Now August is here (okay, not quite as this was written on 29 July 2008), all my orchestra and singing commitments have stopped until September and my diary suddenly isn’t as hectic as usual. You would think this would be cause for celebration, and of course, I am relishing the break as much as anyone, but I really look forward to rehearsals and whether it’s singing with the choir or opera groups or playing with the orchestra, rehearsals are also social events where I meet up with friends and like-minded folk. Singing lessons too are something of a treat and always eagerly anticipated. The prospect of nearly four weeks devoid of such interaction leaves me feeling just a bit deflated especially as a number of friends are heading off to summer schools.

Foolishly I left it too late this year to book up for a music summer school of any sort. I have previously attended the adult improvers’ courses at the Oxford Cello School during the summer and made some very good friends along the way who are all as nuts about playing ‘cello (and drinking wine) as I am. With my recently rediscovered passion for singing I would love to have done an opera course somewhere, but clearly I have missed the boat. Oh well, maybe next year! (Could anyone recommend a good opera course? I would love to do the sort of course where participants work up to a public recital or opera performance over a week!)

Anyway, I suppose summer will give me time to practice and to learn the huge amount of dialogue I have got (in both Merry Widow and The Magic Flute) as well as planning for future events. My good friend Vikki and I are hoping to do a spring charity recital of mainly opera arias and duets and we will need to start working on a programme (and an affordable venue) for that fairly soon. The summer might also create an opportunity to do some recording - maybe I can finally get around to putting some samples on my website(www.guyedwards.info) but then again, if the sun is shining and there’s a nice claret in the wine rack…