This past week

This past week has been a crazy whirlwind, which is why I haven't been able to find time to blog. It's had it's highs and lows. After the fantastic weekend, Monday was pretty ordinary and consisted of classes, practicing, and I also had a coaching. It wasn't as great as the others. I almost felt like this lady had a personal vendetta against me for some reason. She ripped me to shreds. I didn't cry, but on the inside I was dying. But sometimes that's what you need, because if everyone said you were great, you would never grow. And believe me this lady let me know what she thought. After that we had a masterclass and a pretty normal afternoon. That night I went to the square to watch The Marriage of Figaro, starring Anna Netrebko, in the square.

Tuesday, wasn't really exciting either. Nothing thrilling to report from this day.

Wednesday was a great day for the most part, I had German, and then I had a coaching with one of the most interesting women ever. Dr. Moteki. She had me doing tai-chi and dancing around the room as i sang, and it actually worked. In her words..."you must worship at the alter of legato..." Once i started thinking that, the music started coming to life. Crazy how once you actually get outside of yourself and stop interfering, how "easy" singing actually is. I'm really trying to master old habits and start singing with my voice. After a fantastic coaching, I started not to feel well, so I went up to my room and slept all afternoon. I missed a masterclass, but i felt much better after wards.

Thursday was my last lesson with Yvonne, she has been a major help to me and has taught me a lot of great things that i will continue to incorporate into my technique and performance skills. I was kind of sad to not be working with her any longer. After that we headed off to meet Joyce DiDonato and her husband. This was incredible. To hear her story and what she is doing now is incredible. She is fantastic and if you don't know her, you need to look her up. The best piece of advice she gave us was, "if you find something that makes you just as happy as singing, do it, because this is a tough business and a tough life." As soon as she said that i knew that nothing made me as happy as i am when im singing. After that I scheduled a voice lesson with an amazing mezzo named Katherine Goeldner. She is fantastic and I can't wait to work with her next week. Then it was off to the opera, Don Giovanni. The singing was great, but a little too modern for my taste. The set was incredible though. It was set in a forest and it rotated at times to make it look like they were running through the woods, cool stuff. But i was not a fan of the costumes. The men were absolutely mind blowing and perfect for those roles, the women were ok, but i wasn't as impressed. I also forgot to tell you that we had standing room tickets, so we had to stand for 3 1/2 hours! After the production we ran to the cast exit door and we got to meet and take pictures with a few members of the cast and they were so gracious and excited that we were singers as well. Erwin Schrott played Leporello, and if you don't know who that is, you probably know his significant other...Anna Netrebko. He actually hurt himself during the production, but he stood there for 45 minutes signing autographs and taking pictures because he loves his fans, and believe me, they love him. It's fantastic. After that i headed back and did homework and settled in for the night.

Friday we went to a cafe and practiced ordering in German for class. It was really great just to relax with everyone and enjoy some hot tea. After that I got ready for a lesson with one of the other teachers. He was really great and had a lot of great insight, and gave me a lot to think about. He is convinced that I am a baby dramatic soprano in the making. This kind of freaked me out for a bit, but honestly who knows how this is going to turn out? Certainly not me. After hearing so many singers stories and life paths, its anyone's guess how it is going to turn out. The best advice i got from him was to not put limits on myself because there are plenty of other people that will do that for you. And he is totally right. After that we had an interesting lunch of soup and a rice dessert, it was ok. After that we got to meet an alumni of the program who was singing in the Festival Production of Norma. She had a lot of great advice, and helped us to realize that this could be us in 10 years, how awesome is that! After that we had a masterclass with a professor from the Mozarteum and she stressed how important it was to create a special relationship with your pianist and to become a chamber ensemble rather than, singer and accompanist. So true. It makes a huge difference. After that we headed back to the dorms and made a dinner of breakfast for dinner and then headed to bed, we were exhausted.
This weekend, we are planning on going to Mozart's birthplace, the fortress and to the ice caves. Next week we have our final recital and then we have our farewell party, and then it's back to the States. I'm not ready to leave, but i know i have a lot of work to do in the next few years. But who knows, maybe in 2020, for the 100th year of the Festival, I'll be here. Who knows? I'm ready to carve out my path and enjoy the ride that this crazy life has in store for me. Ciao!
Living the Dream,
Lauren Frick

This Past Weekend

So I have literally been on the go all weekend. So Friday we went to the market for German class, and it was pouring. Not just raining...pouring. It was kind of awful, but after that we went to McDonalds to talk about our findings at the market, and lets just say, even their Mickey Ds is better than ours. Haha. Then I practiced and headed to lunch. It was pretty normal that day with some type of fish. After lunch we headed to a great masterclass with one of the vocal coaches. He is great, he had a lot of great advice for us as young singers. After that we headed to the competition winners recital. It was phenomenal! They were fantastic. The final singer ended with the most moving rendition of Ride on King Jesus that I have ever experienced in my life. And the venue was absolutely gorgeous. After that we headed to dinner with a group and then went back to the dorms to get some much needed sleep.

On Saturday we were all up bright and early. We went on a tour of all of the festival houses. It was amazing. We got to walk and sing on the stages. So much fun! After that we headed back to the dorms to practice and get ready for that night. We had tickets to a Lieder recital featuring Anja Harteros. She was really fantastic and had some outstanding musical moments. After that we headed out for the night to just relax and have some fun with everyone from the program, it was quite a night. The next day we just relaxed and prepared ourselves for the final full week of the program.

