Busy, busy!

Hello friends, I was looking at my blog and realized that I haven't posted in awhile. Why? Last week was a crazy busy week. I woke up on Monday, got ready for my day, and found a voicemail waiting on my phone from Don St. Pierre, one of the coaches here. The message was urgent: Sarah, the soprano for Wednesday's recital can't sing-- will you cover for her. I called Don back and agreed to learn the music. I met up with the soprano and she handed me three Notturni composed by Mozart. Just to give you a time line. I got the music on Monday afternoon, I had the dress rehearsal on Tuesday, and the performance on Wednesday. Normally, if a singer can't sing, they'll cut them from a recital. They couldn't do that because she was part of a trio. The performance wasn't horrible, but it wasn't my best. All I really wanted to do was relax after the performance on Wednesday, but I needed to prepare for Thursday. Thursday was my dress rehearsal for my recital on Friday. Then, I was asked to sing in a memorial service on Sunday... The song requested was hard. Needless to say, I was very busy learning music. Two weeks from today I will be on my way home to Holland. That means I've been here for five weeks already... Hard to believe. A month from today? I will be taking exams at Eastman. Holy moly.

Ashcroft in the Newspaper!

I was recently in the Chautauqua daily! Here's the headline: Ashcroft to show off what her voice can do in concert tonight....... Here's what the article said: Sarah Ashcroft is prepared to display how much she has matured. The voice concert, from 6:30 to 8p.m. tonight in McKnight Hall, will feature Ashcroft, along with her fellow vocalists. "For being so young, she has an enormous voice," Benedict Jourdois, a pianist and vocal coach, said of 22-year-old Ashcroft. "She grew a lot already. And I can see it daily." Ashcroft studied at Hope College, where she was encouraged by her maestro, Linda Dykstra, to apply for the Chautauqua Voice Program. But Ashcroft kept missing the deadline. "I ended up going to Philadelphia to student teach at the J.R. Masterman School," Ashcroft said. "Linda told me to get in contact with Don St. Pierre, since he was at Curtis." St. Pierre then agreed to help coach Ashcroft, and during her last coaching, he asked if she had thought about auditioning for Chautauqua. "It was one of my best and favorite auditions I've ever had," Ashcroft said. "Marlena Malas was perfect."  After earning her degree from Hope, Ashcroft embarked on a journey to Chautauqua's fabled grounds. "I came here saying I was to learn... And that's happening and so much more!" In the fall, Ashcroft will begin her studies at the Eastman School of Music with Katherine Ciesinski. But tonight, she will belt out her favorite spirituals, which include 'Take my hand, Precious Lord,' 'Ride on, King Jesus!' and 'This Little Light o'Mine.'  "These three songs hit close to home for me," Ashcroft said. "There is something fascinating about singing in English-- my own language. It's a text everyone can understand." Her affinity with the spirituals is why Ashcroft feels tonight's performance will be one to cherish. "I was way more nervous for my first recital here," Ashcroft said, "Now, I'm excited, because it's such a wonderful group to sing for; they're so welcoming."  A major reason for the sudden change in stage presence comes from all the things she is absorbing from her peers. "I learned how to look at what others are doing and I say, 'Hey, I think I can try that,'" Ashcroft said. "Not only am I watching myself grow, but I'm watching the others grow. I think that is something I'll take away from this experience."  Voice coach Joel Harder is also taking notice. "They're all gaining confidence through their repertoire and experience. They really get to show off what their voices can do." Chautauqua's inspiring atmosphere adds wings to her dreams. Ashcroft said Chautauqua is providing a nice, safe environment where she can explore her voice. "Every week, I meet more and more people, and they keep saying these positive things to me," she said. "It's really nice to hear, because it's scary sometimes to think about how I a, going to spend 15 years of my life studying my voice. And maybe... I'll have a career."

