Lesson, studying, Adler…

Hi there! I hope you are well. This week I started by going near to Stuttgart to take lessons with a teacher I have been going recently. Jeanette Favaro-Reuter, I got to know her through my girlfriend. I have already talked about her in past blogs a couple of times I believe. Every time I go to her I find a very refreshing view on my singing and the way I think about how to make music. This time was no exception, we worked on few arias and through the things that I should focus right now on terms of quality of the sound. Singing to me is such a deep thing, I am so glad to know that Jeanette also shares my view in music making and in singing, we really understand each other in this respect. I value very much the way she communicates with me. She is a real pedagogue and we through already several lessons have finally managed to create a very good connection and understanding of each other as musicians and as human beings. I am grateful I have met her, and I am learning so much from her and I am specially re-evaluating the way I think about some concepts and the way I understand my voice. Definitely, she makes me think and challenges what I have been working on for many years.

On my way back I stopped in Nurnberg and Leipzig, in between train changes, and took the time to get some coffee and walk around a bit.

I continue working this week on repertoire for auditions and reading some music I will sing. I gave also few lessons online and really enjoy them, I learn from them and specially I take great care on how to communicate to the students and build a nice and positive environment with them, and for them to feel free to ask anything.

This week I came across with a book that it has been on my list for a while, “The courage to be dislike” by Ichiro Kishimi and Fumitake Koga. It is really interesting and if you are into philosophy, you will really enjoy this very easy read, but with such a deep meaning. I was so surprised to learn more about Adler and his thinking, also to find so much of the Greek philosophy DNA, from the likes of Socrates, Epictitus, Seneca, M.Aurelius. However Adler’s way of posing some of the fundamental questions to life, worth, morality, happiness, among others, was really refreshing and somehow new to me. The way both authors of this book convey such deep topics is surprisingly accessible to anyone regardless of particular circumstances of each individual.

I kept my routine of 4 times a week exercise and also my daily reading of Holiday and Tolstoi. Please take care and see you next week.