Inspired by a little silver plastic chip in my pocket that said “Women in Recovery” on one side and the serenity prayer on the other (and my phone full of new numbers), I found a desire within me that I hadn’t even known I wanted until I stepped into that meeting. I wanted myself back.

Our bodies contain blueprints for the structures we dream of. We will not make our way out of capitalism and other oppressive structures by desensitizing ourselves to the effects of oppression. We will not undo oppression by applying the attitudes of colonizers to the lands of our own bodies and intuitions.

I know I am not the first person to speak, and that the reason I am able to find the courage to do so is because I am adding my voice to the chorus of many who have come before me. I honour those who said the first word, then the second and third.

You want to.That’s how art gets made - when it is made today. No art ever gets made tomorrow.It will make your day ...

The space between things we are sure of, is fertile soil for the seeds of our creative work.

I think many artists feel like they are getting better when they experience more flow in their work, when they can feel as though they are transcending the craft and technique of their medium and expressing something from an internal impulse. It is from this place of flowing energy (as opposed to a block), that the most authentic expression can happen, and a greater volume of work can be created.

Tomorrow afternoon, I’m off to Orford Arts Centre Academy.  I will be a student of Denise Massé, who is one of

Where did all the time go?  This summer seemed so immense only a month ago, and all of a sudden we only really

‘Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.’  -Thomas ...

I don’t want a summer job. All year, I was supported by my Teaching Assistantship, my scholarship, grants, and ...

So – that was that.  My master’s degree.  Was I dreaming? I have been recently hit with the common ...

I have been feeling very keenly lately the urgent need for variety in life.  All year, as my posts have ...

This reading week, I am trying to complete all the coursework I have left for the semester, so I can focus on ...

As I draw closer to graduation, I find myself turning down opportunities. I use all kinds of excuses – I ...

After my angst-ey previous post, I bet you are wondering, dear reader, how things went in Berlin! Things went ...

If there was one word to describe Berlin, it would be 'angst'. The tumultuous history of the city still feels very

I am going to try something new to blog about this trip. I will publish a series of posts focussing on my ...

How much control do we really have over our future?  In my life so far, and especially in the past few years, I ...

So here we are - a new year, a new semester, a new decade, and I just turned 25. I don't really feel like anything

I woke up at 4:45am to catch the public transit to the airport. The goal: arrive in Manhattan in time to sing my ...

I want to share with you something that re-awoke in me the very essence of singing and what it means to be a good ...

CBC Radio is the reason why I love classical music, and why I initially came to love Canada, my country. Our ...

Do they come together?  They did this week! Snow: For weeks, we endured the dry-ish, rainy cold.  No ...

This is a very funny video about a typical conversation between a singer and your average person, from the point of

There is so much suffering, poverty, and injustice in this world. Some of us see it more often than others. I ...

I am not a patient person. For those of you that know me, this might even seem like an understatement. Even ...

What I would want if I had absolutely no limitations, followed by the percent chance of it happening within 2 ...

A colleague of mine recently initiated a wonderful peer-evaluating performance group. We meet every week and sing ...

A colleague of mine recently initiated a wonderful peer-evaluating performance group.  We meet every week and ...

I am trying to stay focussed on the reason why I decided to make music for a living. Beyond all of the judgement of

I am one of those crazy people. You know, those people who decide that they would like to transport themselves ...

I am convinced: the best way to travel is by train. It is the greenest, safest, most scenic and most relaxing mode

Balancing school and a slowly growing singing career is very difficult.  There is external pressure to invest in ...

Something special happened today.Mid-afternoon, I had my voice lesson. While singing the Presentation of the Rose ...

Wherever I am in fall, it always makes me nostalgic – either nostalgic in advance of the time when I will actually ...

I was five years old when I started Kindergarten. I remember my main goal in kindergarten was to be allowed to go ...

By Elia Kazan I will take my rightful place on the stage And I will be myself. I am not a cosmic orphan, I have no ...

What a summer this has been! Of course, I started the summer with the intention of learning Figaro, as well as all

Wordsworth hits the nail on the head when he writes about the effect of modern society on the natural beauty of the

As you may or may not know, the ability to travel to sing for various conductors and directors is essential in the ...

It is hard to live a balanced life when you are a singer, and even more so as a student. First of all, you have to

People want to work with people who are interesting and who stroke their own egos. People don't want to work with ...

ENFJExtraverted 67% Intuitive 38% Feeling 62%Judging 22%ENFJs are the benevolent 'pedagogues' of humanity. They ...

I have alot of different interests. Someday, I would love to open a restaurant, a café, a bookstore. I always ...

I have quite a few people coming to visit Montreal this summer.... this is so great!I have formulated and tested ...

Love yourself.MAKE PEACE with who you areand where you at this moment in time.Listen to your heart.If you can’t ...

I recently posted a list of questions from Wolf Trap Opera's blog about pursuing a career in the performing arts. ...

The question always is:What is that intangible thing that distinguishes a good performer from a great one?Audiences

Today I started following the blog of someone I don't know, but which was recommended to me by a friend. It is ...

After making my recording last week, I needed a few epiphanies to help me start to really love my voice again, and ...

