…which may be one of the cutest things I’ve ever seen.

AND the fact that my dear friend Paige will be visiting me next weekend! She’s in Oxford studying Japanese Literature and I miss her like crazy. Here are some pictures of the two of us!

At Jewell after a Schola Cantorum concert (she's so supportive!)

With Rowan in our dorm room!

In Oxford earlier this year when I went to visit her!

Today I’m doing dissertation work… and then going to London this evening to see Tales of Hoffman!

Here’s a promotional video for the production we’re seeing:

Hope you all have a fabulous Saturday!

I am currently in the middle of a never-ending maelstrom of work.

Today’s to-do list, (taped to my mirror), is a horrifying collection of unsavory tasks including (but not limited to):

- Write min. 500 words of dissertation

- Read for dissertation

- Brainstorm/plan Wagner essay

- Review notation notes

- Figure out notation assignment

- Attend notation supervision (bliwejljgslijrewoirjfsd)

So far I have not been able to walk into a notation supervision without a wave of intense dread washing over me. I  just can’t shake this feeling of ineptitude when it comes to transcriptions. I always manage to get the rhythms correct, (which our professor points out is supposed to be the difficult part), but I always screw up parts of the pitching. It’s such a ridiculous and persistent issue! Even when I triple-check, something is always wrong.

I would share even more details of my ineptitude, but I don’t want you to stop reading. Anyway, I keep telling myself that it’s just an hour and that the supervisions are meant to HELP me get BETTER, not mortify me.

Just to clarify, (because I know I sometimes use annoying jargon), transcribing means to take a piece of music that looks like this:

(This is an example from a lecture, but wasn't an assignment.)

And turning it into this:

I suppose it’s a lot like translating languages in that it requires a knowledge of the nuances of two different systems of writing.

…………………….

I’m getting sick again. I’ve felt weak the past few days and have had difficulty focusing and some scary ear-ringing. At first I thought I was just becoming slightly stupider and also maybe deaf, but apparently it was just a symptom of having a fever. While I hate feeling ill, I’m fine with it as long as I still have my voice. Lots of special services coming up, including Ash Wednesday. (We’re singing the Allegri Miserere Mei, which I love… and, alas, am not singing the solo for…)

If you’re keen, I’d suggest this version (with subtitles!) recorded on BBC. You won’t regret a quick listen; it’s gorgeous.

[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mh6s71MicgY&feature=related]

(Schola Cantorum sang it last year in our concert of Italian early music in the spring. Mom, Dad, Carol, and Carlos may remember hearing it? I can’t remember who else was in the solo quintet except that Kyle sang bass! Still the most cathartic vocal line I’ve ever gotten to sing – gah, that high C!)

Anyway, so fingers crossed that my little voice holds out. I could work through anything else.

………………………

Besides the notation supervision and being a little ill, this weekend is going to be really, really great. Evensong tonight is just women’s voices, which will be a fun change of pace! Formal hall to follow, nnatturralllyy! On Saturday night I’m going to London to see The Tales of Hoffman at the Coliseum with a friend. So excited – I’ve never seen it live! AND I’ve never been to the Coliseum. Then on Sunday there’s another evensong and we’re singing the Howell’s Westminster service, which is a really beautiful one.

………………………

The next two weeks are going to be very, very busy. Hopefully after that things will taper off a little. It’s so difficult to believe that I’m halfway through my time here… it feels like it’s just flying by. I’m very much looking forward to a visit from my friend Pat in two weekends, and also to DUBAI. (I just learned that Dad will casually be in Dubai on the weekend to hear us sing!!!!)

Sorry for the overarching whininess of this post. Will try to improve that in future,

Hannah

This made me laugh:

Love you,

Hannah

Anyway, last night I seriously bundled up for my walk to choir. I’m talking leggings under jeans, thermal socks, boots, bright pink hoodie with hood pulled tight on head, gloves, bright blue overcoat buttoned up to my chin, and an orange scarf wrapped so thoroughly around my head that only my eyes were visible. I had zero peripheral vision, but man, I was so warm!

I’m thankful for my rare foresight, as it started snowing on my walk into town. It was light snow, so I assumed it would stop while we were rehearsing. This was…. not the case. It was snowing heavily when we got out. Because I was scared of being on a bus on the icy/snowy roads and really couldn’t be bothered to wait for a bus anyway, I suited up and trudged home. (Really, it’s only a 30 minute walk and takes the same amount of time on a bus somehow.)

I was perfectly warm the whole time, but by the time I got back to my dorm, I was crusted over with snow. I looked like a lumpy little snowman.

Here’s a picture. Most of the snow melted away before I could set up my webcam, but you get the idea. And you can see my fashionable color combination.

