Its a Variety Post

[unbound_spirit]

+I scored the role of The Violated Saint in Amy Beth Kirsten's 2005 opera Ophelia Forever, to be performed with Harbor Opera in December.  I'm very happy about this.  Yay contemporary opera!

+I finally got the DVDs from Operaworks, and I figured out how to upload them, cut them into the sections I wanted, and even extract the audio from them to

Comments

[unbound_spirit]

Operaworks is quite a bit of money. The four week program was something like $3,500 including the cost of housing. Plus the plane ticket cost me around $500. And they don't provide meals, and food is expensive in LA, even in the grocery stores. The two week program is not as much, obviously. And if you know someone in the Los Angeles area that would be willing to put you up while you're there, it would be worth it. You can also apply to scholarships through Operaworks, or you can apply for various grants or ask for funding from various sources to help you pay your way. Operaworks even provide you with a package specifically for that purpose once you're accepted.

I felt like the program really put me in touch with a lot of things I needed to become in touch with about myself as a performer and a person. Its hard to say what kind of impact its had so far. A lot of the stuff I heard there I was not hearing for the first time. And a lot of the classes they had on how to market yourself, how to budget, etc, well, I could have probably taught those classes. But the holistic approach to performing was a really good thing for me, and I think most people benefited from it a lot. I felt a lot more comfortable with myself as a person by the time I left, anyway.