I caught a train out of Salzburg at 10:02. I finally found a seat on the train, and the car was full of loud German teens drinking beer. I believe they were all going backpacking/camping. I managed to still get a little sleep and they got off one stop before Vienna.
When I arrived in Vienna, Mitch had said he would meet me at the train station and I couldn’t find him anywhere. I also couldn’t get Internet at the station. I called my mother to have her check my facebook and e-mail for me. There wasn’t anything from Mitch, and I didn’t have his number. I waited around for about 2 hours, and then managed to fit my large suitcase in a locker for 4 Euros. I then went to look for an Internet café. I had also sent a txt message to Mitch’s friend Rachel from Florida. Once she woke up she had his cell number and gave it to me. I called Mitch and he had thought I was coming today (Thursday). He and his friend then drove to the station to pick me up with my luggage and go to his apartment. I had been in Vienna for about three hours before we finally caught up with each other.
Once at his apartment, we decided to go walk around and then have dinner. We walked for about 5 hours over half of Vienna before finally back. He showed me where he works, teaches, where the orchestra he plays in practices and performs and other places of interest. With all of our walking and catching up, we managed to completely forget to take a couple of pictures together. I really enjoyed seeing him again and catching up.
Mitch has recently started his own little orchestra. He was telling me about it and how he’s running it with different plans and ideas he has. He had wished I were here during the season so we could do a concert. It went from a thought to something we’re actually starting to formulate. There are many baroque pieces for Soprano, trumpet, and chamber orchestra. So we’re discussing putting a concert together with a set of arias and songs for me to sing with the orchestra, some trumpet concertos and then doing a few pieces together. I’ll just have to come back to Vienna sometime between October and the end of June some year. We both like to be able to do it this coming May/June if we can work it out.
He and I stayed up talking until a little after midnight, so when my alarm went off at 5:45, it was too soon. I hopped in the shower as Mitch continued to sleep and then by 6:15 I was ready to go. He got up and started to laugh when I was just sitting there eating a little box of dry cereal. He couldn’t believe that as a girl I was done already. I laughed and said that when I need to be I can be very fast, while other times I can also take forever.
At 7 we walked to the bus. There is a bus that leaves from the train station about a block away from his apartment and goes directly to the airport. It was very convenient and only cost 6 Euros. I’m pretty sure Mitch went back to bed for a short time after I got on the bus. Now I’m at the airport (with free wifi!!) waiting for my plane. There was only a short line to check in and no line for security. My flight boards in about 20 minutes and I should be arriving in Chicago at about 8:30. Then I have a 10:15 bus to get back to Normal. I should arrive in Normal around midnight. It doesn’t seem too late, but my body will be telling me it’s 7am. Nothing quite like a 24-hour day!
I’ll see you all soon! Ciao!
Thursday, August 19, 2010
Es ist fertig
Well, I got a little packing done on Monday night, but no studying. When I got home after the concert, it was 8pm and Martina, the girls and I all had dinner together. Then Martina and I enjoyed one last cup of coffee together before I went up to my room to pack and study. Laura decided she wanted to help me pack and then Lisa came up too… needless to say with the two of them in my little bedroom, nothing got done. Once Martina came up to put the girls to bed I managed to get a little packing done, but then I was ready to go to bed myself at that point. I knew I had to get up early to shower and do my hair and a little more studying in the morning.
Tuesday morning, I got up and actually put some effort into doing my hair. I blow-dried it straight. It was a silly thing to do because it was raining and so my hair tends to get curly and frizzy because of the humidity. I packed my makeup and gown in my little carry-on and went to the college about an hour and a half early. There I got some studying done before our final at 10.
The final ended up being only two pages long and I didn’t have too much trouble with it except for remembering the plural forms of the nouns. I did find out later from a message on facebook from Jasmin that I got an A in German, so I must have done pretty well on the final.
After the final four of us went for one last coffee together at our favorite little café. Then back to the college to hang out before lunch. There some of us started getting ready for the concert. I did Sara Marie’s hair for her. We had our last meal at the restaurant and then it was time to really start getting ready. Our concert was to begin at 3:30 and we needed to get dressed, do hair and makeup, and warm up.