This program is really helping me to pinpoint what i need to work on as an overall singer-performer. Right now it looks like an insurmountable amount of work ahead of me, but i just have to stay positive and have faith in myself. The next two years are going to be crazy and super intense. Im ready to really commit and make this my craft rather than my major. Short cuts get you no where and the only thing that works is if you put in the man hours.

If you arent a singer, you have no idea what a rollercoaster it truly is. One day you sound great and you are super confident about what u bring to the table and the next day it sounds like crap and you are ready to find a new career path. This is not for the faint of heart, and really takes a strong person. Because one person may think you are fantastic and the next may think that you suck. It is so subjective.
Well I have a busy day ahead of me, so check back later for an update from today, ciao!
Living the Dream,
Lauren Frick

Thursday

Im really sorry the last few days havent been more interesting. They will start to get more exciting in the next two weeks. Thats right people, i only have 2 more weeks here in Salzburg! I had German class, and then another lesson. It went really well, we worked on some of the opera and it went a lot better when i had accompaniment under me. So hopefully that is a sign that it will be fine. Then I practiced some more and then it was time for lunch. It was quite interesting. We had leberkäse. Look it up, its basically a hotdog loaf. I wasnt a fan. We got pizza afterwards, lol. Also apparentlz the mountain that the school is built onto, is known as suicide mountain, and yesterday there was a man that tried to justify the name. there were so many firetrucks and police. Eventually he was talked down, but it was interesting to think that there was a man above the school willing to jump to his death. weird. anyway. We attended a festival masterclass with Jürgen Flimm, who was a former director of the Salzburg Festival. It was interesting, he helped 2 of the singers stage a scene from The Marriage of Figaro. After that we went back to the college to meet up and then we all headed to the Augustiner, which is basically the Austrian equivalent to the Hofbrauhaus. So we had some amaying roast chicken and tried some of the beer, it was so bitter, i couldnt drink it. So we decided to go to murphys and get a better beer instead. It was some irish guys birthday, so he bought us drinks, which was awesome, but kind of backwards, haha! After that I hung out with my awesome suite mate and then headed to bed. More to come in the next few days. Im going to try and add links to different things in my blogs and try some pictures. So go back to previous blogs to check it out! Ciao!
Living the Dream,
Lauren Frick

Midterm Recital

So today started out as a typical day, German class, practicing, memorizing, dictating. All of the usual. I went to lunch and then after we headed back to the dorms to get ready for the mid-term recital. After we got all dolled up we headed back to the school and then walked over to the other side of town for the recital. It was fantastic, everyone was great. I actually just listened back to my recording and can already tell a difference in my singing which makes me really excited. After the concert we headed to dinner and then back to the lehrhause. I'm off to practice and the hopefully get a full night of sleep. Ciao!
Living the Dream,
Lauren Frick

Tuesday

So today wasn't very exciting either. Sorry. The next few days should be full of exciting stories for you to enjoy. Well there was a story from this morning. Apparently when i set this new alarm clock i got here in salzburg, i accidently set the clock an hour ahead instead of setting my alarm, so i was late to German. I was so mad. but anyway, she understood and i just got the notes from a friend. Then I warmed up and went to my lesson and it was pretty great. I think i have figured out why my support isn't as great as it could be. I'm thinking low, but i need to go even lower. So i think this will solve a lot of breath, range, etc. problems. After that i practiced and did some homework. After lunch we had a masterclass with one of the vocal coaches and she was wonderful. I haven't worked with her yet, but i'm hoping to get the chance to work with her before i leave. After the class i headed back to get some more practicing in. This opera is consuming my life right now, i just want to be as prepared as possible when i come into rehearsals, but im trying not to let it interfere with the things i am trying to learn for the program. So its a hard balancing act, especially with everything else they keep us busy with. Well, I have some more homework to do before bed. Tomorrow is the mid-term recital, thursday we are going to the beer garden as a group and then friday is the competition recital at Mirabel Gardens. So for now, ciao!
Living the Dream,
Lauren Frick

Monday

Monday was another day of greatness. It started out with the usual German class, but instead of a regular class, we had a breakfast, and learned about different foods and how to say them in German. It was a lot of fun. Then I didnt have any coachings or lessons, so i went up to the library and got a bunch of work done that i was behind on. I dictated lessons and score studied for a while and even took a nap, it was great! Then i practiced for a while and then it was time for lunch and we had Schnitzel and rice for lunch. After lunch we had a masterclass with this awesome mezzo. A week ago she had to fly to England to cover Denyce Graves in Carmen. She also had a lot of off the beaten path methods. It kind of blew my mind a little. After that we were going to go to the market to get fresh veggies, but it started raining so we went to Billa (the grocery store) instead. We got everything we needed and by that point it was pouring so we caught up with some friends and we split a taxi to go back to the lehrhaus. I cooked dinner and then decided to practice for a bit and then went to sleep super early. So it wasnt too eventful, but I did order at the bread counter in German, so that was pretty exciting . I know im lame, haha. And im starting to pick up bits and pieces of conversation. Well im off to do some more dictation and practicing. I cant believe i only have 2 weeks left. Why does shepherd have to always win the award for the earliest starting college? Seriously! A bunch of people are traveling other places before they leave and i have to go back to west virginia, lame. anywho, ciao for now!
Living the Dream,
Lauren Frick

