This is a pin that I bought in Berlin.  This was my first trip to Europe and I was with a group performing a little operetta called “Down in the Valley.”  I have been singing in choirs for 14 years and taking focused voice lessons for about 6 years.  Singing is a cathartic experience for me; it is heightened expression.  The human voice is the only instrument that can incorporate words and music at the same time, and you can bring melody directly into a story.

The universe has kind of blown me in the direction of Opera.  I did a summer program, which was the precursor to my trip to Berlin, and in that program there were people from Korea, Argentina, Canada, Germany and France.  It was significantly international and it is very cool to have that kind of interaction.  I love people and I love to learn to learn about myself through interaction with others.  I think that’s probably why I love performance, because it is an interpretation of culture.

I have a principle of expanding my self in terms of being aware and outward looking, but the nature of being a performer is very tunnel vision and you have to constantly be looking inward.  The more life experience I have, the richer my experience is, and the better I can potentially be as a performer.