Save Our Show!

Just sent out a letter I never thought I'd have to send. Our Songs and Scenes class is running a deficit this term and unless we can make up the difference our show might be cancelled - a teacher's (and performer's) worst nightmare. Read the letter below and please help if you can!

Dear Friends,

We are sending this letter hoping that we can raise enough funds to finish our Songs and Scenes show this term at Music Center of the Northwest. The Songs and Scenes class works with beginning and intermediate adult singers; each term the class puts on a show of scenes from opera and musical theater. Our singing community is strong and passionate about their craft. Due to lower than expected enrollment and a large number of student scholarships, we are in a deficit. In order to make our show happen, we need to raise $1200 as quickly as we can. We are reaching out to our artistic community to help make this happen. Even if you can only donate a small amount, anything is appreciated.

If you decide to donate, we can offer you free and prime seating at our show on May 23rd at the Chapel at the Good Shepherd Center as well as thanks in the program. If we raise more than $1200, we will put it towards costumes and future scholarships for this class or its sister class, the Song and Aria Intensive (Summer 2011). As with many non-profits, the economy has hit us hard. While we are still getting grants and donations, they are just not what they were a few years ago.

If you would like to donate, please send checks to:

(email me for the address)

Sincerely,

Shawna Avinger and Kristen Ramer Liang

A preview of what you'll hear at our spring show...

Fall performances

Lots of opportunities to hear your fellow students this fall, and to join in the fun yourself!

Recital of Sarah Lewontin, Whitney Neufeld-Kaiser & Janessa Cummings Penn
Sunday, October 31st
2:30 pm
Youngstown Cultural Center

Featuring works by Barab, Barber, Fauré, Rorem and more; accompanied by Chris Vincent and Jennifer Bundy. Admission is free.

*****

Music Sunday at University Unitarian Church
Sunday, October 31st
9:30 and 11:15 am
University Unitarian Church

Mozart's Missa Brevis in F (Little Credo Mass) will be performed; student Barbara Leigh is a member of of the UUC Loft Choir. Conducted by Karen P. Thomas. Admission is free.

*****

Voice Department Recital
Sunday, November 7th
4:00 pm
Music Center Recital Hall

Students of Shawna Avinger and Kristen Ramer Liang will perform works from opera, musical theatre and the classical repertoire. Featured composers: Larsen, Pergolesi, Schubert, Sondheim and more. Admission is free.

*****
Great Figgy Pudding Street Corner Caroling Competition
Friday, December 3rd
5:00 - 8:30 pm
Westlake Center

Join our caroling team for this year's Figgy Pudding fundraiser! All proceeds go to benefit the Pike Place Senior Center and Downtown Food Band; Music Center has a fundraising goal of $1500. Rehearsals will be 11/6, 11/13, 11/19, 11/27 and 12/2; please contact me for more information about participating.

Upcoming auditions

From the Seattle Times callboard...

ACT Theatre is holding auditions on September 25 for the youth actor roles in its annual holiday production of "A Christmas Carol." Roles open to actors age 14 and under. Appointments taken from Sept. 15, no appointments taken prior to that date. To schedule an audition, email laynem@acttheatre.org or call 206-292-7660, ext 1226.

The Heavier Than Air Family Theater Company will be holding open auditions on September 21 and 23 for its upcoming Christmas production of "Annie." Needed are actors and actresses aged 16 and up. Auditions will be held in Green River Community College's Performing Arts Building from 7-9 p.m. For more information, visit www.heavierthanair.com.

And for those of you who like to ride the ferry: Ovation Musical Theatre Bainbridge will hold auditions for "The Sound of Music" on September 18-19. All parts are open. To schedule an audition, email info@ovationmtb.com or call 206-842-0472.

Singing and pregnancy - no longer a hypothetical question...

Wow, has it really been April since I last posted? I guess that makes sense, given that a couple of weeks after my last post I found out I was pregnant (feeling sick doesn't exactly motivate you to write) and a week after that I took a nasty fall down my front steps, which laid me up for a while. Through all of that, I tried to keep track of how it felt to sing during the stages of pregnancy - I've looked but have never found much clinical research about how the voice might change or feel different during such a time of transition in the body. I have found several personal accounts, so I'll add mine to the mix in hopes that it will help some other gals out there. Here are the observations I've made so far:

Week 5
No noticeable change in singing but a huge change in appetite. Sang at concerts May 7, 8 and 16 with no problems, although looking back my cords were a bit swollen. I just chalked it up to allergies.

Weeks 6-7
Fell down the front steps and bruised back ribs and part of my diaphragm, so couldn't sing for 2 1/2 weeks. Nothing is more irritating than wanting to sing and not being able to. Also, nothing is scarier than finding out you're pregnant and then falling down the stairs a week later! Swore off Dansko clogs (the culprit, along with my own clumsiness) and any kind of unstable heels for the rest of the pregnancy.

Weeks 8-10
Easily the worst three weeks singing-wise and in general. Felt totally junky all the time. I was out of commission the two weeks before so getting my breath support back was a slog. Adding to the annoyance was the inconsistency in my voice - one day it would feel great and the next you would think I'd never sung a note in my life. My voice would feel raspy and weak, and unusually thin in the upper register. General fatigue meant that my support was pretty lazy, which didn't help matters. A very frustrating few weeks.