The concert was wonderful. Everyone sang so well, and it was my personal best since I’ve been here. I wore my red gown from my friend Shannon’s wedding. Unfortunately with the little weight I gained while being here and eating all the wonderful food, it was a bit tight and with the boning was almost like wearing a corset. On the plus side, I now understand why some singers like to wear corsets, and I just may become one. It forced me to breath low and really use my breath support. This in turn let me sing really well. Both Mary Dibber (my coach) and Yvonne (my teacher) really congratulated my performance, as did the other faculty. They said my coloratura sounded wonderful as always, and my lower/middle range was clear. Even Yvonne’s husband (a professional tenor who sings throughout Europe) came up to me and commented on just how much my middle range has opened up and become clearer over the five weeks. His mother came up to me as well and complimented my performance. Her compliment for me was one of the best because her husband (also there) is some big-to-do with a Bach society or something (well known in the music/vocal world in Austria and Germany). Martina, Martin and the girls were also at the concert, and of all the children of host families there, Laura and Lisa were the best behaved. They never spoke while someone was performing like some of the others did. The other children had left by the time I sang, so I didn’t have that distraction. Instead, I had Tom Enman. When the piano started playing the chorus part in “Poor Wand’ring One” Tom sang the words. I smiled and thought it was great. I agreed with him that it is much better with the chorus part in.
After the concert we had a cake and champagne reception. We all took our last pictures with each other all dressed up and with the faculty. (I’ll post some of them when I get home because all my pictures are still on my camera and my chord is in my checked luggage).
I left the concert with my family and we all walked to the bus. We just barely caught it and had to run (I was still wearing my gown and heals) and cross the street where there wasn’t a cross walk. (In Austria they are pretty strict about that and you may get a hefty fine).
Once back at the house I finished packing, and kept checking the weight of my suitcase on their scale. After that I called it an early night and went to bed.
On Wednesday morning, I got up and got ready to leave. Then I enjoyed one last breakfast with Martin before he left for work. I then brought my entire luggage down and sat and watched TV with Laura curling up on my lap. At 9, Martina and the girls drove me to the train station. It was really hard to say good-bye. Laura was crying a bit in the car, then hugged me and then wouldn’t let go. I promised to skype with them and keep in touch. We hope to see each other again either when I am back in Austria, or they come to the states (Laura does want to go to NYC).
Tuesday morning, I got up and actually put some effort into doing my hair. I blow-dried it straight. It was a silly thing to do because it was raining and so my hair tends to get curly and frizzy because of the humidity. I packed my makeup and gown in my little carry-on and went to the college about an hour and a half early. There I got some studying done before our final at 10.
The final ended up being only two pages long and I didn’t have too much trouble with it except for remembering the plural forms of the nouns. I did find out later from a message on facebook from Jasmin that I got an A in German, so I must have done pretty well on the final.
After the final four of us went for one last coffee together at our favorite little café. Then back to the college to hang out before lunch. There some of us started getting ready for the concert. I did Sara Marie’s hair for her. We had our last meal at the restaurant and then it was time to really start getting ready. Our concert was to begin at 3:30 and we needed to get dressed, do hair and makeup, and warm up.
The concert was wonderful. Everyone sang so well, and it was my personal best since I’ve been here. I wore my red gown from my friend Shannon’s wedding. Unfortunately with the little weight I gained while being here and eating all the wonderful food, it was a bit tight and with the boning was almost like wearing a corset. On the plus side, I now understand why some singers like to wear corsets, and I just may become one. It forced me to breath low and really use my breath support. This in turn let me sing really well. Both Mary Dibber (my coach) and Yvonne (my teacher) really congratulated my performance, as did the other faculty. They said my coloratura sounded wonderful as always, and my lower/middle range was clear. Even Yvonne’s husband (a professional tenor who sings throughout Europe) came up to me and commented on just how much my middle range has opened up and become clearer over the five weeks. His mother came up to me as well and complimented my performance. Her compliment for me was one of the best because her husband (also there) is some big-to-do with a Bach society or something (well known in the music/vocal world in Austria and Germany). Martina, Martin and the girls were also at the concert, and of all the children of host families there, Laura and Lisa were the best behaved. They never spoke while someone was performing like some of the others did. The other children had left by the time I sang, so I didn’t have that distraction. Instead, I had Tom Enman. When the piano started playing the chorus part in “Poor Wand’ring One” Tom sang the words. I smiled and thought it was great. I agreed with him that it is much better with the chorus part in.