In more exciting news…

On Wednesday, we had a Very Special Guest at the choir Vespers service. A very kind, generous, and unbelievably wealthy duke came for a visit. Thankfully, we sang well and were on our best behavio(u)r at the wine and cheese meet-and-greet that followed.

He wrote our director the nicest email about us. Here’s an excerpt:

 Yesterday evening was magical and I can’t thank you enough for having put it
all in place – not just  for me to be there but to be  so kindly looked after
by one and all. The experience in Chapel was  utterly beautiful and absorbing
and I felt transported far away from cares and worries and trivia. Meeting 
your wonderful band of singers added another dimension – so refreshingly
natural and committed. What a very special grouping you have created.

As if this very sweet note wasn’t enough, he’s going to let us have our pre-summer tour rehearsals at his estate, (read: palace/castle).

Aerial view from Google of Boughton House

Here’s the castle’s website: http://www.boughtonhouse.org.uk/

So beautiful!

I hope you all have a great weekend!

Love,

Hannah

Then the river completely froze over.

(It’s been SO cold here lately.)

And then last night, (while I was at the edgy dinner party in London), it snowed about six inches! In spite of the fact that I had to trudge through a windy snowstorm from the train station to Homerton in ballet flats and tights, I was in awe of how beautiful it all was! The snow has made Cambridge look even more like a postcard than it normally does. I can’t wait to take lots of pictures on my way to choir today!

Until then, here’s the view outside my bedroom window:

Several snowmen have already sprung up around Homerton. I love that the urge to play in snow doesn’t go away, even when you’re a twenty-something at University. :)

Okay, now about the DINNER PARTY!!! For those of you who didn’t read the last post, I was invited to go to this pop-up dinner party/art installation in London by my friend Talia. The dress-code was all black and the website promised an evening that would challenge our “perception of reality”. While my sense of reality remains pretty much intact, I did meet wonderful new people and had an absolute blast! And the food was great.

For those curious, this is what I wore: (sorry it’s really silly, I was kind of in a rush and couldn’t be bothered at the time.)

I tried my best to look edgy given my resources. To that end, I bought a pair of “distressed tights”, thinking that would up the edge factor, but I think really it just made me look like I’d ripped my tights. And they were not very warm.

The dinner party was held in St. Pauls’ Church in Islington:

As far as I deduced, the dinner was a bit of a social experiment. There was a large screen at the front of the space and throughout the evening, someone was writing what various people in the party were doing, for instance, “Man shakes woman’s hand, she laughs.”

It was interesting to watch. People slowly started to subtly check the screen to see if their latest behavior had made it up there. Some people started doing increasingly drastic things to get the attention of the Big Brother figure, like standing on their chair, or even doing handstands!

Thankfully, Talia and I were sitting next to two really normal but incredibly interesting girls who were also not taking the social experiment too seriously. They were both in their late twenties and had really cool jobs in London. Anna is an art director who just started her own business with a friend, (at 27! Amazing!). Alice works in film production on the advertising side. They were so kind and fun to talk to. We completely lucked out.

By the time we left, the snow had gotten worse and it was still snowing! We prayed that the trains would still be running and luckily managed to find a cab to take us to King’s X. (The Victoria Line, the only underground line we could’ve used, was under construction this weekend – lucky us!)

Talia in the snow!

We managed to get on the 11:15, which was only running about ten minutes late. From there, it was just an incredibly harrowing twenty minute walk back to Homerton and I was home safe and sound by 2 am.

Here’s what I came back looking like:

IT WAS SO SO SO COLD!

And you can’t tell from the picture, but I had a snow helmet on my head from the walk. Hilarious. (And wet.)

So that was my Saturday night! It was such good fun. Now all I want to do is go play in the snow! Alas, I have a lot of reading to do…

Love,

Hannah

On Friday and Sunday the dinners will be at Sidney, as usual. The usual highlight of my week, they will only be eclipsed this time around because of the dinner on Saturday night, which is a dinner party/art event being held “somewhere in London.” I’m going with my hopelessly chic and generous friend, Talia. (Thank God her boyfriend is busy!)

Here’s the link to the website for the event on Saturday: A Tasteful Space

As far as we know, the format is a dinner party with 50 strangers, who dine in some sort of interactive art installation. The website promises that it will be “an experiment in performance, space, and how we perceive reality” and the dress code is all black. So edgy!

While I’m having a minor freak out deciding what to wear, (I have mountains of black performance wear, but not a single piece of “edgy” clothing.), I’m so, so excited to get to go! I’ll let you know how it goes!

In slightly more depressing news, I had a bike incident yesterday.

