Dining with Royalty!

So it was bound to happen. An invitation to dinner at Windsor palace. Of course this inter-continental diva would fit in there; the pomp, the circumstance, the princes! It really is the natural progression for me, so I wasn't surprised when my invitation arrived, though it did come somewhat earlier than I might have expected... Too bad I was serving rather than eating!



As you well may know, it is necessary for a diva to wear many gowns in her career. Sometimes it is the evening gown of the opera stage, sometimes the teacher's frock, and on far too many occasions than I care to admit, I put on my waitress apron and carry canapes for the upper crust. I have worked at all sorts of events, back home in Vancouver, and now here in London, and I've discovered that it is a fabulous way to see some of the sights from an insider's perspective, and to make a little money while I'm at it. So, when the opportunity to serve dinner at the oldest occupied castle in the world arose, I jumped at the chance.



I was booked for the job weeks in advance and had to pass a security check. On the day of the dinner, I had to bring my passport with me along with a proof of address. I was picked up, along with the other excited waiters, at the Hammersmith Apollo Cinema, and two small coaches drove us out to Windsor. Then 50 min drive gave us an opportunity to sign the incredibly binding confidentiality agreement... so don't tell anyone what I'm about to share! (To be honest, I'll have to keep some things tight lipped, but I don't mind spilling a few tidbits about the evening)



When we arrived at the castle, we had to go through 2 more security checks. At the first we were issued passes and had our passports/proof of address checked. At the second, we passed through metal detectors, and our bags went through an x-ray machine, just like airport security. We entered the castle grounds and I was absolutely blown away. I don't know what it is about me, but I am rarely expecting to be impressed at these historical sights, and s am always taken by surprise. The size of the grounds and the ancient walls was impressive and I was particularly thrilled by the juxtaposition of the planes flying into Heathrow that I could see overhead just above the castle turrets.

We were led into the basement of the castle, and to the kitchen/staff areas. It wasn't particularly exciting down there, though the kitchen (one of the many I'm sure) was neat. All lovely copper pots and pans hanging about. When we were all inside, we were briefed: Tonight was Prince William's first charity dinner. He would be in attendance and this is a very big deal! All the management were on high alert. We were split into teams and assigned our duties. I was assigned to my own table, but most importantly, to the table of HRH (His Royal Highness)! Yup. My team was responsible for serving the "top table" and I was to be mere inches away from the young, bachelor, prince! My first thought was obviously that the prince would lay eyes on me, immediately see me for the diva that I am and pluck me from my serving job to sit beside him as his guest for dinner. All these years, my mother was right; "Go to London and meet Prince William, that's all you need to do". Fancy that!



But before HRH could fall madly in love with me, I had to practice how to put food down in front of him, with all the grace and elegance of a 5-star waiter. The serving team clambered up the stairs into St. George's Hall. Wow! now there is a venue! It was grand and opulent and everything you would expect to see at a castle, with suits of armor and decorative shields lining the walls. The tables were all set up and brilliantly decorated. And we started practising. First we practiced how w were going to carry the food in, then how we were going to clear it. We talked about serving bread to the guests, breaking napkins for them, how to address them and what never to say. It was a crash course in fine dining.

And then it was go time! The dinner was amazing beautiful food, beautiful people and lots of wine. The serving staff was run off our feet, making sure every aspect of the food service was flawless. We were well rehearsed and polished, all having passed grooming checks and plate carrying challenges. White gloves and black ties, we looked impeccable, and so did the food. When we served the first course, it was off to HRH's table and the whole team was buzzing with excitement. What would he look like in person? Would he be rude or polite? would he even notice the lowly waiters and waitresses swarming around him making sure his evening was perfect?

Turns out; he looks a lot older in person. He is the same age as I am, but he looked to me to be almost forty, the bald spot on the top of his head not withstanding. He had such deep wrinkles on his face, it made me pity him a bit. He must have a lot of pressures in his life despite his raised status. He was otherwise very polite, though wholly uninterested in the beautiful Diva placing gourmet dishes down in front of him, and, to my complete surprise, he is a very messy eater!

The dinner really was fabulous and after it ended, we cleaned the hall and cleared the tables, returning it to its original splendor. We loaded ourselves into coaches and headed back into London, close to 1am. It was a fantastic night all around, and as I climbed into bed, I thought about how few people would ever have the experience that I had just had. I also help out hope that the glimmer in HRH's eye had something to do with him seeing me, falling madly in love, and he was now sending his footmen out to scourer the city for the beautiful serving girl... a la Cinderella. These thoughts lulled me to sleep.

