Mezzo sopranos and Internet trouble

Term starts tomorrow, and I seem to have more students than ever. One of my golden voiced young ladies has been travelling all over the known and unknown world for the last six months or so, and will return to lessons this week. I look forward to hearing the changes which will undoubtedly have happened in her big and delicious mezzo voice. I am hopeful that she will now have grown into her decibels and will be in even more control over the 'beast' than she had been before prior to globe trotting!

I had lunch with a past pupil on Friday, another wonderful Mezzo just finishing her masters at the RCM. She is full of the 'end of the course in sight' blues, so ready to leave, and overflowing with the usual young professional worries about being out there in the big and rather tricky world of being a singer. She has such a beautiful voice, creamy, chocolatey and rich and a true Mezzo with vocal height as well. She has a fab top A which is so needed for operatic work, and of course for the part of the Angel in The Dream of Gerontius by Elgar, the work which was the pinnacle of the man's compositional career.

I am so blessed to have bred some marvellous mezzos here in Paradise !

Unfortunately I am having tedious and irritating Internet trouble, my connection is, to say the least, intermittent and I have to restrain my arm from throwing the router across the room, hoping it will smash into a million pieces ! The Internet light switchers between a fragile green light and an aggressive and mostly triumphant red one. At this moment in time, evil is definitely winning over good! Aaaagh! I may or may not be able to upload..........

Only six lessons in my term due to my working away, so a short term for my pupils, but I think it is looking promising for more continuity for the summer and winter term. I try not to take too many away weeks in winter, as I can't be sure about the weather, and this year almost all of my work has come in the first 4 months of the year. I have seven festivals, three weeks of Masterclassing and two sessions of going to nuns. I hope that will be my total for 2013. 2012 was a feast of travel and much missing home and friends, so fingers crossed for this year !

On with the motley.........