First Rehearsal Went Well! Can This Be the "New Normal"?

After not being able to sing for a week, and practicing very carefully, I sang through the entire concert program yesterday, and with one or two exceptions, I was thrilled with how things sounded.

For starters, the Bolena duet, which is in a high tessitura, sounded fabulous and felt so easy!  The sustained high A in the opening recit felt like I could hold it forever.  It just sailed up into some head space that I never had before and shimmered.  This is the sound I have longed for for so many years and could never find.  It can't all be because of my cleaning out my sinuses with the Neti pot, can it?  I  have also been taking Mucinex twice a day now.  Maybe that helps also.  Maybe I should just take it forever.  It seems like a pretty benign medication.  Of course I am sure a lot  of it is technique, and learning new muscle habits.  Laura's aria didn't sound quite as good, probably because I use a heavier sound and it is something I sang for the first time in 1980, then sang a lot in my early days of study this time around.

The only thing that did not sound good was the Dalila and Daddy duet.  I am still having some trouble with my lower passagio (not the lowest notes, but the notes around E and F at the bottom of the staff) and at one point my voice actually cracked on an F.  But I would rather have to deal with that than with high notes not happening.  I also need to work on the run at the end of the duet.  It starts on middle C and goes up to a high A flat and back down.  The problem is, I think, that that duet uses a heavy sound in a low tessitura and suddenly I have to get my voice to move.  I had no trouble with the ornamented phrases in the Bolena.

So now the question is: will this new technical proficiency, particularly with my top notes and the big head space that I have found (and I have a tiny little head, not your normal singer shape with wide cheekbones) become the "new normal"?  Will I be able to replicate what I did yesterday?

Here are three signs that things are going well.  The pianist, who hasn't heard me since Carmen, told me how good I sounded.  My teacher said he was pleased.  My teacher invited a lot of his friends.

I only hope that someone will make a video, even just a cell phone video.  My teacher said he will make a "recording" but that means a CD, which is not something I can use for post and boast (presuming that there is something to boast about!!!)  And at the very least I hope someone takes a still photo.  The lack of these things is one of the many things about being my age that are a bummer.  I don't have techie friends.