Not one gig, but two

Dear Technophiles

This is something musicians get paid to play at.

Yes, I know you know, but that wasn't what first popped into your head, was it? Tell the truth now.

Thank you.

Now, though I already have my first gig of the year* (in two weeks, easy stuff - a few funky Caldara and Durante arias that I can do in my sleep and some Irish-y tjoonz as background music) I have suddenly developed a second.

Unfortunately, this one doesn't pay - it's an end-of-year performance that is compulsory for me and my fellow singing pupils. Notably *not* easy stuff - two English songs**** and Martini's lovely 'Plaisir d'amour'.

Luckily I have found a fantastic accompanist, H.G. who is like a musical robot. Feed her the sheet music and she will play it perfectly, even at sight. H.G. once played 'Die Vogelfaenger' from Mozart's Die Zauberfloete for me at a concert - and did it with all the grace notes and dynamics too. And she'd never clapped eyes on it before. You have no idea how impressive it was. If I was even vaguely that way inclined, she would have gotten so lucky that night!

*Late starter, me. Though I haven't really been trying to get any. Though I should. Playing music is nice. Getting paid for playing music is really very nice**.
**I should probably say it is nice to be paid for playing pieces you know well and are good at. It is Very Not Nice Indeed to have to learn tricky Bach cantatas for a poncey chamber concert for Really Rich but Uneducated and really rather disinterested wealthy boors*** who won't be pleased no matter what you do. I'm just saying.
***No, they weren't Afrikaans, in case you though that a slip of the finger. And yes, this probably would be easier to read if I didn't footnote the footnotes. Sorry.
****Fact known possibly only to trained singers and their teachers: singing in English is really, really difficult. Disastrous diphthongs. It's really tricky to get the vowels to sound right while still using proper technique.