Week 11-12
Much the same as the previous few weeks only slightly less problematic. In week 12 morning sickness came back with a vengeance making it hard to do anything - singing became an afterthought. Oh, and did I mention the morning acid reflux? Pregnancy is so glamorous. Toward the end of week 12 I was able to start singing again with more regularity, though my voice was much more cooperative with Puccini than Mozart. In general vocal agility is becoming much trickier. Thickening of the cords perhaps? There's some research to support my theory, but I'd like to read a more detailed investigation. One other issue that may be affecting things is that I've experienced some edema in my feet - if I'm having swelling there I can imagine other tissues in my body are swelling too...like the vocal cords. BOO.

Week 13
Was running a music camp for kids all week so didn't do much singing of my own, but singing with the kids was fun and I started to feel like I was getting my voice back. Breathlessness is a general issue as the baby starts to grow and crowd out other organs, but other than that things felt pretty good.

Week 14
Am beginning to sing more of my arias and have real, productive practice sessions again. Hooray! We'll sing how long it lasts, but I'll enjoy it while it does.

Stay tuned for more news from the front lines...

Upcoming performances

Lots of opportunities to hear contemporary and choral music in the first weeks of May!

May Day! May Day!
A New Music Marathon
Saturday, May 1st
1 pm - 1 am
Town Hall

From the Town Hall website:
May Day! May Day! is a 12-hour performer-driven celebration of contemporary music featuring 30 sets by local ensembles and soloists. Performers, and styles, range from Seattle Chamber Players, ODEONQUARTET, Gamelan Pacifica, and The Esoterics to elder statesmen like Stuart Dempster and William O. Smith, and earlier career artists like Byron Au Yong and Garrett Fisher. Music by Seattle composers is encouraged, as are three musically inspirational “themes”: politics, pagan rituals, and calls for help in times of distress. Presented by Town Hall in association with Nonsequitur.

Shawna Avinger and I will be singing with the Fisher Ensemble at 9:36 pm (excerpts from At The Hawk's Well) and The Esoterics at 10:36 pm (the first movement of Eric Banks' choral opera HAPTADAMA). Admission is only 5 bucks for the whole day!

*****
Loft Choir
Handel Creation
Sunday, May 2, 9:30 and 11:15 am
University Unitarian Church

From the UUC website:
MUSIC SUNDAY
The Loft Choir, soloists and orchestra combine forces to present the first part of Haydn’s “The Creation” at both services. (arrive early for a good seat!)

Student Barbara Leigh is a member of this choir, directed by Seattle Pro Musica's Karen Thomas. I heard them sing on Christmas Eve and they're fantastic!

*****
The Esoterics present
HAPTADAMA
Friday, May 7th and Saturday, May 8th
8:00 pm
Olympic Sculpture Park Pavilion

From The Esoterics' website:

Over the course of several months between 2006 and 2008, The Esoterics' Founding Director traveled to Mumbai, India to study the chants and myths of Zoroastrianism, the world's first monotheism. Banks then wove these ancient legends and melodies into a surround-sound a cappella opera called The seven creations. Banks’ opera is based on the Gathas, the original songs of Zarathushtra and arguably the oldest songs in recorded human history, as well as the Bundahishn, the Persian creation story, in which the struggle between good and evil results in the creation of the seven elements we know as the sky, water, earth, plants, animals, humans, and fire. For this composition, performance, and recording of this seven-movement concert-length work, Banks and The Esoterics were honored with an Access to Artistic Excellence grant from the National Endowment for the Arts. Don’t miss this one-of-a-kind concert at Seattle Art Museum’s PACCAR Pavilion at the Olympic Sculpture Park.

Recital wrap-up

Congratulations to everyone who participated in Saturday's voice department recital! I was impressed by the level of performance and stage presence, especially from those of you who have sung on previous recitals; it's so rewarding to watch your growth as singers and performers. I also know how hard you all worked to polish your pieces and it paid off Saturday night.

For those of you thinking of singing on a recital, I encourage you to talk to your fellow students about their experience. Yes, it can be scary, but it's also exhilarating, cathartic, satisfying...and did I mention FUN? A student recital is one of the best places to start because the audience is full of your fellow students who will support and encourage you. You couldn't ask for a better group to sing for.

The best way to become a better performer/singer/musician is to make music on a regular basis outside of your lesson. Join ensemble class or a choir, take part in coachings and master classes, sing on a recital - not only will you improve your performance and musicianship skills, but you'll be part of a community.

March Wrap-up

Just back from The Fisher Ensemble's tour of New York and Boston, and the reviews are up! You can read them here and here.

Upcoming dates

Vocal coaching sessions - if you take a 30 or 45 minute lesson, you are entitled to two 30-minute coaching sessions. If you take a 60-minute lesson, you are entitled to two 45-minute coaching sessions. The coaching session replaces your lesson for that week.

These are booked on a first-come/first-served basis so get your name on the list! Sign-up sheets are outside my door. The next round will be in May.

Coaching dates:
4/10/10, 12:30pm - 4:30pm
4/17/10, 11:00am - 4:30pm
4/19/10, 5:00pm - 6:30pm

Voice Department Recital
4/24/10, 7:30 pm (6:30 call for participants)
Music Center Recital Hall, free admission
This is shaping up to be a lovely recital, lots of French and German art songs as well as some 20th century works. Please mark your calendar and come out to support your fellow students; you'll get to hear new music and will likely learn a thing or two just by listening!

Attendance Policy Reminder
This is your friendly spring reminder that 48 hours notice is required for ALL absences if you don't want to get charged for the lesson. In case of illness or emergency, call the school as soon as you know you will miss your lesson; if it's less than 48 hours before your lesson you will be charged. Make-up lessons will be scheduled on a case-by-case basis.