Nostalgia

My mother just e-mailed me after returning from a trip to my old alma mater where my parents saw one of their former students in a production of Kurt Weill and Bertolt Brecht’s The Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny. While there, they chatted with my former chorus professor and opera conductor, Robert Page. He apparently sent greetings to both my sister and me (we both studied with him there), remembered the last he knew of our careers (which was, for each of us, the last thing to know- Master Class for me and Carousel for Katie), and told my mother he still thinks I was meant to sing The Countess in The Marriage of Figaro, which I played my senior year there.

It made me feel… good. And not as sad as I might have imagined. I’ve had so much angst over my defection from classical singing, and I’d long worried what the reactions of a few key people (he being one) would be over what I’m doing with my life now, that I would have expected my reaction today to be much more unpleasant. Instead, I just feel nice. It’s nice to know that after all these years he remembers me and my work so fondly, and that he cares, I guess. I don’t know. I’m a bit mushy at the moment. In any case, it was a very nice thing to hear. Thanks .

Now I’m skipping down memory lane, of course, headphones on, Figaro in the player, as my husband naps and surfs. Life is not so bad.

Edited to add, I got this note from my dad, which added to my good feeling:

I was happy to read your LJ entry after your mother wrote about our speaking with Robert Page. Once we introduced ourselves, he greeted us like old and dear friends. You know, hands on the shoulders just a squeeze away from a hug. I know that your mother told you about his knowing what your last performance gigs were but you should have seen the almost father like pride he had when speaking about you. He told Elizabeth that there are people like you that he will never forget and added that she would be in that category. She was pretty pleased about that. Made this old dad feel really good.

It has been almost 13 years since I last saw Robert Page. Made this old kid feel pretty good too.