Okay, so there’s this road crossing that I have to do at least five times a day to get to the University Library/Music Faculty from my college. Once the light turns red, you have about three seconds to bike yourself across before the cars rev up again. And you have to position yourself so you go between these two hip-height wooden poles. Well, yesterday, I was calmly, (and, thankfully, carefully) biking across the street when a horrible girl whizzed up and cut off my access to going between the poles. My options were either to ram into her bike or swerve and hit the wooden pole. I hit the pole. AND SHE KEPT BIKING even though she MUST have known that her idiocy had caused me to fall down. In the moment, I was just embarrassed and thankful that the people behind me were kind pedestrians who help me up and commiserated about the horrible, awful girl.

In hindsight, it was just so unbelievably irresponsible of her to bike that way through that intersection! Moreover, she showed no care or feeling about the girl she left mangled in her path (ME). My world view really took a hit.

Unfortunately, so did my bike.

While I was perfectly fine, (only my pride was wounded!), my bike did not fair so well. The tires have gone wobbly and my brakes are pretty much shot. I’m fairly sure it’ll cost about as much as I paid for the bike to get it fixed. Awesome.

Anyway, it’ll be okay. Statistically, I was going to fall off my bike sooner or later. I’m confident that I couldn’t have done anything other than what I did, given the situation. I’m glad I wasn’t going too fast and that I had the presence of mind to avoid hitting the other biker, even though she totally would’ve deserved HER bike getting wrecked.

C’est la vie

Love you,

Hannah

Well it’s been just about a week. Sorry about that!

Eric Whitacre night at choir was super fun! He was really nice. He hadn’t ever heard the piece he wrote for us and kept cutting whole pages and re-writing notes in the middle of rehearsing us! Definitely a new experience. And the changes made it so much better. He videotaped our rehearsal so I’ll keep a look out to see if he puts it up on Youtube or Facebook.

After the service, we all went to Choir Pub (yeah!) to unwind. I left with a friend after the first round, and now I’m KICKING myself for doing that because Eric Whitacre apparently showed up right after I left! Between the remaining choir members, our director, Eric, and a few fellows of the College they managed to rack up a £275 bar tab. Which is… well, that’s a lot.

On Friday and Sunday we had great evensong performances. On Sunday night, we had a little get together to celebrate a soprano’s birthday, which was really fun.

Here are some pictures, which are kind of terrible – particularly of me! But I always feel bad when I post without pictures:

On Monday I wrote an essay for my Wagner course that I think is actually quite good! I’m usually so insufferably angsty about my essays, but I’m feeling confident about this one. Last night I went to a great colloquium that was given by my Spirituality of Pop Music professor. She was talking about the religious “festivalization” practices in Toronto’s annual Jesus in the City Parade. Quite the niche topic, but it was really interesting and went along well with stuff we’re learning in the class.

Hmm, what else? Oh, I had a notation supervision last week that was terrifying and scary par usual. It is impossible for me to have a good time in a notation supervision. Also, the professor insists on keeping his office boiling hot. And we have to sit in these huge couches that you positively sink into. It is very hard to be professional when you’re constantly trying to extricate yourself from couch cushions. Ugh. On the plus side, I found out that he doesn’t even know my name, so at least I’m not so bad that I’m infamous. (He kept calling me Elsie of all things. What?!)

In more exciting news, I can officially and ecstatically announce that my parents and Aunt Stacy will be visiting me at the end of April! I am beyond excited to take them around and show them all the things I’ve been harping about on this blog. Anyone else who wants to join is more than welcome! There will be room in our punt for all. :)

Love love love,

Hannah

P.S. I recently got asked to sing in a performance of Spem in Alium which is this famous but rarely performed work by Thomas Tallis. It’s rarely performed because it’s a 40-part motet. FORTY PARTS!!!! The performance isn’t for a month but I’m a little giddy about the prospect. Here’s the Tallis Scholars performing it:

P.P.S. My favorite Tallis piece, which will be sung at my funeral: (DIBBS!)

Cue the Valkyriesssss!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

While you listen to that relaxing (haha) music, I’ll tell you about my life! Well, Mikado callbacks went… not as planned. I got caught in a thoroughly expectable (as opposed to “freak”) rainstorm on my bike ride there, and went in looking more like a drowned rat than a capable actress. Things were still going well until I was told to act “flirty”, at which point things got weird and uncomfortable for all of us in the room.

Long story short, I got chorus, but I’m still rather excited about being in it. Also, this means that I won’t have to spend loads of time that I really don’t have learning a lot of silly Gilbert and Sullivan music, which, while charming, is thoroughly ridiculous.

But I’m sure it’ll be fun and everyone seems really nice. (We had our first read-through on Monday night.)

