The Competition

So, the competition. I felt I did well, given some of the rehearsals, but not exceedingly well. Here's the lowdown: I picked two difficult pieces to sing and, although it was a very good practice for me considering I have to sing these for a recital in a couple of months, they were not quite at the performance level yet. The first piece went well but the middle coloratura was a bit mushy and I cracked on one note (a middle D???). The second piece went well and I thought I acted the crap out of it but that did not seem to convince them either. Overall, I felt confident and enjoyed performing. So why did I not get through to the second round? I know two of the other singers that got through and what they did have that I do not yet is a PLACED sound. It is even throughout the range and I am still working on that. Also, they might have performed their pieces exceptionally well, whereas these two arias are new for me and it was the first time that I performed them in public.
Sometimes it feels like it is taking forever to "get there". I believe in my talent but it seems that for every one thing that I get, I get nine rejections. Withought wanting to sound like I am looking for pity and sympathy, I do wish that things were easier sometimes. However, what I CAN learn from this is that I am not "there" yet and that I need to work harder. Speaking of, better go start memorizing that new music!

Until my next post!

Just Enjoy Yourself!

I woke up this morning with a moment of total clarity: just enjoy yourself onstage, whenever the circumstance! The thing is, I have a heavy week starting now, what with Figaro opening Friday and a concerto competition on Tomorrow. I had a mini freak-out session last night about it all and went to bed in a not-so-great state of mind. It always happens to me when something is coming up and I usually just ride the wave and wait until it passes. But this morning, as I awoke fresh and relaxed, it suddenly became clear to me that I was WAY overthinking everything and that all I need to do to get through this week is to HAVE FUN! The thing is, I HAVE, practice my stuff, I DO know it well and it IS good in my fach. The rest (who wins, whether the show is a success or not, etc.) is NOT in my hands so all I can do is to ENJOY (lotsa caplock here, I'm sorry). I need to remember why I started doing this in the first place and embrace it. No use nor want for worries here.

I remember as I kid, I loved loved loved the attention. Unashamedly extroverted, I used to put on shows for my cousin and when I had exhausted myself for at least two hours, there was still no way that I could go to bed as I was so wound up from the addrenaline. Ah, the good old days!
The thing is, us singers are not saving lives here. None of it is a matter of life or death. So why NOT enjoy it?

Until my next post!

First the Title...

So, the title says it all. Really. I'm a girl in her early twenties who is trying to be an opera singer. Trying being the operative word. I am one in a sea of sopranos who is trying to make a living out of playing with my larynx. Just in the last audition that I did for Opera Nuova, there was roughly one soprano for every other voice type auditioning, or so I was told by one of the people in charge. It is an extremely competitive field and although I have been told "no" by many people at many different auditions, I am still adamant about pursuing my passion, which is to entertain.

And therein lies the problem. Unlike many others who work in the field of classical music, I do not feel that opera, or classical music at large for that matter, is any different that other forms of entertainement. It should be performed with the same passion and the same level of charisma usually reserved to pop stars like Beyonce or Lady Gaga. What make it difficult to do so is admitedly the level of technicality of the art form. It's hard to sing an aria while performing an intricate choreography, but Danielle De Niese pulled it off in Glynebourn's 2005 production of Giulio Cesare. She may not sing with a perfect technique ALL THE TIME (most singers-in-training often diss her because of that; I think they're just jealous of her killer combination of vocal talent, good looks and acting chops) but sing well, she can certainly do. And she is magnetic. Here she is on youtube in all her star-like glory:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K2qJuIluaXg

Until my next entry!