nd recital with Kyra last night, and it went pretty well. I always wish I had more time to analyze music and get my presentation better prepared, but we were well received and had a lot of fun. Tonight I record "Mi Chiamano Mimi" for a friend's conducting DVD, and then Saturday I go to Madison for Pirates rehearsal week! woohoo.

I also managed to get 20 applications off in the past week. This feels incredible...so far I got 1 audition, no rejections. If only the track record would stay that positive....we shall see. I also learned that I don't have to get off the school apps as ridiculously early as previously thought, since I can actually make all the normal auditions in the winter, even with my OFTY tour schedule. Yay! So I'm taking a brief hiatus from the madness of application-assembling.

In other news, Jon got cast as the Marquis in Dialogues of the Carmelites at CCM! Very exciting.

I think that's it. mostly I miss the cathartic hours spent surfing online, looking at nothing at all. You'd think I would have accomplished more with no internet, but so much of what I do is tied into the Web that mostly I've been watching public television and playing Spider Solitaire (which is SERIOUSLY addictive).

Hopefully I will post more next week as I'm fairly certain my hotel room will have internet. Fingers crossed.

Monday, September 20, 2010

writing from library

I just had an early rehearsal at my old school for an outreach show I'm doing this Friday, so I had a minute to bask in the glorious free internet that is provided by Academia.

This weekend I put together 18(!) applications. I am recording this evening (the voice fairy visited me this weekend and fixed all of last week's fatigue) and then sending them off tomorrow. It is always such a circus to put together everything...each company has their own litany of what they deem important to judge you as a singer, and it's your job to make everything look as professional as possible, since you are basically selling yourself as a product.

I don't have much work this week, but that's good since I have 2 concerts, 2 recordings, 1 outreach show, and still memorizing 2 operas. Sometimes I wonder how I'm going to get it all done, but it seems to miraculously fall into place.

This past weekend I visited Jon in Cincinnati (LOVE our new apartment) and sat in the living room surrounded by lists, envelopes, resumes, headshots, and applications. He quietly let me go nuts for the 5 hours I needed to assemble everything....I am SO THANKFUL to have a partner who completely understands what I have to go through each year.

Wednesday, September 15, 2010

My internet, She is Lost

It's been awhile because my stupid silly new apartment building had a stupid silly electrician who cut all the wires enabling RCN to hook up my interwebs.

grrrr.

so it has been frustrating. And has put a block on all of my communications with gigs and hindering my application filling out process. After many phone calls to my super, the problem should be resolved "over the next week or so."

we'll see.

this wasn't a post about singing. I have 2 gigs coming up: one for an art installation opening on September 25, and one is a concert with cellist Kyra Saltman. See my website for complete details.

Friday, September 3, 2010

Getting my ducks in a row

This fall is exceptionally busy for me, mostly due to 2 operas in October. I am also working kind-of-full-time. BUT audition season waits for no one!

My plan this year is to have ALL of my applications out by October 1. Some are for summer programs, like Santa Fe, and some for 1 to 2 year-round programs where the singers are kind of the resident artists for a company. Applications often include headshots, resumes, letters of recommendation, recordings, proof of birth, first-born child, etc.

In addition, I have decided to apply to 2 or 3 schools for doctoral programs. This would be difficult as it may mean spending a year away from Jon. But we both understand that in this career we may have to be apart a lot, and we work hard to keep our relationship close even when we are apart...as we are these next 6 months or so.

SO to recap:

learning 2 operas
filling out 50 billion apps
working full time
doing it all before october 1st.

ok go.