Cats Say Schnurr

Eek! Sorry guys. My updates have been much slimmer these days - it's because... 

dun dun dun dunnnn

I'm having too much fun!

Okay, that was a dork moment. But really! This program is a blast. Though I will admit... wishing I was suffering a bit more. I love the challenge of music. Of being beaten to death by a coach or a voice teacher. Of leaving feeling exhausted but undoubtedly inspired. And I haven't exactly felt that way.

In fact, I've experienced quite the opposite. I've gotten that my German is "excellent" (I made both coaches say it again so that I could record them for proof). I've also gotten that I am possibly a "Wagnerian soprano." I actually laughed at that one. I think she was possibly full of it. But I'll take it.

Let's see... well, in good news, I'm finally taking photos again! Sorry for the pause in that area. I thought I'd start us off with this great one - um, what do cats say when they purr in Austria?

Exactly.

Here's some of me and my friends. Yes! I have made friends! A lot of them, actually. Who would have thunk!

 

The gang above had a beautiful little Italian dinner in the Old Town, had some Fürst balls (not Mozart - he's too touristy for our taste), and headed straight to the Salzburg Cathedral, also known as the Dom, to see a concert of Mozart's Requiem. YES. MY FAVORITE. No, seriously. I absolutely love love love the Mozart Requiem. I was in absolute heaven!!

And where better to hear this than the church that Mozart's parents were married, he was baptized, and later became the church organist? Ah, gosh, I am too lucky.

Okay, please forgive my lack of memory as far as days go. I couldn't even tell you what I did yesterday at this point. So I'll definitely be out of order.

Saturday was my wonderful roommate Kate's 22nd birthday. After a long day of master classes and a day off the following Sunday, it was time to celebrate. :)

 

AND, as this is always a growing musically educational experience, there was live American music playing classics. I'm positive all of us blew out our voices singing "Free Fallin'" at the top of our lungs. It was absolutely worth it.

Now the real work is getting done. We're in week two which means one more week and we're up and running with our shows. Luckily, Der Schauspieldirektor is a shorty so we finished blocking it within a matter of 3 days. Now it's polishing - character development, getting our arias into our voices, etc. All the stuff I really enjoy!

One thing is absolutely certain - I am so inspired to continue my studies of music. Grad school has always been a bit "eh" for me, but as of lately, I'm realizing it's where I belong. I love learning. I get a thrill being in a classroom and talking (or staging) something so artistic. (Which reminds me - I need to do my German homework!)

I'm thoroughly addicted to researching auditions as well as training programs. Anything. I just want to sing and learn more about it. I do love teaching. So so so much. And I actually really miss it! But there is nothing like being able to create music purely from what is given to you personally. I feel so incredibly privileged to be able to produce sound and affect other people.

So with that being said, I am happy. I am missing home like crazy and I can't wait to see everyone (including my puppy - gah!) as well as the comfort of my own bed. But we've made it pretty cosy here...

Home sweet home, eh?

Oh the joys of living in a dorm style hostel. 

It's creeping on midnight so I better be off to sleep.

More soon!

<3 Allie

When in Salzburg

My goodness, where did I last leave off? It's been quite a while and I'm losing track of days, travel experiences, etc.

Well, I have officially been here for 5 weeks. Only 4 more to go! Not that I'm counting...

I'll admit, I'm definitely homesick for America. But I'm feeling so much more in the "groove" of Europe that it's not nearly distracting me as much as I had anticipated before coming here. London was getting slightly boring considering I was alone, but I loved every second of exploring and learning about myself in very introverted ways.

The Franco American Vocal Academy program started and it has been everything I wanted so far! My roommate, Kate, is amazing and we clicked the moment we met. What better way to experience a summer abroad program? There are several others as well that I've made really great friendships with and all of the singers are wonderfully talented and supportive of one another. It's going to be an amazing 4 weeks.

One thing I'll have to admit - I'm getting slightly antsy. We've run music for Der Schauspieldirektor several times and am anxious to get started on staging/getting into character. These days are going by SO incredibly slowly. No one knows why! We all feel like we've been here forever and rehearsals only started 3 days ago... here we go...

One thing I have been thankful for is my sudden confidence boost in music. Graduating from college always gives the "oh my god... what am I doing with my life" freak out, and I think I experienced this for about a month or so. Not to say that all of these fears of vanished, but I'm feeling more at ease. Maybe grad school is the right track...? It's always scary being a musician. You can't help but think - am I really going to pursue... music? I love music. I wouldn't do anything else in the world. But imagining myself auditioning and being on stage for the rest of my life is very unsettling to me.

Anyway, I've been getting the answers that I've been searching for. I am SO excited to learn more! I want to be challenged in every way, shape, and form.

