The Next Chapter

  Friday afternoon at 6:55pm my return flight left for Berlin. At 6:00pm, I sat in my parents living room wondering if there would be an anouncement on the louder speaker paging Tara Kavanagh to gate such and such for the departure of Flight 79. I guess I'll never know.

  When leaving Berlin, I had no idea I would not be returning. I payed for the continuation of my German class and made plans to see friends upon my return. But everything happened as easily as it had the day I left for Italy. No fear, no regrets just forward motion and a pressed ear to God.

  I came home for my first big competition. $15,000 Top Prize, the Gerda Lissner. I felt ready, confident and sure I would do my best. I brought my slippers to warm my feet, arrived early and prepared as best that I could. But my nerves got the best of me. Even 4 days after my plane landed, my body still hadn't settled. I was sick for a week from the day of the competition on. I didn't do my best. All I could think of was how to do better. I had planned to return to NY in May in order to participate in the Fritz and Lavinia Competition. It didn't take long for me to realize that going back to Berlin and returning in only a month would simply be repeating a bad performance. I found out that I had a chance to participate in another competition in April and it was the push I needed to see if it was possible to stay longer in NY.

  My voice has improved but I'm not in the audition swing. The more I do, the better I'll get. If accepted, I'll be participating in the Watermill Center International Program on L.I. and working toward the Merola YAP auditions. The goal is to be an audition machine and to see what opportunities avail themselves. For some reason, prospective opportunities led me back across the Atlantic. I am blessed to be able to follow my dreams. Thank you God for all the wonderful people I have met, the opportunity to learn German and travel.

Blessings,
Tara