The next day brought new adventures for me. I went in to the town armed with a new resolve. I was so excited to wake up and look out the window and see something completely different from the mundane alley outside my Temple City door. This window, swung out to the freshest air! Though I was greeted with the view of other dorms to my left, to my right I saw a path that was green and lush. Salzburgians were walking and biking as if the train of life was continuing. I wanted to hop on that train but first I need to eat and shop for groceries! Being the early riser, I leaped out of bed and jumped into action. I had the whole day to myself so it was time to get it started. I washed up and got dressed. As it turned out I did not have a connector for my devices from this century! The one that I had was not going to fit into the walls. All my devices were slowing bleeding battery life. What an opportunity to go to the stores down the street! There was a market, Merkur; Ihr Markt , it was the grocery store, it didn’t open until 7am. There was mini mall down the street also opening later. Most importantly, there was a gas station that sold coffee! I went there first! When I say gas station, what comes to mind is our Am/PM market where you can get 32 ounces of sugary soda and coffee to go. Right? Well in Salzburg a gas station is not like at all! Upon entering the similarities are initially there! Deeper inside, you see the quaint café station! Then the pastry station! Most importantly, the service of the hottie behind the counter! Yes! I said Hottie! He was a tall man, very slender with round brown eyes, a genuine smile and a clean shaven head. Peeking behind the door was his adorable boxer, equally slender and friendly! I sat down at the kidney bean shaped counter and ordered some coffee. They sold a brand called “Afro” coffee “Strong for the men, smooth for the ladies” was its motto! Sporting my own TWA I felt at ease with the graphic on the tray. The coffee was just a step below the Julius Meinl coffee but still really good!

The gentleman and I got into a nice conversation about Salzburg weather, gas prices, and the differences in gas stations in America! He served my coffee on a tray, with a one of those cute bottles of water, and ginger bread like cookie along with my croissant. Another gentleman came in and he was equally polite. It felt good. I felt very comfortable. At first I felt as if I should rush out but I remembered that most places in Europe, it’s okay to sit a while and linger over your Afro coffee! Once 7 am rolled around, I got myself together and paid my bill. The handsome attendant pointed me in the direction of the hardware store in the mini mall and I was off! I crossed the street and set my sights to the stationary store. I hadn’t brought a lot of writing materials so I picked up some pens and pencils and a shopping basket. I remembered that you have to pay for shopping sacks in European markets. I bought a black zippered shopping basket that in America is commonly mistaken for a picnic basket. Then I went to the hardware store. Picked up my plugs and was off to the Grocery store. As I mentioned before, my favorite part of getting adjusted to any new place is going to the super market. When I walked into the market, I have to admit I was confused! The door to the left was the check out location and the door to the right was the produce area. Okay what’s confusing about that? One cannot not simply walk into the door to the left; you have to walk to the right! Okay fine! So the door slid open and the bouquet of fresh everything comes at you! The café area is cooking up some good meats to the far right, Mozart apples abundantly calling out to you, greens freshly washed and displayed and the buzz of carts being wheeled around you by eager staff. Since I had rested and my mind wasn’t so foggy, I was able to get my mind into German mode! Reading all the labels helped and being totally confused by the layout also helped. First I walked around the store, taking in the sights of the market. It had been 4 years since being in Germany; I had totally forgotten the time span of bread! Therefore, seeing the bakery staff trashing bread like there was a virus on it startled me. I remembered everything is so fresh here that it goes bad and has to be tossed. As I walked towards the meat section I was in awe of the selection of Sausages!!!!!! There was actually a wall of wurst! It was the most beautiful thing I have ever seen! I am a sausage girl! So this was, well, exciting in the most visceral sense! I went immediately for the little Nuremberg sausages eight in the pack. I knew I was going to be back for more so it was no problem. Then I got a couple of Kaiser Rolls and dense bread. The coffee aisle was extensive and overwhelming! I wanted to stock up on bags of coffee to take home though I was unable to because of my low funds. Since I didn’t have a coffee maker at home (yes I was calling it home) I couldn’t get the regular stuff so I bought the little instant packets. I thought yuck instant coffee how terrible! It was actually damn good! I bought two packs and had enough to bring home, to California. By the end of the market trip, I bought bread, sausage, water, pasta, butter, Goats milk and other toiletries. I was set for a while. I paid the cashier who was very cool! She reminded me of my friend Jackie back home. She and engaged in an all German conversation. I was so through the roof that I retained my high school, college and cd-rom German! After I put my groceries away, I took the bus back to the old town and spent the entire day walking around and seeing what I couldn’t comprehend the day before! This time the sun was out and the whole town glistened in a taupe and rustic green patina. The river continued to roar and the tourist converged in the city buzzing with the same happy energy I had. I didn’t care that I was by myself I walked around and spoke to anyone, took pictures when asked and got a beautiful shot of myself on the bridge with the Hohen Salzburg Fortress behind me. When I kept walking, I spied cute shops and cafes filled with regulars, the locals riding bicycles tolerating tourist, and then as I rounded another corner, there he was, Mozart. Everyone taking his picture as his eternal statue stood gracefully. He was never so graceful in real life, I bet. I stood there and just stared at it. The longer I stared the more I felt this is real. Then I was asked by two adorable Japanese girls to take their picture. I said as long as you take mine! We agreed!

