An Interloping Malteser

The Beatles go Classical concert was a resounding success! What an amazing night of music and fun. The highlight of the evening being the performance by the incomparable Shirley Bassey, she was absolutely spectacular. But before I go there, let me re-cap the week of rehearsals for you!



Tuesday evening was the first choir rehearsal for me. This choir, dubbed 'The Mediterranean Voices", had been assembled especially for this concert and had been rehearsing in Malta for weeks. The singers auditioned for spots, bought plane tickets and booked hotel rooms for the opportunity to sing at the Royal Albert Hall in this one special concert. They rehearsed for weeks in Malta and perfected their harmonies and dynamics. So Tuesday, in waltzes a Canadian Diva; un-rehearsed, unknown, and, most noticeably, un-Maltese. Yes, it turns out that a tall, fair-skinned blond sticks out in a room full of Maltesers, who are mostly olive-toned and where the average height is 5'5". Not to mention that Malta is not a big island, so everyone pretty much knows everyone else. Nonetheless, I jumped in feet first and quickly proved my worth to the 110 voice choir by knocking my high 'c' solo out of the park. (If you listen to this track, you can hear me at the very end. It also shows you a bit of what the concert was like: www.youtube.com/watch?v=XZLuC6YXtag at 3:35)



This first rehearsal was really just a run through of all the music with the conductor, before putting it together with the orchestra. We touched up a few things and made a couple of last minute changes, then called it a night; the Maltesers had been up since 5am to catch planes and were completely exhausted.



Wednesday found us in the Trinity Hall, the London Philharmonic Orchestra's regular rehearsal space. In there, they crammed 110 singers, the entire orchestra, and about 20 production assistants, personal assistants, sound techs and spectators for an intense rehearsal of all the pieces for Thursday evening's performance. It really is a thrill to be in an orchestral rehearsal. The sound is massive, and watching the musicians work out problem spots and tweek sections reminds me that we all have to work at it to make beautiful music, even the Queen's own! We went through each piece twice. Once, just the conductor and orchestra, the second time we added the choir into the mix. Throughout, Maestro was setting tempi and deciding how he wanted this to sound. Then came the soloists! The organizers of the concert had enlisted several "celebrity" acts to perform in the concert. I use quotation marks because, while apparently these soloists have had hit songs in Britain and are rather well know, I had never heard of any of them before in my life! There was a girl group called Candy Rock, someone formerly of the band Atomic Kitten, someone formerly of the band Blue, Darius something, the runner up in the first ever x-factor competition... you see where I'm going here. So these soloists came and ran through their pieces as well and we were treated to a preview of what Thursday night was going to be like. Some of the acts were terrific, some not so much. Some were still reading the lyrics off sheets of paper, or the more high-tech Kindle, and even then making mistakes. Others were so strong and well prepared, they blew my socks off... and it was only rehearsal. What was clear was that the 'old timers' were going to make the 'kids' look like just that, kids.

And then THE DIVA walked in...

First came her music director, because she didn't want to work with Maestro, so she brought her own. He introduced himself to the orchestra and talked through her piece with them. Following the music director, the lady's personal assistant came in, ensuring that the path was clear and that everything was just as it was expected to be. Then came Dame Shirley Bassey, decked in a brown fur coat and matching fur hat (which I mistook to be her hair) with big sunglasses on her face, and the biggest smile. Now, I must confess; until this moment, I had no clue who Dame Shirley was... never heard of her, but it only took her walking in the room for me to know that I was in the presence of someone special. She was magnetic. Everyone sat up taller and smiled broader and waited for her to open her mouth. And when she did, everyone got chills. This is a woman probably in her 70s, but her voice was solid. It was as if she were still 30 and starting out her career. So much strengthand character, it was a real treat. She sang 'Something', a Beatles hit, ran through it twice, and then glided out just as she had come in. After that, we all knew that Thursday evening's concert was going to be absolutely thrilling!

