Who knew a DMA degree would keep you busy?

Not just the degree itself, though I have a pretty hectic class schedule this semester:

-Faure art song literature
-Vocal pedagogy
-Faust through literature and music (this one's incredible for a lit nerd like me!)
-3rd year German, second semester
-Lessons
-Coachings

Then add into the mix the fact that I'm a grown-up now, and unlike undergraduate times, I actually have to work and pay rent and bills and taxes. You know, be a contributing member of society. I also have to build a work resume that reflects teaching abilities, so I can hopefully secure the job requiring the DMA degree. To accomplish this, I have the following 4 jobs:

-14 hour graduate assistantship (which thankfully covers tuition and most health care!)
-13 students, aged 9-adult, both privately and through 2 schools.
-soloist/soprano section leader at a church.
-soprano member of the Vocal Arts Ensemble, which has between 3 and 5 concerts per season. (Including one tonight!!! Very excited).

And, finally, the daunting task of keeping a performance career's momentum up despite the obstacles of school and jobs. Luckily, I'm beginning to find work as a soloist around the city. I've been asked to perform in several student's recitals this semester, as well as roles in local productions. And I MAY have some commercial work in my future....we'll see.

Basically, this is why I hardly blog anymore. Can you blame me?

In the Zone

I sang my first DMA recital last night! One down, two to go.

Performing a solo recital is very different from either a chamber recital or a show. No one can share the responsibility of being on stage with you, and it's less collaborative and more internal. The process itself is anything but solitary. I had much help, support and critique from my teacher, coaches and accompanist. But in the end, it's just you singing up there.

If anything taps into your fight-or-flight response, it's the first number of a recital. Starting is always the most difficult for me. If I sing "poorly" then I will continue to stress about what is coming up next. But if I do well (as, thankfully, I did last night), then performing begins to feel like a flow state activity. Many athletes talk about playing "in the zone" when they're doing well. It's the same for musicians. When words and notes are all memorized and you know how everything feels, it's possible to let go of your stream of thoughts and just be the characters of the songs. It was an amazing experience!

A Blog Post? No Way

I realize there has been gross negligence of this blog lately. This morning I woke up early, so there is time for a post!

It's almost my birthday, and I will ease out of my mid-mid-twenties and into my late-mid-twenties. I'm trying to do so gracefully, and with 9 auditions lined up in the next month, grace would be nice!

Doctoral work is coming along. I'm finding my theory and advanced German courses to be the toughest, but manageable. Next semester I'm taking Vocal Pedagogy, and will hopefully gain more insight into the vocal mechanism, which should improve my teaching even further.

My first doctoral recital is coming up in a week! I'll be singing works of Debussy, Rossini, Rorem and Stinson. I'm so happy to be able to present my husband's work on stage. I should probably get back to writing program notes instead of this blog post.

Not Quite Done With You

I realize I have sorely neglected my blog for awhile, but that's what happens when you're a full-time DMA student who is also working 30 hours per week. Even though I'm no longer doing an audition every week (decided to give myself a break and only take about 10 this season), I feel like I'm singing more than I ever have before. Between lessons, coachings, church gig, VAE, and 3 upcoming concerts for the Constella Festival ...
(check it out here: www.constellafestival.org)

 I am required to sing EVERY day, whether I feel like I'm at 80% vocally or 100. It's brought up my confidence and overall quality of performing. I'm not dreading audition season as much as I normally do, and am determined to enjoy Fall. Here's a plug for some upcoming gigs:

9/30: concert at CCM with VAE celebrating the life of late composer Elmer Thomas.

10/7: concert at Memorial Hall with VAE, 3pm

10/7: Lori Laitman's 6 Poems of Marichiku at the Northside Tavern in Cincinnati, 7pm

10/9: Performance of Nico Muhley's "The Adulteress" (originally premiered by Jessica Rivera, one of my favorite sopranos!) 7:30pm, NKU Digitorium, NKU, Hebron, KY

and a little ways down the road:

11/18: My first DMA recital! Works of Debussy, Stinson, and Rorem. 6:30pm, Knox Presbyterian Church, Cincinnati.

Now back to cranking out these wedding thank-you notes.

Another Month Flown By

In 3 weeks and 1 day, I will be married! With all of the wedding madness, I haven't had time to practice or prepare much. However, 5 days after I get married, I will have to go and sing for my CCM opera audition. So I'm going to go and pick up a score or two this weekend. Along with finishing my last week of teaching, making cake toppers, crafting the name tags, figuring out flowers, trying to get in shape....I could go on but it's 10am and I'm already exhausted. The good kind, though.