Saturday and Sunday

Saturday was awesome! We got up around 10 am, and decided that we wanted to go to the Salt Mines. So we booked a tour through the hostel and off we went. They even picked us up and took us to the bus! So we went through the Bavarian Mountains, and it was gorgeous, like everything, and we even got to see the exact hills that Julie Andrews sang, "The hills are alive, with the sound of music...". It was pretty cool. Then we headed into the salt mine. We had to first be equipped with authentic miners outfits, they were pretty awesome, haha. Then we had to hop onto this train and ride through the cave until our first stop. It was a blast. Then the next stop was an authentic wooden slide that the miners used to get from one level to the next quickly. It was fantastic! I had so much fun. It was like one of those giant pink slides at a carnival but better. Then we learned a lot about how the salt was extracted, and i am so much more grateful for plain old table salt, haha. The coolest part about this trip was the lake inside of the mine. They took us out on this boat and this coordinated music and light show began and it was absolutely one of the coolest things i have ever seen! After that we stopped in a tiny town for a snack and then headed home. After we got back we went and sat in the gardens for a while, and then decided to take a carriage ride around the city. It was so much fun! After the ride, it was time for the opera in the square to start. In the square, they have these giant screens, where they project operas. And let me tell you, these people are serious about their opera. I could have heard a pin drop, haha, it was great! We saw La Traviata with Anna Netrebko, and of course it was fabulous, how could it not be! After that we headed back to the dorms.

This morning I went to the Salzburg Cathedral for mass, of course it was in German, but i could correlate most of it to English. It was astounding to me that some people find it quite normal to attend mass in this giant, historical and astoundingly beautiful church. After mass I had a voice lesson and this one was probably the best yet! This place is just inspiring to push myself farther than i have ever thought possible. I know that these singers are pushing me to be better. After my lesson I went to lunch with my friend Jonathan and then headed back to the dorm. I'm off to practice and make dinner, so I will try and keep you updated daily this week. Also, funny story. I was walking downtown and started to get annoyed at tourists slowing down to take pictures. I can also navigate most of the city by myself as well. I'm ready to live here now. Well i have lots to do, so until tomorrow, ciao!
Living the dream,
Lauren Frick

Thursday and Friday

So Thursday was a mix of events and adventures. First I had German class, where i had my midterm, which I think I did excellent on! After that i warmed up as usual and then headed to my accompaniment lesson. I worked with my pianist and worked out a lot of great things. After my lesson, I had some time to spare, so I practiced, score studied, and talked with some friends. After lunch we all headed to a festival master class with Sir Thomas Allen. It was really great! The participants were young artists with the festival, around 26 years old. So they were all pretty fantastic. He was a riot! He would just drop little funny lines here and there. Although he spoke mostly in German, we could still understand a lot of what he was doing. After the master class was over, we headed back to the dorms to chill and see what was up for the night. We then decided to hang out in what is known at the hostel as "the party room". It was a blast! It was about 20 of us from the program. We danced and talked and just had a great time. Then we headed out to a few pubs and really had a great time! We got in kind of late, so we slept in because on Friday we didn't have classes.

Today I caught up on sleep! It was fantastic, I feel so much better and ready to tackle the world. I practiced the opera for 2 hours today and found that i was much farther along then i was giving myself credit for. I have made schedule for the week and should be completely ready by friday. After relaxing and practicing, we decided to go out for a nice dinner and a few drinks. We went to this really fantastic austrian/italian/indian place...i know what your thinking, but it was yum! After that we headed to Murphy's Law and had a drink . We were all kind of ready to head in, but we stopped at a durum stand. If you have never had a durum, you haven't lived! It is literally the best thing i have ever eaten! We need these in the states! haha! After the durum we headed back and now i'm off to bed because we are getting up early to go to the salt mines and the fortress tomorrow, as well as a carriage ride around the city and watching a broadcast of La Traviata in the square. Ciao for now!
Living the Dream (for real!),
Lauren Frick

Master Class!

So I was once again exhausted and i had to study for a quiz, so i didnt have time to blog. So yesterday, I used one of my free misses from German class, so that i could sleep in, and when i got up i felt a lot better. then i went and warmed up and practiced, so that i could get ready for my coaching. I absolutely love my vocal coach!!! He is awesome, and i started looking at the school that he coaches out and it may be a strong possibility for my grad school list. I could learn to deal with the cold to study there. haha! After my coaching we had lunch, and i could harldy eat anything because i was trying to keep my nerves down because i had my first masterclass here. I was actually a lot more nervous than i thought i would be. I sang Zuiegnung by Srauss and not only did i sing in german, i had to introduce myself and interact with the clinician in German. I was scared out of my mind when i had to speak to her because my conversational German is scary, haha, but im working on it. I sang for and the very first thing she told me was that my ah vowel was too far back...shocker, haha. I hear that all the time, so i wasnt surprised. we also did a lot of diction fixing as well, and most of it made it easier for me to sing. Go figure. So i was pretty pleased with my first showing at the program. I also talked to a few of the judges from the competition and got some awesome feedback! They all told me that they were really impressed with my interpretation and expression, which shocked me, because usually im being told that im not doing enough, so maybe i had a huge breakthrough when i crossed the atlantic, haha! They also gave me some great feedback about my voice and told me that i am still so young for the instrument that i posess, so i have to give it time. I also got a lot of great things to work on and am really happy that i got such great feedback. So even though i didnt place, im so glad that i did the competition because it gave me a lot of positive results. In the afternoon, I actually just went on adventure in the city, and really explored a lot of little back places. It was awesome, just to walk down the streets and really start to think about the people that have walked these streets before me, mind blowing, when u really start to think about it. I also bought some lucky people some awesome presents as well! I headed back to the dorms, but i stopped at this little cafe to pick up a small dessert to go with dinner, and i ended up with a shortbread type of cake with marmalade in the middle and the ends were dipped in chocolate, it was delicious! When i got home i made dinner, and worked on some lesson dictations and i also started study for my german quiz. I also wanted to let you all know, that i will not be traveling this weekend, because i just have so much to get ready for school, and it just needs to get done. So me and my roommate are going to do some awesome things around the city , like the Salt Mines and the Fortress and we are going to go to the Dome on Sunday for Mass! Hopefully this will not be the last time i am in Europe, so I can always go other places at another time. Well, I will post later about today, ciao!
Living the Dream,
Lauren Frick

