HOW IT ALL BEGAN
I am a singer, a soprano to be more precise, with a wide ranging curiosity about the way the experiences and stories of life can become sound and songs, theatre and dance. As with many performers, I have a fine arts education though,early on, I sang folk and popular music in nightclubs and cafes while studying classical music as a pianist.
While, in this era, we tend to think of classical singers as a voice for opera, this has not always been the case. A brief survey of not so distant history (the first half of the 20th century) shows that singers have not always been so rigidly categorized and felt free to sing all kinds of things. This is an important tradition I have chosen to continue for the obvious benefits of being in the company of a wide variety of composers and their music; something which has given me the most extraordinary experiences of my life.
I have found that certain ways of singing work with the body and for the music and are more conducive to this kind of experience. There is more about this on the Teaching page.
Recently, I have begun a new project, Teatro Mistral, a Bay Area company based on a deeply held conviction that live theatre, opera and dance make an invaluable, irreplaceable contribution to the quality of life in the communities they serve. We are the resident opera company at Little Boxes Theater, ‘a vibrant multi-use studio & performing arts venue in the Dogpatch neighborhood of San Francisco’! In our productions, we seek to understand how the changing nature of relationships colors our vision and understanding of the world we live in. We intend to include both time honored historically proven operas alongside lesser known compositions that deserve a hearing. Works from the Spanish speaking world are of particular interest to us. Teatro Mistral does not discriminate on the basis of age, color or creed. For more information regarding all upcoming events, please visit the Events page.
You may be asking yourself how it is that a mixed race Slavic-Asian soprano became so deeply involved in western classical songs and music.Dr. Marian Davis
The answer is simple.
One doesn’t choose a passion: it chooses you………………..
