Graduate Recital

I did it! I had my graduate vocal recital on Friday night. My parents came into town and we had a wonderful time. I started feeling a cold coming on about 3 days before my recital so I loaded up on vitamin C, gargled lots of salt water, and got some good use out of my humidifier. Luckily I didn't lose my voice, but about 3/4 of the way through my recital my voice started getting really dry and my low notes weren't what I wanted them to be. I put all of my hardest pieces at the beginning of my recital which was a blessing since I don't know if I would have made it through them if they were toward the end. Unfortunately, I forgot to take ANY pictures at my recital of me in my dress, but I am singing in a friend's recital on Wednesday and I will be sure to get a pic of my dress then! Thank you to all who came and/or supported me through this. It was a feat and I am glad it is over. My last student recital EVER at BYU!

Catch Up... or maybe Ketchup

Okay, so a lot has happened since just before Thanksgiving. This is were I will start....

• November 9-13: Bryce and I went to Houston and I auditioned for Houston Grand Opera's Young Artists program. (I heard back just before Christmas that I didn't get in, which I was not surprised about. I was just happy that they heard me. This program is one of the top 5 in the US and obviously one of the hardest to get into. Many people don't even get an audition on their first application, so I was happy about that... and getting an excuse to go home.)
• November 19: Auditioned for Utah Opera's Young Artists program
• November 20: Went back to Houston for Thanksgiving and here's where things get interesting....
• I auditioned on the 21st for a Young Artists only opera company called Opera in the Heights. They were so nice and totally amazing. They were auditioning for roles over the next few years, so I am still waiting to hear about some of that. **fingers crossed**
• Went to the gun range with my dad and Bryce. Those two are OBSESSED. I will never see my husband or father when/if we move back to Houston because if they are not working, they will be at the gun range.
• Had Thanksgiving dinner with the family. My dad fried a turkey for the first time and it was delish. I don't think we will go back to regular-old turkey ever again. 
• This is a little out of order, but I have to save the best for last. A few days before Thanksgiving......

WE FOUND OUT THAT BABY #1 IS ON THE WAY!!!

I am due July 31. I went to my first appointment today and everything looks healthy and great, except that the baby is "measuring 2 days behind" which really means nothing other than the fact that they pushed back my due date 2 days verses just going by the first day of my last cycle. We find out the gender February 14th, which will be a nice little Valentine's Day present! Double the reason to celebrate!! 

Sweet

So the hubby and I are sitting around on this lazy Sunday afternoon watching a movie. One scene shows the onscreen couple going to a performance (not opera... a rock concert, to be more specific) and I made a comment about the bad music and Bryce turns to me, pretty much out of nowhere and says....

"That's why I want you to have a great career."

I respond (very confused after my bad music comment), "Uh, what?"

"I want you to be successful because I love watching you perform." 

I smiled and he continued, "Don't get me wrong... I am so nervous the entire time and sometimes I don't like the whole performance, depending on the other people in it and such, but I love watching you perform. It makes me happy to see you do something you love so much." 

I almost cried; it was so sweet. I know he doesn't read this here blog... so I can gush about my very sweet, supportive, loving husband and he will NEVER know. Just don't tell him...

100

This is my 100th post!! So I would like to take the time to tell you 100 things I love/am grateful for.

