NYC Days 3 and 4

We have been so busy here in NYC! Yesterday we began the day with yoga for the voice. I got to sing for the teacher and he helped me realize where I was holding tension, and release it through a yoga pose. It was amazing how much it helped and made me realize how connected everything is, as the tension was in my hips. After that we met with Abigail Wright. She talked to us about her experiences as a singer and gave me some good ideas about the business. After that we went to times square and got tickets to Broadway shows. I went to "Once". It was a very moving story and the performance was very well done. Today we began the day by trying to go to a church service. Unfortunately, when we showed up they told us that because we are tourists we have to pay $20 to come in. This was a big lesson in diversity and culture for us as we were not expecting that to happen. Luckily, St. Patrick's Cathedral had a 9:00 AM service, and we were able to get there on time. The church was beautiful. After that I had a coaching with David Sytkowski. He helped me with things such as phrasing and tempo, collaboration with the accompanist, diction, and keeping notes connected and moving forward. Next, we had open coachings with David where he coached four of the students. It was very cool to see how the diction and character work affected the performance so much. He then surprised us with bringing in Michael Fabiano for a question and answer! This was very exciting to us as he is playing the role of Alfred at the MET currently, and we will be seeing him perform! It was very inspiring to hear him speak honestly about his experiences, and what things worked and what didn't. He really emphasized working hard, not being afraid to try things, put yourself out there, and not giving up. One thing that really struck me was his reason for performing. He said he does it to give and share his gift to the audience, which in turn also helps him not be nervous. It was a very inspiring meeting. After that we went to the Public Theatre to see the musical "Fun Home". The musical was very moving, and the acting was fantastic. I really enjoyed the performance. I'm learning so much here, and I'm looking forward to tomorrows adventures!

Kelly