The first opera I ever bought on vinyl was “The Ballad of Baby Doe” by Douglas Moore, starring Beverly Sills. I was intrigued by the story, and mesmerized by the beauty and purity of her voice and something about it just touched my soul on the deepest level. She became my inspiration, the woman I wanted to sound like and aspired to be. In my mind, Sills was the true American DIVA, but not in the bad sense of the word. I read everything I could about her and found myself so touched by what she wrote to inspire young singers. Below are just a few of my favorites. May you read them over and over again when you start feeling insecure about your path in life.
1. “I’ve always tried to go a step past wherever people expected me to end up.”
2. “There are no shortcuts to any place worth going.”
3. “Everything you need you already have. You are complete right now. You are a whole, total person, not an apprentice person on the way to someplace else. Your completeness must be understood by you and experienced in your thoughts as your own personal reality.”
May we all, like the great Beverly Sills, find that we are amazing, just as we are. If you just have faith and believe in yourself, and work hard, the universe will align itself for. Some people create their own storms and then get mad when it rains. Others take risks and are rewarded for that act. Never be fearful, or judge whether you are good enough to perform, JUST BELIEVE YOU ARE!