1. Husband
2. My Mom
3. My Dad
4. In-laws
5. 2 Best Friends
6. Music
7. School
8. A Job (that I LOVE)
9. Sister
10. Brothers- and Sisters-in-law
11. The Gospel
12. My Cats
13. Health
14. The Temple
15. The Savior
16. All of my music friends that help grad school be bearable
17. My Teachers
18. Scholarships
19. Government Grants
20. A nice house to live in
21. Clothes on my back
22. Food on my table
23. Shoes on my feet
24. The Bible
25. The Book of Mormon
26. Living Prophets today
27. The gym
28. Hugs
29. Kisses
30. Unconditional Love
31. Crafts
32. A creative mind
33. Missed opportunities that help lead to better opportunities
34. Utah's love for community theater (which has allowed me 2 operatic roles outside of school this summer)
35. Opera
36. The Armed Forces that keep our country safe
37. Freedom
38. Christmas
39. Friendly neighbors (finally!)
40. 2 Cars, even though Bryce and I mostly share just 1
41. The Internet
42. Halloween
43. Setting Goals
44. Making Lists
45. Airplanes (even though my recent experiences with flying/purchasing tickets may have made me feel otherwise)
46. 4th of July 
47. Decorating
48. Teapots
49. TV--specifically some of my favorite TV shows, including:
50. Friends
51. Gossip Girl
52. Grey's Anatomy
53. and Anything on Bravo
54. Ikea (especially since we are still poor college students)
55. Bubble Baths
56. Massages
57. Manicures/Pedicures (and a mother-in-law who loves to get them when she visits)
58. Air conditioning during the hot summer months
59. Snow
60. That I can help others be better at something
61. Blogging/Reading others' blogs
62. Easter 
63. Chocolate
64. Thanksgiving
65. Movie marathons curled up on the couch
66. TV season marathons with Jess
67. Shopping
68. Hope/Planning for the future
69. Traveling 
70. Having to get up really early for something exciting
71. Staying up way too late
72. Talking on the phone to people I can't see often
73. Curiosity (especially from my cats)
74. Hobbies
75. Reconnecting with long lost friends
76. Facebook
77. A washer and dryer in my house
78. Watching sports on TV
79. Going to a baseball game
80. Babies (no experience with my own yet, but one day)
81. Being a girl
82. Lace, Ruffles, and Pearls
83. Video games to keep my husband occupied when I need to get something done
84. Having a really clean house (it doesn't happen often, but it feels so good when it does)
85. Generosity of others
86. Camping
87. Finding new craft ideas online
88. Playing games
89. InStyle magazine that comes in the mail once a month 
90. The Ensign
91. Real Simple magazine that also comes in the mail once a month
92. The Classical Singer website and all of the useful information it contains (including auditions)
93. A computer
94. Houston (which Bryce and I both miss terribly, although I don't know if we'll be saying that after we go home for 2 weeks in August)
95. Dreams
96. Funny Stories
97. Celebrity Gossip
98. Dancing
99. My iPod 
100. Sleep

Unique New York

Bryce and I were able to travel to New York City for a few days while I competed in the Classical Singer Convention. I didn't win :( but I got some great feedback and it was a wonderful experience. Here are some pictures from what we did there.

A view of the city from our ferry to Liberty Island:

Ellis Island:

Statue of Liberty:

Broadway Theater (just down the road a bit from our hotel):

We took the Subway to Lincoln Center so that I could see the Metropolitan Opera House (they're not in season right now, so we couldn't see an opera). When we went back above ground and were getting our sense of direction, I looked up and BAM! There was the temple:

The Met (I will sing there someday, fingers crossed):

After that, we walked around Central Park, down 5th Avenue, and over to the Museum of Natural History. It was very cool and interesting. I loved all the little boys running around in the dinosaur exhibits saying, "WOW! Look at the COOL dinosaurs!!" It was priceless.

Across the street from our hotel was the Times Square Toys R Us, which had some amazing displays. Bryce really liked the Lego's:

I enjoyed the Barbie house:

Bryce liked the toy store so much that it made him ask me if we could have a kid "in a couple years". I said "yes" and then preceded to remind him that that would mean I would be pregnant in a little over a year. He then said, "What? Maybe thats too soon." Our 4-year anniversary is in 2 days. I think we passed that too soon stage quite a while ago, haha. 

On our last day, we decided (since it was Fleet Week) to go see the USS Intrepid. We didn't want to wait in line or pay $30/person to go on it when we had to leave for the airport in a few hours, so we walked around the dock and checked it out from afar:

New York was SO fun. Hopefully I will have to go back there sooner rather than later. This competition is in Los Angeles next year and I am very excited. I love LA and this is the first summer since we have been back in Utah that we haven't gone to LA, so we can't wait to go next summer.

One Week

One week until Bryce and I are in THE CITY of this: 

and this (during movie #2's premier weekend): 

AND THIS: 

(Not quite sure why Vanessa is missing from this picture, but I'm not complaining). 

I can't wait to be in NYC for the first time. I may never want to come back after staying 4 nights in Times Square. Oh, no! What should I wear?!?

Update

So this weekend, I went to the local Eternity Bridal and Prom store and found out (as Kat commented on the last post) that they will make their dresses in ANY of the colors they have. They have 2 sets of colors: 1 set for taffeta dresses and 1 set for satins/charmeuse/chiffon dresses. They have the perfect color of deep emerald green in the satin fabric so I was looking at all the satin dresses they carry. The one that I like the most actually looks a lot like the gold dress that I'm going to wear, so I think I'm biased against it, even though its beautiful:  

So, I went back to the store to look at their taffeta samples and the green that I thought was too dark just looked that way because it was surrounded by the other colors. It turns out it looks just like the satin green under the light. And since I will have lights shining on me, I think it will look so good... So here it is (just imagine it the same color as THE dress from the last post): 

With these shoes and earrings: 

So, I just have to be sure to order it at least 10 weeks ahead of the recital to get it in time and hemmed and everything. Let me know what you think! I personally love the fact that the back laces up, so that it doesn't have to fit exactly from the get-go because the lace-up adjusts it. 

Recital- HELP!