Being Smart

I'm about to spill one of the biggest secrets ever... Seriously. There are many tricks and strategies that singers use- especially in a profession that requires a little bit of competition. Before I get to the spilling of the secrets I will share part of my strategy. When I go into an audition I come in like a normal person. My goal is to look like I'm not real competition. I'll wear jeans, sneakers, and a sweatshirt. I typically bring my pink backpack and shove all of my junk in. I also try to warm up before entering the building so no one knows what I sound like. Once I'm in the "waiting room" I find a seat and start sizing up the competition. Everyone has their thing. Typically, I don't worry about the men as much because they aren't really a threat to me. I'm more worried about the coloraturas, the spintos, the contraltos, and (the biggest competition) the full lyrics. I start off by looking at the overall look of each singer. Yes, I judge the outfit. Some girls show too much skin, or their lipstick is too red, OR they decided to try out a pair of 6" yellow platforms-- all of these unacceptable. My audition dress is perfect. Black, tea length, 3/4 sleeves? Perfect dress! After judging appearances I look at attitudes. Nothing bothers me more than a diva... Seriously... Nobody my age has the right to act like a diva. Attitudes don't do very well in the profession. Just ask Kathleen Battle. I'll walk around and ask the typical "what are you singing?" The funny part? I've usually don't know most of the repertoire said, but I just nod my head and gush over how it's my favorite. It's always fun to blurt out your aria's title. "Why, yes! It'll be singing " frgjhmkjoivffnhggffdvbjhgvdsx tgvnfd" by shiggleballiglepatiggleliggle. What you've never heard of it? Well, it's a very famous aria!" ;) Oy. Then my name is called and I go audition. Most audition go very well. I always have an adrenaline rush that makes my performances pretty fun. The I walk off and the divas then realize that I meant business. Almost immediately I change back into street clothes and walk around. The end. Ready for the big secret? In order to make it in the world of opera a singer must be SMART. What do I mean by this? A singer must always be able to take music suggestions and recommendations and be able to implement them immediately. Today, I had a coaching with a singer, J. Sapp. I was incredibly excited because we were working on German, which happens to be my favorite. He stopped me and corrected things and I tried my hardest to edit my singing and reach the sound he was looking for. At the end of my coaching he asked me if he did okay. I was floored! He was amazing! He helped me so much. He turned to me and said, "You are a very smart singer. You were able to take my recommendations and change your sound instantly. You took what I said and went with it. Most of the singers I worked with today would listen to my direction and sing exactly like they had before. Thank you for doing that. Can we meet again." I was very giddy after this coaching. This isn't the first time I've heard this. Most of the coaches are surprised by how quickly I pick up music or of fast I can find the right placement. I hope it all sticks. It's always great if you're a good singer, but you have to find your strategy and be SMART.

RICKY IAN GORDON

HELLO FRIENDS!! I hope you had a good weekend! This past Wednesday I was in attendance of a recital dedicated to the music of Ricky Ian Gordon. At first, I wasn't sure why we had an entire recital designed for one composer, but then I walked into the recital hall and met... RICKY IAN GORDON. I'm only really familiar with his opera, The Grapes of Wrath. (The opera is very good if you're interested in something to see.) After studying composition at Carnegie Mellon University, he settled in New York City, where he quickly emerged as a leading writer of vocal music that spans art song, opera, and musical theater. Mr. Gordon's songs have been performed and or recorded by such internationally renowned singers as Renee Fleming, Dawn Upshaw, Nathan Gunn, Kelli O'Hara, Audra MacDonald, Kristin Chenoweth, Nicole Cabell, the late Lorraine Hunt Lieberson, Frederica Von Stade, Andrea Marcovicci, Harolyn Blackwell, and Betty Buckley, among many others. Basically, he's really cool. I wasn't too excited to go to a recital, but I was thrilled once I sat in the audience. I was tired and didn't really want to sit through a long concert, but fortunately, the recital was splendid. I am not sure I have ever cried as much during a program than when I was listening to his music. He sets poems to music. Some of the poets he used were ee. cummings and Langston Hughes. The singers made beautiful music and expressed the text perfectly. My favorite song that was sung was 'Girl With 'Cello' the text by May Sarton. Look it up... It truly is amazing. The concert ended and Ricky Ian Gordon blessed is with an encore. He sat at the piano and sang a new song for us. It was definitely a highlight of my summer. Perks of Chautauqua? Meeting famous people. :)