AND TONNIIIGGHHTTTT our choir is being conducted in rehearsal and performance by composer Eric Whitacre. I would describe his music as “fairy whales singing in a giant womb”. (I know, I should totally go into music criticism.) Anyway, I’m psyched to meet him. Apparently he’s just super nice and congenial. (DUH, he’s AMERICAN!) Pictures coming soon. I’ve decided to be a giant choir dork badass and ask him to take a picture with me. Mostly for your benefit. You’re welcome.

The "Eric Whitacre Collection" we sing from often in Sidney

I want to take a moment to make a proclamation. IF and WHEN I ever get married, I am having this song sung at my wedding. NO ONE ELSE CAN HAVE IT AT THEIR WEDDING. I’ve officially CALLED it. Back off!!!!! It’s Eric Whitacre’s “This Marriage”.

Isn’t it beautiful?!

Also, I think it was Gen (sister Gen!) who suggested doing Marilyn Manson for my research project for Spirituality of Pop Music, which would be absolutely PERFECT. I’ve done some preliminary research and I’m hoping that no one else has a clever sister who gives them the same suggestion, because I’m really interested in learning more about him. (No immediate plans to convert to Satanism, people. No worries!)

Alright, I think that’s it for now. Love you all and I hope you’re having a great week!

Xxxx,

Hannah

Awesome! Our professor is really young and enthusiastic. Plus she’s American! It’s going to be a really intense class, but it’ll also be something completely new and different! We have regular papers and readings, but we also get to do this research project that involves doing ethnography, interviews, etc at a local faith community that uses popular music. We’re also doing oral presentations about a popular music genre or artist/group that is explicitly religious and/or uses religious imagery and references in their lyrics and/or music videos. I’m open to any suggestions if you guys have any! My first thought was Lady Gaga or Bob Dylan, but I know other people will use those two and I was hoping for something a little more off the beaten path…

My Wagner lectures don’t start until next week but I’m really excited about starting those as well. I love that these three new courses are all on radically different subjects.

In other news… I was cajoled (it really didn’t take much cajoling) into doing an audition last night. It was for “The Mikado”, which is a Gilbert and Sullivan comic opera.

G&S is RIDICULOUSLY popular here – another extremely accurate British stereotype! Anyway, I suppose the audition went alright. The people doing the auditions were very, very nice – and completely accepting of the fact that my audition song was woefully inappropriate for the show (not even in English!) I wish I’d decided earlier to audition, but I think it was fine. I think it would be a great show to be in while here in Cambridge. Plus I’d get to spend more time with my friends who bullied me into auditioning in the first place! Supposedly we’ll know by tomorrow (Saturday) afternoon if we’ve gotten in, so I’ll keep you posted.

To keep you entertained until then, here’s a sequence of pictures my friend Pat took of me after we hiked all the way up (and back down!) the Eiffel Tower! (On the plus side – absolutely NO LINES! How many people can say that?!)

Have a fantastic weekend!

- Hannah

P.S. Tonight is the first sung evensong and formal hall of the term! SO PSYCHED!

I know, I know - I need new pictures... but aren't we a nice-looking choir???

Sidney Choir started back on Friday and MAN, we came back to a ridiculous amount of music. I think we picked up 25 pieces on Friday… looking forward to more and more and more as the term picks up! We’re doing a lot of cool work this term, including a piece for our Dubai tour written by a member of the choir! It’s beautiful.

It’s been so nice to hang out with everyone again. On Friday night, a lot of us went to the choir pub for drinks and a nice chat. (I didn’t do much drinking, though. I unfortunately bought a pint of the most horrendous tasting beer ever. I couldn’t even drink 1/5 of it!) It was a really great night. For some reason, conversation centered on cheese jokes. Then we played Scrabble. I love choir pub – 10% discount and free baskets of chips! (French fries.) Last night, I went to dinner with Liz, another soprano, during the break. I had really missed talking with her! Cambridge is a much more cheerful place when it’s filled to the brim with students again. :)

I’ve got four more hours of Sidney rehearsals today, and then two on Monday evening. After that, the regular Wednesday/Thursday/Friday/Sunday schedule picks up. The first evensong is this Friday! (Followed by the first formal hall of the term – joy!)

My first lecture of term is on Wednesday. Just to fill everyone in, this is what I’ll be working on this term:

Wagner’s Ring Cycle (definitely looking forward to this most of all)

Spirituality and Pop Music (taught by an American! Whee!)

Notation (Part II)

Dissertation (yyaaayyyy…)

Finishing up Britten (only one more supervision on this though!)

Today is Move-In day for the rest of the college. I’m looking forward to seeing everyone again, although I have really enjoyed being able to leave all my stuff in the shower and prancing to the bathroom in the middle of the night without bothering to put on trousers*.

Love you all,

Hannah

* – Normally I’d say pants, but here, pants means underwear. I’ve put my foot in my mouth SO MANY TIMES with that little cultural discongruity, so I’ve vowed to coach myself out of it!