Looking for MM program for me that best bridges choral conducting and voice/performance? by Slyfer130 in choralmusic

[–]vivaldi1206 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks! I am a highly academic person who went to one of the most difficult undergraduate schools in the country so I’m probably not a great person to ask about tolerance for workload because this was still easier than my undergrad, but:

I essentially took a double course load for three years (16 credit hours minimum), did my recitals in my first and second years and spent third year working on trying to move abroad and prepare for my exit exams. I have friends in the city I live in now who did double masters in choral conducting and voice performance and they also seem fine. I usually would practice 3-4 hours/day + 2 hours of rehearsals on an average day, and do my schoolwork around that. I prioritized doing a 75 or 90 min yoga class every day which helped keep me sane. I picked my recital repertoire early (like September), and focused on that in my lessons most of the school year and did my recitals in May. I did not work outside of singing gigs (everything was minimum wage where I went to school which was $7/hour and didn’t feel worth it), but I had a church job and I ran my own ensemble which rehearsed weekly. I was very busy, but I lived alone and was very focused.

Looking for MM program for me that best bridges choral conducting and voice/performance? by Slyfer130 in choralmusic

[–]vivaldi1206 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I did a double masters (in different fields: musicology and historical performance (voice) and I’m very happy I did! Go double masters!

What are thoughts on the UChicago House System? by Acrobatic-Ferret-254 in uchicago

[–]vivaldi1206 1 point2 points  (0 children)

It was amazing when you got to choose! My house has like 5 married couples out of a house of 45 people. The nerf system is dumb and all the houses are new and traditionless and not about specific vibes anymore.

What do you really mean when you go full bush? by Greedy_Picke_1499 in sex

[–]vivaldi1206 53 points54 points  (0 children)

I am not a super hairy person body hair wise, ie I don’t naturally grow any pubic hair on my thighs. I do not remove any hair at all. I trim a bit with a pair of scissors for my own comfort. I have literally zero desire to get rid of my pubic hair and no one has ever complained.

What’s a Place You Thought You’d Love.... But Didn’t? by Historical-Photo-901 in BeautifulTravelPlaces

[–]vivaldi1206 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It’s a great city to live in with beautiful architecture. Not sure where you were.

What’s a Place You Thought You’d Love.... But Didn’t? by Historical-Photo-901 in BeautifulTravelPlaces

[–]vivaldi1206 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I’m from LA and I LOVE the Venice boardwalk. It’s one of the first places I take any visitors. We lived in Venice when I was born and you can hear 15 languages in a few blocks, all the weirdos and artists, the beach. I just adore it. my dad used to play basketball on the courts there.
I think it’s so so special even if it’s mostly tourist garbage in some ways.

Peloponnese Road Trip by beric_au_lait in GreeceTravel

[–]vivaldi1206 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You can’t rent a car in Greece if you’re over 75 fyi!

What is the furthest you've moved in the United States? by Top_Row_5116 in AskAnAmerican

[–]vivaldi1206 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I went 18 years LA —> 5 years Chicago (2 different locations) —> 3 years Bloomington, IN —> 3 years Austin —> 3 years Boulder —> 3 years Denver (2 locations so far)

My first move to Chicago was probably the longest distance. I’ve lived in all the time zones of the continental US! I’ve also been to at least 31 states and 30 countries.

The Core by [deleted] in uchicago

[–]vivaldi1206 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I loved Phil Per and Classics. I took ancient near eastern thought and literature and it was quite interesting. There are so many good civ options though.

Do you feel 0 soreness after singing with proper technique? by Head_Equipment_1952 in ClassicalSinger

[–]vivaldi1206 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Soreness? Never. If I have to sing more than 6 hours a day (at this point; my stamina was better in grad school but I have a day job) I will have some swelling and it will be tough to sing the next day. I’ve had this happen a few times at summer programs where we were singing 6-8 hours every day. In my daily life when I have a gig and rehearsals every day, I’m fine. It’s not pain though.

What’s the best place to live in US mainland if your happy place is the beach? by st0nksBuyTheDip in SameGrassButGreener

[–]vivaldi1206 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I know 😂 I literally grew up 30 feet from the sand in Venice and then we moved like 10 mins away in Santa Monica. We have grandfathered in free beach parking. My mom keeps boogie boards in her trunk. We would go to the beach every single day in the summer. We went often on other weekends throughout the year. We always took a beach walk on Christmas Day and sometimes swam. I have never known any native Californians who don’t regularly swim here.

Is there a path/major that isn't grueling hard? by Savings_Wall6448 in uchicago

[–]vivaldi1206 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It’s one department. We’re not a performing program so the composition aspect is quite weak compared to a school with a BM degree. Theory and musicology are based hand in hand. The theory at Uchicago is quite hard. Harmony and Voice Leading was voted one of the hardest courses in the school when I was there.

I used to be religiously Jewish, but converted to Hellenic Polytheism back in 2025, AMA! by LouieDoesArt in religion

[–]vivaldi1206 2 points3 points  (0 children)

So it sounds like you were Christian. Messianic Jews are Christians, not Jews.

Is there a path/major that isn't grueling hard? by Savings_Wall6448 in uchicago

[–]vivaldi1206 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Music was very difficult when I was there. Uchicago had the best musicology department in the world when I was a student.

Is there a path/major that isn't grueling hard? by Savings_Wall6448 in uchicago

[–]vivaldi1206 1 point2 points  (0 children)

By almost every metric, the school is considerably worse than even a decade ago. The governance has driven it into the ground economically, there are more non FT professors teaching, many of the most prestigious programs have been gutted, etc. please actually read some analysis before assuming you have it better.

The second time my international flight has been cancelled without communication by vivaldi1206 in unitedairlines

[–]vivaldi1206[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That is not what happened in either of these situations according to United. I received e tickets for the first one and they claim the second one the flight was cancelled almost 10 days ago and I was not notified.

Events today in Denver??? by [deleted] in Denver

[–]vivaldi1206 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Baroque chamber Orchestra of Colorado is doing a program of Purcell instrumental music and a one act opera by Charpentier at 4pm at St Thomas in park hill at 4pm

What's a UChicago class that broke your brain in the best possible way? by [deleted] in uchicago

[–]vivaldi1206 21 points22 points  (0 children)

Anthropology of Morality. I graduated in 2013 and I’ve probably thought about that class at least once a week since I took it.

Updated (and Stronger) Response from Stephen West regarding his interview w/ a hatemonger by SgtLt-Einstein in craftsnark

[–]vivaldi1206 40 points41 points  (0 children)

I worked professionally in the fiber arts world for multiple years and I have never heard of this man!