Friday, November 13, 2009
I Sing Because I Can....
I love singing. I am no Streisand. I am a journeyman vocalist........not brilliant, but competent. I started out singing in church and studied with Norma Tina Russo of the San Carlo Opera Company as a mezzo-soprano. Things progressed and I wound up with gigs in saloons and stage productions. Forty years later I am back in church. Now I am a contralto with a second soprano stretch and I am singing alto, second soprano AND tenor, depending on the piece. I have also done some acting in my time and although I liked it a lot, I am actually an interpreter of songs. I like that best of all. There is more power in words and music than words alone. Perhaps that is why Saint Augustine said, "...to sing once is to pray twice." I can get lost in a song and take an audience with me. It doesn't get any better than that.
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I wonder if I know you ... I also studied with Norma Tina Russo - for 12 years, beginning about 1963. Maestro Anton Guadagno tagged my voice as mezzo-contralto-spinto-dramatica because of my 4 octave range. The years spent with Madame Russo and the operatic stage are cherished. I was fortunate to have both secondary and lead roles in several operas - from Carmen to Madame Butterfly ... I say this to trigger your recollection, in case we know each other. You are wished well in your endeavors. I am happy to know that I am not alone in my memories of, and debt to, Madame Russo.
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