It's been a while...

Life flies when you're having fun, huh?

I realized today that I haven't blogged in a while, and I decided that I at least owe everyone an update...so here goes!

I recently decided while teaching elementary music that while I love kids, I don't love teaching. I thought long and hard about it, and I decided I want nothing more than to be a performer. I long to grace the stages of the world singing the works of Puccini, Verdi, Massenet, Strauss and others. Therefore, I have dropped my education major and am concentrating on performance...If anyone knows of any nice boxes I can live in, let me know!

I scored the role of Dido in SIUE Opera Theater's spring production of Dido and Aeneas. The dates are March 27&28. More info to come later.

I also won SIUE's concerto/aria competition singing O mio babbino caro. I will be performing with the school orchestra some time in March, not sure when.

On December 9, during a Saint Louis Symphony Chorus rehearsal, my car was stolen from outside Powell Hall. It was found two days later, minus passenger window and ignition, but all is well now. Yesterday I went to court to press charges against the kid (15 years old!) who stole my car, and he ended up being put away for a year!

On December 19th, I was supposed to fly to New York to see my idol Renee Fleming in one of her signature roles at the Metropolitan Opera. The night before, the airline called and informed my parents that the flight was cancelled due to a winter storm in the northeast. My trip was cancelled and I resorted to watching the opera broadcast in a local movie theater. However, Ms. Fleming is performing at the Met again over my spring break, and I will be seeing her on March 9!

I think that abput covers all of the main events of late! I hope everyone is having a wonderful New Year!

TAGGED

I have been tagged by Stacey, so here are my random facts.

1. I absolutely detest pretzels. I would probably choose hunger over a pretzel!

2. My top goal in life is to sing an opera at the Met

3. My idol is the one and only Renee Fleming, and in 6 1/2 weeks I get to see her in one of her signature roles (at the Met nonetheless)

4. I always, without fail, get nightmares from scary movies.

5. I am both a cat and dog person, I just happen to be allergic to cats.

6. I really like going to places like restaurants, theaters, concerts, and movies by myself.

7. I have never been out of the country...boo!!!

everyone that I could tag has already been tagged, so I guess it ends here...Oh well!

FINALLY...

After years of partying with the big kids, but being left out in the booze area, I am proud to announce that I am finally 21, and able to actually do things with my,uh..."older"...friends. I don't think that I am quite as excited about the drinking part as I am about just being able to go out with people on a saturday night when every freakin' awesome spot cards you at the door! Don't get me wrong, I will probably get absolutely schwasted tonight, but I think I respect my voice too much to do it every weekend like some... BUT, that does not mean that I don't want to go out and have a good time! So, if you think of it, go ahead and invite me to your next night of frivolity at the local club or bar, I would love to. Plus...you know you've been waiting for this!!!

Goodbye, Professor Bouman

My freshman year of college, I began studying with a voice teacher for the first time. Her name was Sandra Bouman, and even though I didn't realize it at the time, she did a lot for me. Even though I was kind of familiar with a little classical music, she completely introduced me to the world of classical vocal music. Even better, she introduced me to my first opera experiences. During my studies that year, I was constantly getting frustrated because I had so many technical errors that needed fixing, and it seemed as if I would never get it. I was seriously considering finding another major. She wouldn't hear of it, though. She constantly reassured me that although I had a lot to fix, and it didn't sound great at the time, I was on the right track and I would get there eventually. She helped me through my lack of music theory knowledge, and taught me so much about music I thought my head would explode.

Even though I didn't have her for my 2nd or 3rd year, she was still always there to answer questions and provide a very helpful point of view. She was just a great all around teacher and person.

I found out June 22, at about 9:30 in the morning that she had passed away after a 12 year battle with breast cancer.

Today is her funeral, and even though I have come to accept the fact that she is no longer with us, it is still hard to think that she won't be there to hear all of her students progress. On my recital comment sheet (that I recieved about 8 days after she passed away), she had so many great comments, and said that she was anxious to hear more. I feel that I still had a great deal to learn from her, and I think that it will be a hard year not only for me, but for all of the voice students at SIUE.

Goodbye Professor Bouman, you will be greatly missed!

straight A's

That's right, I did it! I got a 4.0 gpa this semester, and I am really excited about it. The question is, can I do it again? This semester only consisted of 13 credit hours, and most of those were fairly easy music classes. After my summer load, it's back to 18 hours and hard classes again, but we'll see...

In the meantime, I am looking forward to learning french over the summer, and beginning work on Howard Shore's Lord of the Rings symphony!

Oh yeah, I need a summer job too, so if anyone hears of any opportunities,let me know!

almost there

I am just about finished for the semester, and I am really excited! I passed my recital jury, so that's a go, and I just passed my last few scales singing tests (they were all of the modes, pentatonic, octatonic, and whole-tone)and all I have left is my cells test. (For anyone interested, that's a test based on being able to sing random intervals at the drop of a hat.)

I will have a few finals, and those are happening at the same time as the Carmina Burana concerts with the symphony, as well as my moving out of my apartment at school.

2 weeks after that, I go back to school for a course called "intensified french" I am taking an entire year (2 semesters, or 32 weeks) of french in just 10 weeks. It shall be interesting.

Anyway, life should be interesting for the next few weeks!

Throwing in the towel

I am kinda giving up on the color blogging thing.

I never seem to have the time or the drive to actually sit down and do it, and with the schedule I have had lately, and will continue to have in the near future, I just don't see it happening.
From the time we started our dress rehearsal week for Haydn's Creation on May 10, I did not have a free day until this Monday, May 31. I had a major rehearsal, or a Symphony concert, or a church concert, or Opera rehearsal, or opera performance, or a major project to do, or a recital to prepare for (which I am still doing), or a trip to Chicago, or SOMETHING!!!
This week, I have dedicated a few extra hours to preparing the rep for my upcoming recital in the beginning of May, as well as the singing tests I desperately need to pass.

You know those cute t-shirts that say "I can't, I have rehearsal"? Well, I need one that says "I can't, my life is rehearsal"!

Oh well, at least after this semester I only have a big summer load and about a year or two left, and then grad school...yeah, never mind, I'm in school for forever!!!