After the concert we had a cake and champagne reception. We all took our last pictures with each other all dressed up and with the faculty. (I’ll post some of them when I get home because all my pictures are still on my camera and my chord is in my checked luggage).
I left the concert with my family and we all walked to the bus. We just barely caught it and had to run (I was still wearing my gown and heals) and cross the street where there wasn’t a cross walk. (In Austria they are pretty strict about that and you may get a hefty fine).
Once back at the house I finished packing, and kept checking the weight of my suitcase on their scale. After that I called it an early night and went to bed.
On Wednesday morning, I got up and got ready to leave. Then I enjoyed one last breakfast with Martin before he left for work. I then brought my entire luggage down and sat and watched TV with Laura curling up on my lap. At 9, Martina and the girls drove me to the train station. It was really hard to say good-bye. Laura was crying a bit in the car, then hugged me and then wouldn’t let go. I promised to skype with them and keep in touch. We hope to see each other again either when I am back in Austria, or they come to the states (Laura does want to go to NYC).
Monday, August 16, 2010
Last Day of Regular Classes
Martina and I played one last game of rummy after dinner last night. It’s not quite as much fun with just two people, but we enjoyed it while drinking our evening coffee. Laura was sitting watching the game and as we finished up and cleaned up the table, Laure said “Ich bin tired.” Martina and I started to laugh because she was mixing German and English.
This morning we had our last German class with Jasmin. She prepared us for the test tomorrow and went over just about everything that is on the test. Tomorrow there is a festival in her hometown and all the streets are shut down. She won’t be able to make it into Salzburg to give us our finals or to come to our final concert. We all said our goodbyes today and took a class picture with her.
After class I had a 20-minute rehearsal/coaching with my pianist, Mary Dibbern, and voice teacher, Yvonne. We went over my song for our final concert tomorrow. It went really well. I sang through it twice Yvonne and Mary only had one or two spots to point out. I was really supporting the sound and using good breath control. Yvonne was really excited to see that. They also both commented on my coloratura. It was clean, clear and beautiful. I feel really good going into the final concert tomorrow. I just hope my German final is as good.
We had one last master class today co-taught by David Aronson (coach/rehearsal accompanist/conductor at the Vienna Opera) and his wife Sylvia Greenberg an internationally acclaimed Soprano. It was wonderful. They were both so lively and had so much to share.
One last thing for tonight and it is to see Martin Shalita sing Die Schöne Müllerin. Martin is an alumnus of the program who is currently making a career in Germany. Then it’s home to eat, study, pack and get to bed.
This morning we had our last German class with Jasmin. She prepared us for the test tomorrow and went over just about everything that is on the test. Tomorrow there is a festival in her hometown and all the streets are shut down. She won’t be able to make it into Salzburg to give us our finals or to come to our final concert. We all said our goodbyes today and took a class picture with her.
After class I had a 20-minute rehearsal/coaching with my pianist, Mary Dibbern, and voice teacher, Yvonne. We went over my song for our final concert tomorrow. It went really well. I sang through it twice Yvonne and Mary only had one or two spots to point out. I was really supporting the sound and using good breath control. Yvonne was really excited to see that. They also both commented on my coloratura. It was clean, clear and beautiful. I feel really good going into the final concert tomorrow. I just hope my German final is as good.
We had one last master class today co-taught by David Aronson (coach/rehearsal accompanist/conductor at the Vienna Opera) and his wife Sylvia Greenberg an internationally acclaimed Soprano. It was wonderful. They were both so lively and had so much to share.