Scary Stuff

I can't believe how was this program is flying. Some days I feel like this summer is going to be long and hard, but when I look at how long I've been here and how long I have to go then I start to panic. I have been here for three weeks. My days are not packed with endless rehearsals and coachings, but it feels like my brain never rests. I am constantly thinking about singing. So much to think about! For example: I have been working on Mozart's "Porgi, amor" from Le Nozze di Figaro and have so much to think about... I have to think that I am singing from my cheeks. The sound is narrows through a point between my eyes, but the sounds must be rich and supported. I now imagine an upside down egg shape in the back of my throat. I have to pucker my lips into a kiss for the romance language and slip crisp consonants into perfectly shaped vowels. I need to remember not to lock my knees and to stay planted to the ground. My breath must come from both my mouth and nose while also remember to expand my lungs. Shoulders back, and tongue loose! There should never  be any support from the tongue or jaw! Remember what I'm singing about and know the word for word translation while trying to make music with my accompanist. AND SO MUCH MORE. Who says singing is easy? I'm not complaining, but I can tell the other students are starting to feel overwhelmed as well. On a daily basis I am still hearing the warnings of starting a career too soon. When all of the coached hear me they get excited. And say: "What a lovely, rich instrument you have" and they often ask "How old are you?" Because of the size of my voice I need to be VERY careful about what repertoire I sing. As I mentioned earlier, I need to stay away from anything heavy. At first, I was excited to hear about the future of my voice, but at this moment? I'm frustrated. I want to sing. I don't want to wait! Coaches have a difficult time recommending repertoire. Most everything that I am working on, or will be singing right now, will not be for me in the future. What I sing now must be sung carefully so I don't damage my voice. I'm on hold right now. No fun. I see other 22-year old lyric sopranos ready to sing on stage, but I can't do that... grr! Since starting the program at the end of June I have had a lot of time to think about the type of career I want. It's absolutely crazy to think that I can actually perform for a living. I so desperately want to do this. I think about all the time, work, energy, money, traveling, and more that went into me being the singer that I am today and am nervous that the YEARS of work will amount to nothing. I can't imagine losing the opportunity to have a career over small things such as choosing the wrong schools, studying with the wrong teacher, or singing the wrong repertoire. The voice is a delicate, yet durable, instrument. I want to do well and show the teacher here who have given me this chance that I can do it, but the more coachings and lessons I have the more I fell inadequate. I have a lot to learn. Needless to say, this was the perfect opportunity to set me up for the coming year at Eastman. It is very scary to think that my life will be unstable for the next few years. It's scary to think that I might not make it. It's scary to think about all the auditions and studying I have to do. It's also very exciting. I was talking with some other voice students today and they shared similar feelings. It must be that point of the festival. I figured for my people back home to truly understand the dynamics of the program then I needed to be honest about everything happening here... not just the fluffy, happy things. There's plenty of AMAZING music being made, but the behind the scene stuff can be scary too. Here I am, with 40 other singers, working and praying to make a living of singing. Time to keep working. "Don't worry about failure. Worry about the chances you miss when you don't even try." -Unknown

The Great Escape... Almost.

TYPICALLY... All singers get Sunday off. You know, a day of rest after a long busy week. All I had on Saturday was a coaching that was done by 2pm. So, I had this genius idea to come home for the weekend. I was so excited. I could see people I loved, find more music, play with my dog, and just take a break from Chautauqua. My roommate, who has been here for four years now, even told me to go. No one ever gets scheduled on a Sunday. I eagerly packed, hurriedly copied down directions from mapquest, and ran to my car. I made it to Pennsylvania before my roommate called to tell me that I got called into a class at 10am the next day. I had to turn around... Worst feeling ever. Although I desperately longed to be home on Sunday the class was very helpful. It was a class built upon viewpoints. The director of our operas here, John (his last name escapes me), led the class. We started with a twenty minute yoga warmup to get our bodies ready. Then we had to make lines as curves with our limbs. That meant full body. Then we ad to make shapes. Imagine yourself tasting your body into crazy positions... That's what I was doing. I had to figure out my body in space. I also learned about tempo in life. I had to pick a motion that I do in everyday life and try it at different speeds: medium, fast, super fast, slow, super slow. We wrapped up the class by understanding kin esthetic energy. As a group we had to work and respond to events like a school of fish-- this is easier said than done. The class was only a few hours long, but it flew by... Then i had the rest of the day to myself. I was sad to stay here for the weekend. It is a fabulous experience and a wonderful opportunity, but it wasn't much fun to turn around when I was on my way home. 

