Performance preparation is hard work and not for the faint of heart...I need to translate the text of the lyrics (I can't sing in a beautiful language without fully understanding what I'm singing!); I need to make sure my music is marked for the special way the 7 Sopranos® brilliantly dissect an aria, art song or musical theater piece for seven singers, making sure I know where my part is and who sings before and after me; only then can I look at things like learning the melody, rhythm and musical phrasings. This needs to happen pretty quickly, because I also have to add learning choreography to the mix...but this is just the work I do by myself. I need to be able to have this all in my memory so that I can work with the other ladies during our rehearsal times to get to the finished product that our audiences have come to love.
All this prep work has to be completed and fit into a busy schedule that includes a full time (non-music-related) job, a part-time job as a church cantor not to mention being present for my family. Not easy, but I wouldn't trade it for the world! I look forward to coming home from the work I do to make a living to do the work that helps me live. It's hard for me to explain, but there's something special about the moment when the music on the page stops becoming an entity and turns into a living, breathing art form. The truth is...I don't get the same satisfaction from my day job. Responsibility dictates that I keep the day job to support my passion (and keep a roof over my head!), but I long for the day when my passion helps me support my family. That's what makes performing with the 7 Sopranos® so special for me. Having Carnegie Hall as the light at the end of the tunnel makes me think there's a possibility my dreams can become reality. So, faced with the possibility of tomorrow, I gladly crack open the books hoping to bring my dreams one step closer to reality!
