Because I have nothing better to do (ha ha), here's a questionnaire meme from Erik:

1 - Leave a comment, saying you want to be interviewed.
2 - I will respond; I'll ask you five questions.
3 - You'll update your journal with my five questions, and your five answers.
4 - You'll include this explanation.
5 - You'll ask other people five questions when they want to be interviewed.

And here are the questions Erik asked me:

1. If you could be a virtuoso at any one instrument (voice excluded), which would you pick and why?

Piano, because (as Fat Bastard would say) it's dead sexy and extremely versatile. There are few things more arousing (to me, but I'm weird) than watching someone really tear up some Brahms piano quintet or Mozart concerto or Beethoven sonata, or Chopin, or Schubert... Damn. Oh, and you can really make money doing it, too.

2. In your opinion, who are the three most overrated classical composers and why?

Most of the ones people deify actually are really phenomenal; the problem is when people who really don't know anything about a composer start talking like they know. (Hey, it's okay to admit you're not all that familiar with Liszt's piano variations!) That said, the composers that seem to attract the most poseurs are Wagner, Beethoven and Mahler. And I do like and respect the work of these composers, and I don't think they're overrated. But I will admit that I'm not an expert on any of them--and I don't know much Mahler at all.

3. What is your biggest pet peeve?

Turn signals, people! What do you think that little knob is for?!

4. What was your favorite lecture-type course as an undergrad?

Probably MUS302--Baroque and Classical Music History. I wrote kind of a crappy paper for it, but it was still really cool. Introduced me to Lorenzo daPonte, actually--without whom Donna Elvira and Countess Almaviva and Fiordiligi would not have been possible. Bless you, Lorenzo. And please accept my apologies for morphing Albanians into effete computer geeks...

5. What are your plans after finishing the master's?

Ha ha ha. That is a good question...

As you know, I've had four auditions so far this winter--three for summer apprentice programs and one for an artist certificate program. So far two of the summer programs have said no (but they're REALLY competitive programs, so I wasn't particularly broken up). I should be hearing about the other one (Des Moines) soon. The certificate program is a one- or two-year deal about forty minutes west of here--it's an amazing opportunity for me to work totally on singing and acting, and everything's paid for. It was certainly my best audition among the four (which is good), and their soprano is leaving (good), and my teacher is friends with one of the program's directors (also good), AND said director saw me in LITTLE WOMEN last semester (ibid.)--but it is also pretty competitive, and I know at least two other people from here auditioned. And it would mean an even longer distance between Mark and me--living together would be inconvenient for both of us. (It's two hours, not counting the constant construction and traffic.) But it would be worth it. And there are really no other opportunities for me in N.C. If I don't get in, I'll move to Raleigh, try to teach voice (flooding all music schools and small colleges in a fifty-mile radius with my resume), possibly get a part-time job to cover the rest, drive over here for lessons once a week and audition like mad for year-long apprentice programs in places like Minneapolis or Sarasota or even Houston (I'm not quite ready yet, but in the fall I ought to be). But Mark and I need to be together. We've discussed it, and he is willing to move for us to be together, so long as he can find a new job. He is the most amazing person ever. Anyway, if things don't work out, I keep studying, keep teaching, maybe pop out a kid, perhaps go back to school for a DMA at some point. That part's open...

I guess you weren't expecting such a long response... Anyway, I have to get back to my car before I get a ticket.....

P.S. Old Navy costume shopping today! Wish me luck.