I don't think I ever properly introduced myself - I've been here on
and off since 1997 - so I will follow Naomi's lead and reintroduce
myself.
I'm a mezzo-soprano currently living in Sacramento, California. I
didn't study music in college; I studied Cultural Anthropology and
Religious Studies, although I had been singing from a small age. I
went to a performing arts high school, but the only place for a
talented singer to go was to an advanced choir which did show tunes,
and I was emphatically NOT interested in show tunes at that time!
As a result of that and other factors, my focus on music strayed,
although I'm not at all regretful about what I learned in my studies
about people, culture and transcendence. I know that my knowledge
in these areas contributes to my ability to interpret the complex,
multi-layered music and words of opera and art song (which is my
only job now). About 5 years ago, at the age of 26, I decided that
I wanted to pursue opera singing seriously as a career (and about a
year after that I found my first post-childhood voice teacher, Dr.
Yvonne DeChance, a long-time Vocalister. I really enjoyed studying
with her, until she had to move to Virginia! That was a sad day for
me and I'm sure her other students as well.)
Currently I study voice privately twice a week with an amazing
teacher in the bay area, and I study Italian twice a week with a
tutor. I just sang my first solo roles with Capitol Opera,
Sacramento, as La Frugola in Il Tabarro and as Mistress of the
Novices in Suor Angelica. It was a great experience in a small
theatre, and my next role with them will most likely be Carmen, in
June. I'm very grateful for the opportunity to perform these roles
in a small theatre in a small-ish town at the beginning of my
career, so I can get them under my belt without anyone important
seeing me in my not-quite-ready-for-prime-time state. It's like
having the college productions I never had because I didn't go to
college.
I have learned an incredible amount about singing just from being on
the Vocalist, from 1997 up until today. I knew next to nothing
about technique when I joined the list, and reading all your
knowledgable posts for so long has given me a base of understanding
about the voice, different theories of pedagogy, and repertoire.
Supplement that with my own studies and some great teachers,
workshops, opera chorus, and summer programs, and I am creating my
own curriculum and training program.
I've met a few people from the Vocalist, Yvonne, Naomi Gurt Lind
(she is a great person and a real sweetheart) and Elizabeth Finkler
(we used to have the same voice teacher, and Mighty Mezzo is a very
apt description of her vocal power and presence!), but I've also
read and learned from the books of several others of you, and hope
to meet more of you over the course of my studies and career.
Thanks for taking the time to meet me, and keep on singing!
Yours,
Karena Aslanian
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