Some Pictures of Carmen, and Some Hope

One of the things that The Artist's Way tells you to do is keep an "image file". As my edition of the book was written before everyone was using the Internet, the author refers to its contents as "clippings" but of course one can now do that electronically.

Images that inspire me.  Of course the first one I found was of Serena Williams after she won Wimbledon

because she defied the odds winning at 30, just as I believe I am defying the odds being an emerging dramatic mezzo at two weeks shy of 62. But then I started thinking about Carmen. I have wanted to sing the role since, at 14, I was rejected by the High School Glee Club teacher when I auditioned to sing the Habanera in a school assembly (I was one of five girls who auditioned, and the only Caucasian) being told, essentially, that I was too "WASP-y" and uptight although not in those words. It's not my favorite music to sing (I would rather sing Azucena, quite frankly, or the Principessa in Adriana Lecouvreur) but second only to Dalila it is my favorite role to be. Most roles, considering my age and lack of mobility (I can't go up and down stairs that don't have a handrail or move more than a few inches in high heels) I would be happy to sing in concert, but I really really really want to sing Carmen in costume. I have occasionally sung the Habanera at church fundraisers as you can see here (FWIW I am 59 years old here)

and would do so in a heartbeat again. For my image file, I decided that this

was probably the hottest. The singer depicted is Rinat Shaham from Israel. Speaking of Carmen, I sang the "Seguidilla" at yesterday's lesson and it sounded good.  I am trying to skip up to the B again, although not really staccato.  I asked my teacher his opinion of staccati as an exercise and he said he generally avoids them because you can "get off the voice" and sing them in your throat.

The good news is that the big breakthrough I had has held.  I sang some full voice B flats and B naturals (we didn't go higher than that) up into that new head space and now he is having me hold them for 2 or 3 counts in the middle of an arpeggio.  I think I have definitely moved off this plateau.

Now I just need some places to sing.  I am going to audition some songs for a concert the evening of September 11 (organized by the woman in whose living room I sang the "Judgment Scene" from Aida several years ago), and the Requiem plans are moving forward.

My teacher told me to email the soprano I want to use to make sure she is free. The two of them are singing in a concert version of Adriana Lecouvreur in a few months (I hope to sing the scenes with the Principessa with them later in another concert) so that brought this to his mind.  He says he will let me know in September if he is going to sing or if I need to get another tenor.  He is concerned that his voice may be too heavy for some of the pianissimo sections.

Lastly, please everyone say prayers that  my partner's cataract surgery goes well and that I can be loving and good and not make it harder for her with my selfish resentments.  Eventually this rough patch will be over and I can have some time to myself.

A social worker is coming to her house this morning.  She doesn't know that it is because I called the agency, but I hope they can get her some help for the week after her surgery.