London part 2!

Walking through the streets of London and feeling the vibrancy of the city, the people, the majestic architecture, the smells of the city, the river Thames, the culture of this huge cosmopolitan city, just brought me lots of memories. I felt very nostalgic to be back where it was once my home and my happy place to be. I showed Aki some of the places I sang during my studies at the Academy like the Theater and Duke's Hall at the Academy as well as the Wigmore Hall where I sang with a group of students from the Royal Academy and I got the chance to sing Lieder and Mexican songs. I also showed her the Italian Embassy where I got to meet the Duke of Kent and sang there for some rich people and where I also met for the first time Dame Kiri Te Kanawa, later she would invite me to sing few concerts with her. Among those concerts I had the opportunity to sing at the Tower of London. It was an amazing experience, I sang some arias with orchestra and I sang the beautiful duet of "Tonight" from West Side Story with her and it was an incredible experience for me to sing with such a great singer. Anyways, it was also really special to show Akiho the board of the winners of the Richard Lewis Competition at the Royal Academy where my name is printed in golden letters from the 2009 edition.

Among the greatest experiences of this trip was to meet again Joyce Fieldsend and Ryland Davies. Joyce is like my Godmother, I met her in Mexico back in the summer of 2007 during a Summer Opera Course and she saw potential in me and suggested I come to London to apply for the Royal Academy of Music and Guildhall. Thanks to her I jumped to this side of the world and for that I am forever grateful to her. I did not see Joyce since 8 years and I must say she is still very strong and sharp. I was so happy to introduce her to Akiho and that they got along really well. We had a long 3 hour coffee somewhere in Notting Hill seating outside enjoying the very warm and beautiful sunny day at an overly priced italian restaurant where the cost of our coffees exceeded our expectation. During this time we spoke about our lifes, work and wishes and complains, it was a very natural conversation and with lots of humour and warmth. I really missed talking to her and seeing her reminded me how much I appreciate her and that definitely I wont let pass so much time again before I meet her once more. To see her also gave me some energy to keep going in this journey as a professional singer.

I got to see again my teacher back when I was student my dear Ryland Davies to whom I call Rylandino and he to me Robertino. It was a perfect timing when we met as he was just about to take the lift from the 4th floor at the Academy to head out of the building. We met him just as we came out of the lift when going to his teaching room. Five minutes later we would have missed each other. It was destiny that I met him. To see him was so moving to me and nostalgic, the love I have for this man just burst out of me when I saw him and noticed how much he has aged. He is now 79 but he also has artritis on I believe his left leg and he uses a walking stick and he is bent almost 90 degrees, so he is now halve of his original height. I remember there is a photo on my facebook to prove that he was taller than me back when I met him in the winter of 2008 in his studio at his house. He also has some memory problems, the sweet man told me he recently started having day to day memory problems but I remember since I was a student he would say his memory was getting worse, so it was sweet that he keeps saying that the memory problems just started. But all of that did not shocked me as much as to see how his voice has gotten so weak and the speed in which he speaks has slowed so so much. The Rylandino that I know is almost gone. Nevertheless we had a lovely chat in his room and we updated each other on how our lives are going and future plans, etc. Before he left to go home I got to sing for him Dies Bildnis from the Magic Flute and he was so pleased to hear me again and he was very very kind and encouraging, his words only Aki and I will treasure so I will keep them private. One thing we spoke about was that giving still lessons although he is now too old and weak was helping him to feel energized. I guess he is teaching since like 30 years at the Academy and to give lessons is part of the things that give him some energy and life. When he sat and played some notes at the piano while I was singing Tamino suddenly his face lit and his eyes got very aware and sharp and for few seconds I saw that Ryland from 13 years ago giving me lesson. I really saw him transform in his younger self. That made me so happy, really really happy, to see that still that Rylandino is there somewhere. I made myself a promise to go back to England as soon as I can and see both Ryland and Joyce. I also said to Audrey and Jeff that I will try to go back to see them and with all of the work on my rep and have coaching with them. They were all very welcoming and all of them again offered to recieve us at their repective homes.

There is no doubt and confirmation that London has been the best second home to me besides Mexico. I just love being there and I love that city and I must say during this trip we only met very kind and open people, at the train station, at the ticket offces, at our hotel, at the coffee places, we were so lucky to be able to make small chat and to get a very positive energy from the people we met. Which is very different to what happens here in Germany, here the people is not so open or friendly, it is just different and I may have gotten used to it but being back there in London I was reminded why I loved it so much over there. I will work hard to get again some connections and to get back again for a concert.

I was so overwhelmed right now writing about my trip and how meeting my teachers affected me that I almost forget to mention that I was there primarely for a concert haha. We had a lovely concert in the little town of Thame. Jeff conducts a choral society mostly conformed by retired people. We had a very warm audience and we sang the concert in a sports center, the acoustic was not so bad and the atmosphere was lovely and cosy. Akiho sang really well and I also sang well and most importantly we both really enjoyed singing there and we were so happy to see how Jeff conducts and how positive and caring is he for his choir. It was very inspiring for me to see him giving such a good positive energy to his choir. Jeff is himself a tenor and has a very strong voice and although he is more into conducting now days he still has a voice and still in shape. I got to hear him singing one song from Ukraine that we sung with some of his choir people. He sang the solo parts and he has still that very focused strong voice that I remember I heard the last time back I believed in 2011 in a church in Denmark during a vocal course we were doing. He recieved us at this home and we are very grateful for his hospitality and company. We had one morning a long tenor talk during our first coffee in the morning in his lovely kitchen. From that conversation the booked called the Naked Voice came to it and before leaving on Monday morning to the airport he lend me that book which I already started reading and I am really liking it. This book is about the approach of Stephen Smith writen by Chipman.

Anyways I cannot get enough in words how many memories came to me during this trip to London and how many feelings I went through and thoughts and how much I reflected on many things about my personal life, my projects, my wishes, my emotions... it was in a very positive way, extremely moving and inspiring.