Here’s the Iolanthe scene:
See that tall girl with the long, dark hair, all the way to the left? Listen to her when she sings. Then remind yourself that she’s in EIGHTH GRADE! Imagine that voice in 10 years! We had a lot of fun with that scene. Some of it was improvised. I actually got some of my lines wrong, using words that have the same meaning, but still… not the right words. For example, my line was, “He’s extremely pretty,” but for some reason I said, “He’s exceptionally pretty.” Why? I don’t know. It doesn’t matter. We had a lot of fun, also backstage was fun sharing glitter makeup to make everyone more fairy-like.
Before Iolanthe, I sang Sposa:
As usual, I hear all the mistakes… especially that weirdo crack sound near the end… a sound I have never ever made before in my life, and couldn’t reproduce if I wanted to. It was as if a gallon of mucous suddenly poured out over my vocal chords. Most people told me they didn’t even hear it. It seems so LOUD to me but I’m taking their word for it. I did pretty well otherwise, although I know I can sound richer. I was a little nervous, you can hear it in the 2nd syllable when I first started to sing. But I’ve practiced the song so much that the nervousness sort of went away as I continued singing. In the past, it used to creep up and get worse, so there’s something.
I was thinking this weekend how thankful I am that the Guy In Charge of the Opera Project saw my potential back when I auditioned… him letting me sing with the group opened up a whole world of singing to me, allowed me to find a great teacher and gave me these opportunities to grow and perform that I never would have had otherwise. I should write him a note. Although how to do that, without being awkward? Hmm. Maybe I’ll tell him, the next time I see him.
2 comments:
Isn't it always true that we are our own toughest critics? We hear every little thing in isolation, as it happens. It's hard to remember that our audience is generally listening for the big picture result (beautiful music), and not interested in the mechanics of how we create it.
Thanks for sharing your experiences. I think you already have a good note written. Just change "he" to "you" and you're good to go.
Thanks for your comment! It's true that we hear only the mistakes. Then I don't believe people when they tell me I sang well, which in a way is insulting to THEM... except of course I never tell them I don't believe them, I just thank them.
Still deciding if I should tell him in person or write the note. I'll update the blog either way.
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