What a beauty!!

She understands the art of self expression.

She has no fear wearing a bit of plumage.

She wears her jewels with pride.

She never leaves home without her most important accessory.

Meet the latest addition to my collection . . .

The ultimate diva fluff pen,

"Madame Konigen Der Nacht"

Rejected

Got a rejection letter in the mail today. I wasn't overly interested in the program but I sent a CD anyway kind of as a back up plan. Even when my heart isn't overly invested in certain auditions, I still struggle with the little negative voices that pop up in my head when rejected. The voices that question my talent, my desire, my passion, my work, and whether or not I should even continue with this whole singing thing. I guess I better gear myself up for the possible rejection that could come from the auditions where my heart is invested. Gotta love the psychological games that come from investing oneself in an art form.

Rejection is the one part of the singing world that I'll never get used to.

It just downright stinks.

Spring Chicken!!

"BAWK, BAWK, BAWK!"

Only 6 months old and Julia already has exquisite taste in music. She has taken an immediate liking to Bach . . . . . Okay she likes Bawk, as in chicken not Bach as in Johann Sebastian (one can dream though:). She has this Baby Einstein DVD where a little chicken puppet dances across the screen and sings Bach compositions, chicken style. I don't get it, but Julia laughs when she sees it. So Jen and I have taken it upon ourselves to cluck like chickens to make Julia smile. (It really is amazing what we will do to get a smile or a laugh from our little diva.)

I've been trying out some early childhood music techniques with Julia. It's so great to be able to apply the stuff to an actual baby. There's a lot of clapping, and moving and singing. If I were using proper early childhood methods I should be teaching easy sol fege songs like Mary had a little lamb but I've chosen to modify the methodology a little and teach Julia opera arias instead. For some reason she has really taken a liking to Carmen's Habenera (now that's great taste, even though it is a mezzo soprano aria:) Julia usually smiles when I sing it, but I can't really get a big huge giggle out of her. Last month after another viewing of Baby Bach, I started singing Carmen like a chicken, and Julia just couldn't stop laughing and giggling. It's sooo heart meltingly cute to watch her laugh like that!!! Even on my way out the door when I wasn't being a chicken she'd look at me and laugh. I know she's probably thinking, 'Auntie Diva you're a crazy lady, but your funny hee hee!!'.

Do the Chickens have large talons? :)

Coincidentally the other day I was doing a serious search on i-Tunes for a recording of Caro Nome when I accidentally came across the most amusing recording ever. I found a recording of the aria by a soprano named Orielle Smith. I opened up the file and listened to the sample expecting a lovely rendition of Verdi's classic aria from Rigoletto. I couldn't believe my ears! It appears as though Orielle Smith is a chicken. I died laughing. She has an entire CD called The World's Favorite Cluckoratura Arias. She does all the famous coloratura arias as a chicken. She even does Der Holle Rache (The Queen of the Night aria) chicken style!! It's absolutely Hilarious, especially since I can say from first hand experience that most coloratura sopranos tend to sound like chickens a lot of the time!!!

I just couldn't resist downloading that Queen of the Night aria, since it is my favorite diva role! Achilles can't believe that I paid 0.99 for the chicken version of it. Little does he know that I plan on downloading the entire CD for $6.75 as an Easter gift for Julia. I know she'll love it. It'll be Bawk all the time for Jen, Achilles & Julia. How cultured our little diva will be, tee hee!! :)

I have to be honest, I'm just relieved that I'm not the only diva who has resorted to singing opera "bawk style" to get a laugh. All I have to say is never underestimate the power of an opera singing chicken, cause not only do we have the vocal agility required to sing clukoratura soprano arias, but we also make great eggs :)

http://www.orrielsmith.com/index.htm

face in the dirt

There's something freeing about coming before the cross and putting one's face in the dirt. As I finally took the time to examine a great deal of the dirt in my life while preparing for downpour over the past month I had no choice but to go before Him. When I did, I found that I couldn't seem to get low enough. Repentance will always be a tremendously difficult thing to do but there is such power in it. The thing that kept me before the cross in the dirt last Saturday was knowing that Christ was above me, waiting for me to get up and look into His eyes, it made the desperation to be cleansed that much more intense. When I finally did get up after examining the dirt and presenting it to Him for what it was, I was able to see more of the beauty, more of the radiance, more of the love and more of the mercy in Christ's eyes. The dirt was washed away in tears of repentance and my Lord was magnified as a result.

