Opera

My friend Kat plays the clarinet in the Brooklyn Symphony orchestra, and last Saturday some of us went to go see them play with singers from the NY Opera Exchange at St. Ann and the Holy Trinity church in Brooklyn Heights.

They played a medley of what I guess are some of opera's greatest hits, my favorite by far being Der Hölle Rache Kocht in Meinem Herze (Hell's Vengeance Boils in my Heart, ha), from Die Zauberflöte (the Magic Flute) by Mozart. It's a technically impressive piece to see performed. I cannot imagine how opera singer becomes the career of choice for young people today, but it's kind of amazing that it still does. I hope someone makes a movie about it like Black Swan. I get incredible stage fright, but besides that, the traveling around the world and dressing like you're going to a ball all the time seems pretty cool.

I also have a terrible voice, the kind that nobody can ever hear and has no presence, so in bars or other noisy places I end up yelling till I get hoarse. Sonya keeps trying to get me to do an improv class with her, but I think I'd die from embarrassment. Maybe a singing class? Or at least a class on how to talk properly using your abdomen? I'd probably fail it. I thought I was super smart choosing a career in the visual arts, but now I'm expected to present, so I can't really escape the stage fright anyway.