Something new

I spent the last two months in Europe--mostly in Munich--auditioning for agents, studying that oh-so-beautiful-but-tricky-language German, going to a few performances, seeing old friends, making new friends, seeing new places... It was wonderful, although I definitely missed my family...Skype rocks, of course.

Before I left in September, folks had asked me to keep a blog, so they could keep up with what I was doing, and I kept meaning to get around to it. But somehow I was so busy that it never happened.

I'm back in CA now, getting ready for the holidays. But it looks like I'll be in Deutschland in January again, and I'm going to try to do the communication thing right this time around.

Hence this blog.

It's my first try at doing this, and long overdue, I know. I'll blog about what I'm reading, what I'm listening to, music I'm learning and/ or performing, and--since I'm often on the road--travel news, too. Please let me know what you like or what you wish I'd blog about!

On to the latest:

What I'm listening to: Love hurts by Incubus.

One of my all-time favorite indie rock groups. The way they use chords, harmonies, and--in this song--inner voices for vocal writing, is just so right. Incubus does rock ballads like no one else--like Drive and I miss you--but they also do interesting rhythmic and metrical patterns (Make Yourself), great angst-driven lyrics (pick any number of their pieces), frustration/ rage songs (Pardon me), more traditional hard-driving numbers (Nice to know you), and contemplative night pieces (Mexico), too.


What I'm reading: The Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny. Brecht--need I say more? The Calder Game--the latest by Blue Balliett, author of Chasing Vermeer.

What I'm performing: Christmas carols, seasonal pieces by Ludtke, Richter, Mozart, and Charpentier.

What I'm working on: Micaela (Carmen) for performances this spring with Verismo Opera; audition rep--always fine-tuning, polishing, and so forth; a few stunning Schoenberg Lieder (Op. 2).