Monday and Tuesday

So Monday night i was so exhausted that i didn't even have the energy to blog. So Monday was the start of another week of classes. I started with German class, and then practiced as usual. I was pretty exhausted because of our amazing weekend. After lunch we headed to Hellbrunn Palace. And although i though i had experienced this the last time i was here, i was in for a huge surprise. There is an entire section that we didn't even go near. It was the water games. Apparently they liked to play practical jokes back then too! It was fantastic, we were so scared of when the tour guide was going to surprise us with a water trap. It was of course beautiful, but very fun as well. After that we go to go in the palace and take an audio guided tour inside. After we went to see the Gazebo that was used in the Sound of Music, at the "I am sixteen, going on seventeen..." part. So that was pretty much Monday.
Tuesday, was partly the same, with German and then I had a voice lesson. It was an ok lesson, because i was feeling a little under the weather, but im feeling much better now. After my lesson, i did my homework and worked on dictating my lesson and some ipa. Then me and my friend Jonathan went for tea and then lunch. After lunch we went and observed another fantastic masterclass. And tomorrow is my turn! I'm a little nervous, but only because i have to communicate with her in German. A little intimidating. So some prayers and good thoughts my way would be greatly appreciated. After the class, i went and practiced some more and then headed to do some shopping in town. I headed back to the dorms where i am now ready to go to bed. I will let you all know about my masterclass tomorrow. But for now, ciao!
Living the Dream,
Lauren Frick

Salzkammergut!

So lots to report from an extremely busy night and day, and there is still more to come! So last night it was raining and raining and raining, so we did not get to go see the traditional fire dance in the square, kind of a bummer. So we went to a local pub and chilled for a few hours and afterwards we got the most amazing durum, ever. If you have never had one, it is a wrap with chicken or lamb, some kind of amazing sauce, lettuce, tomatoe, and spicy stuff. Delicious! So we headed in and got some sleep for our extremely busy day to follow. We headed out to the Salzkammergut, and let me tell you, it is extremely beautiful! We stopped in a few amazing sections of it as we went along. We went to the town of Mondsee and saw some amazing buildings and we even got to go to the mass for a bit. Then it was up the mountain, the bus winded around these sharp curves like it was nothing. It was a little nerve racking, actually. Then we got to the location we were having lunch at. And we were about 3500 feet above sea level, so we were up pretty high. It was a little chillier, so we had to break out the jackets and scarves. Then before we ate, we got a tour and learned how they made their award winning cheese. It was really interesting. We got to see cheese and different stages of ripening. We even got to meet and name a 4 day old calf! Her name is Pamina ( yes we are all opera dorks), haha, love it! Then it was time for lunch. We had this selection of cheeses and meats and veggies, along with fresh homemade bread. It was so fresh! Nothing like what we have back in the states, even the pickles they had were homemade! Also, the cows up there, just roam free, there are no fences. interesting. So then after our scrumptious lunch we headed to the next town of Hallstatt. We actually went right by Abtenau, for all of you who went on tour last summer. Hallstatt was also gorgeous. The lake was so clear! The first place we went was the bone house. It was a very interesting sight. It is this little house full of 1200 skulls, dating back to medevial times. I can't wait to show you pictures of this, it was kind of creepy, yet very interesting all at the same time. After that we went to check out a waterfall, and it was also a sight to see! Then we had about an hour of free time. Of course I wanted to check out all the local shops, even in Europe, I love a good bargain when i see one! I got a few gifts for some lucky individuals back in the states and few things for myself. I got a small container of local salt, as that is what this entire region is known for! And Matthew, you are going to love your present! I also got a ton of pictures of the local cows for you! They are way different then in the states. They were also having this pirate day for kids, so everyone in the town was dressed as a pirate. It was quite a sight! After that we headed back to Salzburg, and on the way back we got to see the headquarters for Red Bull. Did you know that it was based here in Austria? Cause I sure didn't! Anywho, so now i'm back at the dorm getting ready to go to the opening night performance of Jederman at the Domplatz. It's a morality play and is supposed to be one of the highlights of the entire festival. I will blog tonight about it, but i'm about to try my hand at cooking some of my purchases from Billa, wish me luck! Also I did find out about the competition today and unfortunately did not place. But i'm so proud of what i did put out there and wouldn't really change a whole lot about my audition. It was a great panel audition experience as well. I have so much to continue working on, and I just have to have faith that in the next ten years everything will come together, to produce the whole package. I know what i need to work on, and i will continue to put everything that am into my art. Without music, life would be a mistake, and that is a motto I live by everyday. As well as there are people that will like you and people that will hate you, and you just have to keep going until you find the people that will love you! Well I'm off to cook dinner and go to the show, ciao!

