Back now from my recital.

It went OK, I think. My voice was not great - although I had rather more of it than I have done all week (laryngitis ) I did manage to keep going for the whole performance, although I had to keep scuttling off to get more water, which must have looked a little odd. I'm shattered and my throat aches now, so it's enforced rest for the forseeable future!

We had a few panics beforehand - the church diary secretary hadn't told their churchwardens about the booking, and the latter had arranged for an engineer to come in to work. We arrived just as he was about to cut off the electricity! Fortunately we managed to talk him out of it, but it could have been a little challenging singing in the dark.....

And I forgot my music stand, and then promptly mislaid my music. Fortunately my memory held up, so I didn't need them in the end.

The church heating is a bit of a challenge - we went from chilly to excessively hot in about 10 minutes at the front of the church, while the back by the doors stayed cool through out.

I was glad I managed to get some laughs from the audience during the comic turn - "Hello? Oh Margaret It's You!" from "The Telephone" by Menotti. I also managed the dramatic climax in Richard Strauss's "Beim Schlafengehen". And my voice finally went at the end of the encore.

But I've done it. I'm relieved and exhausted now.

Cheers

Katyjay

Well done - that's quite an amazing acheivment!

When's the Wigmopre hall booked???

Congratulations katyjay!!!!

I love "Hello? Oh Margaret It's You" - I sang through it in one of my singing lessons last year and thought it was absolutely hilarious!!!

Sounds like it went splendidly - celebrate with a glass of something now!!!

So glad it went well. I thought of you when I was getting luch at around 12.45, and sent some vibes down the M3. I'm still furious with my wretched cough that meant I couldn't come and listen, though.

And now for the £64,000 question: What did you wear?

Black top, black trousers, bright red jacket and black high heels.

Well done, Katyjay! We were wondering earlier how you were getting on, glad it was OK!

Well done.

Did you practise singing in high heels beforehand?

Congratulations I am really proud. When you did "The Telephone" at my house it was really funny, you did it really well, especially with laryngitis!

of course!

I would need to practice STANDING in high heels!

Well done!

Car Expert

Well done, Katyjay! See you on Saturday!

Glad it went well, katyjay! You can relax and enjoy the satisfaction of a job well done.

Do you have plans for any more?

Really pleased that it all went well. Hope your voice gets a chance to rest now. Looking forward to seeing you, & everyone else, on Saturday

Thanks everyone.

This recital programme will get at least two more outings - the first being my LTCL exam in early April (yes, I finally got round to filling in the form. I had thought I'd got ages yet, but the closing date's actually Friday ) and the other being in a lunchtime recital at St Olave's Hart Street on 16th June.

After that I may well decide to prepare something else - my accompanist is pushing me to try some Russian songs.

Two things I was pleased about today. The first is that the programme does actually work in its current format - I had wondered about the balance and the order of it, but it's OK. The second is that if I can get through it with a stinking cold today, I'll have more than enough stamina to really do it justice for the exam.

But for now, I need to rest and recover, so that I'm on form for Saturday. Thank goodness playing the piano doesn't need a voice!

Cheers

Katyjay

COOL!!!!!!


Very good news on both counts!

Well done!! A couple of days of well earned respite then

Giving a public recital like this seems to be a very good way of 'practising' for the diploma exam. One thing I found when I took my DipABRSM exam was that I am simply not used to standing up and playing in front of people - i.e. giving a proper performance - so in this sense it was rather difficult. I wished I'd had the chance to put myself in a similar situation beforehand. Doing what you're doing must do wonders for confidence and stagecraft, katyjay!

(Anybody else done or doing recitals in conjunction with a diploma exam...?)

Finally I've found this thread!

Sounds as though you did really well, and the audience appreciated you. As you say, if you can do well enough with a stinking cold, that's great awareness for future performances. Hope your throat stops hurting as soon as possible, and looking forward to seeing you on Saturday.



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