The day of my flight, I had to bright Idea to dress very business casual. I wore a pair of khaki coloured jeans, a nice floral shirt and blue blazer. I had shoes that I could easily remove and a nice scarf just in case I got chilly. I decide to slick my hair down with the gel. When my mom dropped me off to the airport I was a well Package little world traveler, until I couldn’t find the airlines. I had misread my ticket. I was frantically looking for Austrian airlines when I was flying out on Canadian Airlines. DUH! With my backpack and two suitcases I ran down to the Canadian Airlines terminal and began check in. Mind you I had flown overseas before with my Choral group. We toured Germany in 2008. However, I had never in my 39 years flown this far by myself. First misstep avoided. I checked in with plenty of time to spare. Testimony to the Eco Styler Gel, my slick down was still attached to my head. I was still pretty put together. On the other hand, by the time I got to Toronto, I was quickly running low of funds. I had managed to raise the money for the rip but I was still very cash poor. My husband and I had managed to budget $200 for the next three weeks. I was to staying in a dorm like room with a kitchen, so I would buy food, I would get a bus pass once I got to Salzburg that would cover the three weeks. That cost me $18 per week. I had $100 in the bank, yes, $100. The rest of the money I would get in Euros. $200 turned in to €175. Sitting in the Canadian airport eating my over priced lunch; I was still excited and confident about what I was doing. I studied the lyrics to each aria. I had written out a cheat sheet that I carried with me everywhere. We boarded the Lufthansa flight to Vienna and I was off!

By the time I landed in Vienna, I was growing very weary; I was a constipated, sweaty and disheveled mess. I wish I had worn a pair of sweats and Uggs! The Vienna terminal is brand new and sleek. However it took me forever to find where I needed to go. With my German I was confidant in forming sentences t ask for help. As soon as they heard my phrases everyone quickly switched to English. Upon finding the right terminal, I quickly went to the restroom! What a relief! However, I looked in the mirror and saw there is a limit to how effective this gel worked. My hair became a puffy nightmare. So I took my scarf and wrapped it around my hair in an attempt took look as stylish as I could. I went back to the terminal and sat and looked out the window. I thought to myself, I have accomplished something that I didn’t think I had the strength to do! I am in Vienna! HA! Interrupted by the effortless sound of English, the cutest little girl ran to the window with her mom and big sister in tow! She said hello to me and I felt relief. There is nothing like hearing English when you are by yourself in a foreign country. I turned around and her mother was extremely friendly. The sister, older and too cool for school was buried in her Iphone. As it turned out the lady and her daughters were travelling to Salzburg as well. Her husband is an opera singer as well and they were meeting up to spend the summer with him while he was singing at the Other Festival. Yes the bigger one. While we waited for the flight, she gave me tons of tips on where to go for food, where to eat and hang out. She also told me about a man who is at the farmers market that makes the best roasted chicken. I never found that guy! As I looked at my watched I noticed we had been sitting there for way too long and no one had come to the terminal to start boarding. I looked outside and notice a trailer filled with suitcases rolling on the tarmac. Conspicuously, my pink suitcase was rolling right along with it. The lady whose German was far better than mine asked the soft spoken terminal manage where I flight was. He said it was at the opposite gate. We all panicked and grabbed our things and begged to be let on! They shuttled us to the plane and we were off! Phew! After we boarded we said our goodbyes and I quickly began to fall asleep. Fifteen minutes later, I was awakened by a gentleman who smelled of smoke and looked like someone who played guitar for an 80’s band. His wife could have been a band groupie. They were letting me know the snack cart was coming around. I squeaked out a “Danke” and got myself prepared. As I looked out of the window I couldn’t believe how beautiful the mountain tops were. The small town looked every bit the fantasy I had in my head. My brain, of course, was playing the opening scene of “Sound of Music”. When I got my coffee and the cutest bottle of water in the world, I was taken aback by the aroma of nutty, chocolaty, heaven that is Julius Meinl coffee. It is by far theeeee Best coffee I have ever tasted. EVER. That primed me for what I thought was the pinnacle of Café drinking. When we landed, I wanted to cry out I’M HERE!!!!! But I was by myself; that would have been really un-cool! I got to exit the plane in diva style, they rolled over the stairs to exit, and I strolled off as if I was a diva from the past. I want to wave and say, “Please no cameras! No cameras. Now stop it!” When I entered the small airport I saw the bust of Mozart and thought Pilgrimage complete. There is Wolfie; the one composer who brings me joy to sing and Dabney Ross Jones is in his Heimat!

