Coming up - Radamès at Dayton Opera's Aïda

April 4,6

I remember:

It was my first true freshman year in college at Kansas State University - I had just discovered the music library and the sound archive. My voice teacher Steven Rushing and I had made a breakthrough. I sang a high Bb. His eyebrows shot up and he leaned forward. "You know, Nathan," He intoned...

Steven had this way of speaking. If you know opera singers, they talk in this very mellifluous and round tone. It's kind of otherworldly, really. Most people speak with a vocal fry... like a Geiger counter (think Miley Cyrus), but Dr. Rushing spoke like he was singing - all the time.

So with this rounded tone, he paused for a second- leaned back and put his hand to his salt and pepper beard.

"You know, I don't say this very often, but I think you could do this... sing opera."

It was kind of cool. The first time anyone had ever said I could DO something and not have it be by sheer willpower.

I would later lean that an opera career is 99% will power, but at that moment it confirmed what I'd suspected. I was going to be an opera singer!

I went to the recording collection and found Aïda. I can't remember the singer, but soon enough "Celeste Aïda" was blaring in the speakers. I'd picked the aria because it was a role that only had a high Bb. (The high c and other notes would come later)

Grabbing the score, I sang along with the record.

Nathan Granner in the stacks
*image rendered in ai*

It was too easy.

"Se quel guerrier io FOSSI!" Yeah, that check out. "Ceeeeleeste Aiiiiiiidaaaaaa" that was cool. "In regal cerrrrrto sul crin possaaaarti EEEEEEERGERTE UN TROOOOONO...." oh my. God. Yes!! I can! I can!

"Un trono vicino al sol.." so easy ...

The last phrase. Here we go. Kinda tired but still not too shabby.

"UN TROOOONO VI CI NO AL GLEerRBfjdssuhhhh -"

My teenage voice split like a wave hitting an impenetrable wall, turned to fine sand and blew away, dashing my hope like Ramses in The Mummy. Humbled. Silenced.

It was late. There was no one there in the building to hear this great Awk.

I carefully put the record back in the stacks.

But it's different now, from those many years ago.

*images rendered from real photographs by Photoshop, Krea, Photoleap*