How Chicken Catching is a Metaphor for Singing

On Saturday of this past weekend, my boyfriend and I decided to visit a local organic produce stand, which happens to have a small farm on the premises where you can see all of the animals in their stalls.  After we had finished purchasing our produce, we took a stroll around the grounds, visiting and petting the goats, pigs, ponies, horses and cows, and it was while we were looking at the cows that we witnessed a true crisis situation unfolding right in front of our eyes.  Someone had accidentally left the door to the chicken house wide open and nearly all 500 chickens were now emerging onto the grounds outside of their house, as if they did this every afternoon.  The only thing that made us realize it was an emergency was because the workers were running around screaming and waving their hands in frustration as chicken after chicken flew, hopped or ran away from them. 

It was quickly unfolding into a full-blown catastrophe when we realized that they were calling for other people from the farm to come help them, but when we looked around we couldn't see anyone within earshot.  It was then that my boyfriend said to me, "Jul, we should go help them!" and I said feebly "But, how? I don't know the first thing about chicken catching!"  Then, after an admonishing look from him, I decided it was time to put aside my fears, and walked over to ask how I could help.  Funny enough, I was better at the whole thing than I thought, though I had no previous experience with chickens in the least, and of course, like every other challenge, it proved to be a valuable learning experience. 

The woman from the farm who was in charge of the chicken corralling mission explained to me that chickens feel most comfortable in groups and that we should use large wooden boards to herd them into smaller packs and then lead them back into the building where their coops were.  It was harder than I had imagined at first, because we had to remain totally calm and move at a very steady, slow pace during the herding, otherwise they could sense that we were rushing, or anxious, and they'd immediately scatter in all directions, thus making it necessary to start all over again with the herding.  So, we tried our best.  And it was funny!  During the process there were, of course, those couple chickens that simply decided something wasn't right about this herding situation, who turned tail and flew above the boards and out of our grasp, but sure enough, we eventually got them into one of the small groups and safely into the building.  The chickens' excited and nervous state made it imperative that we remained calm and exercise patience while herding, because they reacted immediately to each change in our collective energy.  Over the course of the process, we got better and better at herding and corralling bigger and bigger groups of chickens, and also losing fewer.  It was a hard-earned victory, but after two and a half hours, we had captured them all.  When the last chicken was back in her coop, we went to the bathroom to wash the mud and dirt off of our hands and jackets, satisfied with the help that we provided.  Later on, we found out that there were no other workers on the farm that day other than the ones who were already helping, because it was a Saturday.  So, my boyfriend was definitely right when he said we should help, and I know the farm workers were glad we did too!

Now you're probably wondering how this all ties in with some crazy metaphor about singing.  Well, I realized on Saturday that the whole process of catching, corralling and herding those chickens was very similar to learning to sing.  (Stay with me here....) At first, it seems like there's so much to do you don't even know where to start.  And, you're not sure if you should even begin, because beginning would mean that you'd open yourself up to the chance that you might fail.  Then, once you've overcome your fears about failing and have started, you realize that there are ways which make the doing of it much easier than others.  For example, when you stay calm and do things slowly and steadily more progress is made that you might have first believed.  However, once you realize which method works best for you, you keep on employing it, and eventually you gain competency and fluidity thereby increasing your pace, until you are doing things in a successful and time-efficient way every time. 

The difficulties about singing were also beautifully present in the chicken caper.  When we try to learn something too fast, or when we're not ready, normally the entire thing goes badly.  And, if you don't remain calm and concentrate solely on each task as you're completing it, you'll get lost in the details and worry about the one escaping chicken, when you should be glad that you've caught the other 7 chickens successfully.

So, when singing starts to feel like a bunch of escaping chickens, remember: they'll all get back into their coops eventually, and you can help them along by staying calm and focused!

Opera in Concert: How Much Staging Is Really Enough?

I'm writing this post today because I have seen more and more performances of Opera springing up on all sorts of stages and concert calendars, and often they are being performed 'in concert'.  I'm sure you've all seen concert performances of Opera throughout the years, and therefore I'm going to assume that you know what I'm talking about.  (If that assumption was wrong of me to make, ask me in the comments section of this post and I'll clarify.)  Anyway, I feel as a singer and budding stage director, it's important for me to examine with you the idea of performing Opera in a concert setting, so that we can find ways to make it a tad more interesting for the audience members. 

Although it could happen that most of the people in the audience are there because they just love this opera, we could also go out on a limb and suppose that there might be people in the audience who were dragged to this event by their spouse, or if they're children- by their parents, or perhaps people who just thought, "Hmm...I've got nothing to do this evening, let's see if this might be interesting."  Therefore, for those unwilling or potentially unwitting audience members, we as performers have to offer a little something more than just beautiful singing and stylistically appropriate interpretation.  Thus I give you: acting and stage direction!

Now you're probably thinking, "Wait a second! Concert opera is supposed to have no stage direction- that's why it's being performed in a concert setting! Duh!" To which I say, "Excuse me, but I beg to differ!"  Just because the singers may be performing on the edge of a symphonic stage, positioned on either side of the conductor and in front of the orchestra while sometimes holding scores, or propping them on music stands, that doesn't mean that we must divest ourselves from the dramatic action of the opera itself.  Who ever said it had to be that boring?!

It might be good for us to take this opportunity to address what's been done already in terms of 'Concert Opera' and isn't really working.  There's of course the obvious: no stage direction at all, where all the singers dutifully act as if glued to their music and stand up and sit down as if they were puppets in a marionette theater piece.  Despite what sorts of things you might find amusing as an audience member, even if the portly Tenor's chair makes a loud creaking sound each time he resumes his position in it, whereupon the Conductor gives him a death stare, over time this is surely not the most diverting form of musical enjoyment.

