Life in a new city...

Dear Friends,

A lot has happened in a few short weeks! Since returning from abroad, I have visited friends and family in Illinois and Indiana, sung in the wedding of Megan and Jeremy Fackenthal and moved to Atlanta, Georgia! I moved in to my new apartment last Tuesday, with the help of my cousins and Mom & Dad. Unfortunately, after all of the excitement and travel, I came down with strep throat, but I'm happy to report that I am all better! I could not have made a successful move without my awesome family :)

At the moment, I am preparing to start work at my new T-Mobile store in Midtown Atlanta, at the Peachtree & 8th St. location- I start on Monday! I am getting very excited to begin my studies at Georgia State later in August. There will be much more news to come in the next month.
Stay tuned for pics of the new place (and things around the city!)...

~A

Counting down...my last week in Europe!

Dear Friends,

I am nearing the end of my European journey with a lot of good news to report! Last night was our opening performance of "The Marriage of Figaro" in Santarcangelo di Romagna. It went extremely well and was received by a lovely Italian audience. Our cast had a lot of fun, and we will perform again this Friday here in Novafeltria.

Earlier this week, I had the opportunity to see my very talented colleagues perform "La Boheme" which was beautifully done. Today I have my final voice lessons and will attend the Donizetti opera "Rita," which several of my friends are starring in :)

The most exciting development of this week is that I took a voice lesson from Kathryn Hartgrove that truly expanded the way I think about my singing. She has agreed to be my voice teacher for the Master's program at Georgia State. I am very happy and relieved because I am looking forward to learning more and improving my technique!

Well, now I'm off to school! The pictures definitely bear some explanation...

1) My friend Steven (aka Bartolo) and I in full costume for opening night...and yes, that is my real hair!
2) The beach we visited in Rimini on Sunday
3) My friend Lisa and I preparing for a performance...I have been a perpetual roller-head for the last week :)

More to come soon!

~A

Another week begins...

Hello,

As I am writing, it has begun to rain in Novafeltria this afternoon. Things have been very busy around here with rehearsals for all three operas (opening next week)! Over the weekend, we had an extended rehearsal on Saturday, then traveled to Florence on Sunday. It was beautiful and hot day! We walked a lot, and I also met an old friend from Eureka since she and her husband are living there for a month. There is so much beautiful artwork, fun shopping and wonderful history there.

Gearing up for a busy week...

More to come soon!

~A


The new pictures are:
1) a replica of the David
2) with Becky Littlejohn at her Florence apartment
3) me, standing on the Ponte Vecchio
4) my friend Karen and I inside of the Duomo

Something very poetic :)

Hello again!

It is a calmer day for me in Novafeltria. Yesterday was full of class, a voice lesson, rehearsal and my performance on a Young Artists Concert! The past fews (and today) have been extremely hot (with heat indexes over 100 degrees), so it's very important to stay hydrated and get enough rest!

I am happy to report that the concert was fantastic, and I was thrilled to get the chance to wear my new dress that I bought right before I left :) Tonight there is another concert of the Studio Artists and tomorrow is the Sacred Concert in a local cathedral.

This weekend will be intensely busy with rehearsal and a day trip to Florence on Sunday!

More to come on Monday :)

~A

Weekend Highlights

Hello again!

It has been a busy weekend...Saturday night there was a Gala Concert of the LML faculty held in the piazza in Novafeltria. Then yesterday, a bus full of us traveled to Venice! Today has been the hottest yet, so I have been doing my best to stay cool until rehearsal this evening.

Tonight there is a festival in our village- it's called The Night of 100 Witches and it is a celebration of the summer solstice! Definitely some pictures to come of that event :)

Until next time,

A


P.S. The pictures are:

1. My favorite Italian teacher (from last year) Ilaria, her brother Dario and myself

2. Me riding in the gondola

and...

3. The beautiful view from the gondola!

TGIV!

Ciao!

(Thank God it's Venerdi aka Friday)

It has been a busy couple of days...Italian class each morning, followed by diction and then either a voice lesson or coaching. Each afternoon we have had rehearsal for "Figaro," which is going VERY well. We have Act I completely staged and will be doing a runthrough with my cast this evening. We are already working on the music for Act II and it's only the 5th day of rehearsal! Things move quickly and efficiently here :)

Here are some pictures from the past week- my birthday, walking around town and such...this Sunday we are traveling to Venice, so many more pics will follow!

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2006170&l=c1095&id=97400174

Right now I'm running to a costume fitting, yet another coaching and Figaro. There is a Studio Artists concert tonight and a Gala Concert for the faculty on Saturday...never a dull moment!

Love,

A

Pictures!

Ciao!

Here are the pictures so far!

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2006132&l=8ecf0&id=97400174

I am enjoying my birthday (off to rehearsal right now), thanks for all of the lovely wishes. I'll pass on more details tomorrow :)

~A

Arrival!

