Whether experiencing the art form as a performer or an audience, music can inspire answers to unformulated questions, reveal sub/conscious parallels within our own lives, and exist simply to celebrate one of the higher context contributions to humanity. As a profession, it is an adherence to developing the highest levels of ability and the lifelong process of pushing that level as high as one possibly can.
My interest in performing lies in exploring the complexities of human behavior as they are represented musically, using notation as a blueprint for characterization. Expression of emotion is inherently more deeply felt through music as a medium, and requires a balance between the creativity utilized through interpretation and the necessity of technical proficiency. To live (or simulate!) the human experience musically, with respect to tradition and innovation, on stage and in service of an audience giving of their time and attention, is both the greatest challenge and also the greatest privilege any musician could hope to experience.
My name is Alison Scherzer. I am an interpreter of vocal music, mostly within the operatic and classical genres of performance. I am using Substack as a platform to share my thoughts and experiences, as well as perhaps pipe dreams and other questionable creative writing exercises related to music. Hence the name Soprano Drivel.
Though I am choosing Substack as a platform for communication, I do not consider myself to be a writer, nor do I know yet who my target audience is, or even what exactly I will write about. For now, I am starting this project mainly as a creative exercise for myself. This of course begs the question: "Why write publicly about anything, if the motivation is purely out of self-reflection?" The most honest answer I can offer, is to compare it with learning new repertoire: no matter how beneficial it might be for me, personally or professionally, if a performance of it is not in my calendar, I am just not going to do it.
When using an online platform as a personal journal of one's thoughts, or as a blog of reflections on one's professional life, and using a medium that involves language that is automatically filtered through the ego, how can one determine whether the result is honest and authentic, or rather a strategic projection of how someone would like to be perceived by others? The truth of that, to varying degrees, is that it is likely both. To suggest otherwise would be to deny what is inherent in our nature as social animals.
Above all, it is not my intention for these posts to persuade, take sides or provide answers, but rather to swim around in the paradox and mystery of what it is to engage in this complex art form. Thank you for reading.
To be alive is to be lost in a labyrinth, to be constantly in peril and promise, tragedy and comedy, the imminence of revelation and the need for understanding.
-Jorge Luis Borges