Who of thunk it! After getting my bags I had to figure out how to get out of the airport. I walked out and hailed a cab. All I could hear was cha ching! More money being spent! Luckily my room was paid for before I left. When I got to the Apartments I unloaded my bags paid the driver and checked in. One thing; it was 1pm and check in was at 4pm. No early arrivals! UGH!!!! Lesson Learned? You can always depend on the kindness of strangers. Make sure you insist on checking in early or make a plan for yourself when you arrive early. Take more money with you because things always come up! What does a girl do when waiting for her room to get ready? Walks off jet lag in a Baroque city. The ladies at the Apartment let me keep my things at the office and gave me instructions on how to get to the old town. I went to the bus office which was right down the street, bought my weekly pass and hopped on the number eight bus into the Alte Staadt! 16 hours of traveling leaves a girl looking and smelling like, well, shit! I looked like Shit! Here I am walking around an old city looking like the old City! My scarf had soaked up sweat and hair gel and dangled on my head like a bandage. My jeans were now cutting into my bloated belly and my blazer, well, that Talbots khaki blue blazer held up really well! It was the only thing pulling my sad ensemble together. When the bus rounded the curving corner, it became increasingly obvious that I was, indeed, not in California anymore. I was in one of the world’s most beautiful cities.

The Salsach River rushed beneath the bridges with the same excitement as my blood. It was a hazy, chilly day with billowy clouds hovering over the still snow capped mountains. I was in a time warp of jet lag but I was so filled with gratitude to all the people who made it possible for me to see this! When I got off the bus, I didn’t quite know where I was. I just walked. The first place I went was to the Schnapps place called Spöhr that I saw on “Rick Steves’ Europe”. I knew I wanted to get my coach a bottle of schnapps for her efforts in training me. Now, I have never felt limited by my colour. I will walk into a place and not feel a damn thing about who feels comfortable around me! I walked down the Getreidegasse and found the Iconic sign Hanging outside and walked right into that store and said I wanted to sample their schnapps. I recognized the proprietor from the travel show and he seemed quite taken a back with me. In this bizarre version of Cheers, there were the archetypal characters seated at the bar, your Cliff, your Woody, your Sam, and in comes the norm of the group. This tall striking older gentleman grabbed me and insisted on taking a picture with this travel weary African American woman. He was Like the Norm of the ancient establishment. Luckily, I could understand what they were saying; I didn’t hear anything that I should be overly concerned about. I think we disarmed each other with smiles and flattery. Plus, I bought a bottle of Peach Schnapps! ChaChing!

I made it over to the other side of the bridge to the new side where I found every “Sound of Music” fans favorite spot, the “Do Re Mi” Montage spot. In my extreme poopy jet lag, I took pictures and proceeded to fall asleep on the bench while people watching. Once I woke up, I checked the time and made my way back to the Apartments. I told them I needed to be let in to my room. Luckily the maids were done and my second floor walk up was ready for occupancy! I dragged my suit case up the stairs, unlocked the door, and surveyed the room. It was essentially a dorm. But to me it was heaven! I went into the pristine bathroom unloaded, washed up and went to the plushest bed right to sleep. Lessons Learned? Zzzzzzzzz…