Gearing up

I have an exciting week to look forward to here and thought I'd give a little preview for you. On Thursday, I will be singing a concert at the Royal Albert Hall, one of London's most distinguished concert halls. Check out www.royalalberthall.com/about/virtual-tour/default.aspx for a tour of the amazing building.
I will be singing with a choir from Malta, as a soprano ringer, and we will be singing Beatles tunes! With the London Philharmonic Orchestra, no big deal or anything! I'm very excited about this concert, as it will be my first performance in London. I'm not soloing (not nearly high profile enough) but I will get to sing in this amazing space with tones of great musicians. I think it will be a thrill. Here is the website for the concert, have a look! http://www.beatlesgoclassical.com/
This week is full of rehearsals and meetings and I get to feel like the Diva that I am... if only for a few days

A story about a Naughty girl named Rosie

After attending the Guards Chapel on Sunday, I was invited to tenor-son's home for lunch with his family. We had a lovely time, eating soup and buns, playing with the babies and challenging each other to name the most cheese we could think of. I was able to name 23.

This whole afternoon, The Smeed was there, climbing all over the grownups, forcing us to play dolls with her and having just a fantastic time. Out of the blue, she takes my hand and whispers, "I have to go to the loo, come with me", To which I replied "Why should I come with you, do you need my help?" (Remember please, she is 4 and I know nothing about the appropriate potty training expectations of a four year old girl, its been a few years since I went through it myself)

She insistently tugged on my arm and led me through the kitchen, past her mommy, and up to the bathroom. I gave her mom a desperate look, mouthed "POTTY" at her, to show her what was happening, and she replied with a sigh and a thank you and sent me on my way.



So there I was, standing in the loo, with The Smeed, who plopped herself on the toilet and said:



"Tell me a story about a naughty girl named Rosie"



I was taken aback. "A story about a naughty girl named Rosie?"



"Yes!" more insistent this time, "A story about a Naughty girl named Rosie!"



Well alright, I guess I can improvise a story... if it will make this experience go by faster, here goes...



"Rosie was a naughty little girl who never did anything her mother asked her. When Mommy wanted her to come into the house, Rosie would run to the garden and hide under a bush..."



"What was scary in the bush?" Pipped The Smeed from her toilet throne



"ummmm, a fox, there was a mean fox who liked to eat little girls! The fox saw Rosie and decided it was almost his dinner time, so he lured her to his lair"



"The fox is going to eat Rosie and feed her to his family!"



"No, you'll see" You see, my plan was to tell a cautionary tale about why little girls should listen to their mothers... but The Smeed would have none of it.



As the story carried on, I noticed that the little girl was taking a poo. (I swear, that information is important) I continued with my story, stopping once halfway through hoping that we were finished and was promptly told that it takes a long time and that I had to continue. The naughty girl named Rosie had more adventures escaping the fox until she was baked into a pie. Now, in my version of the story, she jumped out of the pie still alive, but not The Smeed's, no in hers Rosie was eaten by the fox-hunter who I had sent to rescue her.



When we were finally finished, the little girl looked up at me and said:



"Now you can wipe my bum please"



Ok, so I'm a good sport, and have fun with kids, but this was definitely a new situation for me to be in. I paused, thought about the idea... considered all the possible outcomes and decided to go for it. It wasn't that bad, but again I'm not a mom, so it just doesn't come naturally to me.

Everything said and done, I headed back downstairs and told her mother what had happened. She looked at me, apologetically and said; "so she had to take a poo... sorry about that, but thanks for taking care of it."

Apparently, the story about a Naughty Girl named Rosie is what The Smeed needs to help her get through doing number two. All the grownups know about it and each has taken a turn telling the story. SO now I feel like I've really been initiated into this family.
And I have to say, I've been thinking up new stories every time I go to the loo... for the next time!

Church and Children

So far since arriving in London, I have been talking about finding a church gig. Somewhere I could go to sing weekly, perhaps earn a few pounds, and become part of the community. Today I took my first step towards actually making this a reality. My lovely landlord/flatmate's son is also an opera singer and sings as a regular at the Guards Chapel, just across the street from Buckingham Palace. It is the church for the queen's guard and is very important to the city. The choir is made up of 13 professional singers and is led by Tim Horton. No joke, the conductor's name is Tim Horton. How terrific is that? Apparently he has a collection of coffee mugs which friend have given him over the years from trips to Canada. I love it.
So yesterday, i decided that I should meet Mr. Horton, not just because of his famous name, but more importantly because he may be able to help me find work. I emailed the tenor-son and arranged for him to take me along with him Sunday morning.

