Sookie Stackhouse song premieres

Tonight was the joint voice faculty recital at the University of Evansville. I sang my song cycle Pleas to Famous Fairies, which my former student Laura Collins premiered in 2009. But for this event I wrote a new fairy song "Sookie Stackhouse" in honor of the True Blood character who was recently revealed to be a fairy. The audience laughed at the song's Jersey Shore joke (Sookie-Snooki). And it was great fun to sing the Offenbach Orpheus Fly Duet, the Merry Widow Cavalier duet and an HMS Pinafore trio with my colleagues.

YFS at NOA

I started the new year by giving a presentation at the 2011 National Opera Association convention in San Antonio. Entitled Yoga Breathing and Meditation for Opera Singers, the session focused on using pranayama techniques as well as meditation with mantras, mudras, and chanting. It was great to see former mentors and old friends such as David Holley (UNCG Opera Theatre) and Paul Houghtaling (UA Opera Theatre).