There's also the strange way that I've seen a lot of duets performed in concert opera settings where the Soprano and Baritone are sitting or standing next to one another in the lineup on stage and when they sing their duet together they just sort of gesture to the other person with their eyes or vaguely look as if they're going to move towards the other person but never quite manage to actually do it.  This is basically the ultimate cliffhanger for the audience because the entire time they're singing the duet you're thinking to yourself "Are they going to do something? Is he going to embrace her? Is she going to slap him? What's going to happen?!?" and after a while your brain is about to explode until, at the end, they finally do nothing at all.  How disappointing!

Then there's the possibility that we encounter the Tenor and Soprano in a semi-staged performance of a love duet.  I can hear the "Ooohs and Aaaahhs" in your brain already!  And yes, it will of course be gorgeously sung, although the one thing that it will be lacking is staging that works.  For example, there are two very beautiful and talented singers who perform together quite often in these sorts of operatic duets whom you may know and whom I won't directly mention (This link will though!).  They are obviously top-notch singers; it is clear from listening to their beautiful voices that their technique is flawless, plus they are both very beautiful people from a purely physical perspective.  At first you find yourself maybe thinking things like "Wow! He's gorgeous! And boy, she's beautiful! Sheesh! Seems like their voices are amazing too.....how come some people get all the talent?" (or something along those lines....) but, then doesn't your mind start to wonder things like "Why isn't she looking more sincere while she's singing? Why is he only convincingly acting when he's not singing? And why, when they're both singing together, do I find it hard to look at them and believe them? I want more and I want better!" (or, again, something along those lines...)  Maybe it's because they both look as if their heads are going to explode and could care less about the love they're supposedly proclaiming for one another, or maybe it's because we just want more as audience members when the singers are so vocally top-notch, but these sorts of performances somehow still leave us wanting.  Of course, some would argue that you simply can't smile while singing a high and long note, even if that's what the character in this circumstance would otherwise do, had the composer not written such complex music!  And, you would be partially right.  Though, there is more to it.  

Now, I know that to those of you who truly love classical singing, my comments might seem a tad harsh.  And truthfully enough, they are meant to be provocative in order to remind us all of the fact that we can do better as performers!  I certainly think that there are enough performers out there who are really very good, but I don't think that there are enough of them in concert settings who really go the extra mile.  I'm talking about making the experience a fabulous one for the audience members, and offering them something they wouldn't see or hear elsewhere.  After all, it's the job of an artist (even when they may have to take the reigns as stage director in these types of situations) to create art that reaches audiences in ever-changing and exciting new ways. 

I can hear already the commentary in your head saying something like "Well, I would be able to do that if I just had more time to prepare the material better!"  To which I say: "Brilliant!", but seemingly not cost-effective when we live in a world where you often have only minimal time to prepare, and are expected to provide maximum output when you perform.  This line of reasoning leads most singers to the conclusion: "So, then because I'm a singer, I better make sure the singing's the best I can do, and I can maybe not worry so much about the acting- it will come in the moment from the adrenaline."  WRONG!  So many singers have thought those very things and then when it came time to perform, their acting was sub-par or perhaps even non-existent.  I know that it's hard to perform consistently at your best because of the time crunch.  No matter who you are and what your financial situation is, as a singer you've probably been in the situation before where you've either had to work, which took up a lot of the time you'd be normally using to practice, or you simply had other life obligations (e.g. a new baby, having a family in general, moving, caring for elderly parents) and whatever the case may be, I know you simply don't have all the time in the world to practice. 

Therefore, I'd like to make the case that if you use your available practice time for incorporating world-class acting into your most-likely-already-excellent singing (let's face it, many people are simply perfectionists and obsess about silly things which no normal audience member would even notice as being 'wrong') you will have more overall success as a performer.  Think about it: if we've learned anything from the world we live in today, we're a culture where the visual aspect of things is extremely important.  So, no matter how much emphasis you personally place on your singing vs. acting (15% acting, 85% singing, for example), the average audience member will reverse that ratio in his or her mind, and if you aren't doing much of anything besides poorly improvising the acting in the moment, then what do you suppose your chances of being lauded as an excellent performer by the audience might be?  You get the picture.

Ultimately, you will have to make the decision for yourself whether or not to take a chance in testing out my theory and perhaps changing your way of preparing and performing, but I would like to wager that if you do, you won't be disappointed.  In fact, if there are any of you who are reading this and have contrary or similar thoughts or advice on this topic, I'd love to read about it in the comments section below, and I'm sure the other readers would too!

 

Stress: It's Really a Killer (Especially for us Thespians!)

Although in the past three months I've been very busy singing at lots of different places and experiencing the joy of being able to perform and bring enjoyment (hopefully) to lots of audience members, I have been experiencing quite a lot of depressing thoughts and having trouble motivating myself to keep moving forward on this (seemingly endless) career path.

I sang the role of Konstanze in Laubach, Germany in my first-ever open-air opera performance, and I also participated in Joan Dorneman's IVAI in Virginia for the second year in a row, where I got many hours of vital coaching and lessons with the best vocal professionals from New York and around the world.  I have two other potential engagements coming up in the months ahead, and I have received positive critical feedback from more agents than ever before.  Even though it seems like I should be 'on cloud 9' right now, I am feeling more like I dropped into a labyrinth of delusion and despair.

