2010 K-State Honors Recital

The K-State Honors Recital means a lot to me.  For some it is just a recital, but this was the first "proving ground" for me three years ago.  In 2007, I was not given an assistantship at K-State when I started my Master's program.  I was the only full time Master's student at K-State without one.  It was embarrassing, especially since I knew I was very capable for a position - knowledge wise and in musicianship.  My undergraduate grades were not as good as some because I had several semesters of intense depression, I was over-medicated in my opinion.  I am sure I was "high" for an entire semester.  Plus, I took French - the world's most ridiculous language - so that didn't help.  Nonetheless, I was energized to prove myself my first year of my Master's.  I worked incredibly hard to improve my technique and to get the best grades that I could.  I "aced" my classes (except one, I got a B in, I missed the final...how stupid of me...I retook it and got an A, but got a B in the class because of that).  So, I learned my lesson, and have "aced" all of my classes since.  That spring, I won the K-State Aria competition - the first voice competition I've ever won!  And, I sang on the K-State Honors recital against several of the graduate students who received assistantships.  I sincerely did the very best I could have done.  I sang Lenski's Aria from Eugene Onegin; I didn't win or place.  But, I was very proud of what I did, and that it I felt that I proved myself to myself, that I could do it.  Well, I tried the next year, was sick, and didn't win.  But this year, my last year, I was in the finals, probably the best finals since I've been in it and I was lucky enough to have won.  I honestly did not expect to, but it is a very important competition because of how it inspired me to try my best and hardest, no matter the result.

DESCISIONS AND CONCERTS

Well, I have been busy writing my Master's Thesis.  The first full draft should be done sometime this week!  Also, I have several events upcoming that you should attend if you are in the area.  As for my future plans, if you read my previous blog, you should know that I was accepted to the Conservatory at UMKC.  Well, I recently got an email saying that I won a scholarship and that I should call immediately.  Well, I called, twice, and it was busy.  I was very excited and was planning on accepting it generously, but I didn't want to sound too eager.  Well, one of the professors at UMKC called later in the day, and wanted to talk to me about the scholarship that I won.  He began by asking me to get out a pencil and paper so he could "run a few numbers by me", and he next informed me that I won the Conservatory's top scholarship.  He let me know that I was one of five "Kauffman Scholars" (the Kauffman family has financed many things in KC including their new opera house, and the KC Royals).  The Conservatory waved my out of state tuition and awarded me the scholarship on top of it.  So, I very quickly added the numbers, and it was very obvious that this was a great thing.  He asked if I was still considering the Conservatory and if this would be an appropriate amount.  Like I mentioned earlier, I was going to play "hard to get" and just graciously accept, because they may be able to offer even more, you never know.  Well, I was just too dang excited, and I told him, while laughing of course, that "this greatly exceeded my expectations", which it did by nearly ten times!  All in all, what they offered was worth between $50,000 and $60,000!  After hanging up, I immediately laid on the floor and silently (or not so silently) screamed.  So, I will be attending UMKC in the fall!  GO 'ROOS!

I feel extremely fortunate to have been given this opportunity, because so many people have a desire to do what I do, and never get an opportunity to do it.  Most of all, I am so excited that I still get to feel like a kid and live my dream, opera is so much fun, I can't believe you can get paid to do it!  But anyway, in the coming months, I will be posting video from many of my concerts, and in the future I will be moving to another site so you can watch my concerts online.  Thanks to everyone on facebook and all of my followers, you are awesome and I am so sorry for not being able to update as often as I should.

APRIL SCHEDULE

6 - KSU MUSIC DEPARTMENT HONORS RECITAL - All Faith's Chapel, KSU - 7:30
9 - TENOR SOLOIST - MESSIAH - College Avenue FUMC, Manhattan, KS - 7
20 - KSU ORCHESTRA CONCERT WITH KSU CHOIRS - Schubert's Mass in G & Bernstein's Chichester Psalms - McCain Auditorium, KSU - 7:30
26 - MASTER'S VOICE RECITAL - All Faith's Chapel, KSU - 7:30

MAY SCHEDULE

6 - MASTER'S CONDUCTING RECITAL WITH KSU CONCERT CHOIR- All Faith's Chapel, KSU - 7:30
14 - GRADUATE SCHOOL GRADUATION (SINGING THE NATL. ANTHEM & GRADUATING) - Bramlage Coliseum, KSU -1

P.S. I have just found out today that the music faculty at K-State has elected me to Pi Kappa Lambda, the national music honors society...if I pay $75 that is - this is a great honor though, I appreciate the it so much; I am great friends with many faculty members, and I am so thankful that they thought to do this.