a harder battle/a better artist.

[to read about the festival, scroll down to below the dotted line]


be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a harder battle. 
-plato


granted, you may be fighting a harder battle than some people you meet... but i don't think plato was saying this to discount any hardship or struggle a person may be facing. he said this to challenge one to think of others as better than his or herself. i want to be kind to everyone, because life is too short. i want to give people the benefit of the doubt more, because life is too short. maybe the person that was rude to me today is fighting a harder battle than me... maybe they are facing something that makes their need for kindness greater than my own. maybe not. does that mean i should be any less kind to them?

Jesus Christ says it even more specifically and presents and even greater challenge:

you have heard that it was said, "love your neighbor and hate your enemy." but I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.
matthew 5:43-46

love. the greek word 'agape' meaning to be well pleased with, to love dearly, to be fond of. selfless love. wow.

thank the Lord that His strength is made perfect in weakness. [2 corinthians 12:9.] where i am lacking in myself or in others, He fills me to the brim. and He promises to give us grace and strength to do that which has called us.

whether you are a Christ follower or not, i think we can all agree that being kind to people is much more freeing than we give it credit. if we look at others as fighting a harder battle than our own... will it make it easier to be kind to them... to love them?

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so i'm not sure if the above made sense, but it has been something on my mind today... and i'm not quite sure why. but i thought that i may process it a little better if i wrote it out, and i believe it did help.

the past two days have been grand... the weather is phenomenal. i think i will get enough sun here to last me through the harsh cleveland winter ahead. we don't get much sun up there by lake erie.  yesterday i had my second aotc audition for scenes, house concerts, etc and i think it went about as well as it could have. there was a big picnic for all the students later that afternoon, and i got to meet more singers and have some fun with them. i'm so blessed to be meeting so many wonderfully talented artists...and the fact that i get to work with them? WOW. we even played frisbee and football together. yes, i threw and caught a football and got word from a baritone, tenor, AND countertenor that i did pretty well! haha :) opera singers can be athletic and do other things for recreation that do not involve music.

today, we had the convocation and it.was.amazing! all of the brass players performed together a strauss fanfare and it was glorious. i just love being enveloped in the powerful sound of beautiful brass. we heard from our president, our deans, and our wonderful music director who gave a very inspirational speech. here is what he said, and i know i won't quote him exactly...but the concept is there.
from the director of music for the aspen music festival and school:

we must spend time in solitude to develop our craft as musicians. but, we must learn to listen and learn from one another.

all musicians, no matter the instrument needs the beauty of phrasing and breath from a singer, the precision of a violinist, the contrapuntal mind of a pianist, the ability to produce a quality sound of delicacy and power in endless range from a brass player, the inexorable rhythm of a percussionist, the personality of a woodwind, and the creativity and open ear of a composer.

. . .

i was so inspired and reminded of why i do what i do. we need each other. we need beauty. i believe God gave us music to give us both of those things... and, to bring us closer to Him.

so-- my thoughts today are to listen more so that i can be a better artist and better friend. to be kind to everyone in case they are fighting a harder battle than my own. to soak up everything i can here because God has blessed me so immensely. wow. soli deo gloria.

[love is patient, love is kind...   1 corinthians 13:4.]

.samantha.

water for the promised land.

hmmm, where to begin? it has been a busy past few days and i am still loving every minute of it! this is really my last leisurely day until i have another day off and i have no idea when that will happen!

let's see, i'll start with today and then sum up the past two. my wonderful voice teacher arrived late last night and met with me on rather short notice to give me a quick lesson. [scene and summer concert auditions are tomorrow.] it was absolutely wonderful. i found my voice again and felt free and open. he's working with me on not packing my breath, because i take a great breath, but have trouble releasing it effectively. let me remind you singers, BREATH IS EVERYTHING! it seems so simple, but seriously, 99.9% of the issues i have are related directly to not taking and releasing an adequate breath through a straight and aligned column of my body. i suppose all of us young singers will eventually get there. vinson always reminds me to be gentle and patient with myself...my head knows what to do, but actually doing it takes time. after the lesson he smiled at me and asked, "do you feel better now?"
"oh yes! so much better!" i exclaimed. he knows me so well. :)

the past couple of days included an excursion to the most beautifully located target ever, really great ice cream, and some time spent with friends who recently arrived. the biggest event was the first libretto read-through of b. britten's a midsummer night's dream. it was sooo much fun, and a little bit terrifying as i am probably the youngest and most inexperienced person in the room. however, everyone is so nice and so wonderfully talented. i was impressed with the level of acting coming out of a bunch of opera singers...aren't we just supposed to stand there and sing? ;) i am very excited to work with all of them and our director. he is great! also, the fairy world costume designs are incredible, as the inspiration comes from alexander mcqueen (check out the link on the exhibit at the metropolitan museum) and lady gaga. so awesome! they are hoping to put oberon, the fairy king, in 7 inch platform shoes. whoa.

