remember when...

Remember when you were between the ages of 16-21 and you had no clue that you could possibly make a career out of singing? You were maybe debating between going to college or conservatory, getting told by parents that a career in the arts was maybe not the best way to go, but getting complete support from your amazing "first" voice teacher, who thought you could be the next sutherland/callas/dessay?

Remember then when all you had to do was learn the notes of the song, sing it like you meant it, and all of the joy, unriddled by years of technical talk, self-awareness, self-criticism, and self-consciousness, was pure? Sure, you may not have sounded like a pro, but there was a loveliness, a naivete, a sparkle to what you were doing, because it was the first time you were ever doing it, and you weren't even sure if what you were doing would be enough to carry you through to making this a profession.

I attended an undergrad recital tonight. And yes, although the girl would definitely get a technique reworking if she continued singing and auditioned for grad schools, the sheer purity and excitement of her voice in recital for the final year of her undergrad was just astounding.
Sure, she needs to work on supporting her breath, and yes, phrasing, languages--everything that you get with work in grad school devoted only to the craft of singing (with some music history and theory thrown in), but it was really beautiful in an innocent kind of way.

In a- this is me, this is my original voice,. I've worked hard, learned the music, and here is my unadulterated voice coming at you in a glorious wave of youth and happiness- kind of way.

-g