I Fell In Love

Emmy's Note: Today's final guest post for June's theme of "Art That Touches My Soul" is from one of my newest blog friends- Alexandra! She is one of my sponsors for next month, and while she is an Alabama girl she is NOT your "typical" southern chick. She's lived almost everyhwere and is getting ready to go to college in Huston. Let me tell you, this girl is one AMAZING singer! I'll leave you all a link for her youtube channel because she has a lot of talent, especially for being so young. She's perfect for this month's topic! Alexandra blogs at This Journey of Journies and you can email her at chandelier27aaa@gmail.com.

Art is a kind of neat word, as it encompasses many meanings. I am so grateful to witness art every day, and experience it in all sorts of ways. Everywhere you look you can see miracles and art. Art can be accessed by several senses. Perhaps you might hear me experiencing my art; I sing opera.

It’s a kind of funny story actually. You might want to grab a fuzzy blanket and a cup of coffee.

I have always been with music. And when I say always, I mean, when my mother was pregnant with me she and my Dad went to orchestra concerts and I would kick in her stomach, yearning to be part of the sounds and rhythms. As I grew up I performed in plays and musicals (the first being at age 6, when I was the color red in The Color Factory, which is definitely deep stuff ;) ). Music was always there, keeping me company. I played piano, violin, and sang in the church choir; I think that’s when I first started to love voices making music. (To this day, a men’s ensemble just makes me melt!)

When I hit high school, our family moved to Alabama. Now, this kind of amuses me. I started voice lessons when I got here, and then was asked to be a lead (sort of) in an opera! Keep in mind…I was 15 when this role came around. I had always loved music, and classical music, but had never been in an opera. Oh yeah, and I had never seen one either. I was in an opera before I saw one.

That was all fine and dandy. Operas and musicals came and went. I thought to myself, “this is something I could do. Yeah!”

My Dad is military, so we have done our fair share of travel. Last year brought us to the place that changed my life: Italy. Long story short,  I had the amazing opportunity to spend two months on my own (as in, away from Momma who has always taken care of me) in Milan and Arezzo.  (Arezzo is a little town in Tuscany, not too far from Florence).

Guys….Arezzo changed my life.

I fell in love.

But not with a greasy Italian man. Nor with an imported American dude. In fact, it wasn’t a guy at all!

I fell in love with opera.

Somewhere between the Mozart and Puccini, my heart got captured. And opera has made a permanent home in my heart. I finally knew passion! This love became unexplainable, and honestly incomprehensible. I couldn't believe how much joy had entered into my life, all because of opera. 

Mozart and... source.

Now, as a recent high school graduate, I am off to college to pursue a vocal performance major.

Art changed my life. I found passion. And I couldn’t be more grateful. 

You can check out Alexandra singing here: http://www.youtube.com/user/wwitherow1/videos