Ciao e buona sera d'Italia!

Much to my delight and surprise I have arrived safe and sound in Novafeltria after riding the overnight train from Germany. One long delay, a sunrise in the Swiss alps and a bus ride later, I am here and staying in the Hotel Magda with my roommate Amber.

All the fun starts tomorrow...

Til then,

A

On the move!

Good evening,

After spending several wonderful days with friends here in Deutschland, I am getting ready to travel south and begin the LML program! At the moment I am preparing to depart Weinheim, Germany and ride the overnight train to Rimini, the city nearest Novafeltria in Italy. I will arrive around 2:00pm Sunday.

More to come early in the week!

~A

Arrival!

Greetings All!

I have arrived safely in Frankfurt, Germany (with ALL of my luggage) and I am staying with our family friends, Matthew and Hille Lutes! I have slept a little, definitely feeling the jet lag so I will stay awake for about 6 more hours and then get some real rest. We will be booking my train travel for this weekend soon, and then I will know exactly when I will arrive in Novafeltria.

Wish me luck as I explore Germany, brush up on Italian language and continue study of my opera role.

More to come VERY soon!

Tchuess! (that's "bye" in German)

~A

A quick update

Hello,

Just a quick line to update everyone on a few details for this summer. I will be flying out on June 11th and spending a couple of days before the program starts with some family friends in Frankfurt, Germany. I will take the train and arrive in Italy on the 14th or 15th. Rehearsals begin on Monday (my birthday!) and our performances of "Figaro" will be July 8th and 11th.

Only 15 days and counting until I depart...I'm off to practice :)

~Allison

This summer and beyond!

Dear Friends,

My apologies for the long time between entries! For everyone who is reading for the first time, welcome and thanks for stopping by. The new pictures are from the latest (and my last) production by Indy Opera- "Les Contes d'Hoffman." As always, it was a great experience to make beautiful music with wonderful colleagues!

Right now is a very wonderful, crazy time. I have made some big decisions! First of all, I was asked to return to La Musica Lirica this summer to sing Marcellina in "Le Nozze di Figaro." I am very excited to be learning this comedic role (and spend another 5 weeks in beautiful Italy!).

***DISCLAIMER***
For anyone who would like a post card: PLEASE email me your address by June 2nd! :) Thanks!

So in addition to learning an opera role (and continuing to work full-time at T-Mobile), I am also packing my apartment to put everything in storage for the summer. When I return from overseas in July, I will be moving to Atlanta, GA for graduate school! I am thrilled to report that I have been accepted to the graduate program at Georgia State University for this fall. It is a two year program and I can't wait to get started!

I will truly miss all of the wonderful people I have met in Indianapolis. In celebration of my departure, we are having a get-together on Tuesday, June 3rd at Howl at the Moon in downtown Indy. If you are around, please join me as I say "farewell."

I would like to thank everyone (again) for your continued love, encouragement and support.

~A

Big Update!!!

Hello Friends!

It has been a busy couple of months, and I have a lot of exciting news! The Indianapolis Opera season is in full swing, the pictures above are from March 14/16th's "Tosca" (does that costume look eerily familiar?) and we are currently preparing for "The Tales of Hoffman," (in French) on May 2nd and 4th. I have made a lot of wonderful friends and great "opera world" contacts in IO!

In February I auditioned at three graduate schools, and I have been accepted to the University of TN @ Knoxville and Georgia State University in Atlanta. I have yet to decide where I will be this fall, but in the meantime I will be returning to Novafeltria, Italy to participate in La Musica Lirica again! I am very pleased to say that I will be singing the role of Marcellina in "Le Nozze di Figaro." I will depart during the second week of June and return at the end of July.

Thank you for your continued support as I am making these big decisions and moving toward my goals :)

~A

A quick update...

Hello again,

Happy New Year! I have found the past month (and definitely the upcoming ones) to be full of opportunities! Yesterday I auditioned again for La Musica Lirica. I truly hope to be able to return to Novafeltria for more study, culture and fun this summer! Also, I was introduced to a fantastic coach accompanist, Mrs. Sylvia Scott. She plays for the Indianapolis Symphony and is helping me to prepare for several auditions that I have been invited for in February. I have made the decision to apply and audition at graduate schools for voice performance. I will be traveling to Southern Methodist University in Dallas, TX on February 9th, The University of Tennessee in Knoxville, TN on February 23rd and very likely ALSO Georgia State University in Atlanta, GA at the end of February. I appreciate any prayers and happy thoughts you would send my way! I am looking forward to finding out if beginning a graduate degree in music is in store this next year.

Also, rehearsal began today for the next production from Indianapolis Opera, "Tosca" which will be March 14th and 16th!!! I am looking forward to singing more Puccini <3 and seeing my IO friends again.

Until next time...

~Allison