I am guessing that these feelings of mine might have something to do with the fact that I don't necessarily admit to myself (often, if at all, really) that this career is hard.  It requires a certain amount of emotional and psychological de-cluttering and purifying, and I haven't been vigilant about doing that on a regular basis after each project/performance that I complete.  Often times I think we as performers, and I know certainly I do this all the time, only consider that we are put here 'as vessels' to touch those people in the audience with the public and non-censored self-sacrifice of our souls which will bring the 'message' of the performance clearly across.  But, if we keep going about doing such reckless things without taking the necessary precautions of cleaning up the remains of our strewn innards on the stages of this world, we run the risk (like I am currently finding out) of becoming only the parts of ourselves that we remembered to take with us and pack back into our bodies when we are finished.  So, since I know that the zombie-mauled-looking-corpse that I have become (in a figurative sense) doesn't interest anyone, least of all ME, I am going to let everyone know now, through this blog post, that I am taking a little bit of time off from being so open (at least for the next few months) and working on getting back the pieces of me that I didn't know how to clean off after the last few shows.

"Vocal Rest": A Gift for Everyone to Experience!

There is a, perhaps outside of the professional singing community, little-known phenomenon called "vocal rest" which has recently made a big difference in my life.  I'd like to share how it all happened, because--a blog necessitates that sharing between me and you (the reader) goes on to ensure that you know more about me, and through writing I know more about me, and through reading my writing, perhaps you find out more about yourself, as well.

Anyway, I've been on "vocal rest" (which for a non-singer just means not talking at all for a certain period of time...literally 'resting your voice' by not using it---simple enough, right?) because I actually have been singing too much and my voice isn't sounding or working as well as it normally does.  Now, even though I actually went on "vocal rest" because I wanted to allow my singing voice to recuperate, in addition to that happening, it has also given me the time to notice a number of things in my life (strangely, not unlike the theme of the recent movie "A Thousand Words") which are unnecessary and not maybe the best for me.  For example, saying things that I don't really need to say, or saying things which I'd regret later are simply things that I can leave out of my life and not be the worse for it.  I've seemingly been spared from several embarassing or awkward moments during this period of vocal rest, and I actually quite like it.  Besides, in a community where I am normally spending the majority of my time communicating through singing words (which someone else wrote and which I have to interpret) perhaps it would be wise for me to use the words that are my own, outside of singing, more wisely.

Especially since I have come to realize through this necessary "vocal rest" time (because I was singing too much when my voice was particularly vulnerable and then it just got worse....seems like a no-brainer there but did I listen to my 'inner' voice on that one? You can guess the answer on that---otherwise I'd not need to be on "vocal rest", would I?) I've figured out now more of what I need to do for myself in order to listen to my gut when I should, and how to not let that get lost in all the other things going on in life, and let it get shouted down by life's numerous demands (or the demands of other people, for that matter!).

So, I know that I have written a pretty short summation of my feelings on the importance of some time spent actually purposely not talking, whether it be to fix vocal issues (perhaps self-imposed, as in my case) or just to become more aware of what we say or would say, which might not serve us, and how we can be more careful to choose to always use our inner voices to guide us in deciding how we represent ourselves with our words (which is, let's face it, how most people get to know or understand who and what we're about).

Therefore, hope you all will be perhaps a bit less talkative, or at least try the concept of "vocal rest" if you're feeling like maybe you could use a bit of perspective (and you singers, ..... maybe it's not such a bad thing if you have to go on "vocal rest"---look for the bit of wisdom that comes with it)!

Audition Tactics for Emerging Opera Singers?

Are there such things as audition tactics for Emerging Opera Singers to use to their advantage in order to be the one chosen for an engagement?  That's exactly what I've been asking myself these past few months in order to figure out how I can improve my number of successful auditions completed, and in this case, successful means that I got chosen to sing the role.  So, I've read a LOT of industry publications, Classical Singer, for example, and every interview I could get my hands on with someone who is right beyond where I currently am (a.k.a. working consistently at reputable opera houeses and not just intermittently) and, I have come to the sad, but perhaps logical conclusion in this very fickle business of mine and yours, that there is no straight forward way to systematically improve yourself in order to get hired.  Everyone is looking for something different (in terms of things that you can change outside of having a good voice and being a believeable actress/actor).

Though, along the way I have definitely learned a few things which help me, and which I would now like to share with you below (it's a short list of things, actually).

1. Always get there at least an hour early.  It ensures that you can find a place to warm up (especially if you have to share rooms with the other singers who are also auditioning) and that you won't be stressed running around the opera house looking for a bathroom, a place to change clothes, the pianist, the audition location, etc.

2. Wear something in which you feel comfortable AND fancy.  I know that may seem like a contradictory statement, but, let's face it, all auditioning committees want to see someone who is clean-looking, wearing something that fits adequately (not too tight, too short, or too baggy), who can project self-confidence (a.k.a. don't wear something that you don't like the way it makes you feel or how it looks on you), and who can perform in their outfit as if they were 100% at ease.  It should be that the clothing you're wearing doesn't draw any attention away from your wonderful performance, but only adds to your success when the audition committee notices what you're wearing when you walk into the room, and when you leave (in the middle they should be mesmerized by your singing if all goes according to plan).

3. Bring extra copies of your press materials (headshots, resumes, repertoire lists, press reviews) and have them paperclipped together in organized packets- approximately 3-5 sets- so that in case they have people on the jury who didn't see your materials, you can provide them with a copy.

4. Make sure to greet the members of the jury upon entering the room AS WELL AS the pianist!  Most people forget them, and you know, they're important- perhaps that's the assistant conductor who's playing for you, or the main coach.  Don't forget- the first impression is an important one- so make sure to be relaxed, be confident and be cheerful in how you greet everyone.

5. Begin your audition with your most secure piece (aria or art song- whatever's required) and if there is anything to talk about with the pianist beforehand make sure to do that and take your time explaining any musical changes or tempo changes or dynamic changes, etc...  They will appreciate you pointing it out, it looks professional to the jury, and you will be able to perform better and feel more secure.  Then, make sure that the pieces that you brought to the audition (regardless of whether or not they're the arias from the pieces the company will be doing in the coming season) are things which you feel vocally comfortable with and which you could also sing at a moment's notice well.