So, I've picked out the music for my grad recital. I have also been to 2 grad recitals in the past few weeks. This has got me thinking about the most important part... WHAT WILL I WEAR?? I am in the course of a new diet and exercise plan (10 lbs down!) and plan to fit into this adorable gold dress I got way back when we went to the Cinderella Ball in Arlington in 2007:

I think they've changed the design a bit since I got this dress, because mine doesn't look exactly like that... the beading down the center is a bit different and the gold is actually gold, not this champagne color in the picture. 

Anyway, this is the last recital I will give in school and so I want to make a splash! Therefore, I want to do a costume change. I will start out with my cute, simple gold dress and then I want to move on to something else... something SPECTACULAR! I have decided that I want this something spectacular to be green and very classic (so that I can wear it again). It needs to be THE dress for me. 

So I started searching online and found this little number: 

I love the beading (it makes it seem like its not typical "Mormon modest") and I love how well it would go with these earrings and shoes:

There are two problems I have found with this dress: 

1. The green is too bright (I am doing my recital in January and need more of a jewel-tone deep green)

2. The fabric and style are very similar to my gold dress

So, I kept searching...

and searching...

and searching

Did you know how hard it is to find a green dress that is also modest?? This is the closest I've found:

Don't get me wrong... I like this dress a lot. It is the right color, but it is quite plain, so I'd have to do something to really bling it up (and honestly, I don't think just jewelry would cut it). I may end up with this dress if I can't find anything else, but it is not PERFECT. 

And then I stumbled across this beauty: 

Why does THE dress have to be immodest?!? It is the perfect dress aside from 2 things:

1. It is immodest. Not that that would stop me, because I could just get it altered. And with the way it is constructed, a good seamstress could take it apart from the empire waist up and redo it modestly without anyone ever knowing, but...

2. It is expensive. Like almost as much as my (very modestly priced) wedding dress was. And if I was to get it, it would cost a HECK of a lot more to get it altered. 

Why did I have to come across this dress?? It is so beautiful and perfect in so many ways. The color, for one, can't be beat. It is just a little bit more rich than the modest emerald green dress. I love the black lace with sparkliness around the waist. It is just enough bling without being over-the-top. The cut of the dress is so figure-flattering and I LOVE the full skirt. It is SO close to being my perfect dress. 

So, let me know your opinion on the situation... which dresses do you like? Am I delusional about this last dress? Do you know a great seamstress? Do you know of another dress that I should see? At this point, I am obsessed... I need help. I may actually spend part of my weekend going to the stores and seeing what they actually have because it may be different than what is online. The crazy-lady part of it is that I know I'm not going to buy a dress until I get down to my goal weight, it's just knowing that my dress is out there that will make me stop obsessing.  

Wardrobe Wednesday

I've been thinking a lot about my graduate recital lately, so this week's Wardrobe Wednesday is going to be a formal look. Here's a 1920's inspired dress, t-strap heels, pearl/rhinestone headband, earrings, necklace, and bracelet.

Good News

Here's a hint to what I'll be doing starting July 6:

That's right... I've been cast in my first real, non-school opera!! Bastien und Bastienne is a 1-act comic opera by Mozart. There are 3 characters and I am the only girl. Its being put on by a small, local performing arts company, but who cares? I get a professional role on my resume! If you are in Utah (or nearby and want to make a trip) we are performing August 13 and 14 in Lindon.

Singer of the Year

This week, BYU had its annual Young Artists of Voice competition in order to name the singer of the year (1 male, 1 female). The first round was on Tuesday--the top 25 voices in the vocal performance program each sang 1 piece. That was cut down to the top 15, who each sang 2 pieces. The finals are tonight at 7:30 and it's my first time to make it to the last night. I get to dress up in my formal gown and sing 3 pieces for 3 judges from outside of BYU. It will be a wonderful experience and everyone in the finals wins a scholarship. I'll keep you updated on the finals!

Classical Singer

Last May, my voice teacher got a grant to take me and some other students to Chicago for the Classical Singer Convention and Competition. It was the first year for the University Competition, but the High School Competition has been going on for years. It was a big success and there was a ton of interest, so this year they are splitting the University portion into 2 categories: Graduate and Undergraduate. They also instituted  preliminary rounds, held throughout the country. On Saturday, I competed in the preliminary round held at BYU, for the Utah area. Only 4 participants are going from this preliminary to the 2nd round, held at this year's Convention in New York City--and I am one of them! (And I'm the only female from our round to go...how often does that happen??) So, I am going first thing Monday to the Graduate and Music Schools to see what grants and funding are available for something like this. There is a lot for undergraduates, but apparently not for graduate students... so I'm going to be working my rear off to find some money to pay for the trip (NY is not a cheap city). As long as I can get funding, we are off for 5 days of fun! (I am definitely taking Bryce along for this one, especially since we will only have to pay for his plane ticket and a grant should pay for my ticket, hotel and food). I am incredibly excited since I have never been to NYC before. Everyone pray that I can find the funding I need to attend the Competition and Conference.

