Welcome!

Welcome friends to my page. This is my first, real attempt at keeping a blog. On this page, you will find videos and pictures of me. I will be updating as often as I can so that you can see what I'm doing in New York! Graduate school starts September 7. You can see what operas and other performance opportunities I'll be doing. Manhattan School of Music is expensive. If you are interested in contributing to my education, please click on the link to the right (www.gofundme.com/hopefuloperasinger). I would love to have your support and also to hear from you, so do keep in touch. My email is also to the right.

Wednesday, August 3, 2011

give your support

On August 20, I fly to New York City where I will be starting graduate school on September 7.
I will be working towards a Master's in Music, focusing on classical voice. Manahattan School of Music is the place and my teacher is Mignon Dunn. I will paste a recording of her singing with Martina Arroyo in the 1980s. I am so thrilled to have the opportunity to go to MSM, however, the conservatory couldn't offer many scholarships this year. only 45% of students received any aid--most of which goes to undergraduate students. I was told that although my audition was good and I met the requirements, there was not enough money to give. Tuition for one year is $33,600. I have had to take out loans and am willing to be in debt, but any amount of support given will be used for medicine, buying a matress and other necessities, affording rent and utilities until loans are received at the end of September, and general living expenses like food, which is quite important. I could truly use the help. Graduate school at a conservatory is expensive and I recognized the hardship before I accepted the offer to go to MSM. If you do want to help this starving artist, please www.gofundme.com/hopefuloperasinger
where you may contribute.
I truly appreciate your time in reading my blog and keeping up to date. Even if you don't contribute financially, I hope that you will stay in touch.

Sunday, July 31, 2011

Asthma sometimes is the pits

I've decided to confront the issue at hand: asthma.
So many humans walk the planet with disease but most don't realize they know someone suffering from such a fairly common problem that frankly keeps increasing. I'm asthmatic. I've been asthmatic since birth. One doctor thought I might grow out of it by the time I hit puberty, but here I am, at 26, and I'm still going through the same routine of taking antibiotics, taking steroids, doing breathing treatments, sitting still and feeling frustrated because I still can't run or do things that normal people do. What I can do, however, is keep singing. My body is fighting me right now while I'm trying to prepare a recital, but I'm thinking of the first time I watched the world's fastest woman, Flo Jo or Florence Griffith Joyner, racing at the summer Olympics and how for years after those 1988 Olympics she did a series of commercials for asthma meds, some of which I took. I remember thinking, nothing can stop this woman. I tell myself on a regular basis that I have a condition but it doesn't define what I am capable of. Yes, I have an extremely difficult time running, sometimes even walking from my bedroom to the bathroom because I'm struggling so badly for air and my lungs hurt, but on days like today when I start out with a breathing treatment and hours later force myself out of the house to rehearse with a pianist for an hour, I know that there is peace and there is hope if I can trust myself to keep going and not give up. I have to keep singing and I have to keep dancing, and I hope that you will join me along the way.

Nuit d'ètoiles

Ok so more on this recital that I will give:
I am putting together a conceptual recital journeying through the act of making someone fall in love with you.
"Nuit d'étoiles sous tes voiles, sous ta brise et tes parfums..." Debussy takes this poem by Banville takes one through a memory of lost love, of love remembered, of the faint scent of perfume floating through the air on a starry night. This lovely poem frames the recital. Other works that I will sing include
Habanera
Près des remparts de Séville
Meine Liebe ist gruen
Vittoria, vittoria!
Do not go my love
Mon coeur s'ouvre à ta voix
Stay Well
I have dreamt
Ich bin der Welt abhanden gekommen

totaling about 40 minutes.

I will be accompanied by Janette Sudderth, who teaches part time at Millsaps and also plays for the Mississippi Symphony Orchestr

Before I finally part Jackson on August 20, I hope to a least have snippets of my recital on the blog so stay tuned!



Tuesday, July 26, 2011

Preparing a recital

I have a recital date! August 14 at 4:00 pm at Galloway United Methodist Church (where I currently am employed).

More to come!