Broadening my horizons

I am currently a bit inundated with reams of notes and words being sung into a very perceptive microphone, all which will hopefully be for the benefit of your listening pleasure in a few months, so my writing capacity is a bit dimmed for the moment.

I CAN, however, easily post a few photos from the most lovely of trips to Istanbul. It was a magical trip, and one which captivated me from beginning to end with its mystique, exotic charm, abundance of history, and warmth of people.

Not to be missed, the Hagia Sophia ~ dedicated in 360 - first as a church, later a mosque, and currently a breathtaking museum:







Having the great honor and pleasure to sing at the St. Irene 6th Century Basilica took my breath away. It's hard to imagine a more mystical setting to sing "Amarilli", or enter into the drama of Desdemona's Willow Song:





As a side note to all concert presenters, both present and future hopefuls: thinking of EVERYTHING really, REALLY counts! A 6th century church may not be too modernized, but with the help of portable units, any and all emergencies can be accounted for:



A short trip to the Grand Bazaar did not disappoint, as I found some fabulously exotic lamps to bring home with me as the perfect souvenir for this lovely trip. But that wasn't the best part. I luckily had a local negotiator, and now dear friend, with me who assured that I would be given the best price and be well taken care of - this was a definite bonus. But I never, ever could have been prepared for what happened the next day: having exchanged business cards with each other, this lovely salesman called my guide to say that his boss had negotiated a better shipping rate and that he would like to refund me €35. Cash.

I don't think anything in Istanbul impressed me as much as that, and considering the wealth of beauty and discovery waiting there, that's saying quite a lot.

A few minor updates:

*the re-launch of my newly designed website is looming, which will affect the design of my blog and various other undertakings! Don't let it throw you - once all sorted, it will still be me, and I'll be writing and posting as usual - when I can, and when I have the time!!!

*In case you don't know of it, there is a "Fan Page" on Facebook - for those of you brave enough to face the chaos of Facebook, you'll find it a very fun and interactive place to quickly catch up on things - like the announcement of the theme of my new disc I'm currently recording!! Feel free to come join in the festivities ... although this, too, is soon to be revamped a bit!

That's it for the moment! I must now go spend more time with Orfeo! Poor me!!! ;-)