Hello! My name is Piper Allred, and I am a senior Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance. The coolest thing about my major is definitely that it involves my favorite thing in the whole wide world, which is singing! My favorite class that I took last semester was probably my Vocal Literature class. I really enjoyed learning about all of the different repertoire, styles, and composers that apply specifically to my instrument! Last semester my biggest accomplishment was my grades. I was so excited to make the President’s Honor Roll! After the semester ended, I went to go visit my friend who was studying abroad in Italy! I was so excited! It was my first time to ever leave the country and I was so nervous that something would go terribly wrong, but all of it went well! I landed in Florence, then took the train to meet my friend in Arezzo. She and I then traveled from Arezzo back to Florence. Then from Florence we went up to Milan and Lugano, Switzerland, then over to Verona and Venice, then down to Rome and back up to Florence! It was really such an incredible trip! Also, the food was amazing! My favorite meal we had there was definitely in Florence. Actually, there were two favorite meals of mine in Florence. The first was in the Food Market and it was called a “Trapizzino”. It was so yummy! It was this bread, almost like focaccia, and there were all of these different fillings that you could choose from. I got the chicken cacciatore filling that consisted of thyme, rosemary, and chicken all cooked to perfection in a delicious combination of white wine and broth! Another delicious meal in Florence was at a restaurant called Il Brandolino. It was this beautiful, quaint restaurant that my friend and I absolutely fell in love with. They had this delicious cheese plate that consisted of a soft, medium, and hard pecorino cheese. They served the cheese with a delicious truffle honey, fig jam, and what I believe was a blueberry reduction! Delicious! I had the most amazing time and I cannot wait to go back someday!! A couple weeks after I got back from Italy, my family and I went up to Canada, which was a really neat experience too! We flew into Seattle, then took the train up to Vancouver and took the ferry over to Victoria. All of Canada was so beautiful! My favorite thing we did was visit the Butchart Gardens in Victoria. They were absolutely incredible! I have never seen something so breathtaking in my life! Overall, last semester went well and I had a really great summer! I am hopeful that senior year will be just as good!
This is a picture of my Trapizzino from Florence!
This is a picture that I took of the breathtaking Butchart Gardens in Victoria!
Oh, how wonderful to have a vocal performance major in this class, Piper: that is so cool! Have you had a chance to study Indian musical traditions? I would be excited if this class could be a chance for you to do that, and music is absolutely a theme in the epics; the villain Ravana whom you will meet in the Ramayana next week has this great virtue: he is a great musician; Ravana's musical skills even impress Shiva, the god who is the Dance Lord of the universe, the Nata-Raja.
ReplyDeleteAnd I got hungry reading about Italy: I used to go to school in Siena (graduate school), and I still fantasize about the pizza with fiori di zucca (zucchini squash flowers)... it's been 20 years, but I can still remember just what it looks like... and what it tastes like. Yummmmy indeed!
Anyway, I hope you will enjoy the class and perhaps it will inspire you to explore some adventures in Indian music and Indian food too. You will see that both music and food come up as topics in the epic stories too! :-)
I actually took a class about music in different cultures and one of the sections we studied was Indian music! It was fascinating and India was one of my favorite units. I especially loved listening to Bollywood music! That is so neat that you studied in Siena. I've heard it's beautiful! If I ever get the chance to go back, I'd love to visit there. That pizza sounds amazing!! I'm very much looking forward to the class!!
DeletePiper it is great to know that you are a music and vocal performance major I can very much relate to this because I have been singing since i was 4 years old. Being professionally trained in Indian Classical Music it has been 14 years since I did it and due to the level of difficulty and voice coordinations involved I am able to sing Arabic songs, and any pop culture songs. I currently am part of the Women's choirs and Chambers singers here at OU. Also I have been to Italy and Rome as well it an amazing place wine tasting is something I enjoyed with my friends in Italy.
ReplyDeleteThat is so cool that you were trained in Indian Classical Music! I am in OU Women's Chorus as well! I'll be excited to get to know you in person!! Italy is incredible and the wine is amazing! That sounds like such a fun experience to share with friends!!
DeleteHi Piper!! How crazy we are in this class together and I didn't even know until I was assigned to comment on your post! What an accomplishment to make President's Honor Roll! I'm very proud/happy for you. I loved reading about your trip to Italy this summer. It sounds like it was amazing. The Trapizzino looks absolutely delicious. Hopefully I can try one someday.
ReplyDeleteOh my goodness! Hello, Hannah! I had no idea you were in this class too! How fun!! Thank you for the congratulations. That means a lot to me! Italy is amazing! If you go for no other reason than the trapizzino, it is well worth it!!
DeleteHI Piper! I went to Italy too this summer! I tried so hard to make it to Switzerland, but I was not able too. I would love to hear about your experience. I see that you went to Venice. I loved Venice because it was so easy to get around. My favorite part was all the jewelry shops, but I also enjoyed the gondola ride I took. Did you have a different experience?
ReplyDeleteHi, Caitlin! That is so cool that you took a gondola ride! I did not do that, but I thought that looked like so much fun! Was it a neat experience? I really liked all of the jewelry shops too! Plus, Venice is such an iconic place. It was really neat to see in person! I especially loved all of the alleyways. It all felt very mysterious and intriguing. What other places did you go?