While looking for more singing opportunities, I decided to apply for a program in Salzburg, Austria. By this time Dave and I were struggling to make ends meet, between my unemployment check and his job insecurity we were terrified of what was coming next. I felt going to Europe and testing my Operatic feet was an opportunity to create a job singing. I needed the exposure and thought this was going to be my big break. Every Opera singer makes the European pilgrimage at one point in their career. I had to step on faith! He didn’t agree. I applied anyways! I had to make a video Audition and write countless essays but on Christmas Eve, I got the best present! I was accepted! I was happy and scared. My husband was mostly scared. Then something terrible happened. As I said, I had to rob Peter to pay Paul. When I was rolling the dough, I decided to upgrade from my Chevy Aveo to a safer and bigger PT Cruiser. She was my pride and joy. I had every intention to keep her for the rest of her days. I had been able to support the payments up until my Firing at the production company. The unemployment was not enough. Plus it cost me more to do the opera in Santa Barbara than what they paid me. I was driving two hours each way on bald tires too. I prayed for a miracle. I rode on faith knowing that the Lord had me in his hands. After getting the Acceptance letter from the Festival in Salzburg, I knew the Lord was bringing forth Miracles right to my feet. As I turned the TV off to go sleep I heard the idling roar of a tow truck. I am very used to this sound with the mechanic down the alley! We hear it all the time. However, it was much closer than usual; it was taking my car away!!! Wait, What??? I got this great news during the day and now this? Devastated; I ran outside and pleaded with the tow truck driver! Previously that day, I had ran to the bank and sent in a payment. That didn’t work. I got out some of my property and took it inside crying. All of this happened on Christmas Day. I decided not to let this experience take the work ethic out of me. I threw my efforts into fund raising and getting myself ready for Salzburg. Once I got the assigned music, I began to study and learn every single note. I developed a daily routine for myself that involved learning music, managing my fundraising, and learning as much German as I could. I worked so hard some days, I forgot to eat and make dinner for my husband. My hair, though still was not growing as fast as it previously did. It was breaking more than growing! I didn’t know what was going on. I was trying to squeeze out that inch in enough time to braid it. The texture changed so much I thought that this was my future; dry, brittle, dull. The curl had gone. My hair literally grew out my scalp straight and fuzzy. When I put gel on it; I got nothing, no curl. I pressed on and held out for that one inch. After months of preparation, I was ready to go to Salzburg! I had managed to raise $4000 for the trip, the dresses, and the room and board! I was very proud and prepared. The one thing that was the hardest was figuring out what to pack. There are some extreme weight limits which can be stifling to a baby diva like me. I had to pack for ball gowns plus my regular clothes and shoes. Since I didn’t get that one inch of hair, I decided to trim my hair and wear it in a nice round natural. By this time I had discovered the magic that is Eco Styler Argan Oil Gel. It was cheap and good! I had begun slicking my hair back into a Josephine Baker style hairdo. This helped me grow out my hair before and I thought it would help again. With this gel I had managed to at least show off my waves. The only hair that managed to curl was in the back of my head. This was a marked improvement from the damaged colour bits that stuck straight out my head. What was I going to take with me? I wanted to pack some curl cream for everyday styling and moisture, Gel for slicking down, and shampoo and conditioner. I realized that anything I couldn’t pack I could buy at the markets overseas. This is my favorite thing to do too! I was going to be in Salzburg for three weeks so my curly girl supplies had to last. I got some cute plastic, screw top containers and loaded my Curl cream in, and combined my shampoo and conditioner together. I made it through the weight limit. Lesson Learned? Keep working on your goals even when the life throws you a curve ball.

