O Tannenbaum/Christmas Vrksasana

It's been a busy fall with teaching Yoga for Singers at the ACDA Western Division Student Symposium, singing the soprano solos in Mozart's Coronation Mass with the Southern Nevada Musical Arts Society, and directing UNLV Opera's Suor Angelica and Sancta Susanna. 2014 should start off with a bang, thanks to the National Opera Association/Opera America/National Association of Teachers of Singing convention in NYC! Happy Solstice to all, and here's to a new year of abundance and ambition coming to fruition. #ManifestVisions2014

YFS on tour: Mississippi and Memphis plus Karmany

I just returned from a tour of the South, where I presented Yoga for Singers workshops at the University of Mississippi and the University of Memphis, as well as Karmany Yoga. The yogis at Ole Miss were especially enthusiastic. And the donation-based (and wonderfully named) studio Karmany was a wonderful host. Next up YFS goes to an ACDA Student Symposium. From Tennessee to Texas, university voice students learned how practicing pranayama, asanas, and meditation can enhance their singing. And I got to enjoy the Southern literary community of Oxford, to explore the blues of Beale Street, and to find my zen in the beautiful Japanese Botanical Garden in Fort Worth.

Suor, Susanna, and Strauss

It's that time of year, when arts organizations announce their upcoming seasons. I am pleased to share UNLV Opera's 2013-14 season. It starts with a duo of sisters, Puccini's Suor Angelica and Hindemith's Sancta Susanna, and concludes with the alluring Ariadne auf Naxos. It has always been a dream of mine to direct Strauss, one of my favorite composers. Mark your calendar so you can hear the talented singers of UNLV Opera Theater.

YFS Down Under and SFO in the High Desert

Mark a continent off my Bucket List. Earlier this month I traveled to Australia for the International Congress of Voice Teachers, where I shared Yoga for Singers at a conference session. It was heartening to hear that teachers are using my book in the UK and even down under! Queensland Conservatorium was a lovely setting, right next to Brisbane's version of the London Eye. Håkan Hagegård gave an elegant master class, but I was pleased with the abundance of CCM workshops, especially where I heard a rendition of "How Come You Don't Call Me?" that beats Alicia Keys. Next I'm looking forward to attending Santa Fe Opera for the first time. On the docket are an Offenbach operetta as well as the premiere of the Oscar Wilde opera. My pianist pal Patrick Harvey will appear onstage in Oscar, following up an onstage role as Jake in Houston Grand Opera's Show Boat. I like to think that I started this trend by costuming him as Felix Mendelssohn in my Fanny Mendelssohn, Alma Mahler, Clara Schumann show Your True Calling years ago.

Much Ado about Adieu

The Druid City Opera Workshop had a wonderful fourth year. The avid young artists were very prepared so staging was a rewarding and creative process. I enjoyed the variety of scenes I had the chance to direct. The Papageno/Papagena duet was fluttery and fun while "La ci darem la mano" explored some tantalizing boundaries. The West Side Story scene evoked memories of my own turn as Maria (back when I was 16!) while the Hansel and Gretel excerpt reminded me of when I first directed the show (4 years ago). Speaking of linguistic shifts, the Carmen quintet was done in English which just felt so counter-intuitive--so syllabic and un-French, but still fun. My favorite might have been "Adieu notre petite table" from Manon. Heather Keith delved deeply into this complex and vexing character, making me want to study the role again myself!

Sweet Om Alabama

Miraculously it is May already and the school year is drawing to a close. My final big event for the semester was a lecture for the University Forum sponsored by UNLV's College of Liberal Arts. My presentation was entitled Find Your Om: A Yoga/Meditation Approach to Stress and Success. A diverse audience asked many insightful questions after I shared scientific studies proving the positive physiological and psychological effects of meditation, as well as affirmations from successful yogis ranging from Deepak Chopra to Lebron James. Next, I look forward to my third summer trip to Tuscaloosa to direct opera scenes and teach yoga for singers at the Druid City Opera Workshop. Besides spending time with the inspiring and entertaining Dr. Paul Houghtaling, I get to spend the end of May teaching Mozart, Massenet, and Namaste.

Reunion Recitals, Pretty premiere, NATS in Nevada, and Last minute Lord Nelson

April has been a busy month musically. I returned to Indiana to hear my former student Ali Wregglesworth sing some of my songs (When With You Asleep & Penitent) at her senior recital at the University of Evansville. I also got the chance to present a recital with my former student, singer/pianist/composer Josh Kight. He wrote a song for me ("Les roses de Saadi") that I had the pleasure of premiering, despite its taxing tessitura! Back in Vegas at UNLV Opera Workshop's "I Feel Pretty," coloratura soprano Isabella Ivy premiered a piece I wrote based on the opening of the play Steel Magonlias: "There is no such thing as a natural beauty." The next day UNLV hosted the first Cal-Western Regional NATS Auditions, and the next morning/today I was called to step in for an ailing soprano at the Southern Nevada Musical Arts Society concert. Luckily I had sung both the Lord Nelson Mass and the Mozart Alleluja before, but it had been a while and there was no time to rehearse with the orchestra. It goes to show, always be ready, and seize the opportunity to sing!

Spring cleaning, social media, & Sedona

It's spring break! Time to cleanse, update, reboot. Yoga for Singers is now on Instagram as well as Pinterest. I'm looking forward to a trip to Sedona this week, which should include yoga, hiking, and vortexes, oh my. Then it's time to prepare for NATS, a solo recital in Evansvile, and the final opera workshop of the school year. More information soon, until then "I shall see you in my garden, and spring will come and stay."

Another beautiful poster by talented costumer/graphic artist/soprano Daniella Toscano heralds UNLV Opera's upcoming production of The Elixir of Love. I warned my students that someone always falls in love during an Elixir and indeed it has happened yet again. Come to see the show and guess who! Donizetti's opera will always have a dear place in my heart. My first voice teacher gave me her Elixir own score when I was only 16, saying that she hoped to hear me sing Adina one day. I did go on to sing Adina, and now I am directing Adinas.

Grossmann & Donizetti

The life of a performer/teacher is a juggling act, but it's nice to keep all of the balls in motion. Tonight I was invited to sing the Lament of Juliet, Jorge Grossmann's "The Lark's Voice Doth Us Affray," with the UNLV Symphony Orchestra. The concert took place during my rehearsal for UNLV Opera's upcoming production of The Elixir of Love. Luckily my Assistant Director/Graduate Assistant is an incredibly experienced professional singer in her own right, so a recitative rehearsal continued while I was performing in a nearby building. Then it was lovely to return to rehearsal and stage Nemorino's and Adina's climactic arias. Elixir has always had a soft spot in my heart, and I hope my Vegas-themed concept brings new insights to Donzietti's well-loved work.

Portland: Espresso + opera

The National Opera Association convention in Portland was enlivening, thanks to lots of caffeine and lots of operatic insights. My favorite discoveries included the world premiere of a clever chamber opera entitled "How to Date a Coloratura" and the top-rated coffeehouse Barista. Best of all, the conference gave me a great idea for a new chamber opera of my own. More on that in the months/years to come. In his session, composer Kirke Mechem ("Tartuffe") said it takes 3 years to write an opera, so I better get going. It could also take 3 years to work one's way through all 68,000 square feet of Portland's Powell's Books.