Laura Dern, during the filming of "Jurassic Park" (1993).

Okay, Haydn Maria Theriesen festival mass with orchestra done, Verdi Ernani show #4 matinee done, now to turn my brain to Bizet: I’m singing Carmen in an interactive ⁦Buxton International Festival⁩ workshop with a mini performance at 5pm tomorrow 🤪💃🏻 ⁦⁦ buxtonoperahouse.org.uk/event/carmen-i…

(Mercifully castanet-free. Probably. Hopefully.)

Orestes Pursued by the Furbies

There is a woman opposite me on the underground wearing a black rollneck sweater under a corduroy dungaree dress. She appears entirely comfortable. I am wearing floaty linen & a v light t-shirt, mainlining icy water from a thermos, using a fan & still look like an atomic tomato🍅

This was a (slightly terrifying) but brilliant jump-in! After months of opera the reading part of my brain got whooshed into top gear for an INTENSE programme, inc. the absolutely extraordinary Poulenc Figure Humaine. A true thrill to sing alongside such phenomenal musicians 🤩

The main drawback of having a practice room-garden shed-studio set up is summer evenings when the neighbours start cooking on their barbecue. They don’t want my singing and I don’t want to waft over the hedge like a Tom & Jerry cartoon but you can’t fight nature.

Lying here trying to sleep but my head is swimming with the sound of Beethoven string quartet No. 15 (A minor, Op. 132) which I heard for the first time ever at Southwell Music Festival tonight and it has blown my tiny little mind. Incredible playing of a phenomenal piece.

Day one of studio rehearsals with English Touring Opera and the time has finally come: I get to do a show with Joseph Doody. BRACE BRACE.

BAMBI MEETS GODZILLA is a 1969 student shot by Marv Newland. It was listed 38th in the book The 50 Greatest Cartoons

My eighth Southwell Music Festival was a CORKER: music, people, whisky, face painting, all of it top notch, a little bit messy, sometimes tremendously loud (sixth gear altos FTW). Simultaneously exhausted & enthused, I leave with my heart & (vom, sorry) artistic soul totally recharged.

representation matters!

Godzilla-Shaped Harp Bratislava, Slovakia

This explains so much

Today: Snowmaiden sitz AND I managed to complete the Private Eye cryptic crossword. Nice.