Making a recording is always interesting. In fact, I believe I began a blog post with that exact sentence about a ...

Firstly, all the voices without exception show remarkable flexibility, the tone is made to come and go in the form ...

...or am in the process of learning.-Even though embellishments and ornamentation are sometimes expected, the music

Kay, Elster. Bel Canto and the Sixth Sense: A discursive and technical essay on the traditional Italian physical ...

My day spent in New York was, for the most part, one of those days where nothing goes wrong. We woke up to a ...

I haven't been to New York since two years ago when I was here with my mom. At that time, I was about to make the ...

It is 2 am and I am not supposed to blog, but that is when these things come to me. Inopportune times. In fact, ...

The past few days I have been sick. This is normally a bad thing, but this time it has enabled me to finish alot ...

Things have been clicking and clicking and clicking into place in the past few weeks. Finally, I am beginning to ...

For the Mozartian singer must use his voice with the same strength and agility as the ballet dancer uses his body.

I think most people know me as a fairly hard worker. I hate to admit it, but whenever someone has said that to me,

-Going into the practise rooms at 9:00pm on a Saturday night and having to WAIT for a practise room. It is so ...

Ever since before I began my undergrad, I wanted to attend McGill. Montreal seemed so far away and culturally ...

I have basically lost track of time here, as we spend all of our time in the theater mirroring and running Cosi fan

Coming to Germany felt like a completely new experience. Although I have studied German at CMU, I don't feel like ...

Italy has been as frustrating as it is thrilling and wonderful. I love this beautiful country almost as much as I ...

July 18thLast weekend was spent in the South of France, near Avignon (in Joucas). A friend of ours has a family ...

Leaving Winnipeg was pretty hard, but I think I was ready. Early in the morning I woke up and walked around ...

Yesterday at noon I saw the movie, The Audition, at Silvercity Polo Park. I thought it would be interesting, but I

Once I thought I'd never growTall as this fenceTime dragged heavy and slow.But April came and August wentbefore I ...

When I was in it, it seemed at times neverending and even useless; and sometimes I would not want to be anywhere ...

I just got back from the Isabel Bayrakdarian concert at Westminster United Church. It was stunning, imperfect, ...

I'm imagining myself in a big, comfortable armchair that my family has always owned. It has always been MY ...

I won the Encouragement Award in the Met Regional competition last weekend. This was the most appropriate award ...

It's such a great feeling to walk onto a stage, look around only to see no one you know, and have them love you ...

I've been doing alot of recording lately. This is a good exercise in some ways, and I love putting what I'm doing ...

Willow Song - Ballad of Baby Doe (Moore)[youtube ...

As the time comes to start making decisions on where to audition and deadlines are arriving at breakneck speed, I ...

I was given a voice. That's what people said about me. I cultivated my voice, because it would be a shame to ...

I am listening to CBC broadcast the Operalia competition run by Placido Domingo. There are 42 world-class singers,

I will no longer be posting on this blog... my adventures will be charted on the new one, called 'Making it ...

It seems strange that I am nearly done this very long chapter of my life. As I go through each day, I am keenly ...

You are looking outside, and that is what you should most avoid right now. No one can advise or help you - no one.

Two months ago, Iannis' friends started planning his birthday surprise - to bring me to France! 🙂 One of his ...

It's the last day in Paris. I don't really realize it, as I feel like I'm here to stay. It's a wierd feeling, ...

above minneapolisjardin des tuileries - it was downright balmy at 8 degrees today!mesopotamian ...

After a crazy trip, I have arrived in Paris! I feel right at home, and I don't feel afraid to speak French. It is

I am pleased to announce my next trip - this one is hardly even a bite! 5 days I will spend in Paris, from the ...

A few pictures of Iannis' apartment at Pigalle...Us in the metro on our way to the New Years' Eve Party...And at ...

DAY ONEreading in Roissy (Paris)the alps from the planeWe arrived from Paris and checked into Hotel Alexander, in ...

rebeccawoodmass@mts.net is now up and running!I'm going to wait until I'm back in Canada to write my summary of ...

au louvre!louvre la nuitthomy et moi au studio harmonic

the story continues....this beautiful stranger I gave my heart to came to visit for 10 days at the end of August. ...

My unexpected trip to Toronto was perhaps the most surreal experience of my life. I have never flown into a city ...

IGOTMYVISA!!!I'm going to PARIS!!!!!! COUNTDOWN TO LANDING: 16 days, 5 hours, 46 minutes

Losing too is still ours; and even forgetting still has a shape in the kingdom of transformation. When something's ...

Just when I thought my plans were secure...Just when I could start to think about packing...Just when prayers of ...

Friends, the full implications of this trip have started to set in... really. REALLY. I have finally started to ...

This is the blurb I had to write to be accepted into the program... lots of people ask me why I am going. This is ...

Alright, folks - here is the course list!French (Advanced) - 7 cr. hrs.Art History - Introduction to the Louvre - 3

Quick poll:Is it tacky to wear your beret in Paris while studying art?Aside from finances, this is my greatest ...

I hate worrying about money, and that is all this trip has been for me so far. I got an email today saying that my

Only 119 days until I take off for Paris! This site will be dedicated to Parisian life and the time leading up to ...