6. Be kind to your colleagues who are also there to audition- you would be surprised who knows whom, and if you aren't nice, it could get around and might hurt your chances of being hired for a future gig, or hey...maybe one of those singers already knows the conductor, or whoever, and anyway....you see where I'm going with this.  It ALWAYS pays to be nice.  So, get over your psychological issues (or your shyness!) and try to open yourself up to meeting new people and being friendly to them.  I mean, if everyone is sitting in the room staring at the wall until they sing and looking nervous it's not going to make it any easier for anyone if that environment continues that way.  Everyone, and I mean EVERYONE, is thankful when they receive a compliment or can talk about something to get their minds off of the audition coming up, or at least break up their negative self-talk going on in their minds.

7. Make sure to honestly evaluate the circumstances of the audition and what happened after you've sung.  If you really did your best, then you should let it be and hope for the best.  If there were things that you could have improved which you want to do better int he next audition- take note of them and work on them in the practice room in the coming days/weeks/months.  It rarely pays to berate yourself (unless that sort of thing is necessary to get your butt in motion but...considering you're even trying to make it in such a difficult profession I highly doubt this possitility) and the main result you'll get from doing that is depression and frustration.  So, let's not go down that road, shall we?

8.  This is really the most important thing for me and which I make sure to do EVERY time I sing somewhere- is: perform and communicate to your audience!!!!!!!  I don't care if it's a group of hard-of-hearing old folks at a senior citizens home, your Aunt Nellie, your dog, three famous jury members who aren't even looking at you, sportsfans in the audience at the Superbowl, etc....  The most important thing you can do is to always communicate your characters' story (and also YOUR story) every time that you sing.  If you don't....you're not doing your job- plain and simple.  So, don't let those jury members psych you out who don't look at you- then tell the wall behind their heads your story- but tell it truthfully and well.  And you know, you'd be surprised how that makes them look at you after a few well-sung bars.  Trust me!

Okay, so.....I guess that all there is left to say now is: GO OUT THERE AND NAIL THOSE AUDITIONS!!! :)

My Audition for Operklosterneuburg, an Austrian Summer Opera Festival

In January of this year, I auditioned for the Operklosterneuburg, a very important summer opera festival in a town called Klosterneuburg, which is approximately twenty minutes outside of Vienna in a northerly direction with the regional train.  They were looking for singers for the Donizetti opera, Don Pasquale and I thought that the role of Norina would be well-suited to my voice (though perhaps not quite fully yet to sing it in a large opera house- therefore I auditioned for this program which serves also as a sort of a 'final-step' for emerging opera singers).

I have nothing but wonderful things to say about the entire experience actually, although in the end I was not chosen for the role.  Therefore I will bore you with details of how my own audition went since you already know the result (ha!) but instead I'll give you a brief synopsis of how it was for me to travel there, so that you too can get an idea of what might be awaiting you if you plan on auditioning.

I took the train actually from Dortmund to Vienna (which took approximately 10 hours) and stayed overnight in Vienna.  Then I woke up the next morning (I can recommend the A&O Hostel near the Westbahnhof, for those of you who were wondering where I stayed), ate a wonderful breakfast (courtesy of the A&O- yay them!) warmed up in my room a teensy bit (aka- hummed for 20 minutes) and then took the regional transit train to the town of Klosterneuburg, where the Kloster (Convent) is located and where the audition was being held.

Upon arriving in town it's easy enough to spot the convent hanging on the side of a large hill, sort of precariously it seems, when viewed from the angle of the train tracks, and I made my way by foot in that direction.  It took me only about 10 minutes to walk there from the train platform, via a steep inclined path which led me through a huge wrought-iron door and an old archway onto the Kloster grounds.  There was no one really around outside (it was a super cold day- of course! lol...) and so I walked around a bit admiring the buildings' grand statuesque gothic architecture while trying to find someone to ask for directions to the building where the audition was taking place.

I finally ran into someone who looked like he was in a hurry to get somewhere (a.k.a.- "He knows where he's going, therefore he must know where I should be going too", was my reasoning) and I asked him for directions.  He pointed me in the direction of a town square which was adjacent and abutted the Kloster property toward the east, and I exited the official Kloster grounds and entered the town square approaching the building he showed me.  Upon entering, it reminded me instantly of a high school auditiorium lobby: low ceilings, pseudo-1960's-esque wood paneling on the walls, stone floors.... and I made my way to the office and found one of the coordinators of the program and the auditions and he informed me that there were rooms to warm up in downstairs.  I had arrived there approximately an hour early (because I was in the habit of doing that since I had learned it was better than being rushed for me psychologically) and so I proceeded in a leisurely way to go to the practice rooms downstairs (which turned out to be two huge halls, actually, so that was awesome!) and warm up and change my clothes for the audition.

After about 40 minutes I was finished warming up, and I went upstairs because I was technically (according to the email invitation I received) due to be singing in 10 minutes.  So, I found out that the audition room was directly next to the entrance through which I came earlier that morning (with the wood paneling) and so I waited there, with a Baritone colleague who had also showed up around the time I had, and who was also there to audition.