DeleteHi Piper! How fun that your last name is Allred, it is so similar to mine which is Allgood. I used to be frustrated that people found my last name funny, but I love that it stands out against the multitude of Allens, Smiths, and Millers. I envy your ability to sing! It also sounds like you have had an some incredible opportunities for travel, I bet this worldly influence will be an asset to the creative writing you do in this class. Congratulations on your acedemic achievements last semester, and good luck in your post-grad endeavors!
ReplyDeleteI love the name Allgood! It sounds so positive to me! Thank you so much for the well-wishes! Best of luck to you too!
DeleteHello Piper, I am so happy you did well last semester! I also find it interesting that you went abroad. I really want to go to Italy. What was the weather like there? I have been abroad a couple times but never to a very European city. How different was Italy from the United States? I really want to try the food in Italy and walk along the streets smelling the different smells of Italy. I hope you have fun in your future travels!
ReplyDeleteHi Piper! I'm so jealous. I LOVE music too. I was in the Women's choir a couple semesters ago. I'd love to do the bachelors in it too but it's hard as a working adult. I'm also jealous about Italy. How cool is that?! The food sounds AMAZING. I can only imagine what it's like. I've never left the country personally, so thanks for letting me live vicariously through your post.
ReplyDeleteHey Piper!
ReplyDeleteI wish I could, but I definitely cannot. I still do anyways and have no shame belting out some ballads in the car or at karaoke. Maybe one day my voice will all of a sudden be able to sing well.
That is so cool that you got to travel a ton of places! Traveling is my number 1 goal in life. I also studied abroad but I still have not seen Europe. I visited Australia and Asia when I was traveling. Europe is definitely next on my list and I will mark down some of the places you mentioned.
Hello Piper!
ReplyDeleteWow. I would love to see Europe. How long did you stay in Europe to travel to all those places? The sandwich looks amazing. What was your favorite performance that you had or that is the most memorable to you. I heard Canada is such a beautiful place and your photograph just confirmed my suspicions! Also congratulations to your grades I know it was hard work!
Hi Piper! Congrats on making President’s Honor Roll, that’s amazing!! How fun that you finally got to get out of the country, and you got to experience so many different places too! I love traveling and Switzerland is high up on my bucket list. I’m going back to Italy next summer and I’m definitely going to have to try Trapizzino, it looks so delicious. I took notes on everything you recommended! I’m also curious what that drink is next to your Trapizzino in the picture, it looks good too.
ReplyDeleteHi Piper! It sounds like you had an amazing summer! I have been to Italy before but I was in Sicily. I always wished we were on the main country so that I could visit all of the nearby countries and big cities. Vocal performance is an amazing career that maybe could give you the opportunity to travel more in the future! I used to live 80 miles from British Columbia in Washington State. It is very beautiful there and I miss it !! I never got to visit Victoria during my time living there but always heard about those gardens!
ReplyDeleteHey Piper! I think it's awesome that your a music performance major. I'm glad you've found something you're so passionate about that you can do for a major. I also am so incredibly jealous of your summer! It sounds like you got to see so many amazing places and also eat so much amazing food. All of the places you went are places I hope to get to go someday!
ReplyDeleteHi Piper, it's nice to meet you! I love your excitement that was present in everything you put in your post. I also loved the description of your trips this summer- the traveling abroad sounds so adventurous, and I'm glad you got the chance to do so! Which of those places was your favorite, and do you think you'll ever go back? Best of luck with your classes and major this semester, keep killin it!
ReplyDeleteHi Piper! It is very nice meeting you. I first want to say that I love the layout of your blog post. Congratulations on getting on the President's Honor Roll, that is a huge accomplishment! Also very jealous of your summer. I have always wanted to go to Italy, and think that studying abroad would be so cool. Great post, I cant wait to read more!
ReplyDeleteHi Piper! Wow the trip to Italy sounds like a really fun time and reading about all the different food that you experienced sounds so amazing. I can't wait for this spring break coming up because I will be going to Germany and it will be my first time leaving the country and I'm so excited hopefully it will be a great experience like you had in Italy. Also I love your picture of the gardens and I am adding this to the list of things I want to go do when in Canada I have a friend that just moved up to Michigan for grad school and we are making plans to go visit her and then take a trip to Canada.
ReplyDeleteHi Piper! Your major is so neat. I have heard of that major before but never known anyone in it. That trip to Italy sounds amazing! I've always wanted to go to Italy, and now that I'm taking a course called Geography of Wine, I want to visit it even more! I want to try all the food (I love Italian food) and I would really love to visit some of the wineries there. It was so nice to get to know more about you. Have a great rest of your semester!
ReplyDeleteHi Piper! Your major sounds so cool! I wish I could sing well, but my sister got all the musical talent in my family. Also, your description of Italian food made me so hungry! My grandfather's family is from Italy, and I really want to go and experience all this delicious food there. I've never been to Canada either, and if I ever make it up there, I'll be sure to check out the Butchart Gardens!
ReplyDeleteHi Piper!
ReplyDeleteI’m not sure how I haven’t seen your profile yet this semester, but I enjoyed reading it. I’m super jealous of your trip to Italy. Sounds like you had a great time and some great food. Now I’m hungry! You are right that all of Canada is beautiful. I went to Vancouver last year for my birthday and out of all of the places I’ve been, that has to be by far my favorite. The weather, the food and the people are all incredible. It was a pleasure to read your intro and I have you have a great rest of your semester!