Salzburg Voice Festival in Review

Now that I have fully unpacked, I feel as if I can give you an assessment of the past two and a half weeks I spent in Salzburg, Austria. Leaving Salzburg was one of the hardest things for me to do mentally and physically! Traveling to the airport with two suitcases and a backpack is no easy task! I knew I was going to miss this country when a young man helped me load my suitcase onto the bus. The people here are reticent at first glance, but once you get past the blank face and quiet nature they are friendly warm and very helpful people. This ice can only be melted by attempting to speak German to them! Once I got through the security of this tiny airport, I sat down and gazed out of the window to the beautiful mountainous skyline. I knew I was trading one Mountain View for my own mountain view of the San Gabriel Valley. Once I was on the plane, it became abundantly clear, this is nothing like the SGV and I was going to miss it terribly! Looking at the ever decreasing view, gave me a bittersweet pang of regret and sadness. This had been an intense experience that changed me forever. Yet, coming home I will have to admit is a bit of a letdown. Where do I go from here? I am at zero and I have to work to another goal. Once you have committed time, effort and passion to a project, coming home afterwards feels weird.
To give an honest view about the Salzburg Voice Festival, I needed to order my thoughts in away to paint a clear perspective of what I endured for the whole of July. I remember at Church, the pastor preached about criticism and how healthy criticism can benefit everyone especially the one being criticized. If I can recall there were four points of criticism that you should address. What did I like, what didn’t I like, what did I learn, and what could be improved upon? I would like to add a fifth question how did this experience help me? This is how I am going to address my experience.
What did I like? The one thing in this whole six month journey that I like was how I rose to the challenge! In six months, I learned how to raise money for a big project, market and sell merchandise for the goal, galvanize all of my resources and build something from absolutely nothing! I gathered support from all of you and people who heard about me from other people! This is a major skill! I learned 23 pieces of music! I rose to the challenge of learning new pieces from nothing, and refined pieces of music I had previously put away, plus I able to build on my German skills! With the help of Marya and my sheer determination, I developed a study plan and practice schedule. I committed myself to this project like it was indeed my job! I traveled to a foreign country, alone and managed to get there in one piece without missing a plane or getting lost! When I got to the festival, I was incredibly prepared and overwhelmed my teachers with the amount of musical preparation. I was ready. This gave me an amazing feeling of confidence. I also liked that I was able to get along with my fellow festival colleagues! I found almost everyone genuine, kind, affable and extremely talented.
What didn’t I like? I will be the first to say I DO NOT LIKE THE HEAT! It was very hot and humid there! I also brought home some nasty bug bites! As for the festival it was clear that the youthful vigor of its two organizers was matched by the plentiful experience of its 18 participants. One pianist, three practice rooms, and all day in the outskirts of Salzburg, made the whole experience feel isolating. In addition, the only opportunity that we would be heard was going to be in one publicized concert of Ave Marias at the end of the festival. We began to feel a little bit let down by what was promised and what was actually delivered. This didn’t stop me from giving my all in the recital I performed. Yet, it was disappointing being in the city of the biggest classical summer music festival and not having the opportunity to be heard by more people. I did not like that!
What Did I learn? I learned that in a lot of areas I am still very green. The acting lessons I received gave me a bigger picture of what it is like to be on stage with a scene partner. I had a great teacher in Javier Andrade. He was able to get me to see the importance of listening to my scene partner. Listening and understanding is key to bring more depth to the phrase am singing as well. I had a great scene partner in the Venezuelan tenor Francisco Morales. He played Cavaradosi to my Tosca. I learned so much from him in terms of bringing more emphasis to key parts of the phrase that I sang in the duet. He also is extremely professional! One can always look to professional singers for lessons on how to carry yourself gracefully! One should always present your best self to the public. I learned to listen to the culture of the people. Salzburg is a very conservative country that has a quiet calm about it! Never did I put on an iPod to block the sounds of loud talking or street noise. This helped me to hear the music inside of my head even better than I do in the states! This also helped me to engage people in conversations in German!
What could be improved upon? On my part, I feel as if I could have done a little more research about festival and learning opportunities in Austria. Hindsight is definitely 20/20. Once I was here and saw what this city had to offer in terms of Musical training, I should have set my sights on the Mozarteum. This phenomenal institution also has a summer training program. The faculty consisted of Anna Tomowa-Sintow, Grace Bumbry, Barbara Bonney, and Edda Moser just to name a few. Being exposed to the great singers and studying with them would have been better match to the skills I brought and am trying to acquire. In its’ second year, the Salzburg Voice Festival was extremely ambitious with its’ intentions of producing an opera film, handling eighteen 80 minute long recitals each night and producing opera scenes in two weeks. Consequently, we all suffered through disorganized rehearsals, logistical disasters of filming in unpredictable weather, plus we were never able to sing through all of the scenes we prepared. It was a mess! This “festival” severely lacked the structure and organization that would offer its’ singers a more well rounded and balance experience. Consequently, we lost three singers necause of the frustration, false promises and utter confusion. One student defected to the Mozarteum out of the sheer desperation. One cannot foster the career ambitions of 18 singers in two weeks. Though, I do not regret going; after all, I met and worked with some of the most extremely talented singers from all around the world, world class a piano trio and opera director.
How did this experience help me? Ultimately, this experience helped me to recognize that I have the ability to make my goals a reality. Once I received the acceptance letter, there was nothing stopping me from accomplishing the goal. It helped me to focus my studies and dig deeper into my vocal technique. When I got to my first coaching, I was proud of the way I was singing. It helped me to see what kind of artist I am becoming. Getting the feedback from my peers helped me to see where I needed to improve vocally and interpretively. This experience inspired me to become the best version of myself and represent my product in a more professional way. Though there were some aspects about the festival that I would have changed. I am still glad I had the guts to go and have the experience. I know I can do it. I have made a promise to go to the summer program next year at the Mozarteum.