Living the Dream,
Lauren Frick

Total Immersion

So, I know today isn't over, but i have so much to tell you all about that i figured i would just make 2 posts. So this morning i got up around 6 am, so that i could get my voice moving. After I got up and moving I went down to warm up for the competition. Oh yes, i forgot to tell you all about the competition! Today I competed in a competition here for a chance to sing in a formal recital at The Mirabel Gardens Palace. This is huge. So after i was all ready, it was still raining pretty hard, so i decided to take a taxi over, because i was wearing a nice dress. The front desk called the taxi and when i got out to it, i figured that they had told them where i was going. Well, no such luck, the man didn't speak a word of English. So I had to give him the address and between my broken German and his almost non-existant English, i somehow managed to end up in the right place. Anywho, so i went into the college to warm up and practice a little but more. Then it was time! I headed over to the church where the competition was taking place and collected myself and walked in confident. I sang Zuiegnung by Strauss to start off and it was the best i had ever done it, i was really proud of myself. I thought my line and diction was much improved even from last week. Then they asked for Where the Music Comes From by Hoiby and I was also pretty proud of this one as well. I messed up the last word and said feel instead of love, but darn it, i sold it! Hahaha! Then they asked for Se Florindo, and i really had a lot of fun with that one. And the final piece they asked for was Va! by Massenet from Werther. I was fairly happy with this one as well, overall i think i did the best that i could do right now, which is all that i can ask from myself. We should find out the results very soon and i will let you know as soon as i know. Even if i don't get picked it was a fantastic experience and i learn something every time i compete.
After i was done, i was starving! So i headed to our favorite local pizzeria and had the most amazing artichoke pizza! i know i keep saying everything is so good, but it really is! After lunch i headed to Billa, the local grocery store, and let me tell you this was an entirely new adventure. First of all i had to smart about it because i had to carry everything home. Second, everything is in german, so i had to use a lot of critical thinking skills. For instance, they have a totally different way of doing their fruits and veggies. You as the buyer have to weigh them and place a sticker on it. Everything has its own number, but on somethings i did not see a number. So it was very confusing. But i figured it out and eventually got the hang of it. Then i went to get fresh out of the oven bread, smells amazing! Then to the cheese counter, these people love their cheese. Anywho, i wanted to get some mozzarella for tomatoes and mozzarella, but i couldn't find it for the life of me. I asked the attendant and she proceeded to tell me in German that it was around the corner in another case. Talk about being totally overwhelmed with language! So all in all it took me like 1 1/2 to go through this tiny little grocery store to get a few things. Then i headed back with my groceries to the dorm. Then i took a nap because we are going to be up late tonight and i wanted to be able to enjoy everything. Tonight is the opening of the Salzburg Festival, and they have some open air concerts and opera showings as well as a traditional fire dance around the fountain in the square, should be incredible!! I will tell you all about it tomorrow. Also tomorrow we are going to the Salzkammergut! Look it up! It's beautiful and should be amazing! Well for know ciao!
Living the Dream,
Lauren Frick

Yesterday

So I passed out and went to sleep, so I didn't get the chance to tell you all about my day yesterday. It started out with the usual, German class. I had my first quiz and i think i actually did pretty well on it. After that we had a ton of free time. So I checked emails, studied my score, wrote out my translations, and then was out of things to do by 10:30, haha! So I decided to go practice and just run my recital for the competition. After that it was about time for lunch, so I headed over to the restaurant. We had catfish and salad. It was actually pretty good, and i'm not usually a fish person. After lunch I headed the Museum of Modern Art. In order to get to the museum, you have to go up the elevator that is inside the mountain. And also you can just pay for a one way ticket, but i didn't see any other way to get down...hmm. Anyway, Now I am usually a skeptic of modern art, but I decided to open my mind and see what is had to offer. It is also way on top of the mountain, so you get a fantastic view of Salzburg. The museum was very interested, it had some stuff I liked and some stuff that just confused me. The very first exhibit was my favorite. It was a giant collage of pictures of people who had literally been branded with designer brand names. It was really very clear what this artist wanted to portray. That we are so obsessed with these brand names that they almost become a part of who we are and sometimes take over. It was a really powerful message. My other favorites were the Andy Warhol originals. They were even better in person. There was this one artist that just put different sized pickles on different sized podiums in a giant room...i was baffled at this "art". After the museum, I just spent some time admiring the view and just thinking about the amount of history this place has seen. Its almost mind baffling. After the museum, I headed to the Salzburg Festival Ticket office with some friends to see if we could get tickets to any other shows. Unfortunately all they have left right now are 100-500 Euro tickets, and that is too rich for my blood. But they told us to call back on the day of the show to see if any tickets had been returned. So then it started to rain, and i mean really rain. So we walked in the rain to the restaurant we were going to eat for dinner, and we were soaked by the time we got there. So we ate dinner, and then headed to get some eis. I had kiwi, and it literally tasted like i had bitten into a fresh, ripe kiwi, yum! Then it started to rain pretty hard again, so we took a taxi home. Let me tell you, this was one of the nicest taxi's I have ever been in. So we got back to the dorm and I literally just passed out. I think I'm pretty adjusted to the time difference, but we do so many things that i usually sleep really well. Well today is the competition and my time is at 10:30, so I am going to go warm up and then head to the competition.
Living the Dream,
Lauren Frick

I can do this!

