John Fisk—Young singer doing the New York auditions circuit
Report on the summer:
The pay-to-sing I went to was a big success. I played one leading role and one comprimario role, both to good acclaim. The teacher to whom I was assigned was a huge help to me. I got along well with management (always a plus) and all in all, the summer was a positive experience.
Resolutions for next month:
Now that I’m back home, I have a lot of things to accomplish. I need three basic elements of singer life: money, sanity and a place to live.
1. Money: Find a day job. If I want to find something worthwhile, something that I’ll want to keep for the year, I have to be somewhat choosy about this and not take my search lightly.
2. Sanity: Keep on singing. This means finding more local stuff to keep me busy. I still have my local operetta gig from last year, but I could use some more things to do outside of lessons and coaching.
3. Place to Live: This isn’t about getting an apartment for the year; this is about finding a home for myself, a place for my things, where I can feel like I live, not where I sleep.
So that’s it—my three new resolutions. They do seem rather obvious, but I’ve gotten away without these things for too long, and I need to focus on the basics for a while.
Kristine Hurst-Wajszczuk—A Doctor of Musical Arts student, University of Colorado at Boulder
LAST MONTH’S RESOLUTIONS:
1. Finish lecture recital paper and be as close to memorized on the music as possible.
Report: In progress. Rehearsing regularly with my lutenist.
2. Reserve the room for my lecture recital.
Report: They don’t allow this until sometime in August—not done yet. Will contact my committee when we’re all back on campus.
3. Meet with outgoing lead TAs and my new lead partner to discuss plans for the coming year.
Report: Done. Very productive meetings.
4. Mini-vacation to upstate New York.
Report: God bless our relatives for paying for it. Fabulous!
5. Begin preparing for Italian proficiency test.
Report: Scheduled to take this later this month.
6. Begin preparing one accompaniment for piano proficiency.
Report: Not done yet. May postpone.
7. Have a few more voice lessons to keep me on track for upcoming recitals.
Report: Done.
8. Learn deFalla songs and begin rehearsing with my guitarist.
Report: Our first rehearsal is next week.
9. Look into organizing a peer advising group for DMA voice students. We can help each other!
Report: I plan to organize this next week or the following week.
10. Send a demo CD to a former voice teacher who wants to hear it for future work.
Report: CD is made, not sent yet.
BONUS: Just for keeping my ears open and being proactive, I was able to secure a TA position in the Graduate Teacher Program. An exciting opportunity!
NEXT MONTH’S RESOLUTIONS:
1. Give lecture recital.
2. Begin new TA position in the Graduate Teacher Program office.
3. Lead TA Fall Intensive and final planning for semester. Look into funding for one of the workshops we hope to present.
4. Take the Italian proficiency test.
5. Apply for a Fulbright.
6. Learn “Una voce poco fa” for upcoming orchestra concert.
7. Apply for scholarship (demo CD required).
8. Plan October trip to NYC.
9. Resume yoga classes and look into Tai Chi.
10. If I have extra time, get one of my accompanying requirements done for piano proficiency.
Janeanne Houston—A professional singer performing, recording and teaching in Seattle
REPORT Before:
This month, the recording’s activities started out much the same as when one is planning a concert. At an early rehearsal, I discovered that some of the parts the music store ordered months before were incorrect. It was a challenge getting all the right parts for the players, coordinating rehearsal numbers from several different editions, and locating the correct editions from the publishers or the library. Many hours were spent at the copy shop, making parts and assembling scores for the accompanists, producers, etc.
We began rehearsals in June with a few of the wind players. My producer is also an orchestral contractor and cellist and was responsible for hiring the strings. I made final arrangements for the use of the hall and the tuning of the harpsichord and piano, and worked closely with many of the players to make appropriate artistic decisions.
A few weeks ago, I also began to work with an artist from the college where I teach and selected a painting of hers for the cover. Even this has not been simple, since the painting is too large to be photographed in the university photo lab. We learned this only after it had been hauled to the lab. The photographer then recommended hauling the painting to Seattle to be photographed.
By the end of June, I had the recording schedule done and the rehearsal schedule mapped out, but something had to be changed every day. Each day I woke up with a long list of phone calls, e-mails, and let us not forget, a bit of practicing and music learning. I also had some family obligations to keep. I came down with a cold the day after the 4th of July. At that time I had no idea if the players would actually become real beings with instrument cases or if the right score for one important aria would arrive.
But we had a rehearsal last night. Everyone was there, except for an oboe stranded in Oregon. My colleagues worked like champs, the harpsichord sounded divine, and while everything isn’t exactly where it needs to be, we should be able to get the job done tomorrow. I’m exhausted from living the music into the wee hours. I no longer have a cold, and my cords feel pink and healthy. I have received a lot of support from my husband, who is out buying and planning lunch for the 17 people who will be at tomorrow’s session. After I’ve written the checks for the players who will be there tomorrow, I’m going to relax and be quiet. We still don’t have enough money for the project and will be going into debt on this one. And yet, for some reason, I still know in my heart that it’s what I’m supposed to be doing with myself, and I am so grateful. It must be the music!
REPORT AFTER:
It is now three weeks after the completion of the recording sessions. We had two long days of recording, beginning at 10:00 a.m. and ending around 5:00 on July 16th and 18th. I felt like I had sung a Wagner opera after we finished each session, but somehow I had enough energy and voice to make it through each day and didn’t feel tired until it was over. It warmed my heart when the producer beamed, gave me a hug, and said “it should have taken four days, but you did it in two!” As with most projects, the problems I anticipated were not the problems we had. The recording was done “live,” that is not on separate tracks and mixed as in a studio. We worked to achieve good balance, and if someone made a mistake, we simply went back and fixed it. However, editing will be done, and the best takes or portions of takes will be used. I expect to hear the first edit by early September. Pictures from the recording sessions are at www.livingmysteries.com.
As with most projects, I think the story is really in the planning stages, and the success of the sessions depends upon thorough planning. Being vocally on top of everything and having a great producer and recording engineer saved the day.
This month also netted another change. It became so difficult and expensive to get the painting photographed for the cover that I decided to go with a different piece of art, this one a photograph that can be scanned. I’ve contacted the graphics artist, and he is ready to go as soon as I have the liner notes finished. Some things can’t be completed until the mastering is done (the timing of the songs, for example), but we should be able to proceed. I’m still looking for an October release!
RESOLUTIONS FOR SEPTEMBER:
1. Finish liner notes and get everything to the graphics artist.
2. Get and listen to the final edit and enlist the help of another musician with a score, likely the producer.
3. Publicity contacts for next year.
4. Finish recruitment of new members to Northwest Artists, prepare ad for Musical America.
5. Begin selecting music for fall semester teaching.
6. Follow through on meeting with composers for next year’s commissions.