When in Salzburg.... :)

Spoiled by English speakers

Here is what I have learned on my time alone:

Nothing, no matter how crazy, scary, or unnerving, has yet to bring me down. It's as if everything I had been looking for suddenly appeared all because I wanted it to. I willed it to. Happiness is not pleasure. It comes from the mind, body, and soul. From within.

London was cold. And rainy. And hard to navigate because of how large the city is. I could have easily taken the path of loneliness and fear out of the the thought of being there by myself. And occasionally I did. I think I was more homesick than I had ever been on this trip during my time there. But I allowed myself to honor that feeling and be patient. And then I realized - I am the leader of my own fate. Happiness will not be sprung upon me if I sit and mope in my bedroom. I was coming back to the pad every evening around 5 or 6 and losing myself in movies or books rather than indulging in the city like I had planned. Granted, I was tired. I AM tired. But during my last couple of days in London, I decided enough was enough. I wasn't going to let any fear or any financial worries interfere with me experiencing what was around me.

I spent my two days in London living the life of a London-er. Or, at least, trying to. So, on Monday, I went to the Royal Academy of Music to hopefully sneak a peek inside. The museum/bookstore was open but none of the classrooms were. Darn. So I spent a good deal of time looking through scores, reminding myself of how much I love classical music. That day was tough because it was pouring rain pretty much the entire day. It's hard to explore when you didn't even bring proper rain shoes to walk in. But I wandered over to Regent's Park and just took a nice long walk in the rain. I put on my favorite Sufjan Stevens' album and admired the Queen's Garden full of flowers and waterfalls.

After a couple of hours of exploring, I hopped onto the tube and went over to see the Royal Opera House. Today was, apparently, the day of dreaming and scheming my future. I wanted to make it a point to see these things just in case I ever come back... :)

I sat at the Charles Dickens Coffee Shop for a little while, drank my latté, and stared out at the busy streets and the hustle and bustle of people running in the rain.

I really didn't do a whole lot the rest of the day. I got an email from my summer program reminding us of all of the music we needed to have memorized and ready to rehearse by next week so I mentally made the excuse to take the day to enjoy myself. Not to mention I needed to learn my scores...

Tuesday was my last full day there. So I woke up early and went straight to Westminster Abbey. Pictures aren't technically allowed to be taken inside the Abbey so many of these were sneak shots. It was BEAUTIFUL. I am so glad I spent the money to do this! If only I knew more about the British Monarchy - the tombs of most everyone were of the royal family. I know the famous stories of course - King Henry XIII and his beheading of Anne Boleyn. Or the rival of Queen Elizabeth I and Queen Mary I. But most of the history is new to me. I was inspired to learn more about it, especially knowing how strong British ancestry runs in my family.

The gardens within the Abbey                        The Queen's Corriders - the story of the current Queen Elizabeth II 

 

One of my favorite parts of the Abbey was the final tomb they had just before exiting - a tomb of an "unknown British warrior" from WWII. This is to commemorate the lives lost in the 20th century world wars. Very touching.

After this beautiful little trip, I grabbed a latté and headed over to the British Museum.

This was totally not what I was expecting. I walked in and was completely overwhelmed. There is SO much to see there. It reminded me a lot of the Louvre in Paris - it's a tour at your own will but you really need to know what to look for. So I took about 10 minutes just staring at the map until finally deciding that I, and apparently every other young person there, wanted to see Ancient Egypt.

This was FASCINATING. I spent forever in here! I cannot believe the genuine amount of coffins and mummies they were able to preserve there - it is disgustingly awesome.

Most of these mummies, if I remember correctly, were buried in their tombs between 3000-1100 BC. Completely mind-blowing.

They also preserved many of their writings and stone tablets.

And of course, after my personal awe over all of this, I went to see the Rosetta Stone.

By now, I couldn't believe how late it had gotten. So I went back to my pad, packed up my stuff, and went to bed early in prep for my 5 am wake up call to catch my flight to Salzburg.

I'll admit, I was really nervous about traveling to Salzburg. I had been spoiled by actual English speakers with English signs in London. I knew I'd have to take buses to find my hotel, as well as make my connecting flight with barely enough time.

And it all happened as planned. Both flights were delayed. I barely made the second one. I landed safely and couldn't find the bus station. Found it but couldn't read any of the signs (where are the English translations?!) and just picked the next bus to go on hoping to get somewhere. Asked for help from any person who spoke English. No one spoke English. No one helped me lift my luggage on and off the several buses I was on. AND, I'm dressed for rain when it's almost 90 degrees outside.

So, after about 10 hours of traveling, I made it to the hotel. I could breathe! And thankfully, I, the astute woman I am, picked the same hotel that I will be staying at for my program. This means - no more traveling!!! No more hopping on buses, trains, planes, subways, lugging my suitcase around and trying to read signs in languages I wouldn't even attempt pronouncing.

