(no subject)
what a week!
first, there was that accident with ana maria on thursday, then i had 2 small concerts to sing in (not much to do really, just 2 arias each) and those were of really high quality and now we move into the final week of the season.
felt like yesterday that i first stepped into glyndebourne, and now i'm on the cusp of finishing my rookie year. it's been a hell of an experience and i've grown so much both as an artist and as a person.
saturday was my 2nd day off this month, not having had to sing in tristan, i got a chance to hear it over the tannoy. the guys sounded amazing even when they were out in the cloakroom. quick rehearsal for this gig at the old folk's home over, we did one of the most relaxed concerts i've had the pleasure to do, loads of banter, jokes about and with colleagues who were there, and lots of improvising the material which we hadn't rehearsed so well. the old folks loved every minute of it and were such an appreciative audience.
yesterday i was asked by misha to do 2 bits for a small church concert. it was in the middle of nowhere (as far as i was concerened) in the countryside. the vast fields surrounding this place were full of people camping, playing games, sunbathing, getting drunk and the church itself was quaint. the inside of it looked like a hippy commune had taken over. large cross stitch tapestries, spinning wheels and looms and wool and fabric were everywhere! for all intents and purposes i felt like i stumbled into a secret knitting circle. turns out the church was decomissioned but a small group of preservationists were raising funds to help keep it alive as a centre for traditional crafts. makes me wish we had stuff like that back home, where so many skillsets have been slowly eroded by time and convenience and the apathy of the pampered young.
there was also the principal flute of the LPO and a violist and a pianist i worked with a lot there as well as diana the mezzo in rusalka. so all in all, i was the most junior member of the group, musically speaking. bernard the pianist welcomed me as a colleague and that felt really strange, but also quite heartwarming. to think that they counted me as one of their own made me feel quite proud to be part of it.
the music making went amazingly well. it's been such a privilege to work with musicians of this calibre. i think i understand how jazz musicians who jam feel like when they get a really good session going. things just happen and i felt like i upped my game immensely. there was a moment where i felt like i had an out of body experience, looking and listening to myself and thinking, wow, this is pretty cool!
here's hoping the coming years will see me actually having a singing career. am hungry this morning.. time to scrounge around the fridge..
first, there was that accident with ana maria on thursday, then i had 2 small concerts to sing in (not much to do really, just 2 arias each) and those were of really high quality and now we move into the final week of the season.
felt like yesterday that i first stepped into glyndebourne, and now i'm on the cusp of finishing my rookie year. it's been a hell of an experience and i've grown so much both as an artist and as a person.
saturday was my 2nd day off this month, not having had to sing in tristan, i got a chance to hear it over the tannoy. the guys sounded amazing even when they were out in the cloakroom. quick rehearsal for this gig at the old folk's home over, we did one of the most relaxed concerts i've had the pleasure to do, loads of banter, jokes about and with colleagues who were there, and lots of improvising the material which we hadn't rehearsed so well. the old folks loved every minute of it and were such an appreciative audience.
yesterday i was asked by misha to do 2 bits for a small church concert. it was in the middle of nowhere (as far as i was concerened) in the countryside. the vast fields surrounding this place were full of people camping, playing games, sunbathing, getting drunk and the church itself was quaint. the inside of it looked like a hippy commune had taken over. large cross stitch tapestries, spinning wheels and looms and wool and fabric were everywhere! for all intents and purposes i felt like i stumbled into a secret knitting circle. turns out the church was decomissioned but a small group of preservationists were raising funds to help keep it alive as a centre for traditional crafts. makes me wish we had stuff like that back home, where so many skillsets have been slowly eroded by time and convenience and the apathy of the pampered young.
there was also the principal flute of the LPO and a violist and a pianist i worked with a lot there as well as diana the mezzo in rusalka. so all in all, i was the most junior member of the group, musically speaking. bernard the pianist welcomed me as a colleague and that felt really strange, but also quite heartwarming. to think that they counted me as one of their own made me feel quite proud to be part of it.
the music making went amazingly well. it's been such a privilege to work with musicians of this calibre. i think i understand how jazz musicians who jam feel like when they get a really good session going. things just happen and i felt like i upped my game immensely. there was a moment where i felt like i had an out of body experience, looking and listening to myself and thinking, wow, this is pretty cool!
here's hoping the coming years will see me actually having a singing career. am hungry this morning.. time to scrounge around the fridge..