I must first start off this blog by giving kudos to Karen who will most definately be reading this and who also just made my night a little better by only charging me for a 'Tall' Chai Latte when I ordered a 'Grande' and then actually making me a 'Venti' in the end. Sneaky little girl! xxxx
It's Tuesday night and I'm at work. I've actually been pretty productive this evening with some homework, necessary letter writing, and necessary emailing. These 5 hours always seem to go by slowly for the most part and I find that working at night is much more agreeable to me getting my work done rather than when I work during the day here. It's always much quieter and there aren't a ton of people coming in - unless it's finals or mid-terms season. Two years in a row I've worked with some fun girls on Tuesday nights. Last year it was Stephanie - who always distracted me with her online puzzles and very interesting stories about her work in Peru. This year it's Caroline. She and I both have a crush on this very very very handsome Scottish professor who will pop in on Tuesday evenings. He'll walk in, I'll look at him and say "Hi", he'll leave our presence, we'll giggle A LOT and then Caroline will proclaim that she "hates me" because I say "hi" to him. It happens the same way every week. Well...I guess... it's only funny to us - but we just saw him and I had to write about it! :-)
I haven't actually "blog" blogged about anything in a while. I got older in the past week. I guess we're always getting older - but my number actually changed. It was a good day. Bree, bless her, got up at my hour of the morning and greeted me at my bedroom door with fruit, chocolate covered cherries and a danish with a candle in it. She also wrote on all the bathroom mirrors and then left cookies in my coat pocket. Thanks Bree! I had to work and then had a lesson and then Karen took me out to lunch for a quick sandwich as I had a meeting. I spent the afternoon lying on the couch, chatting with friends from home and then headed off to work from 5-10. Blech! But... when I arrived home I had a little party of Bree, Karen and Ashley awaiting me as well as beautiful flowers, cake, and prezzies. :-)
Classes are going well. This semester I am taking the new Experiential Education Program which is reqiured of all Conservatory students. Last Thursday evening my group (Bree, Michelle, and myself) was asked to come and present our group project for the EEP to the Board of Trustees. We had dinner and then had to go up front, almost in a "panel" type setting give some background of ourselves as individuals and then a description of our project - how we came up with the idea, what we expected to teach others and learn from it ourselves. Everyone really loved it and we got tons of questions as well as some good points that were brought up to think about. I know... I know... I haven't really fully explained what exactly the EEP is all about or what our group project is. However, I've rambled on far too much already in this blog and will save all of that info for another day. It's exciting though! Stay tuned.
I don't know if I've said it before - but I really really like my Schumann Song Cycle class. Schumann lieder are a new favorite for me I think. I'm sorry to all you Schubert fans out there - but I just find Schumann Lieder so much more deep, daring, original, interesting and beautiful to sing. Am I going to be shot for saying that? I suppose I'm entitled to my own opinion.
I'll leave with a text by Eichendorff and set to music by Schumann in his Liederkreis Op. 39. It's probably one of Schumann's most beautiful songs and I got to sing it acouple weeks ago. It's amazingly beautiful but deceptively difficult!

Mondnacht

Es war, als hätt' der Himmel,
Die Erde still geküßt,
Daß sie im Blütenschimmer
Von ihm nur träumen müßt.

Die Luft ging durch die Felder,
Die Ähren wogten sacht,
Es rauschten leis die Wälder,
So sternklar war die Nacht.

Und meine Seele spannte
Weit ihre Flügel aus,
Flog durch die stillen Lande,
Als flöge sie nach Haus.


It was as if the sky
Had quietly kissed the earth,
So that in a shower of blossoms
She must only dream of him.

The breeze wafted through the fields,
The ears of corn waved gently,
The forests rustled faintly,
So sparkling clear was the night.

And my soul stretched
its wings out far,
Flew through the still lands,
as if it were flying home.

THANK YOU!
Big hugs and kisses to all who called, emailed, sent cards and packages and e-cards, sent text messages, wrote on my bathroom mirror with lipstick and decorated my bedroom door, came to celebrate after 10pm even though they had work the next morning, got up in the early hours to give me a birthday danish and chocolate covered cherries - the list could go on. Thank you thank you thank you. I am so blessed to be alive and to have all of you in my life. xxxx

God be in my head, and in my understanding;
God be in mine eyes, and in my looking;
God be in my mouth, and in my speaking;
God be in my heart, and in my thinking;
God be at mine end, and at my departing.

I have a recital date!!!

drumroll please............

Monday, May 14, 2007
8:00 pm

"Before I was made
You searched me and knew my ways
You numbered all my days
And You set forth the steps I would take."

from Before There Was Time by Caedmon's Call

This verse really struck me as I was walking home from class today - iPod glued to my ears as usual.

EEKS! A spider!

Ashley was finally able to reach an apple on top of the tree only to find it had a huge spider living in it. She threw it on the ground - it landed on my shoe -I screamed - stepped backwards and stepped on an apple - rolled onto Bree - and it's all caught on video!