One last thing for tonight and it is to see Martin Shalita sing Die Schöne Müllerin. Martin is an alumnus of the program who is currently making a career in Germany. Then it’s home to eat, study, pack and get to bed.
Sunday, August 15, 2010
Last Weekend
Friday’s master class was a bit of a bore. The woman running it is a coach and pianist/accompanist who works at the Mozarteum. It was only the second master class she’s ever given, and it showed a bit. She was also quite soft-spoken which made it even harder to pay attention.
After the class I stayed around the college for a little while, but then caught the bus home early. It wasn’t until after I had been home for an hour relaxing up in my room that I started to remember Martina saying something about visiting her mother this weekend. When I went down to the kitchen at 7 for dinner, it was to discover little notes left all over the kitchen for me. Martina had left a plate sitting out for me to heat up for dinner and in the frig were sandwiches for lunch on Saturday as well as lasagna to heat up for dinner.
After eating, I decided to relax and take a bath. They have a nice whirlpool tub on the bottom floor. Unfortunately, I couldn’t figure out how to turn the whirlpool part on, so it ended up being just a bath.
Saturday I got up early to join Ian and Phoebe for the hike along Lake Wolfgang. (Phoebe is the director of the Salzburg College). I knew not many were going to come on the hike because the weather wasn’t supposed to be good and they wanted to go see Neuschwanstein (the castle Disney’s castle is based on). When I arrived at Mirabell Platz, I found phoebe, but Ian wasn’t there and it was past time to meet. She and I discussed different things we could do, and as it was just the two of us, I opted to go see the Eagles Next also known as Hitler’s Tea Room. Phoebe hopped on her bike to go home and get her car. As I was waiting at Mirbell Platz, Ian finally showed up. He had over slept. I told him we had a change of plans.
Phoebe picked the two of us up and we drove out to the mountain. Ian and I opted to walk up the mountain instead of taking the bus. Three hours or so later and after a couple of stops, one to eat a sandwich, we finally arrived at the top. The Eagles Next or, Kehlsteinhaus, is on the top of Kehlstein Mountain that is 6,017 ft high. We did take an elevator for the last 407ft. The elevator shaft was bored straight through the mountain and linked via a tunnel. The tunnel and elevator are still in impeccable shape. The inside of the elevator is completely surfaced with brass that is polished daily. Kehlstainhaus was built for Hitler’s 50th birthday. From the top of the mountain you can see everything (on a clear day). Unfortunately for us, it was not a clear day. We could see blue sky at the top of the mountain, but below us all you could see were clouds.
After we took the bus down, we looked through an exhibition about Hitler’s regime and walked down to what remains of Berghof. This is where Hitler spent 1/3 of his reign. He didn’t spend much time on top of the mountain. Once the area was taken over, the British bombed the headquarters, others burned some of what was left, and the Americans completely destructed the rest. All that is left are a coup-le of stonewalls. We also walked through a portion of the underground tunnel system Hitler built through the mountain for protection from bombing and gas. There were airlocks, a heating, air conditioning, and air-drying system built in.
Before the three of us headed back into town, we stopped at a new little restaurant that has opened. Ian had schnitzel, I had warm cheese strudel with ice cream and Phoebe had some ice cream. It was amusing to take my water bottle out and see just how thin the air had been at the top, and now at the bottom it looked more like an hourglass.
After spending an hour at the college to practice, I headed home to crash. I went to bed pretty early.
This morning I got up and the family had gone to church. I listened to a couple pod casts of “Wait, Wait, Don’t Tell Me.” Then when they got back, we all enjoyed a cookout. It’s gorgeous weather today, so we all enjoyed the weather.
Friday, August 13, 2010
The End is Near
Our talk yesterday was with Joyce DiDonato and her husband Leonardo. Joyce is currently one of the best Mezzo-Soprano’s of the day. Some say she is the Renee Flemming of Mezzos. We could have stayed there for hours asking questions and listening to her. Unfortunately we had to be at the Festival Master Class at 3 and you don’t get in if you’re late.