I should probably write at least one post this month

You know how it is...when you have interesting things to blog about, you are far too busy to write. Whenever I don't post in here for awhile it means I have zero down time due to work. This time, it's not so much singing work as: -wedding planning, which is really coming along. It's going to be beautiful, and filled with music (some of it original compositions by my ridiculously talented fiancee). -MOVING. we just switched to a slightly better apartment, and have been transporting one tiny carload after another to make the transition. -Teaching. 26 students at the moment, all of them wonderful. I'm going to be sad when I downsize my roster at the beginning of the school year, but am confident with my replacement choices. -Learning. I'm hoping to get my first DMA recital done in the first semester, so I'm cramming some Rorem, Debussy, and Rossini in my head this summer. Not to mention preparing for those pesky pre-tests in history and theory. Oy. So that's it right now. I think it's enough. I'm also covering Cincinnati Opera's season for David's Voice again, so much of my writing energy goes there. Hopefully once that's done I'll get back on top of this thing. Happy summer, everyone.

Backstage at the Piazza

I'm sitting here, just having finished Act I with a nice break before I'm on stage again. FINALLY a moment to write! Here are some bullet pointed updates: -I will be attending CCM in the fall, working towards my Doctorate of Musical Arts! I'm having a weird sort of reverse senior-itis these days, itching to go BACK to school, but still dealing with responsibilities of my current job(s). Everything worked out well and the choice of CCM became clear. I'm so happy to be able to stay with my teacher and to have secured an assistantship to finance my education. -Wedding plans are coming along well. One of the highlights has been choosing our ceremony music with Jon! It must be similar to a master chef planning their wedding menu. We had an enormous selection of music to choose from, not only from the classical but also Jewish genres. I am so excited to share the music we love and appreciate every day with our relatives an friends. -I have an upcoming performance of Die Schaspieldirektor (once again singing Mme. Herz) on June 9 and 10. Info for that show can be found here: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/44388989/mozart-opera-double-bill After that show, I'm planning on putting together my first DMA recital, getting married, moving, and continuing to teach. Oy, it never ends. I love it.

Rush and Crash

One of the interesting things about this career is you have periods of extreme stress followed by periods of NOTHING. In the past 2 months, I had about 10 auditions, 2 operas, and 1 concert, in addition to my teaching responsibilities. Now all of that is over. On the horizon I have a soloist concert, a recital, and a show, but for these couple of weeks, I have very little to do. I usually enjoy the quiet for 2 days and then go a little crazy. But I remember what one of my coaches in undergrad would tell me: find the pockets of time between hectic periods to do everything you can't do during the storm." Here's a list of what needs doing before the crazy starts up again:

-wedding planning (invitations, band list, centerpiece design)
-learning music for the next series of events
-TAXES
-pick a school and figure out where I'm going to be in the fall.

A pretty weighted list when I see it all written out. Yikes. Time to get over the perceived "calm" and make some of this list disappear.

Greetings from Florida!

I'm in my hotel room near FSU, getting ready for my audition and interview. It's amazing how different things are down here - the weather, the landscape. It's beautiful, and a nice reminder that opera is everywhere and maybe I don't have to live in a cold climate to pursue this crazy career.

More later...

3/8"

This is how long the average set of female vocal cords are. Opera singers tend to demand a lot from such a small muscle. I try to baby mine as much as possible, but sometimes they give out for no apparent reason.

This week has been one of those times. what started out as a slight scratching on Monday turned into full-blown laryngitis on Thursday, despite epic amounts of sleep, tea, gargling and steaming. I had just been congratulating myself on not getting sick so far this winter! Spoken too soon.

The damage from this bout of illness isn't too great. I did cancel one audition today, having learned my lesson from MANY auditions performed in less-than-perfect vocal health: If you are sick, DON'T sing! There is always next year if you cancel. If you don't, the judges may think that's how you sing at your peak, and as a result never hear you again. As much as it pains me to miss out on an opportunity, I didn't miss anything crucial and I have some very important auditions and performances in the near future for which I need to rest up.

Nothing is more frustrating for me than throat illness. It is the same as a dancer breaking their foot....when I can't sing, I can't work. Luckily most of my income is from teaching at the moment, which I can croak out for a couple of days, as long as I am silent the rest of the time. Hopefully taking this weekend as easy as possible will set me up for next week in good voice.

Check out my website, www.samanthastein.com, for a few exciting upcoming performances!

Now back to bed.

The Next 5 Weekends

I will be out of town for auditions. 2 road trips and 3 flights, all to determine where I'm going to be 2 days after the wedding until my Artist Diploma and/or Doctoral degree is finished. I feel prepared for all my auditions, though the process was rigorous. I had to learn 5 arias and a recital to perform, as well as review music history and theory for qualifying exams. Thanks to my BM and MM training, I was able to get ready for these auditions in a timely manner.

