This is getting to be a habit

I'm going again.

Cabaret Summer School starts next Monday.  This will be my fourth time.

This is getting to be a habit, and for good reasons.  Every time I attend, I take a big step forward with my cabaret skills.  I reckon this intensive week is probably equivalent to a semester at music school, so I'm on my way to earning a degree.  It allows me to carve out time to be creative and focus on my musical activities.  For the whole week I think of nothing but cabaret.

And at this time of year there is no work for me to do, so I may as well immerse myself in cabaret.

It's New Year's Day, and I'm taking it easy after a night out at La Boheme, where we were treated to a wonderful cabaret show and colourful cocktails.  I've spent some time setting goals for the coming year.

I should do some singing practice, but for the past week I've had a "bug" - a croak in the throat and a rattly cough.  I'm hoping this will be gone by the weekend, but I've heard that this bug is going around and it tends to linger for a while.  I think I can sing above it, but the risk is that a deep breath will irritate something and make me splutter.  This is not what I need when I'm performing a brand new piece.

Or at all.  Bug, be gone!

So today, I'm resting up and taking it easy.  I'm going to need lots of energy next week.

Our first challenge is to fill the theatre.  We need to sell tickets.  Over the last week I've been telling friends about the show, and some of them have told me they've booked to attend.  The theatre takes 120 people, so with ten of us, that's only a dozen guests each.  But you do need to work at ticket sales; you cannot assume that the theatre will fill itself.

If you'd like to come to the show, here's the link for bookings

A Musician on the Rise

My "virtual" friend Eneias, from Jaragua, Santa Catarina, Brazil, is coming to Australia to perform with me in April.

We've never met, but I can get a sense of what he is like, from his Facebook posts.

My impression is that he's a hard-working musician and songwriter, who is keen to elevate his career.

He regularly posts information about where and when he will next be performing.

He has recorded some songs (including some of his own compositions) using his own equipment, and he is producing a CD.

I admire this sort of initiative.  It's good to see someone making his own "luck".  I can imagine that the music industry in Brazil would be very competitive.  I'm hoping that his visit to Australia will be as valuable for him as I'm hoping it will be for me.

And suddenly he posts a video clip, to accompany a song he's released, "Sou de Santa Catarina" ("I am from Santa Catarina").  I'm very impressed!

Click to watch the video and listen to the song

Back in the Saddle

Since recovering from heart surgery I've found several opportunities to rebuild my confidence on stage. In mid-December I sang at the Toastmasters Christmas meeting, and later on the same evening I sang the same song ("Christmas Time is Here") at the singing school concert.

As a result of these low-pressure performances, I feel ready for the next big opportunity: I've been invited to be a "headline performer" at The New Cabaret Live.  This show is just a few days before Christmas.  I am asked to present 10-12 minutes of material; stories and songs.

In the past, it's taken me a whole week at Cabaret Summer School to create a segment like this, but now the piece seems to write itself.  I start with a song I desperately want to sing - "Lost in Wonderland" (music by Jobim; lyrics by Marshall Barer).  It's based on Alice in Wonderland, but with psychedelic overtones.  It's a really weird song, and doesn't fit easily with anything else.  But I work backwards.  What on earth was Lewis Carroll taking?  I combine this concept with the idea that I might have needed  medication that would prevent me from drinking alcohol.   Two other songs present themselves: "You Go to my Head" and "Come Fly with Me".  I link them with some simple patter.

I call the piece "Under the Influence", and set a time to rehearse with pianist Matthew.  He likes the concept, and suggests some developments - varying the rhythms of the first song; adding some patter in the middle of the second one.  Within an hour we are finished.  I feel pretty confident about it and I still have one singing lesson left before the show.

On the night I arrive early as requested.  Each of us takes to the stage for a sound-check and short practice.  This helps a lot - by the time I've finished I feel very comfortable on the stage.  In the days when Cabaret Live! was an open-mic night, we never had this opportunity.  The adrenaline would surge when I stepped on stage.  By the end of my song I would start to feel more relaxed, but that was the end of my performance for the month.

Now audience members start to arrive, and I go upstairs with the other performers to wait for show time.  This is a lot better than sitting amongst the audience, where there is pressure to chat and be sociable, introduce people to each other, and speak loudly to be heard above the noise in the room.  Upstairs the mood is calm and we can speak quietly to each other.

I'm the first headliner.  I come downstairs and listen to Sidonie's opening song.  Then I'm on.

The story flows smoothly.  The rehearsals pay off as Matthew and I cue each other as we've agreed.  I only fluff one line of one song, but quickly pick up the next line.  I put it into perspective - it's a very small error.

I'm pretty happy with this performance, and I feel that event this marks my return to the music world.  Now I can make plans for the coming year.

