The first week back into the full term started this Monday. It felt rather early after the Hogmanay celebrations in this part of paradise, but as I am off to Hong Kong once more as a guest teacher at a vocal academy, I needed to fit in as many lessons for my own pupils as possible before February !
It has been a packed and interesting start to the term filled with the inevitable changes which I always hear after a holiday in my teen pupils, and new repertoire for all my ladies who will attend Song School in March !
New repertoire is always exciting and as so many of my pupils have made such technical progress I have been able to search deeper into the genres and extract some thrilling music. Yesterday K came and I decided to give her the wonderful aria from Dvorak's opera 'Rusalka', the Song to the Moon. I simply can't wait to get working on this aria, K is so diligent and so excited by challenging music, it will make for superb lessons ! Another K has been given Lady Billows first aria, which is a role I played eons ago, and that makes me so hungry to begin working on this funny and clever music. P has some tremendous Mozart arias on which to work, including a spiky and decisive Donna Anna aria from Don Giovanni.
It is going to be an intense term, as we know there are relatively few lessons in total, due to my tardy absence for the whole of February ! However one has to earn one's living !
My alto M has had a very difficult Christmas with family crises and illness, and yet she came on monday having not uttered a musical note since late December, and managed to give me a very creditable performance of the Qui Sedes from Bach's B Minor Mass. How she found the strength to sing this most taxing of arias whilst looking after a five month old baby as well as a very poorly daughter, is beyond me. You deserve a medal M !
Wednesday afternoon is when a number of 'Ann's Ancients' gather for lessons and refreshments, and a very pleasant social time it is. They have decided, it seems, that from this moment forth they will rename their gallant band The Golden Girls ! I could'nt agree more - they certainly shine like brightly polished beacons in my life !
Coffee and music .....a match made in heaven !
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