Arguably the most well known song ever to exist – Danny Boy has swiftly become a very favorite of mine since I became intimately acquainted with it a few seasons ago. I mentioned in a previous post that pianist Peter Dugan and I will be launching our album A Silent Night: A WWI Memorial in Song this year. When we were first thinking of concepts for how to organize the program, we knew we wanted it to end with something memorable, powerful and original (to a degree).
Read MoreI was first introduced to this song when I was just 13 years old. Back before I knew I wanted to be a professional singer, or a professional anything for that matter. I remember being drawn to the simple melody and the lovely poem. We had sung it for our troubadour choir and competed in many choral competitions with it. It wasn’t until my first real breakup and heartbreak in high school that I realized the depth of the words in this song and where Billy Joel was going with it. Anyone who has experienced the break of a long term, love filled relationship will understand and feel the meaning in these words all too familiarly.
Read MoreThere is a time in one’s life, if they have been loved or felt love for someone, when music speaks truth beyond that of words alone. Holding you in a dark hour, and teaching you where to put your feelings. Lifting you to a higher place, where confusion and doubt are replaced with honesty, solace and joy. I’m blessed to have music as a constant partner in my life; its melodies and poetry dynamically inspiring me to communicate, to learn and ultimately come to understand the delicacy of our time here. “Some Enchanted Evening” is a piece that captures the very essence of what I’m getting at.
Read MoreThe transformative world of Francis Poulenc’s music lends itself well to any song recital program. Two seasons ago, after graduating from Juilliard, I chose to add “Priez Pour Paix” on a recital program I had concocted with pianist Peter Dugan for our first professional tour together. This program is called A Silent Night: A WWI Memorial in Song.
Read MoreI felt it necessary to write about the power and magic of “Soliloquy” from Carousel as my first Song of the Day. This epic monologue ends the first act of Carousel, creating suspense and emotion like no other piece I’ve ever performed. Carousel, written in 1945, was the second work by the illustrious creative team of Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II.
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