San Fran

In typical Lowa style, I will start with an apology for not writing. I have been in San Francisco for the last 6 weeks or so, and had every intention of writing and including fun pictures. I don't have internet access where I am staying, however, so it became a quick and sad impossibility.
There would be no way to write all the things that I've been up to or how much fun I've been having and work I've been doing, so you'll have to trust me, and wait for photos to load up when I return to a more easternly state. :)
I've been living with Anna (from MSM) and Naomi (from IU) in a large studio apartment in a nice neighborhood just 20 blocks away from this program's building. Everynight we talk about our rehearsals and performances, and do excersizes to keep ourselves healthy. It's been a fantastic experience, and I feel so lucky to have had this time together. Anna and I originally lived in a residence hotel, but it was more expensive than the studio we're in now (almost 2x the cost!) and was 30 minutes away, and really dirty. It was like a hostel, but more expensive. Ick. As Anna says, I was "on a mission" and couldn't even sleep well at night until I found us a decent place to stay. Ahh.
I've had lots of "missions" since I've been here, and most of the time have been able to divide and conquer, or whatnot.
I sang Gilda in the Rigoletto quartet a few weeks ago, and that was a blast. The most difficult thing I have to sing here for sure, and we pulled it off. It left me feeling that I may be Gilda-ing sometime in a few years, and that's really excting.
This past weekend we performed Gluck's Orfeo, and it also went really well. The cast was tiny, and we all got along and were able to be creative and enjoy the beautiful music. I'm not usually into Baroque opera, but this was pretty fantastic. The role of Amor was also a big factor, as I only had about 10 minutes of stage time, but was absolutely important for the plot and only had to sing in the begining and the end. Not a lot of rehearsing, and fun costuming and make-up, if I say so myself. My mother couldn't stop laughing at me, as she says I looked like an absolute Diva, which normally has me running quickly in the opposite direction...I feel like I still have gold sparkles all over my face. Sigh. :)
I finish up with a scene from Rape of Lucretia this coming Saturday. I hope we can pull it together, as I adore the music and am excited to be singing something light and high. Yay for Britten. I've discovered that his music really suits my voice, and it's exciting and interesting all in one. I have to do more research on his music, that's for sure.

Well, too-long blogs are boring. Hope it was readable :) I'll post more when I get back home in a week (I'll really miss it here!)
Lowamor