I Praise the Lord for His unending love that never changes. Even when I fail to comprehend His love for me because my eyes are blinded by sin, His love is more powerful than anything I'll ever experience. I am thankful that I can truly surrender everything at His feet. I am overwhelmed yet again by His grace and mercy. I am thankful that I can come to Him in repentance and be cleansed of the dirt in my life. I praise Him for His word of truth and for the way it was presented at downpour last weekend. I praise Him for His faithfulness, for His glory for His majesty, for the cross and His resurrection.

I'm finally ready to receive His downpour. Revival has begun. Hallelujah!

Let us know. Let us press on to know the Lord.
His going out is as sure as the dawn.
He will come to us as the showers,
like the spring rain that waters the earth
Hos 6:3

Amen

Lessons from Auntie Diva

(Julia strikes the ideal diva pose)

Diva Lesson #4

A Diva must master the art of picture posing.

Diva's are often hounded by photographers who are dying to capture a bit of our natural beauty, elegance and radiance.

Tips on how to master the art of picture posing

1. Even if you are fully aware that someone is going to snap a shot it doesn't hurt to look a little caught off guard, it makes for a more natural look. Remember, a diva's job is to give the impression that there's no effort involved in being so wonderful :) (see above photo)

2. Keep in mind that the eyes are the window to the soul. Widening the eyes a little adds drama, and makes us more intriguing :) (see above photo)

3. Making it look as though we are about to sing the most ethereal coloratura cadenza ever is the easiest way of reminding those viewing the photograph of what we do best. AAAAAAAA!! :) (see above photo)

4. A diva must do whatever it takes to look dramatic yet ever so adorable when photographed, even if we are caught with a little drool on our t-shirt :) (see above photo)

It takes a real man to wear a tiara

Diva always says: "It takes a real man to wear a tiara!"

12 manly men proved this statement to be true as they helped

celebrate my birthday this weekend.

I wonder how many of them went home afterwards

and admired themselves in the mirror,

because they really did look ever so lovely in all that diva sparkle!

Thanks boys for being such good sports! You truly made this a birthday to remember :)

Diva kisses to you all. mmmmmmwa!!

The real diva in Stephen shines as he lets out a lovely operatic "ahhhhh!". Pretty!

Graham is a little bit timid about actually wearing the tiara on his head, but Brian and Keith sport theirs with a manly confidence. Beeeeautiful!!

Awww Nishant, that tiara will go so well with all your pretty scarves :) Stunning!!

Not only did Aaron enjoy the tiara but he also found great joy in accessorizing with candy necklaces and tacky prop jewelry. Radiant!!

Eric & Brian make tiara wearing look like an everyday thing. Gorgeous Dah-ling!!

Eric wore 2 tiaras that night!! The faux fur looks rather angelic I think. Sweet!!

Joel sparkles in his tiara designed exclusively by Mr. Dolla Rama. Ravishing!!

Cadence goes to the Junos

Last night was soooo much fun! Celebrating Cadence's Juno nominations was just great. The group's popularity has grown so much over the past couple of years and it's such a joy to watch it all happen. Those guys never fail to disappoint with their amazing talent and great humour.
What's really extra special is seeing Ross up on that stage living his dream. Ross was one of my buds in music school. He was always the class clown, the fun guy, the guy who knew how to make light of any serious moment. He was there through it all, cracking jokes in 1st year musicianship, making us die of laughter in harmony and counterpoint and constantly playing practical jokes on Virginia:) It was always nice to pass Ross in the hallway, cause he'd always give the most encouraging smile, and some days after sitting in a practice room for hours on end that was all I needed to brighten my day. As big of a ham as Ross was he loved his music and took learning seriously. He was always so talented and explored all the different music styles. At the time he never really had a vision for his music, he just knew that he loved it and wanted to pursue some kind of music career. I don't know if he ever saw himself where he is today, but now everytime I see him on stage performing with CADENCE it's so apparent that he has found his niche in acapella vocal jazz. He has even managed to incorporate his "class clown" personality as part of the show:) I just can't help but feel so proud of him. I see how far Ross has come and it gives me a bit of hope! It's cool to see that some people from those crazy undergrad days are actually making a living at the music thang, and now even being nominated for Juno's. Wow!! Very Inspiring.
http://www.cadence-unplugged.com