So here I am! My final stop! And I couldn't love Salzburg anymore than I already do... :)

So, I'll be here for the next five weeks. My program starts on Saturday and I am SO excited to be around people again. I do love and treasure this alone time. But this extrovert is getting slightly antsy... :)

Today and tomorrow are purely "prep" days. Learning my scores. Exploring the town again. Laying low. 

Let the new adventure begin!

Until then,

<3 Allie

London - Keep Calm and Carry On

Part Four of the Journey -

Cheerio puppets! London is an absolutely brilliant place for holiday. I am especially taken aback by how lovely the people are here (and their accents never get old!)

So, I must admit, when I woke up on Friday morning after a crazy travel day the day before, I started to panic. What am I doing here?! I'm a country completely alone thousands upon thousands of miles away from home. And I won't be coming home for another... 5 weeks... oh gosh, whenever I say this, I start to get slightly depressed. So I did my best to get myself out of bed and start the day. Just push myself out the door. Just do it. There is a world of amazement out there that I am missing if I don't.

Then it occurs to me - I don't have the key. The other guest staying at the pad, Giulia, has it and has left for work. So this means that the moment I leave and shut the door, I cannot come back in until everyone has come home from work around 6 pm.

It was 9 am.

What was I going to do in London ALL day by myself?! I didn't even have a plan! (Which, for anyone who knows me, knows that this is very unusual). So finally, I braved myself to get dressed and grab my travel books to at least get a start. But as I was approaching the door, I was unable to get out. I text my host lady and she said you must have a key to unlock yourself from the inside. So... I was stuck inside.

I started t laugh and then I started to cry. I don't really know why - I think I was just very tired and VERY nervous about being there. All of the excitement I had had the day before was not recreating itself that morning. So when I sat down on the bed, I decided to put in Eat, Pray, Love - a fantastic book and well done movie with Julia Roberts - and I instantly felt better. I even laughed at the fact that the date was Friday the 13th. Go figure.

Giulia ended up coming home around 1 on her lunch break so when she left again, I went with her on the tube and departed for the Houses of Parliament. It was raining and freezing outside, but I didn't care. I was determined now to enjoy myself.

 

 
I got off the tube and it took me a second to realize... I was right underneath Big Ben! And the minute I looked up and saw it, it was as if all the worry I felt earlier that morning never even existed. I was finally here! My favorite city in the world! So I took about 3 hours just to walk around and soak it in (no pun intended!).

I passed Westminster Abbey, which unfortunately was closed inside, and then crossed the Thames to find a cute little café overlooking Parliament.

 
So I sat with my English tea and ham/cheese croissant and stared outside at the most beautiful sight I have seen yet on this trip. I really don't know what it is about London that hits me so hard. But I can honestly say that walking along the water and popping in some Stephen Layton Polyphony music made me tear up several times. After all this planning and dreaming, I was actually in the place I love most to be in. And though I was alone, I loved every second of it.

 


The next morning, I felt rejuvenated and inspired to go out again. This time, I went with absolutely no plan. I hopped on a tube and got off at Hyde Park. And I did get lost. But what's lost when you have no plan? It was actually kind of fun! I ended up at Princess Diana's Memorial Walk and then hit Piccadilly Lane. I remembered Piccadilly so differently from the last time I was here, but then again, it hadn't been raining and horribly overcast 2 years ago. This week has been utterly depressing as far as weather goes. But I don't care! Rain actually looks beautiful in a city like this. Again, don't ask me why.

I ended up at Handel's house! He lived here for the last 36 years of his life and wrote most all of his famous works, including the Messiah, at this location!

Fun fact - did you know Jimi Hendrix ended up living here as well? Because I certainly didn't! I wasn't technically allowed to take pictures of these rooms, so unfortunately, I wasn't able to grab a snapshot of his bedroom - the place of his death. Very eerie. I always get weird vibes when I find out things like that...

Later that evening, I attended a small choir concert at a cute little church and walked around the Tower of London. The east side of the river is definitely not my favorite part of town, but at least I got to experience it.

Yesterday morning, I woke up early and attended a mass at St. Paul's Cathedral. I grabbed a latte and got there about a half an hour early to look around. Good Lord... this place is beautiful.

The service was about an hour and a half, and honestly, I could have stayed all day. I have never experienced anything like it. Not only were hundreds and hundreds of people there to worship, but the music... ah, the music.. it was so angelic! The choir is made up of young soprano boys and adult men along with the London Sinfonia. A true testament to the British sound that I love - they sounded absolutely incredible. And what do they sing, of all things? Mozart's Coronation Mass. AH! So incredible!!