You can view my performance here:

"Under the Influence" Part 1

"Under the Influence" Part 2

"Under the Influence" Part 3

A breakthrough idea

I've decided to invite the Brazilian guitarist Eneias to come to Adelaide, Australia, to rehearse and perform with me.

If we enjoy working together, we can then plan for a concert in Rio.

This idea makes it easy to advance my plans.  It makes everything easier.  It's more economical for one person to travel than for two.  In Adelaide I'm operating in a familiar environment. I can feel confident in booking accommodation that is good value and of a good standard.  I know which restaurants are good. We can rehearse in my lounge room and I can cook him meals and provide snacks.  I know how to produce and promote a show in Adelaide, because I've done it before.

My husband says he'll take the week off, so we can show Eneias around the city and surrounding area.  Being at home instead of overseas means that he can carry on with his own activities, such as playing golf, while we're rehearsing.

I go on Facebook and send Eneias a message - would he like to come here to rehearse and perform with me?  He says yes, and that I should send him my song list.

The next step is to set out my offer in a detailed letter.  I need a professional translator to translate my letter into Portuguese.  While I'm having lunch with my Italian-speaking friend Lia, she advises me to use the NAATI website (National Accreditation Authority for Translators and Interpreters).  After a couple of false starts, I make contact with Paola, who quotes me a very reasonable fee.  I transfer the money to her and send her my letter in English.  Within a few days Paola sends me the letter in Portuguese.  She also advises me to sign and mail the letter in English, because it will help Eneias to obtain his visa.

I message him again through Facebook, attaching the letter in Portuguese.  He quickly replies, saying that he agrees to my proposal.

Next is to book the theatres where I want us to perform.  No point having him visit if my favourite venues are not available.  Both theatres are available on the dates I am seeking.  They send booking forms and ask for a deposit.

Now I visit my travel agent and ask her to work out some flights to get Eneias to Adelaide.  She produces a flight plan via Dubai, flying straight into Adelaide.  I send him the proposed schedule and he's happy with it.  I book and pay for the flight.

So we have a plan.

This way, we will get to know each other and rehearse in a relaxed way, not in a state of urgency.  It is important for musical partners to be "in tune" personally as well as musically.

It's an adventure for both of us.

Someone to accompany me

The heart surgery episode has underlined for me the fact that we are not here forever.  I'm determined to live life to the full.

I will not procrastinate.  I'm going to do the things I want to do.  In particular, more music.

I'm going to make my show in Rio happen.

An essential ingredient will be someone to accompany me.  I don't play an instrument, so I'm not self- sufficient.  I will need to depend on someone to play for me.

One option would be to take a musician with me from Adelaide.  But no one has emerged as a regular musical partner for me.  The musicians who have accompanied me have plenty of other commitments, and I can imagine trying to juggle their availability and constantly postponing the venture.

Also, I'm keen on the idea of a cross-cultural experience.  Could I find someone (or a band) in Rio?  It might be good to work with someone local; someone who speaks the language and has a bit of a following, and who can perhaps bring in other musicians.

The logistics of my plan seem a bit complicated.  For example, how will we rehearse?  What if I go to Brazil and meet them a week before the show, and find that we don't get along, or the music doesn't "gel"?  Or if the musicians don't show up at all?  That sounds stressful.

A second alternative would be to make two trips, one to rehearse and one to perform.  That sounds expensive.  How long would I need to stay?  What would my husband do while I'm rehearsing?  I don't think he'd like the idea of my going on my own.

Meanwhile, I've been communicating online with Eneias, the Brazilian guitarist I met on Facebook.  For the first few months, we corresponded ineffectually, struggling with the language barrier, trying to establish a connection that might take us forward.

We started with very simple communications.  Once in a while Eneias would send me a short message - "Hi!", or "Let's do our presentation in Brasil".

Then I discovered the free online translation services.   It's magic.  You type in a passage in English and click on "Translate", then the Portuguese version appears.  It makes a few mistakes, but they are not too bad if you keep your grammatical constructions very simple.  And as I begin to learn a bit of Portuguese I can see if there is a gross error, and then adapt what I am saying.

I have also "followed" him on Facebook, looking at what he has written, his photos and videos of his performances.  I'm starting to get to know him a little.

He has performed in a show to mark the 100th anniversary of the birth of Vinicius Moraes (1960's composer and lyricist for Jobim).  He is interviewed about this on an online TV show.  I watch the interview and, although he's speaking Portuguese, his passion for the music is evident to me.

And now, he writes on his Facebook page that he is recording a CD.  I click "Like", and he sends me one of his original songs.  I like the song.  I like his playing.  I like his voice.  

I am going to need to do something to move this project along.

A third option occurs to me.  It's quite a creative solution. 

The idea swims around in my mind, takes hold, and begins to grow there.