Website

So I've been playing with setting up a professional website for myself. I found out that on blogspot you can set it up and at anytime pay $10 and convert your .blogspot.com into a .com address. I have not done this yet because I want some opinions on how you think it turned out first. I don't have any recordings up yet, so that section is still blank, but the rest of it is pretty much set. Check it out and let me know what you think: http://alisonhunternielson.blogspot.com.

New Headshots!

So, I am doing a LOT of auditions and competitions this year, so I figured it was about time for some new headshots. A friend of my friend Amy is a wonderful photographer. You can visit her website here. So Amy and I went to her studio today and both got headshots done. They turned out really well. Here are my favorite two. Which do you like best?

Grad School

So, going to grad school is turning out to be much more expensive than I expected. Although BYU has one of the cheapest grad tuition's around, the scholarship fund is waning. I thought (through the grapevine and my own assumptions) that grad students received a 3/4 tuition scholarship. Unfortunately, I was wrong (it ends up being about 1/3 tuition, plus I have voice lesson fees every semester). That wouldn't be so bad, I mean I survived on about that much scholarship as an undergrad thanks to grants, but grad students don't get grants. One thing that I am very excited about is that I get to teach. The teaching pay is very good, but we don't get a ton of hours a week, so I will be making little more than I am making at my current on-campus position. This was disappointing at first (my fault for assuming I would get paid prep time for teaching private lessons, which I don't) because Bryce and I were hoping to start putting money away to save up for when we buy a house.

Anyway, as I have started doing a little research and thinking about the classes and lessons I'm going to teach, I have come to the conclusion that Bryce and I will not be able to survive the next few years of school (and possibly more beyond that) on 1 desktop computer. I have had the wonderful blessing of being provided with a laptop with my current job. I will only retain this blessing for another month, after which I will be quitting my job in order to teach. We have a Mac at home, which is the best computer ever. It is almost 5 years old and we've never had a problem with it. We took it in about 6 months ago to have more RAM put in it and it is just as fast as a brand new computer again. But, as good as our desktop is, there's nothing like portability, especially when I'm teaching. That is why I have decided that this is the computer I need:It is the MacBook Pro 15.4". This computer was named by Consumer Reports as their best laptop. In the magazine I recently picked up, they said, "this is this best computer we have ever tested, hands down." With this computer, I will be able to keep track of grades and assignments as well as make video recordings of my students during their lessons, so that they can see their progress. Not only that, Macs have the best programs for music, pictures, and basically everything. They also have a new set of programs that are like Word, Excel and PowerPoint, just much more user friendly. Not only that, but these programs save into .doc and .docx (and the equivalents for Excel and PowerPoint). Basically, this is the best computer for our situation, except for the price. I mean you can't get the perfect computer for free, can you? Luckily, Apple provides $150 off for students and a free iPod touch when you purchase this computer. I think I may just have to call this an "education cost" and pay for it with my student aid. Or maybe my family will be really generous with graduation gifts and I'll be able to get it with that. We'll have to wait and see. Until then, I will continue to dream...

Sorry for the absence...

I know I haven't blogged in like a month. I own up to the fact that I'm a neglector (yeah, that's not really a word) to all of you who actually read my blog. But, here are some of the things that have happened recently that I will be blogging about in more detail soon:

• Spring Term and my cooking class
• My Senior Recital
  
• Classical Singer Convention weekend in Chicago
• Kristen (little sister)'s wedding in Houston
• BYU's Spring Opera (I was a lead in The Impressario)

Okay, so I have a few posts to do...you know, blogging is like laundry.... if you don't keep up on it all the time, one day you turn around and all of your underwear is dirty, but you still don't have time to do anything about it. I promise to be better.

It's official!!

I passed my recital hearing this morning! It has been postponed twice, so I was glad to finally get it out of the way. I made the mistake of meeting with my accompanist before my hearing and going through my entire (50 minute) recital. My voice and my body were a little tired, so I didn't do as well as I did in practice, but all I needed to do was pass, and that I did! I also got my dress last night and am going to get it marked for hemming tonight. It was a little last minute, but it is really pretty and I'm very excited. It is RED silk-satin and gorgeous.

So, if you are in or near the Provo area, please come next Saturday, May 16th at 7:30 pm to my recital in the Madsen Recital Hall in the HFAC on BYU's campus. It is going to be a spectacular display of Shakespeare in Song (that's the title of my recital).