Praise Jesus...

that this opera isn't in French. Ugh... I need a French diction tutor or something.

My goal this summer was to finish the research part of this project. While that's well under-way, I'm finding that the creative part is coming farther and faster than I intended it to (not that I'm complaining). I think perhaps this is because it's just the place I was at in my development as a performer anyway. I felt last semester than the expression really started coming, especially with the musical theatre things, and now it feels like it's right there. Of course, I've not actually performed anywhere for the last few weeks, so I haven't really tested my theory, but I feel like there is a lot more character in my singing, even as I'm learning the music. (This may not make a lot of sense, but hear me out.)

In the past, when I've really worked on music, I've been totally focused on technique and just sounding good. In this latest set of things I'm working on, I'm finding that my brain is now capable of focusing on technique AND characterization. Now I'm seeing scenes unfold in my head and what I would be doing expressively as I practice the music. Along with this, I feel like I've gotten comfortable enough with myself that I'm going to be fairly unhindered in actually expressing what I'm singing about in performance. I've always felt like expression is very tedious and laborious, but now I think I'm finding that it's going to be natural.

Basically, I'm finding that it gets easier with experience, as most things do. I think that once expression is natural and I stop thinking about it, performing is going to be less frustrating and even more fun. We'll see...

As far as Dorabella goes: I'm working with several other area singers on an ensemble for a concert in August, and we're doing one of the finales from Cosi. We were all challenged at our rehearsal last Thursday to find a single object that represents our character and bring it to this week's rehearsal. I've yet to decide for sure on an object, but I've come up with several characteristics that I think describe Dorabella. Now I need an object that fits them. From what I've gathered about her character so far, I'm finding it difficult to describe Dorabella without including her sister in some way. They are together almost the entire opera, and it is hard to separate them in some ways. Basically though, it seems that together they are quite strong, but when separated, Dorabella quickly becomes gullible (as if she wasn't already, believing everything they're told). But really, the sisters have stood true to their men (other than agreeing that a little flirting can't hurt anything) through suicide attempts and an array of other tactics, but the moment the guy gets her alone, she crumbles and gives away her heart. So, on her own, I think she's gullible and of course overly-dramatic, which is natural considering she's a 15-year-old girl. (I'm going to have fun dredging up those memories :s). Perhaps if Dorabella was a modern teenage girl, they would treat her for bi-polar or panic disorder. She can go from deliriously happy to suicidal in the space of a few bars.

I keep coming back to my 14-year-old niece. She's the epitome of an overly-dramatic teenage girl (although thankfully far more sensible than Dorabella). I've found myself watching her lately for her reactions and expressions, and it's really priceless. She's the most hilarious person, and I think she shares many characteristics with Dorabella. Though she wouldn't fall for all the scheming (as no real person would), I can definitely see her having similar reactions to similar circumstances.

Oh, another point I meant to make: digging into the history of the opera can also give you important insights into a character. In looking into the performance history, I was very interested to find out that the original Fiordiligi and Dorabella were actually sisters in real life. Knowing that Mozart would have known who he was composing for, this adds a new dynamic to the interaction of the two characters. The roles were created for them, as sisters, which means that the dynamic between them is crucial. They could have just been friends, but I firmly believe that Mozart didn't do anything without a reason.

All this being said, I still don't know what object I'm going to take to rehearsal, but I think it needs to be something that really just says "TEENAGE GIRL," since almost all of her characteristics, from her flightiness to her dramatics, can be attributed in some degree to her age.