He was called into the audition room first, so I waited in an adjoining room off of the opposite side of the entrance lobby so that I didn't have to listen to his singing through the door (which I really don't like to do when I'm mentally preparing for an audition and am about to go on--it psychs me out somehow and I can't focus as well...).  He was in there for about 15 minutes and then they called me in to sing.  There were only two people in the Jury- one was the Intendant of the program and the other I'm still not sure of (drat! darn you Google for not having a photo of everyone and their mother available to me to search through....) and the pianist actually upon seeing him I felt that I had seen him before somewhere but couldn't quite place his face (sadly).  I began with the aria I always begin with (I unfortunately did not have time to prepare Norina's aria "Quel guardo il cavaliere" for the audition even though I knew that they were auditioning for Don Pasquale, so although they asked if I had brought it with me I said that I hadn't and said I'd be offering something else and they seemed okay with it) and I think it went really well.  The pianist was terrific (who was he!? Man oh man that's going to kill me....) and I felt as if I was really totally free to interpret my aria like I wanted to acting-wise and vocally-speaking, and not have to concede to less-than-stellar piano playing (like is often the case here in Europe, I've found) and I was really glad.  So, after the audition was finished (I only sang my one aria- it's relatively long so they didn't ask for a second) they asked me what drew me to apply for the program, and then that was it.  Although I was heartened by the one nameless Jury member who ushered me out of the room and assured me that I sang "really very well" (said in German, of course) and I thought to myself "you know, for being on a train 10 hours a day ago, it's really awesome that I did so well today".

And that was it!  I wish there was more to tell, but honestly I just walked to the train station there in Klosterneuburg, arrived in Wien (Vienna) and then waited around for my train.

JUST KIDDING! There IS more to tell.  Though, if you don't want to read about my touristy experiences in Vienna, you can stop reading here.  Otherwise, proceed!

So, after getting back into the center of Wien with the regional train, I had 5 hours to kill before my train left from the Westbahnhof (West train station) and so I thought to myself "Heck! I'm not going to waste my time in Vienna waiting around in the train station! Especially when I've had such a great day thus far.  Therefore.....what can I do which I haven't done before when I was here last October?"  And that was how the plan was born to visit the Prunksaal (Showroom) of the Nationalbibliothek (Viennese National State Library)!

I actually had a heck of a time finding the place....it took me about 20 minutes of walking around downtown near the Reitschule (Riding school) of the Lippanzaner Stallions (which is located near the palace where Kaiserin Elisabeth lived, a.k.a. "Sissi") and then a few wrong turns and some direction-asking until I found out that it was located in the building attached to the Kaiserin's palace, but not connected to it via any sort of hallway, etc.  They are simply two buildings smushed onto one another with no way of entering either except for exiting both.  (Yea...tricky, huh? Ah, those Viennese!!)  So, I walked into (finally!) the building where the Prunksaal was located (it's actually not on the ground floor of the building, which surprised me, but rather on the second floor which is also kind of cool- considering it's a multi-story room itself!) and I was somewhat shocked by its rather spare white marble appearance.  For the entryway to something called the "Prunksaal", literally translated that means "Pagentry/Pomposity/Grandiosity Hall" it was rather less pageant-like and more.....nice-lawyer's-office-like.  But, ah well......I proceeded to purchase a ticket (4 Euros for students- not bad--perhaps one of the cheaper things I've done in Vienna to be honest---everything else is really quite expensive- even with a student discount, I might add) and I ascended the large (again, white marble) staircase.  There was a guard who was checking tickets at the top of the stairs right in front of the doorway to the Prunksaal, so I handed him my ticket and entered the Saal.

Man oh man!  If there was a reason why everything else in the building was so minimally decorated, I'd wager it was because nothing else could compare to the splendor, and dare I say it, "pagentry", of this room.  It was simply the most amazing and wonderful room I've ever seen (and let me tell you, I have seen some great rooms- I've been to Versailles, Schloss Belvedere, Schloss Charlottenburg, Schloss Sans Souci, Schloss Neuschwanstein, Schloss Mirabell, Schloss Schönbrunn, the Hofburg....and probably others I can't think of right now) and I really cannot remember ONE single room which I thought to be so splendid as this library/hall.  I actually wondered as I wandered (cheesy Christmas song lyric reference!) through the hall (which was actually the private library of the monarchy at the time of the Kaisers' rule in Austria) if it was the room which the Disney animators of Beauty and the Beast used as a model when they drew the library in the Beast's palace, because it was SO similar to that in terms of design and feel.  It was a two-story hall where every wall was lined with built-in bookshelves which stretched from floor to ceiling and were filled with old, precious leather-bound books containing the first editions of important literary works and the details of important discoveries of historical, biological and every other kind of significance.  Truly a collection of books fit for kings and queens, to be sure.

There was also a really cool exhibit on display of the original lithographs of an Austrian biologist who had been the first to document in drawings with color the appearance of several different species of animals- and had put together basically the first field guide to identifying these animals by sight (but, I have to say, the drawings that were on display were SO gorgeous, we'd consider them nowadays worthy of an art gallery and less-so a biology text book, even though they were also accurate depictions of these animals).

I actually found myself wishing that libraries today still looked like this (though I do have to say that Columbia University's East Asian Library does look similar to this--it's two stories and has those book ladders but is not nearly as large, has as cool books or is nearly as full of "pagentry" as this place was) and I was really starting to look around for a comfy chair to settle into and simply admire the beauty of this place, and what do you know!?  There were chairs designated for that very purpose situated at different locations all over the hall!  So.....they really did think of everything, those Austrians.  To say the least, I was impressed.

Then, after I had soaked up as much of the knowledge of the past as I could after gazing upon leather cover after leather cover of that library's treasure trove, I made my way, tired, but happy, toward the Westbahnhof and the train back to Dortmund.

DON JUAN IN HANKEY,PA: Surprise Blog Tour Visit!

The characters of DON JUAN IN HANKEY, PA are milling around backstage in the Hankey Opera House. Vivian is dusting the green room. Oriane, who is eight months pregnant, is waddling down the hall. Leandro Vasquez is reading about himself in the Sound Bites pages of Opera News. Arnaud is trying on women’s clothes in the costume shop.

