Now it's really about opera!

Ian, me and Jeremy during a break

This is all about BASOTI - update: now WITH pictures!

me and Rachel before our 1st scene-performance)

Here we are not tourists. We are BASOTI - ites. At least that's how we are always called in the official e-mails. "Dear BASOTI - ites, ... "
So this post is all about BASOTI. Bay Area Summer Opera Theatre Institute,
The summer program that made me spend every day in the "Santa Monica Catholic School", our rehearsal site on which the sunlight is hardly ever shining, because of its location close to Ocean beach. Even though sounding so nice, like beach and pacific ocean, this area is well known for always being cold and foggy - certainly more Christkindlmarkt - athmosphere than summer feeling and people freezing every day. (not to death though, fortunately) Ironically enough, half an hour away, in downtown, where we leave our hotel every morning, it's always sunny and really not bad - but...some mysterious vibes around the school seem to attract clouds.
So now exactly 2 weeks of the program are over, 3 more to go! In the meantime I have met at least 3 quarters of the 92 singers who are here and I remember hopefully as much as 20 names so far. And I think that by now I am used to entering a house filled with people vocalizing behind every vlosed door - and staying there for hours without going crazy - but actually get even more motivated!
Tomorrow is my 1st public performance in a scene program - I am singing Baby Doe in a scene from the American opera "The Ballad of Baby Doe". Parallel to that we work on Gianni Schicchi.
And here are the fruits of our hard (?) work: (Yay, now I COULD upload the pictures!!)

Gianni Schicchi - first staging of the trio. (Emily (in the middle) and I share the role of "Nella")

Sporty Patricia Wise during her masterclass. She is demonstrating exercise No. 2 of the "Wise 5" - a selection of 5 strech - exercises that warm you up "as much as 10 minutes of singing", and to that she gave this modest name:


Darcy alias Mallika and me alias Baby Doe before the scene - performance:


advanced UNO - session in the break: (Yes, everything is bigger and better in the US and even the cards are flying!)


My first performance (Sunday, July 6): Duet from "The Ballad of Baby Doe":


Baby Doe is sad:

More to come!! The next post will be about my first 4th of July! (as a big holiday)

more from the San Francisco opera camp

Seit ich hier bin ist es windig, bewölkt und kalt - bis auf einen Tag (an dem wir natürlich nicht frei hatten) - aber zumindest war 1 Stunde Pause, wo ich einen weiteren Strand gleich 10 min. entfernt von unserer rehearsal - Stätte fand. Was für ein Ausblick:

Since I am here it has been windy, cloudy and cold - except for 1 day (where of course we were not free) - but at least we had 1 hour break and I discovered an other beach, just 10 min. from our rehearsal site. What a view:



Before entering the beach:


The only unfortunate thing was that the first thing I saw there was a big sign saying "People have drowned here. Swimming and wading not recommended" But as it was so cold I wasn't tempted anyway.

This is my room- and studiomate (Abby) and me today at the bus-stop on our way to the rehearsal.

San Francisco!

San Francisco

On Saturday, June 21 I left Bloomington for the last time before going back to Austria... Abby and I took the "redeye flight" that left in Indy (-anapolis) at 9:28pm. Here the view from an airport - window before getting on the plane:

At about midnight (West coast time, so 3am for us) we arrived there and moved into the "St. Paul Hotel" - room where we are going to live for the next 5 weeks. It's a really old but nice building, almost like an "Altbau" in Vienna, with high ceilings, carved wooden doors and nice furniture. The next morning we had some time to walk around and have breakfeast - here the view on the jail - island Alcatraz! (with a very colorfu bus in the front)


Then we hurried back to the hotel to be in time for our "mandatory orientation meeting" for BASOTI, the opera program, that is going to keep busy for the next weeks... (we have exactly 1 day off for the whole time, including weekends!)
Some impressions on the way back:


Apparently we ran into a funeral march:



Then, today I had 5 hours off in the afternoon (while most of the others were still rehearsing), so for the first time since we arrived, I left the holy halls of the Catholic Elementary School (and church, of course), that serves as our rehearsal site during the summer. I just walked some blocks straight ahead on one of the closest streets and - suddenly - I found exactly what I was looking for:


The Golden Gate bridge! And a beach! Here the proof that I was really there:


The weather was really cold actually... 12°C at most and windy...thet's why the camera didn't really stand still during the auto-timer. Therefore this very lopsided mermaid-picture:


Beautiful plants on my way back to school.