While I've been doing all this, I've maintained a studio of about 25-30 voice and piano students. Some of THEM are also getting ready for auditions...for local shows, school plays, and college auditions. While I'm trying my best to help them prepare, I've realized I can't force them to be ready. They have to come to it on their own. I can't memorize a monologue for someone, or chart their audition schedule. All I can do is share with them the tools I've acquired for proper preparation, and hope that they listen. But I am grateful to everyone who helped ME realize what it takes to be ready for something. My parents, who helped me schedule and audition for 10 different colleges. My teachers in undergrad, who taught me how to make a spreadsheet to track auditions (and expenses!) And my Graduate school seminar, which forced us to do mock audition after mock audition until it felt like auditioning was my job. Guess what? For the next 5 weeks, it is!

Heightened Awareness

One comment that I seem to score consistently from judges/teachers/coaches is "you look awkward on stage."
I've tried to fix it. I've taken years of ballet, which made me look graceful on stage, but still without intention or awareness of what my body and face were doing as I sang. I also have been living with a minor chronic illness for a couple of years which has led to weight loss and a general feeling that I wasn't in control of my body. Lately, I've been dealing with this in several ways. I have been figuring out a diet that works. I also started working out...ACTUALLY working out, not just the walk-on-the-treadmill at 4.0 for 20 minutes. I never knew this, but I can run. I used to not be able to lap the gym in junior high without having an asthma attack. Now, I can run for over 3 miles without dying afterwards! I'm planning on a 10k race in the spring, and after that, who knows?

More importantly, I've put in some hard work for DMA auditions ahead. All of my pre-screens were accepted, so now I am coaching, taking lessons, and working with an acting coach, doing all I can to succeed in the upcoming weeks. As long as nerves don't get the best of me, I should be fine. Here's to a New Year of awesome music.

Work Mode

DMA applications are happening as we speak. I've edited all the essays, recorded the recordings, made the DVDs, filled out the applications and asked the recommenders to recommend. Now (actually tomorrow, when I finish mailing things out) I sit back and wait.

Thankfully, this time the waiting is cut by a concert with VAE, the Christmas Oratorio with Knox, a few more auditions, and some awesome quality Thanksgiving time with the family. Cheers.

Another year flown by

Today I am Twenty-mumblyjoe-years-old. It didn't hit me until this past weekend when I received the MONC district program for this upcoming weekend's competition. Since it is an age-sensitive program, they list your age next to your name and repertoire. Because singing in front of judges and mankind isn't exposed enough. I keep hoping that it will get easier to age, but from what I've been told, it doesn't, and the best way to muddle through is with denial and wine. Except singers can't drink too much wine :) so bring on the denial!

I cannot enjoy this birthday, however, because I have an article due tomorrow by noon and an audition tomorrow morning, and a competition and audition on Saturday, and a masterclass Sunday. Hopefully by the end of this weekend, there will be wine and a more insightful blog post about the aforementioned happenings. Time to strap on my singing hat! (The one with horns)

Biding My Time

One of the challenges I face this year is waiting (I HATE IT. You know I do). As I (gracefully?) age into my mid-to-late-ish-twenties, I get the feeling that something is supposed to happen. I did the schooling, practice my butt off, learn my languages, do the coaching, the auditions, play the field politically, do all the things you're supposed to do to get this career started. And, it's started...a bit. I need to make sure that I simultaneously enjoy what's happening in my singing life and do all I can to make even more and better things happen.

This year, the strategy is to take a step back. Teach, save money, sing gigs locally, and most importantly, have regular lessons and coachings. One crucial element I missed while on tour was vocal training. I was getting plenty of hands-on performing experience, but after 60 or so shows, your technique slips a notch. While my resume was being built, my voice wasn't, and you have to look good on paper AND sound good in person. Since studying and teaching and gigging is a more passive approach to getting to the next step of the career. I remind myself of this daily while I pass up audition opportunities this year in favor of my upcoming wedding (next summer!) and the hope that my voice will be a force to be reckoned with after another 6 months of so. I am doing some auditions and competitions, but am being more particular with who hears me and when. I hope it's a wise choice, and I also remind myself that nobody knows exactly what they're doing in this business, except that they love to sing.

I'm Back!

Time to get back to this thing.

It's weird. I started this blog to feel more like a working singer, to chart my ups and downs, really examine the "process" and hopefully come away a more insightful musician.

