My husband is 6-foot-5 and we wanted a car that he could fit into. The Honda Element was the only car he could slide into comfortably without having to duck. -- Krisztina SzaboJ.P. MOCZULSKI
She is one of Canada's premier mezzo sopranos; Krisztina Szabo has performed with the Canadian Opera Company, the Chicago Opera Theatre, L'Opéra de Montréal, and the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra - to name a few.
She's not intimidated by large audiences. And on the road, Szabo is taking on a new challenge - learning to drive a stick shift in her first car, a 2004 Honda Element.
"I'm known in my career for taking on challenging music. The fact I've taken on the challenge of standard driving might be a reflection of me," she says.
She just bought the Element in September. "My husband is 6-foot-5 and we wanted a car that he could fit into. The Honda Element was the only car he could slide into comfortably without having to duck.
"He's always hitting his head or he doesn't have enough legroom. It's a bit of an issue," says Szabo, who performs Meg in Little Women with the Calgary Opera in January; she'll be performing with Isabel Bayrakdarian at the Canadian Opera Company this spring.
"The stick shift was a random thing. We were looking for used Honda Elements online. This one had the fewest kilometres and it was in fantastic condition. The previous owner runs a mechanic shop …
"My husband didn't have to talk me into it. I just thought I'll learn to drive a standard; I have faith in myself. Because of the quality of the car, we went with it."
She started taking lessons soon after the big purchase. But her husband Kristian Clarke didn't teach her; she went with the pros. "Having gone out with an old boyfriend years ago, I've learned my lesson to not be taught by someone you're in a relationship with.
"He could have taught me, but I think my marriage would have suffered. A calm stranger is great," she laughs.
"After my first lesson, I told Kristian that if I was feeling confident I would go and pick him up at work. I don't know what I was thinking.
"We only covered first gear and how to work the pedals, but I was feeling very stubborn … I thought, 'I'm going to drive down.'
"He works at Spadina and Richmond; it's not exactly the most easy route to drive. I stalled out spectacularly in the middle of Spadina a couple of times.
"But I got there and I didn't hurt anybody. I was feeling quite pleased with myself," says the Hungarian-Canadian, who completed her postgraduate degree at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London, England, after graduating from the University of Western Ontario.
But even after a few lessons, steep inclines still stress her out. "I'm still super nervous on hills. I'd like shifting from stop to first to second to be little smoother, but I'm getting the hang of it."
But she has had a few close calls, stopped on inclines. "I was trying to remember - lift the parking brake to prepare your feet and I lifted the parking brake and I took my foot off the brake, but I kept rolling back.
"I was like, 'What's going on? What's going on?' Of course I wasn't in gear so that's why I was rolling back even in neutral. The light had turned green and people are honking behind me getting impatient and I think I'm going to crash into the car behind me!"
Luckily she regained her composure and figured it out. "I was the only car that made it through that green, which was probably a good thing. They might have been chasing me down - 'What … is wrong with you?'"
Having her daughter, Phoibe, in the car doesn't help matters. "It makes me more nervous when she's in the car.
"I want to be safe and she likes to talk to me while I'm driving. She's 31/2 and hasn't understood that I can't turn around when I'm driving.
"It is more stressful when she's in the car. But it's a necessity at this point," says Szabo, who is a featured artist in upcoming CD releases with Talisker Players and Musica Leopolis.
While the Element is spacious, there is a downside: "The back seat only seats two - it only has two seatbelts.
"There's loads of room. You can have four very large people, but you can't have five. To have that option would be good."
But the Element still beats borrowing or renting. "This is my first car. I'm 37 and I've never had a car!" she laughs.
"I got my licence when I was 16, but living in the city you almost don't need it.
"With a child trying to get groceries is not such an easy task on the TTC. This has made life more convenient.
"You feel like an adult when you have your first car. The freedom of it has been great - not having to ask to borrow or rent a car. To know there's a car in the garage we can use whenever we want to - that freedom is my favourite part.
"But as a new standard driver I'm making working mistakes and it's really frustrating.
"I felt like I was a good driver before, so I feel like starting over is slightly annoying. I've muscled my way through it …
"And I will never be caught for speeding, which is good. I'm just taking my sweet time."
Regardless, she is enjoying the ride. "I like it more than two weeks ago when I started my lessons. Everyone tells me, once I've had standard I won't go back. I'm looking forward to that."
pgentile@globeandmail.com
Petrina Gentile