Getting Started

Now that my travels are over for a while, my entries will become less frequent. But I intend to give updates on my life and activities here in the city of Graz now and then.
There are three students here from the UMKC Conservatory, one of them an older, experienced soprano with whom I have worked in the past. She arrived yesterday and I took her to dinner at the local cafe so that she wouldn't have to deal with too much new stuff (language, funny money, etc.) She's in the opera program, so I won't be seeing all that much of her. There is also one student who was at the Seagle Colony for two summers. She is one of the sweetest young people I know. I'm glad she's here. My closest connection here, Sarah and Gustavo Halley, have been raving about Graz for years. They think it is the most wonderful place in the world. Granted, the inner city, one of the biggest in Europe, has been declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO, but it hasn't made that much of an impression on me yet. It is slowly growing on me as I get to explore more. Just behind the Elizabeth Strasse, where the Studentenheim is located, there is a beautiful neighborhood of old villas. At the turn of the last century this area was at the edge of the city and the elite of Graz built their homes here. Some are in Italian Renaissance style, some in Jugendstil which, in the decades before WW I, was very big in Vienna. Each villa is surrounded by spacious grounds and gardens. It is a lovely place to take an evening walk as it is quiet and there is little traffic. From a vantage point at the end of this street one can see nearby green hills and fields. Is this the city or the country? Yesterday I took a long walk in the Altstadt and passed the Opera House. If you have read some of my earlier blog entries, you might remember the photo of R. Strauss, G. Mahler and G. Puccini at the side door of the Opera House after the Graz premiere of "Salome". Yesterday I stood on that very spot and wondered what other important figures from the music world had passed over it. On another walk I passed an old house with a plaque announcing that the famous conductor Karl Böhm had first seen the light of day there. The most famous favorite son of Graz these days is Arnold Schwarzenegger, and I hear the Grazers are very proud of him. Local boy does good and becomes Governor of California -- not bad.
Today we had an introductory meeting of the vocal staff and students. There are 130 vocalists (and there is an orchstra here as well). There must be 50-60 faculty/staff, including voice teachers, opera coaches, Lieder coaches, diction coaches (including Russian, French and Italian), stage directors, German language teachers, opera accompanists and Lieder accompanists. It is quite an impressive group (so, what am I doing here?). Compared to the small and personal experience I have had for the past 12 summers, this is a little overwhelming. I don't do well in large groups. Tomorrow we start hearings of all the vocalists for placement in the programs and assignments to upcoming concerts. Of course, 75% of the singers are sopranos. I'm curious to hear what the level of singing is here. Most of the stronger voices will no doubt be in the opera area.