Knobby (general manager of the Hankey Opera Company, via the intercom): All right. Everybody on stage. Let’s go.

Characters are mumbling things like, "Now what does he want?" "Still barking out orders, is he?" "The book’s over, you numbskull."

Knobby: Are we all here? Okay, pipe down people. A sprightly young soprano, Julia Katherine Walsh, who very much enjoyed the book, would like to ask you all a question—the same question. Here’s what she wants to know. What would have happened to our production of Don Giovanni if you had not been a part of putting it together? Anybody want to start?

Characters grow silent, pensive.

Oriane (hometown opera singer made good): I’ll start. I want to get this over with so I can go home and put my feet up, Carter. Without me and my awesome network of professional contacts there would have been no Leandro.

Deanna (Type A former chair of the opera guild): No Leandro without you? Tell you what. I’ll forward you the bills for my essential eye treatments, purifying facials, and psychotherapy. My body is still recovering.

Leandro (strapping Argentine baritone): Why you a—body need—recover a me? I be—body butter.

Deanna: You’re body butter? More like Nutter Butter.

Leandro: What a this—Nutter Butter?

Oriane: Do they have Nutter Butters in the Chaco, Leandro?

Deanna: Big strapping megalomaniacal Nutter Butters who croon to their lonely cattle.

Vivian (the fragile ketchup heiress): Deanna, your aura is bright red. Feel your pain, but then let it go. Don’t mind her, Leandro. She is oozing hostility. As for me, I had nothing to do with the show’s success or failure. I had no impact whatsoever.

Richard (retired dermatologist): Vivian, you can’t mean that. We both were vitally important to its success. We supported Knobby unconditionally, for one thing.

Knobby: You’ve got to be kidding, Richard. How about the time when you took my head off because I didn’t hand the part to—

Jeannie (society matron): I, of course, provided an abundant source of real-life inspiration for the woman singing Elvira.

Arnaud (balloon entrepreneur and clairaudient): Shut up. All of you. You are spoiling the plot for people who have not yet read the book. And if they do not read it, how will Arnaud become famous worldwide?

Oriane: Not many of us can talk to dead people, Arnaud. That’s a claim to fame.

Arnaud: Now that you mention it, that makes Arnaud pretty special.

Leandro: There you a—rata—un poco! I ought a—pinch a huevos. Plunk, plunk. Voilà! You tenor.

Knobby: Okay, everyone, vamoose. Am-scray. Sorry, Julia—that’s about as long as I can keep this crew civil in one room together. You had one other question?

Everyone hurries out. Leandro is chasing after Arnaud with a cattle prod. Jeannie is chasing after Leandro, also wielding a cattle prod.

Julia: Yes, yes I did. Is there going to be a sequel?

Knobby (whispers): I have it on good authority that a sequel is in the works. But keep that under wraps. Leandro’s not in the new book, and I don’t want him pinching off my huevos either.

Julia: Will the new book be based on an opera, too?

Knobby: Yes, I suppose so. We are all supposed to read synopses of Manon Lescaut in preparation for a brainstorming session during Chinese New Year next week. It’s the Year of the Dragon.

Julia: Interesting. Is Oriane going to sing Manon?

Knobby: I refuse to answer that on the grounds that I might incriminate myself.

The Mysterious World of Exclusivity in Classical Music

Recently, I had the opportunity to see a YouTube video of Renee Fleming singing this great aria written by Erich Korngold found here, and I remembered that a while ago there was an often-whispered-about Masterclass given by Ms. Fleming (her first ever!) at The Juilliard School.  And, I remember hearing that only Juilliard students were invited to attend this Masterclass.

That got me to wondering, why couldn't any old person attend this hugely-touted event?  Apart from the fact that there wouldn't be enough room for everyone who wanted to attend, why didn't they at least sell overpriced tickets?  And then I realized the reason: this was just another manifestation of a phenomenon I have noticed over the years of being "in the biz" of opera singing: the hushed-up mysteriousness and only-for-certain-people attitude that is encouraged among opera teachers/students/professionals, and heck, even the more staunch fans themselves!  It's as if the singers (pros and non-pros alike) think that the more the audience has a glimpse of what they do in order to train their voices and prepare on a daily basis, or before a concert for example, that the audiences will lose interest because the mystery has disappeared. Or, perhaps I suppose they might simply want to keep "industry secrets" secret.

However, I'm curious to know just exactly who these  groups of people think they're protecting by acting this way.  I mean, there are plenty of books out there by notable vocal professionals on how to sing (i.e. Richard Miller's practical one-man encyclopaedia collection of books on the different voice types, how to train them, and how to address various technical problems), not to mention the countless public masterclasses (not by Ms. Fleming, of course, but given by other equally notable singers) and then on top of that, the countless private voice teachers all over the world. 

Strange, isn't it, that there are then, even in spite of all of this available information on how to sing, singers/teachers/conductors/etc. who still protect their tried-and-true methods from everyone else?  I mean, how devastating would it be to Placido Domingo if we'd see the warm-ups that he does before he goes on stage to sing Simon Boccanegra?  How terrifyingly privacy-robbing could it be to ask Ms. Fleming or Ms. Netrebko how they got through their pregnancies and still managed to sing for a large portion of that time, or what their voices felt like in the first six months after they'd had their child?  The experience and memory of these things would not and could not be stolen from these professionals if they shared their knowledge.  In fact, I'd wager that it would help these lofty personages to feel more truly connected to their colleagues, fans and the new generation of singers who are to follow in their footsteps and who largely adore them.  So why, pray tell, do so many people (singers, conductors, teachers, etc!) act like it would be so terrible!?

It's honestly quite mysterious to me, and something which I'm not sure that I will ever really understand.