Again, I wasn't allowed to take pictures inside, and there were ushers every which way keeping an eye out, so those pictures will forever be engrained in my memory. :)

From there, I went to Camden to do some shopping. Um... wow. So overwhelming. Why did I shop in any other place when I could have bargained ANYTHING there?! I spent way too much time there... and found myself in a Hindu shop buying god knows what. Sweaters, incense, earrings, books (The Great Gatsby for 1 pound... SERIOUSLY!?), you name it and I probably bought it. Yikes... I'm a shopaholic... :)

I came back to the pad and started really practicing for my program. I keep forgetting a small detail - I am supposed to have everything memorized by next week. Um... yes. About that...

Today I am going to go to the British Museum, the Royal Opera House, the Royal Academy of Music, and try to get back to Westminster to see if I can get inside. Tonight there is a Proms concert that I am DYING to go to! Got to get there early and see if I can snag a 5 pound standing ticket to see John Adams conduct.

Will continue my posts! Sorry for the long one! Clearly, I am in love with this city. :)

Until then,
<3 Allie

Scandanavia - Part Three

Hej!

I love when they say this in check out lines or in passing - it sounds so casual in my ear, but it's really the way to say hello. The group of 7 split off last week and 4 of us continued our crazy journey into Denmark and Sweden. Long train rides. But very fun!

Copenhagen was a big surprise to everyone. At first, we were a tad weary of it. All of us were exhausted and we spent almost an hour looking for a simple meal that wasn't expensive. News flash for us. EVERYTHING is expensive. So we finally settled on a random café which was way overpriced for the not so great meal that we ate. Big bummer. 

The next morning though, we woke up determined to find greatness within the city. And we definitely did! 

We walked around the more touristy streets, grabbed a latte and a Danish, and ran into a place where you could take Canal tours of Copenhagen. Since none of us had any idea of what was there or the history that the city contained, we decided to go for it. I don't think any of us regretted it!

The water was BEAUTIFUL that day. All of us were itching to just jump out of the boat and swim. What beautiful sights lay around the city.

We mosied around the town pretty much the entirety of the day. We walked through a park of the Royal Palace and eventually ran into the famous Little Mermaid - a monument in dedication to the story being founded in Copenhagen.

Though a short trip, it was a beautiful one.

The next morning, we left early for our 5 hour train to Stockholm. By now, we've gotten down a routine. Travel day, come back to our hotel in the afternoon, nap for a few hours, and then go out again. Thankfully, with the sun setting around 11 pm, we never felt guilty doing this! It was daylight throughout all hours.

Only problem with this plan - our last hotel room was by far the worst!

There was barely enough room for 4 people, let alone all of our luggage. We named the room "the closet" and tried to make the best of it.

Having had such a successful canal tour in Copenhagen, we took a similar one in Stockholm. However, we're not sure if it was the gloomy weather or the point of serious exhaustion but at this point, we were pretty neutral about our feelings toward the city. 

We also were really understanding and living the rumor of "it's very expensive there." The first day, we made 3 sandwiches from our hotel breakfast and ate those throughout the day. Buying a water bottle and a banana as a snack would cost somewhere around $8. Shamefully, the 7-11 across from our hotel became our place of food supply. 

The following day, our last day together, was pretty relaxing. We met up with Joe's friend Malin (a Swedish native) and she took us around for food, shopping, and showed us the most disgusting Swedish licorice I have ever had! :P But some amazing chocolate!

Our night concluded with us crowding around my computer and watching episode after episode of my favorite TV series "Lost." Clearly, we were done traveling. It had been a long 3 weeks - wonderful - but exhausting.

So the three who left were ecstatic when we arrived at the Arlanda airport for our separate departures.

I, on the other hand, had the most boring travel day yet. As the 3 left for America, I waited around at the airport for about 5 hours until my flight departed around 4 pm. Landed at 6 pm and of all crazy things to happen, I get on the London tube and it breaks down for several hours. I'm sitting on the train with my London map, clearly a foreigner of this place, with all of my luggage (or as my friend Dave says, my entire apartment constrained in a suitcase) barely having any idea how to read the tube maps. Thank GOODNESS they are in English!!

So after 4 hours of getting on several trains and having literally hundreds of people confused and frustrated with the rail system, I make it to my host family's pad in the pouring rain. Why is there always rain?!! I swear, every dramatic part of this trip has involved the random outpour of drops of the sky. It's all so Hollywood-esque.

I walked down the streets from the station laughing at myself at how wet I was and completely lost in a city I barely know. Luckily, I found the pad I was staying and had a nice warm bed for me to sleep in.

Today I woke up realizing that I'm alone. It's kind of a scary thought - I am alone. Across the world. I am just thankful that I even have a place to stay! So my day is mine. I think I want to hit up the touristy stuff first (which secretly is my favorite). Buckingham Palace, Westminster Abbey, Parliament...

Pictures will probably be coming more frequently now that I have all the time in the world! Well, kind of. I have 5 days in London before I leave for Salzburg.

Wish me luck!

Until then,

<3 Allie