I can and will be a professional opera singer. I had an amazing talk with my voice teacher today and she totally reaffirmed to me that i have the necessary components to be a fantastic singer. I'm not saying this in any way to be cocky or arrogant, but this is a huge boost of confidence to me, because i'm constantly second guessing myself. She told me i'm taking all of the right steps thus far, and gave me some great advice for the future. My favorite quote from the discussion was, "Sometimes big fish in little pond, can still be big fish in a a big pond". I never even fathomed that!

Well anyway, today was the same for the most part. I had German class, and then i warmed up for my lesson. Then i had one of the most fabulous lessons of my life. I have decided that i am going to get over the whole hating listening to myself and start recording every lesson. I'm also going to try and get a pianist for 1/2 hour at every lesson. It has become something that i can't live without now! She did tell me I need to work on my French a bit, so you bet your butt that as soon as i am done my German homework, i am going to go over that song a thousand times before bed! I just can't even believe my ears when i hear how much i have grown in 4 days. 4 days people! This is astonishing to me. Notes that have been difficult to produce for 2 years are suddenly opening up and great!

After my lesson I had some down time, so i dictated my lesson so that i can remember everything we do. After that i had some down time and just talked with some friends. Then it was lunch, and let me tell you, so far this place that we go every day for lunch can do no wrong! After lunch we had another masterclass, and my friend Jonathan sang in it and he was fantastic! The guest artist was awesome and gave a lot of good insight especially on breath. After the masterclass, I got a new aria from my teacher, Berta's Aria from The Barber of Seville. I'm really excited to get started on it! After that we headed to Billa, the local grocery store to get bandaids, for my aching blisters! After that we went to dinner and had a blast. The sheer company of these musicians, is fantastic! Now i'm back at the dorm to do homework and practice, so ciao until tomorrow!
Living the Dream,
Lauren Frick

I am where I am

What a statement, right. I am where I am. I'm not where i will be in ten years, so i need to stop putting those expectations on myself right now. This was the genius moment of the day from one of the professors. There is an order and a natural progression that must take place before you can go sing at someplace like the MET. You crawl before you walk. Mental Note.

Today I started out a little earlier so i could enjoy the walk to school instead of rushing to get there. The cook, his name is Martin, and he is super nice to us and makes delicious breakfasts. Everything here is fresher and better for you, but surprisingly still very tasty. After breakfast I headed to German class and i'm starting to get the hang of it, but its a very tough language, so its going to take me a while. After German I practiced and did some score study and did lots of research for Hansel and Gretel. After that I hung out with some friends, and we watched videos of some of the greats doing what they do best. After that it was time for lunch and we had a vegetable soufle and of course, potatoes, lol! After lunch we had a master class focusing on German diction and it is really great to see these other people at the same point in their studies and career as I am. I don't think this will make me lighten up on practicing or how serious i take this, but it makes me feel a little better to know that everyone else out there has just as many problems as i do, and we are all in the same boat.
After the masterclass, i vocalised a bit, and then rehearsed for the competition on Saturday with my accompanist. He is fantastic, I can really not say enough great things about him. He also plays at my lessons! What a concept! This is something that i am going to try and bring back to the states with me. A lesson accompanist! We get so much more done within the lesson because the teacher is only focused on me and my technique rather than trying to play a song and analyze at the same time. I'm also totally going to invest in vocal coaching as well, because i have only had one vocal coaching and i'm a believer. It takes a village to train an opera singer. Seriously.
After the great rehearsal, I went to dinner with a new friend, Johnathan, he is from Mississippi, and a riot. He kinda reminds me of another certain southern boy at Shepherd...haha! After that we headed back and i'm getting ready for bed now, so that i can get up and do it all again tomorrow!
Living the Dream,
Lauren Frick

I have officially fallen head over heals in love!

Guten Abend!
I LOVE SALZBURG! I wish i could stay here forever! Well today, i had my second day of German class, and it was really great, i learned a lot of new things, and even had homework! But i did it during a break so, its all done. After German class, I warmed up and practiced some Hansel and Gretel. Then I had my first voice lesson and it went really well. I'm studying with a mezzo, so i'm really excited! I learned a lot of new things to add to my technique, that will make things a lot easier. The hour lesson flew by and then i went and reviewed everything that we went over. After that it was time for lunch and it was another traditional Austrian lunch of meat and potatoes. This one was pretty tasty. Then we had a masterclass with one of the professors and watched a few students, and the emphasis was on German diction. It was really informative and i learned so much from watching the others. After the masterclass, we went to this awesome music store that has literally every score on the freaking planet, it was heavenly. Unfortunately it was a little pricey so i only got a small book there. Then we stopped for an eis, and this time i had koko, or coconut, delicious once again. Then we had dinner at a cute little cafe type place. After dinner we decided to head back to the dorms to practice, so now, that's where i'm headed! Ciao!
Living the Dream,
Lauren Frick

