Finally!! I'm in! I'll be leaving in August for Longy Conservatory in Cambridge, MA. The relief is amazing and now I'm having fun checking out apartments and trying not to fall over when I see the rent prices in Boston. Yikes! Anyone know of any cheap neighborhoods there where I won't risk being shot when I walk out the door? The job hunt is ( Read more... )

Ok, so our next concert (this week) is to be performed in a cathedral. You'd think this would be an ideal setting for a piece like Haydn's "Creation", but the way I've experienced most large, resonant church acoustics to be, the performance needs to be toned down a little to account for the added "ring" you get performing it in such a live space ( Read more... )

Ok, so maybe I was being a bit sarcastic. I'm guessing though that no one wants to open a rejection letter 5 minutes before their family arrives for New Year's Day dinner. NEC apparently didn't like my preliminary tape. I'd like to say their loss, but somehow I think that's being a bit too unrealistic. Still, life goes on, and I still have 3 ( Read more... )

Yikes, if I hear "We Wish You a Merry Christmas" or "Hark the Herald..." one more time after this week I think my head will explode! Had our first conductor's rehearsal last night, which went very well. I like the Vaughan Williams "Fantasia on Christmas Carols", although I still think I'm the only one there who has never sung the Messiah! How ( Read more... )

So last night was the end of an era. Bob Page's last rehearsal with the Mendelssohn Choir. We sang him "Hail to Bob Page" (to the tune of Victor Herbert's "Hail to Christmas"), and even had a cake and cards from nearly everyone. We had a fun rehearsal, and I'm sure someone out there is going to be keepig their pictures of us waltzing to the song ( Read more... )

Seems I have nothing better to do with my spare half hour at work than write a journal entry, ha. Practicing felt great last night, one of those days when things just fall into place and your voice functions like it's supposed to. In the process of adding some new repertoire to my list - a Dvorak song and a couple of new Italian pieces. I have ( Read more... )

Check out our reviews!

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/05330/613033.stm

http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/tribune-review/entertainment/s_398241.html

Yippee! One application complete and out of my hands! I don't hate school, but I definitely can't stand this whole application/audition process ( Read more... )

Ok, here we go, I just submitted my first application...no turning back now! NEC's application is in, the cd is made and I'll be sending that out tomorrow. It'll be a relief to have one done, finally. The recording is not what I hoped it would be, but save for one piece (French is the bane of my existence) it doesn't sound bad. My German ( Read more... )

Yesterday was one of those rehearsals where you end up making vain attempts at hiding behind the (hopefully larger) voice of the nearest person singing your part. Unfortunately for me (and most of the alto section) there were so many missing singers last night that I had no one within 10 feet of me to hide behind, and a bunch of sopranos and ( Read more... )