It was a long day and now I'm really tired. So much singing the whole day and if there is a break you still hear people vocalizing behind every closed door... I am singing "Nella" in Gianni Schicchi and Baby Doe in a scene of the opera "The ballad of Baby Doe". And hopefully I can still see more of San Francisco as well!

NYC, LA, San Diego Topic Nr. 2: - Our Sumptuous FOOD Pictures

Michi's and Viki's sumptuous journey through the food universe!

starring: Michael Car, traveler and food tester
Viki Car (me), his sister
Alize, Viki's friend and host in San Diego

Edel - Fast food (baked potato with veggies and cheese) in Bloomington. (den Namen der Kette kann man dezent am Papier darunter nachlesen)

Quesadillas de Queso at our favourite Mexican Restaurant on Hollywood Blvd. in (obviously) Hollywood, LA

in front of the same restaurant


this drink turned out to become Michi's (and also a little bit my) addiction for the following weeks... "Silk" Chai flavoured Soy Milk - the perfect snack for Santa Monica beach...

Japanese Food in Westwood, LA. Michi seems suspicious :)


Well, this Bento-Box from a Restaurant in Chinatown (New York) could definitey beat it: Maki, Vegetable Tempura, Kyosa and Salad...


Breakfeast in San Diego... funny waffles


more Mexican food, taken home from a restaurant in San Diego. (Nachos Supreme)

very unhealthy too salty nachos with cheese (that was squeezed out of a tube)...the only food we could find in the San Diego Wild Animal Park.

Wow, that was great!!! Ethiopian food...! (Also in San Diego) You eat it without cutlery, just dip the special soft "bread" into the different things on the plate.

In Old town San Diego...

another Mexican Restaurant - even closer to Mexico (in San Diego)... but not as good as the one in Hollywood, as Michi's look tells

our favourite restaurant in New York: "Raj Mahal"... Indian food! With live music as you can see...

that sounded very promising but wasn't Viennese at all... (also in NYC)


the only time we really ate American food... at Friday's in NYC. Michi eats deep fried Maccaroni&cheese, I took Nachos with Spinach-cheese melt.

a chocolate restaurant in NYC! Chocolate in every variation...

I think that's enough! Time for the check...

New York - part 1: Touristenfotos

To handle the tons of pictures of our trip, I'll do postings about themes...
So here come the

"Tourist Pictures"

View on the Statue of Liberty from the Staten Island ferry (that you can ride for free)

Michi and his date (just kidding - she's actually a friend of a friend) in front of architectural contrasts

The view from the top of the Rock (-efeller Center)

This is Manhattan (native American word: Mannahatta...means "many hills")

Central park

My brother Michi and the Empire State building

A nice security guard insisted on taking this picture of us. ("Rocky" from downstairs)

in Times Square after watching a Broadway musical!

old meets new

very cliché...

The proof that I like orange and yellow :)

Orange Yellow

My friend Magda (we met in Vienna while studying with the same voice teacher at the conservatory there) mentioned me in her blog!
I not only noticed that while delightfully reading her funny posting, but also because suddelny the number of my blog - visitors has at least doubled (as far as the statistics show)!

So I wanted to confirm that yes, apparently it is true... people born around March 30-31 feel strongly attracted to the colors orange and yellow. If there exists a general attraction to giraffes too remains doubtful, because I for example don't feel that way, whereas Peter apparently does.

It would definitely be an intresting field of research for scientists, especially as I haven't ever heard about theories like that before. Yes, I really take that serious! I mean, look at my laundry.... and I didn't even do that on purpose:

Viki + Harp&Horn-Video

Now I've also uploaded another video from my recital - the piece for advanced listeners: Totally unknown - but classical style (conteporary would be even more advanced) -
and "aria" (even though it sounds more like a song) by Spohr, from his opera "Der Erbvertrag", which I doubt to exist. (At least I couldn't find any information about it, neither online nor in the library)
As I found it a bit boring after 2 strophes, I changed the melody a bit in the 3rd one...



My friend Valeska is playing harp by the way, and Tim, who I know from work is the fabulous hornist. (Not Hornisse unfortunately :)