Musical Exploration and Explosion

Today has probably been one of the most intense, exciting and overwhelming days of my entire life. I got up at 6 am, ate breakfast and walked 20 minutes to school up two hills. Then I had German class for an hour and a half and my teacher is awesome! She is kind of young and is so willing to help us and answer our questions, which is great. After the class, I went to practice and warm-up. It took me like 10 minutes to get over the fact that everyone in the freaking building could hear me warm-up and then I was like whatever, everyone else is singing here too. Then I had my very first vocal coaching ever, and let me tell you it was one of the best lessons of my life! My coach was Mr. Tom Elman, and OMG, he blew my musical mind! He talked about things in a way that i had never heard before and it really clicked. Of course he told me I was working way to much, and of course i've heard that a million times, but the way he went about was so simple yet so genius at the same time! The main thing that is going to dramatically change my sound is keeping the vocal tract all lined up, and trying to de-Americanize my speaking and singing voice. I literally got instant results when i changed some of these things, and because of it, i was able to vocalize a high C today! A high C! People this is big for me! I have been a long time sufferer of the high note afobia, its a pretty common mezzo condition, and can only be cured with lots of courage and practice. Also there are so many freaking sopranos here! I know there are a lot out there in the world, but man! I love me some soprano, but i just avoid those that think they are the next Anna Netrebko at 20 years old...anywho, after my life altering lesson, i checked out the lieder collection here, and OMG it is so freaking amazing! I found a ton of books that i would like to get myself, and a ton of awesome rep for my senior recital. After that we ate lunch at this VERY Austrian restaurant, and we had this dish that was dumplings and eggs, and was surprisingly very yummy. After that we went on a historical walking tour in Salzburg, and our guide was this cute little Austrian woman who was very funny. I learned a lot that i didn't know and we went a lot of places that i had never been before. After the like 3 hour tour, we went to dinner at this little Italiano place down the street and it was scrumptious. After that we got our next flavor of eis, erdbeer, which is strawberry, and that one was yummy too! We then headed back to the dorms and now i'm looking forward to a relaxing evening in and going to bed and getting up and doing it all over again! Thanks for all the prayers and love!
Living the Dream,
Lauren Frick

Day 2 Continued

Well after my last post we headed back to the college to find out who our teachers are. I am with the mezzo-soprano teacher here and I am super excited! Then we headed to a really cool beer garden to eat dinner, but no beer for me. Then we wandered back to the dorms and just had a very relaxing evening. Tomorrow starts the busy schedule of it all! I have German class at 8 am, then I'm going to practice and then I also have my first coaching tomorrow. It should be very interesting, as i have never had a formal voice coaching, with a vocal coach. I am really excited to just really focus on expression and emotion within my songs. It should be fantastic! Then we are headed to our traditional Austrian lunch and a tour around the city! I love this place, i could literally just stay here the rest of my life, i may not come back, haha! Even though I have only been here 2 days, I am starting to feel more and more like I belong. I feel like I am among the caliber of singers that are getting ready for graduate school and beyond. This is not a boastful, egotistical statement, but an affirmation that my hard work is paying off and that i do believe that i can make my dreams into a real career. The people here are fantastic! So many personalities from all over! Well I have to get up bright and early so I better hit the sack!
Living the Dream,
Lauren Frick

Day 2

So far, Day 2 has been fanfreakingtastic! I got up at 8:30 am (which means I got to sleep in! I had my audition for the faculty and of course like 4 other girls were singing my song, so i knew i had to make it great. It actually went really well, and for me to say something went really well, takes a lot. And i felt strangely calm and at home in front of these highly respected, and supposedly intimidating people, haha go figure. I think that as i am beginning to grow into my voice, i am becoming more comfortable in front of people and also i think that i know that people are either going to love me or hate me and there is nothing i can do about it, so there is no reason to get all worked up over it. Believe me this has taken me about 15 years to finally come to grips with, lol! So then we got some lunch at this cute little pizzeria and omg, it was awesome! Then me and my suite mates have made it our personal mission to try every flavor of Eis in Salzburg. We are only up to 2 so far, haha. Also I forgot to tell everyone about the walking...we walk EVERYWHERE. So far it hasn't been so bad, but i'm sure by the time we leave i am going to have the most killer calves ever! HAHA! Now we are just chilling at the dorm and are going to head to dinner in a while and check out the list for our teachers. Then all the fun starts tomorrow at 8 am. I'm sure something epic will happen before tomorrow so look for another post tonight. Also we have a free weekend and i may be going to Budapest, Prague, Venice or maybe even Greece! I will keep you all updated!
Living the Dream,
Lauren Frick

Orientation Day

Today I was up at 7 am ( if you know me at all, you know that is freaking early for me, haha). I had breakfast in the dining room, and it is all traditional austrian breakfast food, so no fruity pebbles here darlin'. Me and my suite mates went to Old Towne today and we wanted to find the college and what should have been a ten minute walk turned into an hour excursion, filled with asking locals for directions in broken German and being sent the completely wrong way, haha! Then we finally found the right place. Then we went out exploring, and man did I break in my new tennis shoes! Then we ate lunch at this really cute, hole in the wall type place, and i had the best pasta i have ever had in my life! Then we were thoroughly orientated to the program and to the city. It is shaping up to be an amazing summer and we found out that our opera tickets and festival tickets are amazing, and even more exciting, we will be seeing Anna Netrebko sing Juliette in Romeo and Juliette!!!!!!!!!! I am more excited than you even know! After orientation we went to the grocery store and bought some really cheap water bottles, and then headed to dinner with a group of fantastic people. I think i am going to spend all of my money on bottled water! I love being around other people that love music and especially opera as much as I do!!! And I also found out today that i have a free weekend, and a group of us may be traveling to Greece or Venice! Well, it's only 7 pm and i am about ready to pass out! If this is any indication of the rest of the summer, it is sure to be an eventful one. Tomorrow is our faculty audition and all of the faculty are fantastic and i am so lucky to get to study with any of them. Check back later for more!
Living the Dream,
Lauren Frick