Well, this past month, I've TURNED INTO a working singer. I now have:

-a studio of 20 students, ages 6-adult
-a section leader position at the best church gig in the city (relatively speaking, I"m sure, but getting to do the solos for the entire Bach Christmas Oratorio is a pretty legit job)
-a position in the city's premiere small vocal ensemble (first concert is NEXT WEEK! I'll be soloing for Menotti's "Landscapes and Remembrances." visit www.vaecinci.org for tickets and information)


The flip side of this new work situation is less time for auditions, less shows and roles to list, and less time to pursue any other avenues of life. Planning/having a wedding this summer is also reducing the number of auditions I can do this year. And the result is an overwhelming sense of relief. I definitely work better when I give myself limits and parameters. I'm probably doing about 10 auditions and 4 comps this year.

One competition was last week. Though I didn't win, I made the finals, and gave a very solid performance - one that was probably a little safe because it was TOO solid. However, proving that I can solidly sing an aria that gave me problems 2 years ago has bolstered my confidence and now I know I can sing more difficult repertoire for audition season.

Throughout my education and the years following, the one thing I've lacked is a sense of calm. My comments from judges are often "looks worried," "frantic," "lovely voice but working too hard." Now, as I enter the middle years of the middle stage of this career, I feel as though I"m finally achieving a sense of calm and poise on stage. It's slightly less exciting, maybe, than working 4 random jobs just to make my schedule free enough to fly to different cities every weekend, but the trade-off of having regular lessons and coachings and actually SINGING several hours daily to earn a paycheck is well worth it.

Recital!

I've been busy these past few weeks with many things...my studio is growing (up to 15 students now!) I've gotten a few new gigs, some new headshots, and some new audition rep polished.

But what has been occupying most of my time is my recital. It will be performed in Chicago next Monday and Cincinnati next Friday, and I've been shuttling back and forth to Chi a lot to practice with Kyra, my cellist. We are trying to do a more intense preparation and concentrated performance than we did last year. Part of this preparation includes writing and speaking about each of our pieces. The only problem is, some of the repertoire we are doing is so obscure that I am having trouble finding any previous analysis or notation! That means I have to devote some actual insight and thought into what I am performing.

This is what our professors and predecessors have always told us to do: "Be a THINKING singer!" and it is also why I like performing with instrumentalists - sometimes even more than with other singers. There is much more unspoken communication between instrumentalist and vocalist onstage. Kyra and I have worked together for several years now, and have developed a keen intuitive relationship with each other. Having that sort of bond makes performing a much more powerful and enjoyable experience.

Now, for the particulars of the recital:

Monday, September 12, 8pm
Dixon Strings Studio
4636 N. Ravenswood Ave.
Chicago, IL

Friday, September 16, 7:30pm
Northeast Community Church
12079 Lebanon Rd.
Loveland, OH

Program:

"Se Pari O La Tua Fe" - G. F. Handel
"Vocalise" - A. Previn
"What Lips My Lips Have Kissed" and "My True Love Hath My Heart" - J. Heggie

intermission

"Zwei Gesange" - J. Brahms
"Six Poems of Marichiko" - L. Latiman
"Dream With Me Tonight" - L. Bernstein

Hope to see you there!

Even on Vacation, Work Happens

Yesterday I had a lovely rehearsal in Hopewell, NJ, with my cellist. I was reminded of how it feels to WORK - not just to sing. To delve, to translate, to search for meaning and connection between text and music and instruments and composer. It has inspired me to write program notes, work harder then ever to memorize EVERYTHING on EVERY page, and prepare more for this recital than I have for any other in my career.

Today I was reminded of the other side of work, as I try to schedule my 20 students for the year into a congruent schedule that allows me time to practice, audition, rehearse and perform. It is VERY nerve-racking, but I think as soon as I settle into a few weeks of routine, I will be calmer and a better teacher for it.

Now I'm off to finish the Brahms translations (that's right, the Brahms viola/contralto songs, performed by cello and soprano!). This will be an unusual recital.....

I'm on Vacation

And have been without internet for several days. It's been LOVELY (though a nagging voice in my head keeps telling me to check my emails and hunt for students and learn that music). I will write a more detailed post soon. I've been visiting with friends and family members everywhere from OH to MA to NY to NJ and have a recital coming up in a few weeks, which will surely trigger some insightful tidbits I can share here.

Night!

And All of A Sudden I'm A Singer Again

This week, I:

-almost doubled my teaching studio size

-was offered one of the most awesome church jobs in the city

-found (potential, probable) venues for a chamber recital

-found (potential) venue for opera to be performed in October.

All the week before I go on an awesome vacation!

More detailed posts to follow.