Days 9 and 10

Sorry it took so long for my last post. As soon as I got back to Manhattan, Dusti and I worked on wedding invitations.

Saturday, the day of our final concert, went really well. I sang very well, had exceptional high notes, it's always a guessing game whether the high ones will be great or not. Everyone else did a wonderful job as well. The main highlight were the exit interviews. In these, we discuss how we did in general over the past week, and we plan future plans. The main question was whether I should go down a Doctoral degree and summer internship path or whether I should enter the profession right after my Master's and do Artist Programs the many Opera companies use to teach new professionals the trade. We take into account family situations, the whole gamut, and try to get the best idea of what I should be doing. They really wanted me to go into the profession right away, which was a little shocking to me. They thought that after I graduate I needed to go to a teacher that could help get me into some programs that could give me oportunities to perform and get my name out there. They said the thing that is worst about my situation is that no one knows who I am, so I need to be in situations to get myself out there. They thought that I could do internships, apprenticeships, Artist Programs, until I could get roles. We even went through roles that I could do immediately, which is great to know; most of the Operas mentioned are pretty obscure, but at least I know I would do well in them. Anyway, these are just their opinions. The faculty in on these discussions are very knowledgable: NYU professor, a manager, one of Pavarotti's closest friends who is a former manager and currently a career counselor, and they know their stuff. I do not know what I want or should do after my Master's, that is a question Dusti and I will still have to decide.

Then on Saturday night, several of us went into the city. We were going to go to the Lower East Side, but Mai and I got lost, and we ended up walking up and down 42nd street and Park Ave. We saw the United Nations, and the Chrysler Building (it was really neat because it went into the clouds and the top spire was lit), Grand Central Station, and we ate in the basement of a KFC on 42nd St. We felt like real New Yorkers.

Then, early Sunday morning we got on a van to JFK and left for Atlanta. In Atlanta, Mai and I ate at a Bar and Grill and watched a little bit of golf, before we got on our flight to KC. And, we were very anxious to get back, and the drive was beautiful from KC to Manhattan. I love the flint hills. They were green and the sun was shining down through the breaks in the clouds. It looked amazing. After I arrived back in Manhattan, Dusti and I did wedding invitations and life is back to normal for a few days. Yay!

Thanks for following my blog; I received several hundered hits per day which is nice to know that people were following me in my trip to New York. I hope you enjoyed reading my experiences. 'till next time folks!