L.A. Opera Auditions

I can't begin to describe how ridiculously proud of my daughter I was yesterday.  At eleven years old, that girl walked on in to the Music Center in downtown L.A. (entering through the artists' entrance -- how cool is that?) and sang her little socks off!  -- that is if she'd been wearing any socks.  She'd donned her comfy brown boots for the occasion to go with her overall fashion theme of "comfort."  All the other teen girls there were dressed to the nines.  You would've thought they were all about to go out on stage right then.  Ribbons in perfectly curled and coiffed hair, ridiculously high heels and glamorous dresses were far and away the order of the day.  If Charlotte was intimidated by any of that, she didn't show it.  I don't know what the judges thought of my  rather informally dressed little songstress when she walked into that audition room, but I do know she had them laughing in minutes during their Q&A.  She  later told me she'd cracked some jokes about how her Dad (the tubist) was nicknamed Thunder Lips and her voice teacher (the fabulous Cathy Riso) had dubbed her Leather Lungs.  I don't know if that helped prepare the judges for her powerful soprano voice, but I do know that a moment later when she began to sing her rendition of Giavonni Bononcini's "Per La Gloria," the girls waiting outside blanched and the Opera coordinator's jaw dropped.  She may not have looked like much of a threat, but if talent matters -- she knocked it out of the park!

I wish I could've taped it to play for you here, but Joan Sutherland's rendition will have to do.  You'll just have to imagine it higher and faster -- that's how Charlotte performed it :)