Promptly at 9:15 the tenor-son rolled up in his green and white mini, with a surprise guest in tow. His 4 year old daughter, 'The Smeed' as she is so lovingly called, had decided that she wanted to go to church with Daddy this very morning! Dressed in a home-knit 'jumper' and scarf and a little white beret, she looked the part of a perfect little church girl and she was excited to see daddy work.

The drive to the church was a harrowing one, as we raced buses and swerved though traffic to meet our destination. You see, we had to get ourselves a cappuccino, and a baby-ccino for The Smeed before church and this didn't leave us much time. After shooting back the frothy creations from the little Italian coffee bar in Soho, we sped over to the guards, just in time for the beginning of music rehearsals.

Was I ever surprised. What a terrific choir! They were singing several beautiful pieces, including a Mozart Mass in C and a fabulous Ave Maria (though I forget the composer) The harmonies were so tight and each singer sang with their full, operatic voice. No one was forced to mark and the blend was lovely. During the rehearsal, they were accompanied by a lovely organ, but the best was still to come. The band of the Guards! playing from one of the upper choir lofts was a 10 piece band, with timpani, brass and winds. It was glorious to hear during the service.
After rehearsal, I went with the choir for coffee and was introduced to Mr. Horton, a Canadian girl's dream. He was lovely and invited me to come and sing for him in early November. He gave me his number and said for me to call him in a couple of weeks. This gives me some time to prepare myself and plan what I would like to sing. Hopefully, it all goes well and I can start to dep. at the Guards.

The church service was interesting, as I have never had to sit through church being responsible for a 4 year old. The Smeed and I sat in the front pew, so that she could see Daddy, and so that the entire congregation could watch her and her antics, along with my feeble attempts to control her. I wonder if I fooled anyone into think I was her mom? She danced to the hymns and counted the congregation. She waved frantically at daddy and took every book out of the pews... reading them all of course. Impressively, she did this all without making a peep, so at least she had that going for her. I did my best to control the wee one, but having only met her once before, I didn't have much jurisdiction for discipline. I did manage to stop her standing on the church pew, and counted that as one small victory. As I sat there trying to follow the service and control the little rascal, it dawned on me: "I'm not a mom". How ridiculously obvious it is that I am not a mom. A mother would know exactly what to say to make a child sit still, or stop pulling her hair, but I am at a loss. Not saying that i could never be a mother, but I am just clearly not one at this time.

Apparently, she and I did alright, as we got congratulated by the General of the Queen's Guards for her lovely behaviour, and he reminisced about bringing his own young ones to church and having to shush them throughout. Guess we both fooled him!

The daily grind

So, it's been awhile again since my last post, my apologies! I have been deeply entrenched in the London catering scene. It can't all be treble clefs and arpeggios for this wayfaring soprano, sometimes, I have to make some money. I've signed on with a catering staffing agency and have been doing waitressing shifts around town. This past week, I have been working at the 'innocent cafe'. This was a pop-up restaurant, which endeavoured to feed 5000 people their 5 servings of fruits and vegetables in 7 days, for only 5 pounds a meal. I worked there for all 7 days... 10 + hours a day! Innocent Smoothies is a company that makes well, smoothies. They are very into health and wellness and promote healthy diets and lifestyles. The cafe was set up in an old tram shed, essentially an empty warehouse, fitted with wooden picnic tables and decorated with all sorts of plants and flowers. There was a 10 foot wall made entirely out of lettuce! It looked really great, and a live jazz band created a wonderful ambiance. There were 9 servers, running around like crazy serving food to the masses. It was quite the job. My legs are covered in bruises from walking into picnic benches and I lost a solid 10 lbs from eating only vegetarian food and being on my feet 10 hours a day. It's a good diet plan.
And today, is Canadian Thanksgiving! And, since I live with Canadians and have some connections at the Canadian High Commission, I'm have turkey today! Pumpkin pie, pecan pie, turkey, cranberry sauce, the works! I'm so looking forward to it. But first, I'm headed up the road to the Music academy to do a little bit of rehearsing.
Happy Thanksgiving Canada! Love you.