And, to make matters more confusing, it also has a lot to do with the way that most people (including myself in this very article) view their position in the scheme of things, in possessing an "us" and "them" mentality.  It polarizes and fractionalizes; it makes enemies of people who've never met except psychologically belong to either the 'us' or the 'them' group.  It's honestly absurd.  However, it is difficult to avoid in circumstances where there is a defined group of people who possess most of the experience and the knowledge on a specific subject matter and refuse to share it openly and freely (note that that means without money exchanged in this case) with the people who would like to access this knowledge.  I mean, how silly is it that there are voice teachers all over the world and there are those who still rationalize charging over $200.00 for an hour lesson?

Professors at MIT (one of the world's best and most cutting-edge universities) give their lectures and notes for the classes they teach in every technical and scientific subject imaginable away on the internet for FREE to anyone with access to a computer and the 'www'.  So, again, I repeat: "Why is there such a vice grip on the knowledge that is possessed by classical vocal professionals?"  Why can't these teachers/coaches/conductors/famous professionals realize that the more candid they are about how they do the things they do (a.k.a.: SING!) the better off the world of opera would be?  Abundance begets abundance!  The things that someone learns in Peru from these professionals spreading their knowledge could lead to the development of the next Pavarotti, or heck, an even better singer than Pavarotti!  All simply because someone chose to share their knowledge for free in order to create more singers, better singers, and those who are willing to keep sharing their success tips, knowledge and experience, all because someone first shared that information with them.

See, it's a process folks.  It's something that generates more.  In contrast to the ways of "hoarding" and "privatizing" and "closing off" and "keeping mysterious" and "making expensive so that only a few can participate", that so many classical music professionals have bought into today.  The message in the past 10 years has been that since the economic decline, there is less and less room for classical music and therefore also less room for classical musicians to make a career in the field that they love.  Therefore, the knee-jerk reaction from those classical music professionals who are in the field and already established has been: "Quick, let's make sure to be extra choosy about those people whom we pass on our knowledge to and let into our profession, so that we can ensure through the excellence of the select few that we've chosen to represent the future, we will succeed in keeping the attention of a dwindling classical audience." 

However, hasn't that very idea backfired in their faces many times over?  Haven't those people who were chosen to be the representatives of classical vocal music disappointed, given up when it's gotten too tough, become over-worked, burnt-out and disillusioned?  Look at the Rollando Villazons of the world.  He is a classic example of someone who was pushed by the industry too early, got burnt out from singing badly too often, and then was spit out by the public who didn't realize what kind of emotional wreck he must have been after sacrificing his whole life (because that is what an opera career asks of someone who is in such demand) for a business that basically used him for his best few years and then said "Okay, who's next?" 

And, for an art form that has so many stories about the incidence of the little guy triumphing over the big guy (in many guises) shouldn't that be a reminder of how the very people who sing those stories should be treated by the 'higher-ups' in the business?  Otherwise, the story of Liu sacrificing herself for someone who really isn't worthy becomes an all too-true allegory of the singer's life nowadays.

The Answer to All the World's Problems!

(This post is unrelated to opera, but it has incredible relevance for everyone, so please read!)

Nowadays with all of the technology that we have at our disposal, we are used to getting results almost instantaneously. When we need to get somewhere we can hop on the highway (specifically built to avoid the delays that are caused by traffic within cities) and get there faster. We can check ourselves out at the grocery store to avoid long lines. We can order on the internet nearly anything we can imagine, and depending on how much we are willing to pay for shipping, it is delivered to our doorstep possibly within less than 24 hours. We are a world full of people (in the developed countries, at least) who are used to not having to wait for anything at all.

Therefore, it is no wonder that we as a people, are also disposed to getting angry quickly when things don't go our way. Perhaps the reason that in the past 10 years terrorism and hate crimes have been steadily increasing is because the people who commit these crimes are the minority victims of a culture who spurns those who can't “keep up”. Did anyone ever think that along with the invention of the iPhone, that would increase people's tempers? Certainly not. But, how often have you in the past year, let's say, been victim to angry outburst of someone else over a trivial topic?

Let me give you an example from my own personal experience that happened today. I was driving the car here in Germany and I was stopped at a red light. I don't normally drive stick shift in the USA and so I'm not quite as fast at starting when I'm stopped as most stick shift drivers are. Then the light turns green, and the guy in the car behind me in the same second as the light changed totally LAYED on the horn like for what seemed an eternity. Of course this unexpected disruption scared the shit out of me when I was trying to concentrate on what I was doing, and I (regrettably!) gave the guy the finger because it was the only thing I could do in that moment since I was so frustrated, embarrassed and defeated. Somehow (as if by a miracle of God) I managed to get the car started in that hullabaloo and lurch through the light and into the left turning lane at the following red light. No surprise now, the guy behind me is tail-gating me as if there was no tomorrow, and I'm now completely afraid that he's going to honestly ram into our car. Meanwhile my boyfriend in the passenger's seat is unaware that the guy is still behind us and driving like a maniac, and keeps telling me not to drive so fast and to drive slower (while I'm terrified of getting into an accident in a foreign country with a car that isn't even mine!) and we arrive at the third red light.

Now here's where it gets COMPLETELY LUDICROUS.

