“The coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in San Francisco.” –Mark Twain

Truer words were never spoken! The summers here in San Francisco are always much colder than I remember or imagine them to be. I have learned from this trip and will remember to pack more sweaters next time. It is hard to believe that my time in this fantastic city is coming to a close. I arrived here on April 11th to begin rehearsals for The Ring Cycle and what a wonderful adventure these past three months have been! I was lucky enough to be a part of the San Francisco Opera premiere of Das Rheingold in 2008 and immediately fell in love with the production. I knew then that the full Ring was going to be something very special. Besides the incredible music, I love the people. I love the camaraderie and innate ensemble nature of the piece. It is a piece that unifies the performers as we all strive together to tell an intricate story full of love, greed, loss, courage, betrayal and redemption. The Ring has been a big part of my career and I love that with each production it teaches me something new about my artistry and myself.

While in San Francisco I have fully engaged in three of my favorite activities, running, yoga and eating!! Everyone knows the food in San Francisco is incredible and I have fully taken advantage of that perk. I tend to lean mostly vegetarian these days and the city is full of wonderful organic vegetarian choices. A friend recently took me to Gracias Madre, a restaurant in the Mission that serves organic Mexican cuisine. Among my favorites on the menu were the sweet potato quesadillas and the dulce de leche ice cream made from coconut milk…so super yummy! Another wonderful restaurant I was introduced to this trip was Bar Jules. It is a lovely little cafe in Hayes Valley that serves fresh locally grown produce in a delightful atmosphere. Yoga is a big part of my life and some of my favorite yoga studios happen to be in San Francisco! Three of my regulars are Yoga Tree in Hayes Valley, International Orange in Pacific Heights and Aha Yoga in the Marina. All of the teachers in these studios are wonderful and inspiring in their own unique ways. As for running, nothing pleases me more than heading down the hill to the waterfront and running along side the bay. Of course I have a monster hill to contend with on my way back up, but it is all worth it for the view and the buns of steel!

This will be an experience that I will always cherish. It has been a special time of reconnecting with old friends and establishing new life long friendships. There are few experiences in life like frolicking around the stage singing “Rheingold, Rheingold!” and “Hojotoho!” with your operatic sisters. It is a truly healing, empowering and uniting experience, one that can only be felt through the power of music…Hojotoho and Namaste!

All the students are hungry for information and so talented. Every rehearsal, whether it is a staging with the singers or an orchestra rehearsal, reveals amazing progress and always contains an electric excitement about making music. Professor of Opera and stage director Jonathon Field and I met at the Lake George Opera Festival about 15 years ago. Candide, as a piece, has some “issues”. If you have done the piece I will just say the words “Act II”. But Jonathon’s concept has embraced the quirky, frenetic, and zaniness that is Candide. It will prove to be a fun production.

Last week President Obama presented the Oberlin Conservatory with the National Medal of Arts and Humanities. Receiving the medal is Dean David Stull who was a senior when I was a freshman. There is definitely a renewed sense of pride that comes along with an honor like this. Everybody walks a little taller.

My free time is pleasantly consumed with spending time in the amazing music library. So many recordings, scores, biographies, analytical pieces. It is paradise for a nerd like me. I have also snagged some instrumentalists to play Poulenc Sextet as well as both the Mozart B flat Piano Quintet and the Sibelius Piano Quintet (which I do not know), Loving my time here!