Trying to reach the apple

Rachael's brilliant idea of trying to reach the apple. We first tried having Ashley hoist me up in her hands - then stepping on her knee - then standing on her back. I thought a piggy back ride would be safer. Perhaps I should have gone for standing on her back. (Aside: We didn't know Michelle was taping)

Apple Picking
 
 
  

 
 
 
  

 
 
 
  

 
 
 
  

It's been a busy past week/weekend. I'm so excited that Autumn is here. It's been a strange Autumn already though. It's been perfect weather for the most part - although it did rain a lot on Sunday. Other than that it's been warm during the day and chilly in the evenings. All with the exception of today which was 75 degrees!! The leaves are starting to turn too! I feel an apple picking trip coming on. Anyone game? I can fit 4 other people in my car!
I'm finding a lot more time to practice this year which is really fantastic. Really really fantastic actually. Karen and I were placed in the same Vocal Chamber Ensemble group and we're doing some really nice duets together. Some Purcell, Donizetti, a beautiful Ave Maria by Faure and so on. This is actually my first time working with another singer in the VCE class. The last two times I took it I was placed with a saxophonist the first semester and a flutist the second semester. We are having a lot of fun - the two of us are - and, not to sound vain - but man we sound really good together. LOL. I guess a more humble way of saying that would be - our voices blend together quite well together.
I'm really loving the Schumann Song Cycle class that I'm taking. I've always loved Schumann but have never sung anything by him. This was my chance - so I took it. Anyhow - I just finished a coaching on Süßer Freund, du blickest mich verwundert an from Schumann's song cycle Frauenliebe und Leben (A woman's love and life). This is the last cycle Schumann wrote before his marriage to Clara and was intended as a wedding gift to her. The poems are a cycle that give the emotional experiences of a woman at various stages in her life - narrating the progressive stages of her relationship with her love from her first sighting of him, their wedding, announcing her pregancy to her him, and finally - the death of her husband.
I was assigned song no. 6 which is the moment when she is trying to tell her husband she is pregnant. Well Friday was my last coaching on the song and I basically had to act it out - but under the direction of my classmates Yumi and Bree who had been told the previous week to come up with some sort of scenario and direct me through it. Well, guess who my husband got to be? Brian - one of the teachers who co-teaches the course. My accompanist wasn't there that day so he was playing for me and Yumi and Bree thought it would be interesting if he was the husband. Great. Thanks guys. I thought I was going to die. Poor Brian - I don't think his face could have gotten much more red.
The scene played out so that he was playing the piano (actually accompanying me) - and I was desperately trying to get his attention - trying to tell him in so many ways - but he was a like a man distracted by a football game. At one point he even pulled his phone (still playing the piano with one hand) and pretended to make a phone call at which point I grabbed the phone away and eventually sat down at the piano with him. Then it got to the "intimate" part of the song and I just wanted to melt to the ground. I was trying to stay in character and keep the fourth wall going - I continued moving closer and closer to him on the piano bench and he starts cracking up and then I started cracking up and then I spit on his hand!!! EWWWW!!! It wasn't a lot of spit - just singer spit - but still!! So that was how my Friday played out. I don't think I've ever been so embarrassed (not just about the spit thing - just the whole situation in general) but we are both adults and could laugh about it afterwards I suppose.
So there is a story for you all to laugh at. Next time we'll sell tickets for the show!
This weekend's supposed to be nice and we're trying to come up with something fun to do outside of the city. Apple picking, cranberry harvest festival - we're not sure yet. It's my first free weekend in a long time and I want to make the most of it. And who knows - this may (or may not) be my last Autumn here in New England so I want to fit in everything I haven't done yet. Good Luck with that Rachael

Süßer Freund, du blickest mich verwundert an

Süßer Freund, du blickest
Mich verwundert an,
Kannst es nicht begreifen,
Wie ich weinen kann;
Laß der feuchten Perlen
Ungewohnte Zier
Freudig hell erzittern
In dem Auge mir.

Wie so bang mein Busen,
Wie so wonnevoll!
Wüßt ich nur mit Worten,
Wie ich's sagen soll;
Komm und birg dein Antlitz
Hier an meiner Brust,
Will in's Ohr dir flüstern
Alle meine Lust.

Weißt du nun die Tränen,
Die ich weinen kann?
Sollst du nicht sie sehen,
Du geliebter Mann?
Bleib an meinem Herzen,
Fühle dessen Schlag,
Daß ich fest und fester
Nur dich drücken mag.

Hier an meinem Bette
Hat die Wiege Raum,
Wo sie still verberge
Meinen holden Traum;
Kommen wird der Morgen,
Wo der Traum erwacht,
Und daraus dein Bildnis
Mir entgegen lacht.

Sweet friend, you look
at me in wonder,
you cannst comprehend,
why I am weeping;
Let the unaccustomed
drops of pearl
tremble, joyful-bright,
in my eyes.

My heart is so full of fear,
yet so blissful!
If I only knew,
how to put into words;
come and bury your brow
here in my breast,
I will whisper all my joy
in your ear.

Now do you understand the tears,
that I can weep?
Should I hide my tears from you,
you beloved man?
Rest on my heart,
feel it beating,
so that I can press you
close and closer.

Here, at my bed,
there is room for the cradle,
which will quietly keep secret
my lovely dream;
the morning will come
when the dream awakes,
and from there your image
shall smile at me.

From Frauenliebe und Leben Robert Schumann
Text by Adelbert von Chamisso (1781-1838)