It’s amazing to witness the way the mind and memory operate. I was riding the bus this afternoon when suddenly, for no apparent reason and with no obvious cue (perhaps it’s all this focusing on performance I’ve been doing), I began to recall concerts I had participated in as an undergraduate student–concerts I have not thought about in some time.

Internationally-renowned operatic soprano Gilda Cruz-Romo was a faculty member who coordinated concerts each semester in which students could sign up to present one aria in order to obtain public performance experience. She would decide the order of performance and frequently the concerts were two hours (or more!) in length. I made it a point to participate in every one I could and I think I still have the programs to prove it.

I remember the first conversation I had with her. To participate in these concerts, one had to make an appointment and visit her in her studio … Read more »