Surgery Recovery

I finally got my long-anticipated sinus surgery on July 20th.  Everything went well and I'm recovering as expected.  My sore throat (I was intubated while under general anesthesia) has disappeared and now I'm dealing exclusively with the sinus pressure from the packing and swelling as I heal.

Interesting side-note: I met with the anesthesiologist before the surgery and he asked me the normal questions about allergies and underlying medical conditions. In passing, I mentioned that I was a singer, which prompted him to assure me that they would use a smaller tube when they intubated me.  I was taken aback because I didn't even know that was an option.  So, to any singers getting surgery, be sure to mention your profession!  I admit I was a little nervous about the intubation in the first place, but didn't realize they could do anything differently.  I have learned my lesson and will now make it a point to mention that I'm a singer whenever seeing a new doctor.  When your body is your instrument, there's no telling what complications can arise that could put you out of work.

Attempted Improvements

We set up the sound system to record the funeral this morning to aid me in my attempt to get some updated sample tracks to use for this website.  Something went wonky and it only picked up my microphone and not the instrument mic that was setup to record the piano and organ.  So, if anyone wants to hear my a cappella version of On Eagles Wings... (you really don't).

We'll do better next time.

In the meantime, I need to sit down and actually order those business cards that I keep telling myself I need to get.  Maybe next time someone compliments me on my performance, I can casually slip them a business card.  Girl's gotta make a living, right?  Need to be careful of appropriate business-card-giving moments.  After a funeral? Probably not.  Working with a new accompanist?  Definitely!

I think the trick to getting jobs in this business is referrals.  I mean, we all want to work with people we know, and barring that, we want to work with people whom the people we know know, you know?

Hope you are all enjoying your summer!

Blessed

After Mass today, a parishioner approached me, squeezed my hand, and said, "Hun, let me tell you... Hearing your voice was the most wonderful thing I've ever heard in my life." She looked like she'd had a long life.

Once again I'm reminded just how blessed I am to have this talent and what a privilege it is to be able to share it with others and bring them joy. While I'd like to be able to make a living by singing and performing, this is ultimately why I do what I do. This is what brings me life.

May we all find renewed joy in our artistic endeavors.

The Price of Genius

Poorly Attended | MinnesotaPlaylist.com

Excellent article by director, Kevin T. Houle for MN Playlist. Check it out at the link above!

Audition-palooza

So, just because I'm taking the summer off from doing shows, doesn't mean I'm not actively preparing for the Fall. And that means doing lots, and LOTS of auditions! This presents some unique challenges.

First of all, it's hard to take the time to find new audition material when you are busy going to auditions 2-3 times a week as well as performing. I was able to reecently add another 2-min and 1-min monologue to my repertoire, but they are not the impressive showy pieces that I'm looking for. Sometimes I bore myself rehearsing them. Why would anyone else want to cast me if I'm not even impressed. So, on my priority list is to find some new material and that means asking for suggestions and reading a LOT of plays. Same goes for my uptempo, and contemporary 16/32 bars. I'm just not convinced that what I'm presenting really shows what I can do. And that's no way to feel after an audition.

Someone once said, and I think it applies most especially to the performing arts, that success is where preparation and opportunity meet. I happen to live in a metro area that is full of opportunity for creative and talented people such as myself. It's up to me to be prepared. So, that's the point of this summer... Now if I only knew where to start.

I welcome suggestions; feel free to throw 'em out there!

A Letter to My Grandmother

Those of us in the performing arts have all had people in our lives who strongly encouraged us to pursue our talents and passions.  My grandmother was one of mine, perhaps the most influential.  She turned 75 years old today, and this was my letter to her.

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Monday, May 30, 2011

Grandma,

Recently, as I was going through boxes in storage to gather baby items for Jennifer's soon-to-be-arriving son, I came across an old, tattered, red scrapbook.  This scrapbook had been through the ringer.  It shows evidence of water damage and mildew.  It has been packed, moved, and stored in five different houses over 15 years.  Some of the writing has faded, some of the colors have bled, and some of the glue holding its contents has released, but the book is intact.  And what it holds is priceless: the scraps of hopes and dreams of a little girl who was inspired by her grandmother.

A Good, Good Friday

Occasionally when singing at church, I get an opportunity to reflect upon the importance of music in worship services.  It's easy to get complacent or to unintentionally shift focus from the celebration of the Mass to the performance of the cantor.  When you have a particularly complimentary congregation, or a song that you know will really show off your voice, sometimes you slip into performance mode and forget that as Cantor you are responsible for leading the people in worship.  It's not because of any great ego (though there is certainly no shortage of that among musicians in general), but perhaps you sense the great power of your position.  The Mass is driven by ritual and tradition.  Certain texts spoken at certain times by certain people.  Traditionally as Cantor, you have the responsibility of proclaiming the Responsorial Psalm and leading the congregation in the responses (e.i. Sanctus, Angus Dei, etc.).

Challenges of Redesign

While I am confident that this year's Living Stations of the Cross will turn out just fine, I have been feeling more stress as we get closer to our performance date.  Somehow, going into this, I had assumed that because I had directed this the year before, it would simply be a matter of plugging the new actors into the same characters and blocking and that it would be a calm experience for everyone involved.  I am learning, however, that even though you directed a show once, IT WILL NEVER BE THE SAME SHOW in subsequent attempts.

Now granted, part of the stress is stemming from the fact that my expectation of just plugging people into an existing vehicle was inherently flawed and unrealistic.

Secondly, I THOUGHT I had remembered my blocking from last year, but find myself having to go back and change things to accommodate unforeseen complications.

Care of Your Instrument

Something happened at rehearsal tonight that hasn't happened to me in a long time: I lost my voice.  As I mentioned in an earlier post, I have been asked to supplement the nuns singing from offstage as a Soprano I.  Richard Rodgers was not kind to the Soprano I's in his score.  The bulk of it requires us to hover between an E5 and G5, with occasional leaps to A5 and finally C6.  At that range, the lyrics become unintelligible screeching unless one completely drops the consonants and just "ah's" their way through.  One particular instrument of torture is the Gaudeamus: Soprano I's sing (ff) "G G G G | GG G G | A AA AGB | G GGGGGG | G..... | G..." Oh, and the tempo is LARGO!

Listen here: Gaudeamus - Soprano 1 (upper)

I was able to handle this the first few times we ran through it.  I did not anticipate that we would be running this and the other songs continuously for an hour.