Herzlichen Grüsse aus Österreich

Graz is one of those European cities that is so beautiful you can't imagine that millions of people live there. It's all old palazzos (converted into department stores... geeze) and Monasteries and a cathedral and... a lovely river with a cafe in the middle. Ice cream. The streetcar and some of the shops have "kein Eis" signs on them- an ice cream cone in a circle, crossed out. I don't know how everyone is so thin here with all the ice cream and bier and schnitzel and what have you. I live in the "Heim," or domatory. My room is on the Dritte Stock ("third" floor... if the ground floor is zero), and it's pretty small, but adequate. It's maybe 6x12 feet, and contains cabinets, a desk, a closet, a lovely big sink, and a particularly hard bed. It kind of makes me think of Raskolnikov's room, only maybe (hopefully) less falling apart.

My travel to Graz was fairly uneventful, and it didn't seem too long, luckily. When I arrived in Frankfurt, I was overwhelmed by little things that didn't really strike me last time, for some reason. The different signs. Finding "Passkontrolle" was a bit of an adventure. Maintainance guys rode bikes through the airport. There were little stands where you could smoke. The flight from Frankfurt to Graz was really great. Looking out over the kleinen Dorfs- little groups of houses surrounded by farmland. Definitely gave the impression that Austria is not a place suffering from overpopulation, and would be most happy to take me in. Then we were over a cloud cover... and I watched as we slowly descended, until we were skimming it like over a shining sea, and finally became immersed. The Graz airport is extremely small, and charming.

Now, for a description of AIMS. Quiet hours are from 8pm-8am, and 12pm-3pm. They are relaxed right now, because of hearings (mine is at 4:30 today). So... it's pretty likely that I will at most any time hear someone or everyone singing in their rooms. It's going to take some getting used to. I'm not at the top or at the bottom, here. It's giving me some perspective- today I had a really great conversation with Roberta Cunningham, a soprano who has been singing in Germany and Austria for decades. She said there is no point in trying to get a job in Germany if you don't already live there. Also, she said that graduate school there is a great option, because it costs almost nothing. Definitely a thought to consider. Try to live in North Germany when you first get there, because that is where Hochdeutsch is spoken. I did a master class today with Gabriella Lechner, a singer with the Wiener Volksoper, and my reaction was mixed. She had good technical advice, but I really hate when master class teachers do only technique. I sang Mi chiamano Mimi... and she sang it back to me like Isolde. What??? I do need to let go and share more of myself with people. That is clear. But... argh. She wouldn't even discuss Mimi's character with me when I asked her about it after the masterclass. She kept just telling me I had technical problems. I have very little use for someone who does not at least respect the idea that the singing comes from the character. Without an idea of who the character is, you cannot possibly sing it well. She probably sings every character the same, and has no piano. But I could also be bitter. A little of both, perhaps. Focus on what I can control. I'm going downstairs right now for a lecture about singing in Europe, and then I'm coming back upstairs to warm up for my hearing. And decide if I want to take Gabriella Lechner's advice seriously. I need to get over my distrust of technical advice... but I also treasure my grains of salt. More about Graz some other time.

Altogether, I can't say that I'm missing the US or Delaware very much.