Sunday, October 30, 2011

Old Friends

It's been awhile since I wrote. I have gotten to spend a couple of weekends with dear friends from Whitworth and what a gift that time was!
I headed down to North Carolina over my fall break to spend time with my friend and former roommate, Ali and her husband Tommy, and their little one, Crescena. They are preparing to head to Nairobi in February where Tommy will serve as a missionary pilot with Africa Inland Mission. I am so glad I got to see them one last time before they head to Kenya.
My time with them was sweet. It was a gift to be with dear friends and to get to delight in their precious little one. AND it was wonderful to be outside - and out of the city!! It did my soul a lot of good to be able to go for walks in the countryside - to breathe in the fresh air and see trees and grass and lakes!

Just after I got back from North Carolina, my friend Bryce came to visit from Portland. We spent the day with his friend Isaac, who is also living in Baltimore. It was a glorious fall day, and we walked out to Fort McHenry.

The fort is on a peninsula on the other side of the harbor. It is also a park - so again, it was nice to be outside and to see a field of grass...as opposed to the little plots we have in the city!

We had fun exploring the fort.

And we got a few laughs out of these benches that are scattered all over Baltimore, declaring it "The Greatest City in America." Most of the benches are in disrepair - in fact, the one right across from my apartment building doesn't even have a seat anymore.


So I am thankful for time with both of these dear friends who know me well and have walked with me through many seasons. It was wonderful to get out of the city and see Tom and Ali's world - and also to have someone from home catch a glimpse of my new world.

Thursday, October 20, 2011

Ariel's Tempest

Since the beginning of the semester, at least 12 of my hours each week have belonged to the opera department. I have been serving as a co-music director for a new opera that is...as we speak...still being revised. Peabody has an opera outreach program which takes a shortened, simplified opera into schools to perform for elementary students, etc. In the past, they've done "Hansel and Gretel" or "The Magic Flute"...something kid-friendly. The show opens in the fall and then is performed at different times and places throughout the year.
But this year they're doing something a bit different. Roger Brunyante, the head of the opera dept. has written the libretto for a version of Shakespeare's The Tempest. It is made up of direct quotes from the original - with the insertion of an actual Shakespeare character and a "Stage Manager" who provide some slapstick to keep the show from getting too serious! The music has been written by a Peabody DMA candidate, Douglas Buchanan.
It has been a challenge - the music is hard, to say the least. And being a music director is not easy - especially as a student. Some of the cast members are great and are well-prepared. And some are way behind.
And we open in about two weeks.
No big deal.
On Monday, we had one complete run-through...parts of which were ok, and parts of which were a complete disaster. Last night, the other cast (the show is double-cast) had their go at it. They are the weaker cast, so it was even more of a disaster. And then Roger, the director, and the composer and Nadja and I had a meeting to discuss where we go from here - make some cuts to tighten things up a bit, etc. There is much work to be done.
Parts of this process have been frustrating. My job as a music director/coach is not to teach pitches. I am in charge of diction - making sure people are understood, ensemble, phrasing, tempos, etc. It's a very creative process - trying to figure out what's in the music. But I am still working with people just to get the right notes and rhythms. For awhile it was OK - I know that it's hard music and I got to try all kinds of strategies for helping them learn what sometimes seem like random notes. But it's starting to get old.
As is rehearsal for 3 or more hours, 4 nights a week.
So I am enjoying the journey - it's fun to be a part of this process - seeing a show come to life and take on an identity in itself.
But I am looking forward to the end of these intense rehearsals. Only a couple more weeks!

Here's some more details:
http://peabodyopera.org/seasons/s1112/tempest11/#directors

Sunday, October 2, 2011

snippets of joy

As I write, I am sitting on my couch, sipping Seattle's Best coffee and nibbling on chocolate. It's an overcast day outside, and I am happy to report that the weather has FINALLY cooled off and autumn has officially arrived. It's been a relaxing day. This morning, I jogged down to the farmer's market to get some squash this morning, so I put together a casserole of sorts this afternoon. My apartment was a disaster, so I spent some time cleaning, singing and dancing as I went. These days off are a gift to my spirit - and a necessary time of refreshment.

As I reflect on the last few days, I smile to think of the little snippets of joy that have brightened my world this week...
- I met a Whitworth music grad last week as I went on a walk with my Whitworth t-shirt on. He is officially the first person I've met here who has even heard of Whitworth.
- I got 4.5 hours of sleep on Wednesday night, and then woke up Thursday with unexplainable energy and played for a total of 5 hours with no pain. What a gift.
- Every day, I walk through the halls and hear the piano performance majors practicing Beethoven sonatas and Liszt etudes, and I THANK GOD that I am not them. Apparently I picked the right major ;o).
- One morning this week, Georgia the custodian came in to say hello as usual, and she came over and said, "Give me some love" and gave me a hug. So now when I am lying in bed in the mornings, not wanting to get up to practice, I think, "But I get a hug from Georgia..." and somehow, that's just the extra push I need to put my feet on the floor.
- On Thursday, my friend Eric and I had an in-depth discussion of the poetry of one of the song cycles I am playing. It was so wonderful to process through the text and discuss the incredible genius of how Schumann set it to music. Somehow, after that, we ended up having a dance party in my practice room. Best thing ever.
- I have found a place to walk. It's not green, but it is by the water and away from the crowds. It reminds me of Europe, just a little bit. (Photo credit: Liz Walton!)
- Sometimes I walk through the "grand arcade" of Peabody when the orchestra is rehearsing in the big concert hall. The music wafts out and resonates in the huge atrium. Glorious.

- Nadja and I now have "our table" at the bistro up the street. This week we've been there at least twice, if not more. Let me be clear in saying that neither of us has time to take coffee breaks, but we both know that these times we share are as much a part of our education as classes, rehearsals and practicing. We sip coffee and share one of the delectable desserts and talk and laugh and cry about anything and everything...music, family, spirituality, our lives before Peabody, our hopes for the future (if there is, indeed, life after Peabody). I still marvel at the fact that we have only known each other a little more than a month. We think very similarly about life and have so much in common. Friday was another example of the CRAZY connection we have. She turned to me and said, "You were in Spokane, right? One of my teachers from my university in Belgrade lives there now." I said, "Do you mean Ivana?" She said, "Yes - she was my teacher for a year." I looked at her in disbelief and replied, "She is now doing the job I just left at Whitworth." What a small world.

- It rained this week. Another sign that autumn is in full swing. And it wasn't one of the humid downpours that feels too much like a tropical storm. No, this week, it was a cool day and it drizzled just a little bit. My Western Washington soul did a little jig.