A Few Small Things

After posting a comment on a friend's blog, which will link back here, I wanted to make a brief update.

Yesterday I went to a chamber music concert at the church, which featured a mezzo singing Verdi's "Ave Maria with Strings".  This is certainly something I could sing.  This woman has a lovely voice, is beautiful to look at, and has an impressive resume full of singing and performing in wildly diverse genres.  There are dozens of these women all over New York, which is why there is hardly a nook or a cranny so  lowly that is not crowded with them, where I can hardly compete.  I am almost positive that she showed up once at one of these get up and sing meetups, the ones where I felt so outclassed and hence uncomfortable.  (I can't tell if it was she, or another mezzo with the same first name who looks similar, who was at the meetup, but I think it was she; I remembered her smile.)

I was flattered that the choir director (who runs the series and played the piano for another number on the program) spoke to me afterwards and asked me what I thought of the piece.  I said it interested me but I would need a piano accompaniment as I am not going to be able to assemble a whole string quartet!  He said there was a version with a piano accompaniment.  A day or so earlier he had said that he would try to get me a copy.  So at least this means he takes me seriously, which is nice.  This is not something I could ever sing as a church solo because it is too long, and we only sing "Ave Marias" on Magnificat Sunday and on a day like that he wants something a little less somber.  But it is something I could sing someplace.  It didn't sound as if it had a very wide range.

The other thing that pleased me is that the woman who is having the Hispanic Heritage event sent another email in which she mentioned that she is planning a spring concert of Spanish music, and will have several more get togethers so that people can present Spanish songs that they would like to do.  I found at least three in the book of Nin songs (it only contains half of what I thought it would) that I can use.  One is quite high and has a long cadenza, so I will not try to sing it Monday.  The other two will certainly be manageable.  My Spanish pronunciation is improving, if not my translating abilities.  This book has French translations of the songs rather than English ones, but French is the foreign language I know best, so I am able to figure out what most of the songs mean.

Tomorrow is choir practice.  I intend to kick b**t with those low-lying runs in the Handel.  I intend for the years of training that I have, and the hours I put in practicing, to show, whether this is noticed or not.

I am having a tooth pulled in the morning, but was told I should be able to sing easily tomorrow night.