A New York Minute...or Month. Part 2.

"One’s life and passion may be elsewhere, but New York is where you prove if what you think in theory makes sense in life." — Miuccia Prada

BookCon ended, and it was good for me to see and experience. In the short-term, it helped me make a decision about what “day-job” I can be applying for—assistant editor jobs. I’ve applied to two paid internships and a couple of entry-level positions with Random House and Simon and Schuster. And the search continues from coast-to-coast, so wish me luck. Though, I’d never live in Manhattan again—ever—even if I was super-duper wealthy—I think I’d find myself on the other side of a nervous breakdown within six months.

So back to the then present—my program started, the real reason I went to New York, and I realized exceedingly quickly, that though I had been three months preparing, I was very, very unprepared. To be fair to myself, it was my first full-length role, a monster of a role, a very grown-up role. Would it look great on my résumé? Absolutely!

To be twenty-six and be playing “Countess”, quite a coup!

But none-the-less, I was flung quickly into the big bad world—of opera. Live and learn they say, and they’re right. From day one, I came to grips with what I’d got myself into. Anyway, I won’t bore you with all the tedium of what went on in those first couple weeks of rehearsals. I learned it, I was off-book, by the end of everything, I was ready. Here is a snippet from the orchestra run:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q5T66_SB1oM

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Sidebar for a moment—If you need a day away from the city if you feel within an inch of losing your sanity, go to one of the many museums, go to Roosevelt Island, go to the Brooklyn Botanic Gardens, the cost of admission is a small price to pay, believe me. There was one day, somewhere in the middle of all the rehearsing, that I felt like this. I had a wonderful brunch with my friends. And as we parted ways, I was about to go home to my rented closet when suddenly I realized, I was in New York, on a Sunday, already dressed, and had hours before everything closed up. I determined to do something, so I got on the subway and went to The American Museum of Natural History.

So many people go there with the idea that it’s exactly like “Night at the Museum.” You have no idea how many people I heard remarking on how different it was to the movie. I’m pretty sure I made it to every room. If you didn’t know, the general admission is pay-what-you-want, and it’s definitely do-able in 5 or so hours.

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The culmination of this highly productive month was my performance at Carnegie Hall.

Now, they have really strict rules (and when I say strict, I mean OMG) about photography and recording at Carnegie Hall while during a performance. I’m pretty sure it has to do with the unions, but don’t quote me on that. Anyway, there isn’t much more to say on the matter other than I sang. I sang a beautiful Puccini aria, from La Boheme, in a gorgeous black gown, with a bunch of family in the audience, (I could hear my mom sniffling from like the 10th row back—love her) and it was a great five minutes! It felt slightly anti-climactic after it was over, but I have a feeling it will not be the last time I sing there. Fingers crossed.

Unfortunately, besides the photo above, that my dad snapped outside the hall, there is no other proof at this point (we were promised some pictures of the actual singing, and I'll include them, when I get them) that I sang at Carnegie Hall. You know what they say—if a tree falls in the forest—well, I am the proverbial tree, but I did sing there, so I hope one day to have something else for you, like an audio recording or dare I say it, a YouTube video.

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Besides the program, I did have some lovely times with my family and friends. My parents came from California to hear me, and we spent some time going around the city. We walked through Trinity Churchyard, the Battery, down Lexington Avenue. We couldn’t get in to see the Statue of Liberty, it was booked through 'til August, but we did what we could.

We took the Staten Island Ferry over and got some good pictures of Lady Liberty and the city on the way. And we got our steps in, boy oh boy, did we walk a lot, even with the limping—oh, right, did I mention before that I sprained my ankle rather badly on the first day—oh well, this was the first time I’d been to New York with my parents, and I was determined that it wasn’t going to stop us from having a good time together.

We met up with my aunts and uncle, who had come from Maryland to see me sing. We spent a really slow-paced day at the Met Cloisters. It was such a nice change from the complete chaos of the city. The lovely quiet chapels and darkened stone corridors were exactly what I needed. And the garden of edible and um, not-so-edible plants, with the sun shining, and the warm summer breeze coming off of the Hudson, well, I felt I’d been transported to some southern French village.

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With the program over, I feel as if I could conquer the world. Though I never want to repeat the stress that went into the final product, I know I can do it. I can take a “big girl” role and make it my own. I’m not going to hold myself back in auditioning this year, and I’m not going to worry about things I cannot change. With audition season on the way, I’m going to walk into every audition I get with a new sense of myself and my ability.

I am soprano, hear me roar!