Imagine my surprise and disappointment when I woke to discover that HRH had called a press conference to announce his long awaited engagement to Kate! I guess I have to go find myself Harry.

Diva has a cold

So today was to be the day I finally had a voice lesson in London. I've been researching and searching and finally found a teacher that a)looked interesting and b) returned my emails. I made a date to see her this afternoon and then spent some time planning what i would sing for her and how I wanted to present myself.
When meeting a new teacher, its kind of like a first date; impressions count and you want to put your best foot forward. You don't want to seem too desperate, and you what to look like you know what your doing. The relationship between singer and teacher is a very special one. A lot of trust is involved. When I sing, I am completely vulnerable and I need to be able to trust that the person hearing me, and guiding me, will make sure that I am comfortable and growing in the proper direction. I want a teacher who is invested in my development and who cares that I improve, but I don't want to feel pressured or put down. Its a delicate thing.

So today I was going to meet up with someone to see if they could be "The One". And I woke up this morning with a cold! My sinuses are plugged and I can't sing to save my life. Not exactly the way to first represent oneself! I called the teacher up, and canceled my lesson. We're going to try and reschedule for next week. This gives me more time to prepare. I just hope we hit it off, so that I can start training again... I'm in dire need of a tune-up!

We Can Work it Out

After two days of successful rehearsals, Thursday found us moving our show into the grand Royal Albert Hall! If you took the time to take the virtual tour from an earlier post, you will have a small idea of what it felt like to walk out on that stage. But the feeling is utterly indescribable. The hall is a massive circle with seats extending up to the ceiling, on all sides of the enormous stage. All 110 of us Maltesers were hit with a sudden appreciation for the magnitude of where we were about to be performing. When you walk onto a stage like that, you can't help but think about all the prolific performers who have tread the boards before you, and the list of performers at the RAH is endless!

So we settled into our seats, behind the orchestra and tucked into a fast-paced run-through of the evening. There was sound-checking, and tempo setting and blend adjustments. All the soloists came back and ran through their pieces in the big room, adjusting to the size of the stage and the lights that they would face etc. And then we were ready for showtime...almost.

The energy in the soprano dressing room was deafening! All the ladies were a-buzz with anticipation and couldn't stop talking about it! It turns out, the Maltese are not a quiet/reserved people... so I fit in well. Everyone was frantically doing their hair and painting their faces with the prettiest make-up they could do. We had to look good for our adoring fans after all.

Before we knew it, we were getting our places call and were herded into our seats. We looked impressive; all in black with gold scarves, the men in black suits and gold ties. We filed into the theatre and faced a nearly packed house. Then the evening's host came out and introduced the President of Malta and the Maltese National anthem, which luckily we didn't sing, because I would've looked a bit stupid mouthing the Maltese words! And then our concert officially began.

The orchestra was magnificent, and I had the best seat in the house. Directly behind the rock band that had been brought in to fill in the rhythm section of the famous Beatles tunes. It was a high energy concert and the audience was loving every minute of it. The first act came to a close with Beverly Knight singing 'We Can Work It Out'. She is a bit of a celebrity over here and so deserved! What a great performer! And the audience definitely appreciated her.

During the interval (intermission for my Canadian friends) I chatted with some of the soloists... particularly the British cowboy who was running around. I couldn't quite wrap my head around someone in proper cowboy boots, Levis and a cowboy hat speaking (and singing) in a British accent. Put I guess its this guy's gimmick, and it seems to be working alright for him.

The interval blew by and we were back on stage for act two. Another set of terrific songs and then it was time for the Diva to take the stage. Even before she walked out, the audience was on its feet cheering and screaming, I'm pretty sure there were some tears as well. Her first note brought more screams and then they let her sing. And sing she did. It was really great to hear!

We finished the concert with a fairly boring rendition of 'All You Need Is Love' but it didn't matter, the audience had been won over, they were hooked. And then it was over. Congratulations were passed around and wine glasses were clinked. We were done. My London debut at the Royal Albert Hall was over, and I climbed onto the night bus, just another face in the crowd and headed home. But I know that I shared the stage with greatness, and one day, it will be me the brings the house down.