:: My blog has been severely ignored as of late!  So much has been going on.  My summer of travels and adventures will surely put me back on the blogosphere. ::

Each summer, I like to post an outline of my plans for summer travels, performing, and general activities.  Because I live in Houston, Texas - the home of crazy furnace hotness - I do whatever possible to leave during the hottest months of summer.  Here’s the breakdown of this summer’s intinerary.

1. On June 13, I finished my final commitment with HGO “Opera to Go!” and got on a plane that evening to Phoenix, Arizona.

2. From Phoenix, I drove with my dad and brother to spend a week in the Four Corners region for some outdoor time and family bonding.  We stayed in Durango, Colorado and went hiking, spelunking, and horseback riding and took a steam train to Silverton, Colorado.  We also visited the ancient cliff dwellings at Mesa Verde and camped in Moab, Utah.  The last part of the trip was some hiking and exploring in Arches National Park in Utah.  The trip was incredible!  I have posted a whole photoset on Flickr.  Click here to see my pictures.

3. After a brief trip back to Houston, I hopped a plane to Eugene, Oregon.  I am now currently spending 3 weeks singing at the Oregon Bach Festival.  I am singing in the wonderful Festival Chorus, under the direction of Kathy Romey.  I also just found out today that I will be doing a little bit of solo work as well in the Bach St. John Passion, which is exciting.

4 . After I finish here in Oregon, I will make another brief trip back to Houston before I spend some time singing again with Conspirare.  This time, our group will be traveling to Copenhagen, Denmark as a participant in the World Symposium on Choral Music.   We will present a couple concerts at the festival, as well as interacting with choirs from all over the world.

5. After returning to Houston from Denmark, I will have a couple weeks to pack up my apartment and get ready for my move to Phoenix, Arizona.  This fall, I will begin a Doctorate of Music with a concentration in Interdisciplinary Digital Media and Performance at Arizona State University.

6. But before I actually make the move to Phoenix, I will travel with Abby and her family for some beach time at Jekyll Island, off the coast of Georgia.  I will then spend a few days in Austin, Texas for some more rehearsals with Conspirare in preparation for our next concerts coming up in the fall.  Then finally I will actually drive out to Phoenix to get relocated.

Whew!  I am really excited about this summer!