Day 4.... this entry is actually going to be on time!

Day 4:  Today was another glorious day in NYC!!!  We met this morning with soprano Caroline Worra, a friend and colleague of Dr. Sadeghpour.  Ms. Worra grew up in Wisconsin and is having a wonderful career as an opera singer all over the country, and in addition to her beautiful voice, her infectious enthusiasm and amiable personality make it easy to see why so many people in the opera world love to work with her.  (She also has a fantastic trill, which she demonstrated for us at lunch!)  She shared her own story about her path as a singer and musician, as well as the joys and challenges of a life in music.  We also had a great Q & A time with her.  A couple of common themes that I keep hearing from all of the wonderful people we've met are 1) it is ok to go on your own path - not everyone has to be the same, 2) enjoy where you are right now on your journey, 3) it is possible to make a life in music - it may not be singing at the Met or on Broadway, but there are many ways to make a living being a musician - and each one of them is just as valuable as the other, and 4) don't be afraid to make mistakes- that's how we learn!  Be it learning how to sing or the subway system in NYC - we can't be afraid to make a few wrong turns - eventually we'll get to where we're going!

On a personal note, I learned that while taking in the beautiful architecture of the city is great - you still need to look where you're going.  I had my own "immersion experience" with a traffic cone in the middle of the sidewalk on Park Ave.  Well - I hope I made a few people laugh with my epic fall!  After lunch with Ms. Worra, I spent the rest of this beautiful day enjoying Central Park, Zabars and the Metropolitan Opera Shop.  I also picked up our tickets for the Julliard Vocal Arts Honors Recital we're attending on Thursday.  While the rest of the group is out seeing various shows, I opted for a quieter evening - working on my blog post, as well as some memorization for my upcoming Faculty Recital.   On the docket for tomorrow is a group meeting with another wonderful soprano, Naomi Ruiz-Wickson, and Donizetti's Elisir d'amore at the Metropolitan Opera with an all-star cast!  Stay tuned!!

Mr. P