on a different note... comparing yourself to others only makes you unhappy. it is one of the Enemy's best tactics and so easy to fall prey to. it creates insecurity, jealousy, hate and dissension. all things the Enemy loves. you know, you're the beloved of God. there's no need to compare yourself to anyone. i'm finding my identity in Him who gives me life in his abundant, eternal, self-existent love.  i'm also continually realizing that you cannot be happy with other people if you are not first happy with yourself. Christ instructs us to "love others as you love yourself," implying that we already have a healthy, God-breathed self love. this does not make one selfish. rather, loving yourself the way God has intended for you to love yourself allows you to be selfless.


lastly, it is incredibly dry here. i think there is even a warning for fires in places below 7 000 ft. [aspen is 8 000, fewf.] and with that i can't help but think of all the biblical metaphors involving dryness and water. whether God provided literal water for his people to drink, or refreshed their souls with His Living Water, like the samaritan woman at the well. His water is deep and refreshing and never runs dry. thirsty?


[you sent abundant rain, o God, to refresh the weary Promised Land. psalm 68:9]


.samantha.

blessed to bless.

it has been a full day and gone by so very quickly! today i officially registered for the summer school and received my neat little packet with all the information i need and don't quite understand yet. :) everyone is so wonderfully friendly and the music school campus is absolutely gorgeous. you know the creek that i love? well, it runs right through the middle of it! the campus kind of takes me back to to my fun 'veritas' days at silver birch ranch, only colorado style. making music right in the middle of the wilderness. i.love.it.

speaking of friendly people, my housemates are so great. they are helpful and funny, and fantastic musicians. i'm excited to get to know them better through the summer.

probably my favorite part of today was writing a thank you letter. during the registration process, scholarship recipients were required to write thank you notes to their sponsors. receiving a full scholarship to be able to come here is probably one of the most humbling things that has ever happened to me. i honestly couldn't wait to write to the wonderful couple that provided for me to experience this summer. i could have sobbed all over the card...thankfully, i held it together. (for those that know me really well, this is a victory!) and, i've discovered that i will get to meet them in person. how wonderful!


they, along with my incredible voice teacher and so many others, were by what i believe is God's unfathomable grace, able to bless me immensely. i have been blessed. 


when God called abram in genesis 12, He said to him, "go from your country and your kindred and your father's house to the land that I show you. and I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing."


i'm finding that although i am not the father of God's chosen people, i am being blessed...so that i may be a blessing. i want to give my best and be committed to excellence (thanks prof) because God has blessed me! i want to bless others in any way i can because God has blessed me! i hope by His mercy and grace God will strengthen me to do this. 


physically, i feel so much better today!! i sang for an hour, and aside from around a perfect fourth in my low-middle register, i felt in very good voice! feels so good to be back! it's so strange how fatigue, atmosphere change, and slight dehydration can make you lose three notes in your voice. i'm sure my muscles will remember them eventually. :)

tonight will involve dinner, shakespeare and a cup or two of tea. be blessed so that you may bless.

[ my soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour...    the words of mary, the holy mother of our Saviour: luke 1:46.]