Christa Ludwig held the master class. Five singers performed. Two are from the states and Vladimir was the only guy that sang. Emily Righter, Mezzo that just graduated from Yale is probably coming to our final performance. Interestingly enough one of the girls in our program overheard a few of the singers from the master class talking about Joyce DiDonato and wanting to meet her. We all chuckled a little since we just had met her.
After the master class, a few of us went to the Augustiner Brewery for dinner. We had a great time and sat outside in the Beer Garden. Unfortunately it started to rain after we had been there for a little while. Everyone moved inside, but we had finished eating, so we decided to go to Café Furst for dessert. The only problem was that the café was on the other side of town and it started to down pour. We decided to stop at the college (which was on the way) and hang out for a little while till the rain lightened up. After about half an hour it actually stopped completely.
Mike and I split a banana split there at Café Furst. After we had been there for a while, and I looked to see what time it was, I saw it was almost time to catch a bus. I left the crew and made it to the bus stop with perfect timing.
This morning we had German at a café to practice ordering food. We first went to Carpedium, but there wasn’t really enough space for all of us to sit together. It was also a little on the expensive side, so we ended up at McDonalds, and we all ordered in German with Jasmin watching and listening. We were then able to sit upstairs and talk about things together. After class, most of us returned to school and up to the library. There we were showing each other videos on youtube we’ve found of singers both good and bad. We also ended up lying on the tables and giving each other massages. It was quite relaxing.
We have one more master class this afternoon in our program. Tomorrow we’re supposed to go hiking along Lake Wolfgang, but its supposed to rain all day. I think many are deciding not to go for that reason. I’ll wait to see how bad the weather is and if anyone really is going.
Thursday, August 12, 2010
Jedermann
The play was amazing. Despite only having a very basic idea of the plot and not knowing the language, I was able to follow the play. It took place in an outside theater early evening so lights were not needed. The rain just managed to hold off until we were almost back to the college.
The costumes were magnificent. There wasn’t much to the set, really just the stage and stairs with a few props, but then the stage actually broke apart and there was fire and explosives. It was quite dramatic and caught us all by surprise.
After the play, we had just enough time to go back to the college and grab our things before it closed for the evening. I caught the bus home and spoke with the family for a few minutes before heading up to my room and complete my German homework and call it a night.
Today was essentially our last German class. Tomorrow morning we’re going to have class at a Café so we can practice ordering and asking for the check in German.
It was also my last lesson with Yvonne today. It was wonderful! We worked on “Poor Wand’ring One” as it’s what I will be singing for my final. Then we spent a little time on “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion” from Handel’s Messiah. She gave me some great tools to work with to help polish the piece even more.
We have to eat our lunch a little early today and eat quickly. At 1:30 we’re meeting with a singer (whose name I can’t remember at the moment) and her husband, a famous conductor. It will be another Q&A today, but a short one. At 3:00 we have another Salzburg Festival master class. Hopefully either Vladimir (the good looking baritone) or Andre (the gorgeous bass) will be performing today. If not, they’ll at least still be there.
The costumes were magnificent. There wasn’t much to the set, really just the stage and stairs with a few props, but then the stage actually broke apart and there was fire and explosives. It was quite dramatic and caught us all by surprise.
After the play, we had just enough time to go back to the college and grab our things before it closed for the evening. I caught the bus home and spoke with the family for a few minutes before heading up to my room and complete my German homework and call it a night.
Today was essentially our last German class. Tomorrow morning we’re going to have class at a Café so we can practice ordering and asking for the check in German.
It was also my last lesson with Yvonne today. It was wonderful! We worked on “Poor Wand’ring One” as it’s what I will be singing for my final. Then we spent a little time on “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion” from Handel’s Messiah. She gave me some great tools to work with to help polish the piece even more.
We have to eat our lunch a little early today and eat quickly. At 1:30 we’re meeting with a singer (whose name I can’t remember at the moment) and her husband, a famous conductor. It will be another Q&A today, but a short one. At 3:00 we have another Salzburg Festival master class. Hopefully either Vladimir (the good looking baritone) or Andre (the gorgeous bass) will be performing today. If not, they’ll at least still be there.
