My Sample Column for the university newspaper:

This evening, I sat down and cranked it out! Enjoy! :)

A Soprano on Her Head: Living life upside down…

I was once given a book called A Soprano on Her Head by Eloise Ristad. A brilliant book, the author tells the anecdote of a master class for musicians she gave in which one particular soprano found her greatest operatic sounds came only when she was flipped upside-down on her head. Quirky as it sounds, the ideas of “resonance and placement of the voice” became comfortable and friendly to her practice when upside-down. Eventually, though, she would have to return right-side-up in order to sing in performance. In the end, she was, indeed, right-side-up, but the tension of controlling the sound held her back once again. Her next instruction was to forget about the how of singing and concentrate on anything else within her body…how her knees felt, the way her arms could move with the lilt of the music, etc. Soon, on slightly shaky ground, her return upside-right held the comfort of being upside-down but with renewed spirit and a stronger sense of possibility.

I have often pondered this anecdote and have discovered over these years that I am the “quirky” soprano, turning myself upside down every now and again to push myself beyond the protective walls of what I know…or, at least, what I think I know. I find that it is sometimes in the most peculiar of moments that the world becomes clearer. A “revelation” in my own vocal studies usually happens when I stop letting my brain control my voice after weeks of trying to manipulate how I think it should happen or sound. Moments like these remind me that when we try to control life, it begins to control us.

Last fall, I had a vivid reminder of Who is really in control of life. Wandering through the Budavari Labyrinth in Budapest, my path lit only by the dim oil lantern in my hand, I remember the sense of fear that began to consume me. I no longer had the ability to find my own way through the winding paths, for the soft glow of the flame reached only but a few feet around me. When I finally realized that I just had to trust the light would lead me in the right direction, I felt a great sense of calm fall upon my shoulders…Someone Else was in control. In those moments, I was flipped upside-down and back upright again with a brighter spirit.

When we have these “revelations,” then, why is it that we still all too quickly revert back to what we knew – or thought we knew – before? Are we that afraid of the unknown or too fearful of handing over the conducting baton? I have to admittedly say that I often feel the fear of the unknown and try with all my might to keep control, but every time I do, life decides it is going to send me tumbling until I am upside-down and won’t let me right-side-up again until I consent to loosening my grip on life. That said, I am certain I live my life upside-down quite often!