Flight and First Day Settling In

So it has been a while since i posted last because my computer died and Munich airport didn't have free wi-fi, and i'm on a budget, haha! So I left Dulles at 5:30 pm yesterday and I arrived in Munich around 7:30 am this morning. It was about an 8 hour flight. I sat next to this really nice German lady and watched a few movies, and slept for about 30 minutes. The food wasn't too bad on the flight, and I watched the gps plane on the screen for a while, and I wished it was a touch screen game, where I could move it faster. Anywho, when I finally got to the airport, I found out that they sent one of my bags to the wrong airport, but it was all good because within a half hour they were safe and sound with me. Then I wandered around to find something for breakfast and the only recognizable food was subway, but even that was different, haha go figure. After that i went to see if i could find anyone from the program, and it took me like an hour because i was in the wrong building of the airport, haha. Then i found a few and we starting talking, I can now say that i have never talked about music, especially opera so much in my life. It was thrilling! I loved it! So anywho, I waited for 6 hours in the airport, waiting for the bus to take us to Salzburg. Then the bus finally got there and we were on the bus for like 3 1/2 more hours! We finally made it to the dorms and I was excited to meet my family, only they got my housing mixed up and i'm now staying in the dorms. But there is nothing i can do about it, so i'm going to make the best of it! I have my own room and 2 great suite mates. Tomorrow is our orientation at Salzburg College, so I will let you all know about that tomorrow! Thanks so much for the love and support!
Living the Dream,
Lauren Frick

On my way!

Ok people, we are on our way! I am currently sitting at the gate, waiting for my flight. Everything moved pretty smoothly when i checked in and went through security. So the next stop is Munich, Germany, and I should be there at 7:30 am, Munich time. Unfortunately I couldn't get everything in one bag, so i had to pay for an extra one, i really tried, haha! I will have access to email and facebook and I would love to hear your comments right here on the blog! I am a little nervous about the flight, i'm not the best flyer, but hopefully everything will be fine and I will post again when i get to Munich! Summer of a Lifetime 2010 has officially begun, it's time to get excited!
Living the Dream,
Lauren Frick

Less than a week!

Ok people, we have one more week until take off!!!! And Felicia told me that I needed to blog more, so here is my attempt. I have about 5 days until my plane takes off for the summer of a lifetime. I am so excited!!!! I have my audition piece for the faculty all ready to go and my competition recital is really coming along. You guys will have to start checking back everyday because now the fun stuff begins!

One Month!!!

It's been awhile since I posted last. I have been super busy getting ready for the program. The program is now less than a month away, crazy how time flies. I am pretty sure that I have everything I need now for the trip. Now I just have to figure out how to fit it all in to one suit case that weighs 50 lbs. haha! I'm also busy preparing my competition recital for the program. It is going very well so far and I have a few very new and exciting pieces that have been added. I also wanted to update everyone on my benefit recital. I had an excellent turn out and raised almost all of the money that was necessary. Thank you so much for coming out and supporting me this summer! Remember to check back during the duration of my trip from July 15th-August 18th for daily updates and (hopefully) pictures!

Benefit Recital!

I am hosting a benefit recital to help offset some of the costs of my summer music program in Salzburg this summer! It will be on May 29th, 2010 at 5 pm and will be at Trinity Lutheran Church in Hagerstown Maryland. It will be an hour long program with an intermission and will conclude with light refreshments. The program will include several arias, lieder, french chansons, english art songs, and even a few musical theatre pieces. It is sure to have something for everyone! There will be an area designated for donations, and any amount is very much appreciated. No gift is too small! And even if you can't help to financially support me at this time, I would still love for you to come and enjoy the recital. If you have any questions, feel free to email me, and I look forward to seeing you all there!!!

Address for Church:
Trinity Lutheran Church
15 Randolph Avenue
Hagerstown, MD 21740-4097

Friends of Music

What a day! Friday March 12, 2010, was truly an amazing and overwhelming day. It was an extreme honor to be in attendance at the Friends of Music luncheon. I was also completely humbled and grateful for their generosity to help me get to Salzburg this summer. That is a day that I will not soon forget! As I sat in the room I could feel everyone's support and excitement for me, which was an amazing feeling to have a group of people supporting your dreams and aspirations. I truly could not have done this with out you and I would like to take this time to thank each individual member of The Friends of Music for not only helping to support me, but for helping to support the arts in a time when many arts programs are suffering. These programs are so essential and it is thanks to people like you that they are surviving today! Thank you once again and I can't wait to tell you all about my experience!

What an opportunity!!!

Last year at this time, if you would have told me that I was going to be studying opera in Austria for the summer, I would have thought you were crazy! It has honestly been a whirlwind of excitement and anticipation since I found out that I was accepted to study with The University of Miami, Frost School of Music at Salzburg Program, which specializes in opera and lieder. This is truly going to be an opportunity that will help to guide be into the professional world of singing. I am going to learn so much, meet so many influential people, and experience things that I could never even imagine. Words often fail me when I think about just how amazing this summer is going to be, and I can't even believe sometimes that I get to experience it!!!

I'm going to use this blog to keep in contact with all of those that are supporting me financially, musically, or just keeping me in their thoughts and prayers. So stop by frequently to see all the exciting updates, and especially during my stay where I will keep a detailed, daily log of everything going on.

Thank you so much for your support, it truly means the world to me!!!!!