Feeling: ambitious
Listening to: Kate Callahan - Ahanah
Reading/Watching: The Tenant of Wildfell Hall, by Anne Bronte

Driving to choir practice today, I was singing through random things, and started fluttering (and flopping) around on "Je veux vivre" from Gounod's Romeo & Juliet, realizing how much my voice has changed in the past year, gaining strength and breath control, but losing flexibility due to lack of practice.

And suddenly (does this sound kind of stupid and crazy?) I want to practice daily again, as if I were still working toward a voice jury, as if I still had Evelyn hammering away at me in lessons and masterclass, and work my way back up to giving a voice recital.

I want to choose about a dozen songs that I love, scrape together enough money to pay a voice teacher for weekly lessons (probably the guy I went to school with who is now taking Evelyn's position at St. Moo... maybe he'll give a discount to his old duet partner), and put together another recital, possibly to be performed in the spring. I want to be in good shape when I audition for scholarships and fellowships and other give-me-money-ships in grad school. Nothing whips me into shape more than the prospect of a performance, especially one that's 100% pressure on me.

I work well under pressure. I don't behave well; I freak and flail and shun company and stay up all night cramming or worrying, but the work that comes out of it tends to be more than adequate. Okay, I'll stop being modest: the work that comes out of it tends to be my best. My under-pressure output is kickass.

So now to pick a list. I'll probably dig up "Les oiseaux" from Tales of Hoffman again, since I didn't do it justice for my senior recital. "Je veux vivre," since I love it and Evelyn wanted me to wait until my voice was bigger. Some early music, some Purcell and Dowland and such, and some baroque and coloratura stuff that will really push me, and maybe...

Okay, I've lost all of you. I'll conclude now, and keep the brainstorming to myself. If anyone has a favorite classical song to remind me of, leave a comment. ;)

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