Earlier this month, my friend Meaghan invited me to see an opera that I had been longing to see for years - The Marriage of Figaro - at the Met. What a treat it was to finally see the full opera in the flesh with all of its sounds, colors and characters. I had been working on my singing and instinctively drawn to Cherubino's "Voi che sapete," which unbeknownst to me, turned out to be a breeches role aria, i.e. a woman playing a boy. As I was getting to know the lyrics and the opera as a whole, I found Cherubino to be someone inspiring and curious. A little out of control, full of passion and sensations, this 17 year old boy finds himself wondering what love is and how to deal with its roller-coaster effects. They are universally felt and familiar to all ages. The fact that he says "YES" to it all inspires me to do the same.
Pants-wearing ladies like George Sand and Joan of Arc have always interested me because of their jaunty style and unfettered freedom. They are my muses that encapsulate both yin/yang, male/female and thereby transcend limitations.