.samantha.

simple joys.

i am putting off taking my online french midterm. i am still up in the air if taking french online was a good idea, but it was definitely a necessity. i'm more of an interactive, classroom learning type of person. online coursework and i do not mix well.

i'm attempting to sing every day, and this altitude has really affected my voice! breathing isn't really an issue anymore. i have rarely been short of breath today. i have had a headache for awhile and the inside of my nostrils and sinuses feel like the sahara desert. i'm going to try listening and miming through some of my music tonight...as i feel pretty icky and am currently drinking a wonderful cup of throat coat. according to my incredibly intelligent friends at the cleveland institute of music, a singer should not sing after consuming this healing tea. i honestly don't know what i'd do without those great people. just fyi: the tea has a relaxing/numbing agent that coats the muscles of your throat. you could potentially do some damage to your vocal mechanism because your muscles are slightly numb. so, although tonight is a bit more low key, i'm definitely not complaining!

this blog is titled simple joys, and here's why: i had no big adventure, but experienced a lot of little blessings during my day here in the beautiful aspen, colorado.
here are some of my simple joy highlights:

1. greek yogurt and colorado honey for breakfast. the honey is raw and unfiltered and is the sweetest honey i've ever had! oh yum!
2. daisy, my adopted golden retriever, is the sweetest pup there is.
3. 70 degrees and sunny. enough said.
4. there is nothing like the beauty, power, sight and sound of flowing water. perhaps this is one reason why the Lord instructed us to baptize from flowing water.
5. free public transportation with really friendly drivers.
6. the best cafe latte i've had since i was in florence, italy with my wonderful college choir
7. a coffee maker, a ceramic bowl, a wicker basket = $5.
8. the fact that my kroger plus card works at the grocery store here.

i cannot believe that i am here still. and i cannot believe the spirit of peace, joy, and contentment the Lord has been giving me. i can't remember when i have experienced this much solitude and genuinely enjoyed it. i am an extrovert and a bit of a home-body. i love companionship. i like change, but it is difficult for me to adjust at first. this time of change has had a peculiar ease, and i'm incredibly thankful for it. i'm praying that as the school and festival start, and things will become challenging and stressful, i will continue to center myself in Jesus and the peace that he gives. i think this is true for people in all walks of life: worrying doesn't add anything [positive] to your life.

thanks for sticking through to the end of this post. :)

[ be still and know that i am God. psalm 46:10]

.samantha.

the view.

here is just one of the views from the balcony off my room....it changes every minute it seems. last night, the top of the huge mountain to the left was bathed in golden sunlight while the rest of the mountains and the valley were covered in shadow. it was one of those times where a photograph would not have done the view justice. i just sat back and marveled at the beauty in front of me.

in the distance is the bridge that leads to downtown aspen. i may have another adventure there today. i am craving coffee...the heaviness of my eyelids needs the lift from the aroma of freshly brewed coffee!

just for fun...here is my room that i am little by little attempting to make my own....it is perfectly simple and i love the skylights that let in the light from the intense sun...i may be getting sunburnt as i am typing this! :)

i'll be posting later...today's adventure has yet to commence...

.samantha.

to begin: aspen, colorado

hello everyone...

i have been wanting to begin a blog for awhile now, and i have finally decided that now is the time! this blog will [hopefully] chronicle my journey as an opera singer, and serve as a place for me to write on all the ways God continues to prove himself faithful. whether you believe that or not, i hope this blog will be interesting, insightful, and meaningful. i know it will be meaningful for me.

to begin: aspen. yesterday i arrived after many hours of travel in the beautiful aspen, colorado. i am here for the aspen music festival and school which runs from june 22-august 21. i have the incredible opportunity to sing alongside some of the best and learn an immense amount about this beautiful thing called music. i can hardly believe it and am so incredibly thankful! i cannot wait for the festival to begin: to begin learning and singing and building relationships with teachers and colleagues.

this morning i woke up to cloud and mist covered mountains right outside my bedroom window. i opened the window a crack and heard a rushing creek running through the small woods behind my house. i was so taken by the beauty of creation and the sound of the rushing water. water refreshes, renews, cleanses, quenches, reshapes, and re-creates. i am reminded that God is always working in me through His Holy Spirit making me new, and beckoning me to drink of the living water he offers. so much in the last year i have looked for other comforts, other strongholds to keep me stable and secure. i want to be caught up in the mighty refreshing and cleansing power of the Living Water, and stand on the mighty fortress who is my God.

i also went on an adventure by myself today--exploring downtown aspen with only a map in my hand. i wandered around and became familiar with my surroundings, enjoying every minute of it. i don't remember the last time i went on an adventure, doing something unfamiliar with no fear. too often i let myself get comfortable, enjoying the illusion of control. i want to adventure. i want to explore. life is too short to live in fear and in comfort!

to many more adventures this summer, and to much more growth!

[ for god gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self control. 2 timothy 1:7 ]

.samantha.