Oklahoma City

<p>Congratulations to everyone who made it to the OCU summer program. Musicmom, is your daughter in the voice performance or MT program?</p>

<p>She is in the MT program. I don't know anything about music, but I think the correct description of her voice is legit soprano. At one point, her voice teacher suggested she change to vocal performance, but she doesn't want to because of some of the curriculum differences. VP requires less dance and acting (both of which she likes) and more advanced theory and something else that she is not overly interested in, but I don't remember what.</p>

<p>She sounds very much like my D. Do the students from both programs audition for the performances? It sounds like there are many performance opportunities at OCU.</p>

<p>The way I understand it, all VP and MT students are required to audition for all shows and operas.</p>

<p>Yes, both MT and VP are REQUIRED to audition for all the musicals AND operas. My D also auditioned this week for one of the straight plays in the theater department (and has made the second callback set for tonight), but this is not required.</p>

<p>musicmom, good for your D, again!</p>

<p>That's the way I understood it too- they audition on the first day and then go from there. My D is a lyric soprano with a wonderful "legit" voice- she's been compared to Audra MacDonald, several years of MT work and then "growing into" full opera (although she has already started her first role. that of "Susanna" in "Figaro").
My D is still so excited that her feet haven't touched the ground! She just went through an audition tonight and the accompanist took off in a totally different direction with a jazz riff that she had never heard before and she just went tooling along,following him! I was watching,( out of sight from another room) and it's just like nothing gets to her; she's always had nerves of steel but now she has the confidence to back it up. It's particularly hard in this area where so much is cast solely by age and not by ability or talent- this was JUST what she needed!
Has anyone started to make travel plans yet?
I wonder when they'll let the kids know which show will be performed during which session? I would imagine that they will have to wait until they have all the acceptances firmed up and then see who fits where.I sure wouldn't want THAT job, would you?!!</p>

<p>TXKats Mom, I forgot to say that my D is 15 and will be a rising junior this summer (thankfully, she'll be home for her 16th birthday on 8/23!). Could someone that's been through the program please tell us what other kind of activities the kids take part in? Are they given chances to see things in the area (malls are high on my D's list!) and is the food plan included in the tuition? How do they choose rooomates? Anything else I have forgotten?!</p>

<p>From my son having attended the 3 week camp in 2005, I can assure you that their time is well occupied in constructive activity with little free time, even on the weekends. They will be well fed, well supervised, busy doing what they love to do, and making many new friends.</p>

<p>Hi! It's so exciting to come home from work and read this thread. My d is very excited about OCU. She will love hearing about the Six Flags amusement park. Her H.S. is going to NYC in april for a music conference. Hopefully, she'll get all "shopped out" and not be too disapointed about the mall.
I'd really like to travel to Oklahoma 3 times this summer. Once to take my d there. Second to see the Vocal Arts performance and again at the closure to see the Musical and collect my d. I'm off all summer so now all I need is an "airfare" sale. Oklahoma is a far way from NY.</p>

<p>I'm in the same boat!If you find an airfare sale (it would have to be out of your airport as we NEVER have a sale on anything here), please let me know!. What is the music conference? It is amazing that we live not even 90 minutes apart and yet my D's school never knows anything about conferences! The last one, in the Catskills, started a big row, especially since one of the "Directors" tried to say that our school had never been a part of it- and then I looked and found out that our Music Director had wonthe big Educator award back in the 90's (Crow for dinner anyone?!)!
I wonder what all these kids are going to do about their voices and screaming on the roller coasters? Each and every time my D goes to an amusement park , she comes back hoarse and with no voice from screaming! I continually tell her to stop (I'm terrified of coasters, so never get on them) but she just says that it's a "natural reaction". Perhaps the faculty at OCU will have a way of preventing them from yelling so much and losing their voices- at least I hope so since they are on such a tight schedule.</p>

<p>LOL - I have a student who (she tells me), instead of screaming on rollercoasters, lets out with a lovely operatic arpeggio -- not my cup of tea, but seems to work for her :)</p>

<p>Love it!!! I really do!</p>

<p>I hadn't thought about the screaming. I don't go on roller coasters anymore, so I'm not too sure if D screams, but if I had to make a bet I'd say "yes".
As far as airfare goes the spring sales are on. I'll keep checking for the summer ones. Lulu'sMomma, It might work out that our daughters can fly together.</p>

<p>That would be great- thanks! It never rains but it purs, as my D just got a phone call giving her one of the leads in the off Monroe Players 30th anniversary production of "The Hot Mikado"- the jazz version of The Mikado!!! What a week!</p>

<p>Congratulations, It sounds like a "hot" production. When is the performance?</p>

<p>Performances will be May 4, 5, 6, 11, 12, 13, 18, 19, 2007. </p>

<p>They are general admission and have been running with "Sold Out" houses for 30 years, if you can believe that! It's a great group of poeple to work with it's nice to be around people who realise that theatre id suposed to be FUN!
The company is The Off-Monroe Players if you want to look at their web site!
When I look at my previous post, I see that it said "purs", which was supposed to be "pours"- these daily schedule changes are having an effect on me! As a family surprise for Christmas, I bought everyone tickets for Spamalot and the night of our tickets is the night of the first fress rehearsal. with full orchestra and, of course, Ticket Master won't help me, even though the show is sold out because I bought them the day before they "offiically" went on sale (Which I was greateful for the special promotion as I have the rurptured discs in my back and couldn't go down there and stand in line and by the time I got through on the phone, they were practically sold out anyway). My D does a lot of work for the theatre league in their Master Classes and volunteering when they have promotional events, so I was hoping that they might exchage them for house seats for another night, but I can't get past the secretary. They will allow those with season tickets to exchange them, but who really wanted to buy a season with yet another production of "Annie" or "Charity", and they NEVER cancel shows around here for any reason ( Hillary Duff was holding a concert two years ago and a blizzard struck the area- several feet of snow, high winds, and the Sheriffs closed all the roads- but the concert stayed ON and people actually went!!
I'm still trying to work on something though, so wish me luck!</p>

<p>Lulu'sMomma, what role did your D get offered? I have never heard of "Hot Mikado," but I am sure we all know the regular Mikado. Our area's resident G&S company did that two summers ago, but they generally hire only professionals (most of them people with master's degrees in opera performance) as their leads, and then fill in with qualified people from the community (including teenagers) for the chorus. This year, they are doing HMS Pinafore.</p>

<p>This is one of the oldest G&S companies in NY and always turn out great performances! D will be playing Peep Bo most nights and Yum Yum for several perormances! Many of our cast members perform in the G&S company in NYC and others around the country. Do a Google search for "Hot Mikado"-it's a 19302'-40'3 set version done with Andrews Sisters trios and the like. The great thing is, they can add extra music for the trios and group numbers! She was in "Ruddigore" last fall and will probably hang around until she leave for college!
A funny thing just happened- my D realized that she was going to be at OCU when the latest Harry Potter movie opens! This will be the first time that we have not all gone to the midnight showing together and she is wondering if the school will take them?!! You can bet that I'm going and then she'll spend the rest of the time trying to pry the secrets out of me!</p>

<p>Congrats to Lulu'sMomma's D. Sounds like a fun production!</p>