I am the first car stopped at the light waiting to cross an intersection and the guy is still behind me who honked at me earlier. We are waiting at the light when I see from my side view mirror that the guy has gotten out of his car, slammed his door, and is proceeding to stomp over to my driver's door. I think to myself in these three seconds, “Gosh, is the door locked?” and in that same moment that I'm looking to see if it's locked (which of course it isn't!!! How does that work!?!?) the guy RIPS OPEN MY DRIVER'S SIDE DOOR INTO ONCOMING TRAFFIC AS CARS ARE NEARLY HITTING MY DOOR AND HIM and proceeds to shout at me (in German) “LOOK HERE LITTLE GIRL, IF YOU EVER GIVE ME THE FINGER AGAIN I'LL DO SOMETHING MORE TO YOU THAN JUST TAILGATE YOU!” while my boyfriend is totally surprised (since he didn't see the guy get out of his car in the first place) and says to the guy “Okay, please calm down”, as the guy must have weighed at least 250 pounds and was already red in the face from shouting at us. Sadly, I was too terrified and shocked to have said anything in this moment because all I could think was, “How is this happening?! He can't just open a total stranger's car door into oncoming traffic! That has to be illegal! It's not even his property that he's touching! How is this happening?!?! Is he going to hurt us?!?!” and so he slammed the door in my face once he was finished with his yelling and stormed back to his car.

This episode, of course, was really too much for me to handle as a 1.) foreigner, 2.) not-100%-yet-comfortable-newly-learned-stick-shift-driver, 3.)woman (how dare he call me a 'little girl') and 4.) private person who is legally supposedly protected from threats from strangers, and endangerment to their life and property by someone else's maniacal driving.  If I had had my wits about me I would have quickly locked the door before he even got there.  And if I couldn't have done that, then I would have said to the man after he was finished yelling, "May I have your name? I'd like to call the police for you threating to hurt me just now. Please pull your car over and wait here with me." 

However, instead I proceeded to drive home in shock with tears pouring down my face (sorry, I wish it wasn't the case, but I couldn't do anything else but feel totally helpless in the wake of such a terrible personal rape of my psychological power and feeling of safety) and then parked the car and (sadly) yelled to my boyfriend that I was “NEVER DRIVING IN THIS COUNTRY AGAIN!”.

Then after a longer time of trying to mentally get over what had happened to me from a complete stranger over the action of sticking ONE FINGER up at him (GO FIGURE! WHAT IF I HAD USED MY PINKY FINGER!? WOULD HE HAVE NOTICED!?!? WOULD HE STILL HAVE REACTED THAT WAY!?) I realized that this was at the root of things, a story about the precursors to terrorism. He felt pressured, he honked. I felt pressured, I acted out in a not nice way. He reacted to my action in a very not nice way, and in the end I was the one who got damaged psychologically, and almost physically by his dangerous driving and potential beating-up-of-me when he opened the car door (I mean, who the heck knows what he would have done had my boyfriend not been in the car with me!?).

I thought to myself, if he had only given me a bit more time when I stopped at that first red light before he decided to honk at me so mercilessly, this all would never have happened!

Then, I hit upon an idea. I taped into the back window of my boyfriend's car this sentence: “Ich habe Epilepsie, ich fahre langsamer!” (translation: I have Epilepsy, I drive slowly!) and I hope that now that might give me in the future those precious few seconds that I need to escape any further situations like this one that happened today.

But, to sum this up in the big picture, that guy in the car behind me needed patience. Patience is in such short supply nowadays, and it's the thing which makes difficult situations bearable. It helps us stay calm when we are provoked. It helps us put things in perspective. It keeps our children from freaking out when they're somewhere they don't want to be/doing something they don't want to do.   It allows for understanding when someone doesn't react or act in a way that you expect.  It helps us when we are disappointed.  It's honestly the one thing that we are SO OFTEN LACKING in our everyday interactions with our fellow human beings and with ourselves.  We simply expect too much perfection too quickly (which leads to anger, angry actions, dangerous situations...and any number of bad things)!

I am sure that each and every one of you has a story of getting angry or being mistreated which would have never happened if one or both of the people in the situation had exercised patience. So, I urge you for every day of the rest of your lives, to remember, that although nowadays we are spoiled and expect things to happen in the blink of an eye, when they DON'T, use patience to resist the urge to have an angry outburst and take it out on your fellow human beings. It's not pretty, no one wants to see it, and it's something which can never end good. So, the answer to the world's problems nowadays: Patience!

Julia's New Headshots = Check out this Photographer!

In May of 2011 I had the good fortune to meet a wonderful photographer through organizing a solo recital in Reading, PA.  Don Carrick, a Berks County Resident of 15 years and originally a native of Washington D.C., is also an experienced photographer, and explained that he'd been interested in expanding his clientele for Headshot Photography for a long time now as he enjoys working with people in the Performing Arts and he likes to take pictures that accentuate a person's individuality.  Therefore, Don and I worked out a plan where he'd take some great photos for me, and I'd show them off.

So, as all artists know, a  person's work normally speaks for itself, and by this same token, I believe it's easy to see Don's ability by looking at the photos he took of me.

(You should take into account that I am really NOT photogenic at all and Don was patient enough to go through at least 600 photos before I finally started not looking terrible.  So, for those of you who aren't naturally comfortable in front of the camera, that experience alone shows that Don's the kind of photographer who understands how to help you relax and get the best out of your time with him.)

The two photos above are those that we chose out of over 1,000 photos, to be my final and official new Headshots.  What do you all think?

Most importantly, for those of you who would like to contact Don to set up a photo shoot with him you can click this hyperlink to visit his professional website or email him here.  He has UNBELIEVEABLE rates (a.k.a.- for the amount of photos you take and the time Don will spend with you, this man is offering you the opportunity of a lifetime to really get photos that represent you well) and he is also a professional editor and retoucher, so you don't have to take your photos anywhere else after you've worked with Don- he does everything for you in one stop! Remember, Don does all genres of photos, and not JUST headshots, so if you'd need photos for another occasion- he's also someone to call.

So, to sum it all up, hope you liked checking out my new photos, and if you're in South Eastern Pennsylvania----Get in touch with Don Carrick, you won't be sorry!!!