Good Evening opera lovers!!
I am sitting on my bed eating an Oreo covered in peanut butter (is there any other way??) as I unwind from a full day of coachings, stagings, food, laughter, and walking... soo much walking! Is it all worth it? Absolutely! Carnegie Hall is right around the corner!
I had my first coaching today and maestro Matt Lobaugh really pushed me hard. I appreciate these kinds of coachings. Maestro knew exactly how to communicate with me to pull his desired (and my desired) result out of me. I left feeling empowered and ready to speak German for the rest of the day. Then I went directly to my stage directing duties where we staged Jezibaba's hilarious dance while placing a magic spell on Rusalka (the original Little Mermaid). Then in Carmen we had an absolute blast acting out cheating at cards, drinking too much, and of course, seduction!
There are many things I am loving about this program, but the absolute best thing are the people. My fellow artists are true professionals who push me to want to be better and inspire me with, not only their talent, but their beautiful souls. The pianists are extremely talented and invest in what you have to give and who you are as an individual (both while you are performing and while you are not) allowing for true collaboration. The team of directors are world class in their craft and take time outside of rehearsals to sit down and talk with you and get to know who you are.
I had lunch today with fellow program member Sam Nahra and Director Anthony Laciura and we had a ball trading stories about families, food, and singing experiences. If you aren’t from the city, tag along with your friends FROM the city when it’s time to eat. Odds are, they know some amazing places that you would never think to stop. Today I ate the best Italian Wedding Soup at a corner sandwich shop that I would have never thought of as a place to ask for soup. (It was clearly homemade) Then for dinner, I went with a friend to have my first Ramen. It was truly amazing!
You guessed it! Time for more score study and to spend more time with my German text. Score study and warming up is always easiest with the NYC skyline behind you.
Thank you for reading these each day! I am glad I can give you a little taste of the program from my eyes.
Good night my lovelies!
Kristen
PS did I mention we are just around the corner from Carnegie Hall?