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
Tuesday and Wednesday
Tuesday was a day like any other day. I had German; a voice lesson then was up in the library for a while. There I fell asleep on the floor for about half an hour having been tired after a late night at the opera.
Lunch was some sort of Wurst in a chili type broth. Then we had a fun master class. This class was for the two student pianists/accompanists that are here than for the singers. The woman conducting the class is a professor at the Mozarteum, the university in Salzburg. She’s originally from Sweden and is married to an American that did one of our master classes earlier. She was quite amusing to watch. At times she reminded me of Mrs. Ventiquattro, my 8th grade math teacher. She would jump up and down all over the room and clap her hands to keep our energy going (class was right after lunch). In the master class, she did much the same thing clapping loudly, stomping, and jumping up and down. It was quite effective.
After the class, I headed home for dinner with the family. I read for a little while, while dinner was prepared. I may have fallen asleep for a short time as well. Martin put both girls to bed, then Martina, Martin, and I had dinner out in the garden. We enjoyed one of the last nice evenings Salzburg will for the summer.
As tired as I was, I called it an early night after dinner.
Today, it’s sunny for the moment. We’re supposed to be getting rain this afternoon/evening. Instead of a master class after lunch, we’re having a talk/ Q&A with alum of the program whom is currently starting a career.
It was a really good talk. Asking many good questions about how he got started and an introductory look into the German Opera system.
Tonight I am going to see Jedermann (Everyman). It is a play that has been put on every year since the start of the Salzburg Festival. The theater is really small and tickets are really hard to get. Our seats are in the last row, and the cheapest and they still cost 50 Euros. It should be a lot of fun. I’ve heard its good from those that have gone already, but it is in German. Many get really dressed up to see this. It’s fun to go to the events with all the paparazzi out taking pictures.
Last night one of the girls managed to get a ticket to opening night of Romeo et Juliette. She stood outside the festival house holding a sign that said, in German, I am a music student and would like a ticket. One man had two tickets, his wife was sick and he was planning to sell his ticket for the full price, but saw her and gave it to her for 50 Euros (originally a 250 Euro ticket). It’s tempting… I would love to see that production of Romeo et Juliette by Gounod.
Lunch was some sort of Wurst in a chili type broth. Then we had a fun master class. This class was for the two student pianists/accompanists that are here than for the singers. The woman conducting the class is a professor at the Mozarteum, the university in Salzburg. She’s originally from Sweden and is married to an American that did one of our master classes earlier. She was quite amusing to watch. At times she reminded me of Mrs. Ventiquattro, my 8th grade math teacher. She would jump up and down all over the room and clap her hands to keep our energy going (class was right after lunch). In the master class, she did much the same thing clapping loudly, stomping, and jumping up and down. It was quite effective.
After the class, I headed home for dinner with the family. I read for a little while, while dinner was prepared. I may have fallen asleep for a short time as well. Martin put both girls to bed, then Martina, Martin, and I had dinner out in the garden. We enjoyed one of the last nice evenings Salzburg will for the summer.
As tired as I was, I called it an early night after dinner.
Today, it’s sunny for the moment. We’re supposed to be getting rain this afternoon/evening. Instead of a master class after lunch, we’re having a talk/ Q&A with alum of the program whom is currently starting a career.
It was a really good talk. Asking many good questions about how he got started and an introductory look into the German Opera system.
Tonight I am going to see Jedermann (Everyman). It is a play that has been put on every year since the start of the Salzburg Festival. The theater is really small and tickets are really hard to get. Our seats are in the last row, and the cheapest and they still cost 50 Euros. It should be a lot of fun. I’ve heard its good from those that have gone already, but it is in German. Many get really dressed up to see this. It’s fun to go to the events with all the paparazzi out taking pictures.
Last night one of the girls managed to get a ticket to opening night of Romeo et Juliette. She stood outside the festival house holding a sign that said, in German, I am a music student and would like a ticket. One man had two tickets, his wife was sick and he was planning to sell his ticket for the full price, but saw her and gave it to her for 50 Euros (originally a 250 Euro ticket). It’s tempting… I would love to see that production of Romeo et Juliette by Gounod.
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