The Feldenkrais Method

Hello! So much to blog about. I will be blogging heavily over the next few days so get pumped! :) Throughout my life I have been so blessed and incredibly supported by my family and friends. My mom always pushed my to excel in choir, audition for the high school musicals, and pushed me take piano lessons. When I announced that I wanted to double major in vocal performance and vocal music education no one in my family really questioned it  There is always the starving artist/poor musician stereotype, but my family told me to go for my dreams. I was never told to find something "practical" where I could make a lot of money.  Just before I left I did have someone say, "Come on! Singing isn't hard. Can't you just sing around the house?" I felt an angry sense creep inside my body, but I stayed calm. Because... Honestly? If singing was so easy then anyone can do it... And that's not the case. Chautauqua provides a safe and hardworking environment for me to work on IPA, foreign languages, technique, breathing, stage presence, repertoire, and much more. All of this i will talk about in future posts, but here is your intro. So much to do! One of the best things I've discovered is the Feldenkrais Method. My freshman year of college I was getting ready to go watch The Pull with some girlfriends  (ODD YEAR!). We had ordered maroon and gold shirts with our last names on the back. We were so excited to support our class. Well, in an effort to stay uniform we all decided to French braid our hair. I sat and had my hair braided. When my hair had finish I came up to look at my reflection. I was happy with the result, but when I went to say so I couldn't open my mouth. My jaw had locked. Ever since then I have had crazy jaw problems. It pops, clicks, locks, and has to be unhooked constantly. When I saw a professional about this they told me that I would need surgery in the near future. Yuck! I would need a large hunk of time to recover. The plan was to have the surgery the summer after I graduated college... Right now! Instead, I decided to come to Chautauqua.  Last week I had a coaching with Maxine Davis. I went in with my loot: water bottle, binder full of music, some books, iPad for recording, pencils, blank paper, and positive attitude. I walked into the room and saw a cot and an ADORABLE shih tzu. I introduced myself to Maxine and the puppy and started talking. Maxine is a Feldenkrais coach.  The Feldenkrais Method offers a way to learn what we don't know about our bodies. We all have habitual ways of moving and thinking that limit our success and comfort and, over time, create pain or difficulty. This method of learning occurs when we increase our awareness of how we do what we do so that we can do want we want. Maxine found my problems right away and began working. After just one hour with her my body felt perfectly at peace. She said that many people with TMJ try out the Feldenkrais Method as an alternative to jaw surgery. I worked hard in that hour and was able to bring my jaw forward and to open my mouth without an resistance. The method feels like physical training! My mouth needs to learn how to open and close easily. I left this coaching able to do so. Unfortunately, the ability left after an hour. I need to do several jaw exercise a day in order to accomplish such a small task. 

My ssssinging career :)

What can I say? I did it. I finally settled into Chautauqua. The last week was intense. After a full week of coachings and lessons on three simple songs... I finally performed. I was anxious all week about the Fourth of July Concert: A Celebration of American Composers. Mostly because "Forever Young"is almost entirely a Capella and because "The Serpent" changes meter almost every measure. I had about five days to collaborate with my accompanist and figure out the timing. If I'm ever nervous about a performance it's memory related. I feel completely at home on stage. I was a very lucky girl. Yes, the sing-in was nerve wracking, but I would now have 15 minutes to perform for my peers, coaches, teachers, and public of Chautauqua. How was I lucky? Well, I was first on the program. I got to get my act done and over with right away. I was excited. So excited that I had done my hair and make-up around 2:00pm when the concert didn't start until 7:30pm. Oops. I wore a blue dress in accordance with the holiday and I splashed glitter around my arms (gotta keep it classy ;)). There was a short welcome of the audience and then I made my way to the stage and sang my guts out.  It felt so good. I can't even describe the feeling in words. The audience was perfect. They laughed and cried in all the right places. I started with "Where the Music Comes From" (Lee Hoiby) . This is one of my favorite pieces because I sing about how I want to be with the friends around me, wake to the living spirit inside me, grow, feel, and love. I then sang "Forever Young" (John Corigliano). It's an arrangement using Bob Dylan's text and it's simply stunning. This another song about a blessing from God and staying forever young. I had three people in mind during the singing of the song and almost cried as I sang. When I first heard the song I hated it. It's definitely on my top ten. Then, after having two very personal songs I sang "The Serpent" (Hoiby). Now, this song has a whole bunch of sass and then some. The song it about a serpent who had to sing. The birds of the forest didn't want to hear it so they bought him a drum, horn, and flute. He wouldn't touch them. You ssssssee...he's ssssssseriousssss about his sssssssssinging career. :D It is so much fun to sing and I plan on keeping it in my repertoire until I die. The night was a huge success. I received many compliments and some of the students are even calling me Baby Birgit. (This coming from the famous opera singer, Birgit Nilsson. She was a celebrated Swedish dramatic soprano who specialized in operatic and symphonic works. Her voice was noted for its overwhelming force, bountiful reserves of power and the gleaming brilliance and clarity in the upper register.) I feel wonderful. I'm still flying high from the performance. What can I say? I can say... Let's do this. :)

Happy Fourth, y'all!

Happy 4th! Today is one of those days I wish I could be home. The hardest part is always being away on the holidays. I missed Thanksgiving last year while I was student-teaching in Philadelphia. I've learned that family is important to me and that I don't like being away from the people I love for extended periods of time.  My Wednesday is completely free. I am singing in the Fourth of July Concert: A Celebration of American Composers. I'm singing "Where the Music Comes From" (Lee Hoiby) , "Forever Young" (John Corigliano), and "The Serpent" (Hoiby). My portion is about 15 minutes long.  Happy Fourth! I'll be posting again tomorrow.v:)