"The Artist"

     This weekend I was fortunate enough to see my wife in Nashville, TN. Even though it was a short stay, it was a very much needed break and it recharged my batteries; now I can keep going strong and inspired. Before my departure we went to see “The Artist,” a movie which mades us laugh, cry and think. So much can be said through silence, so much can be felt from silence, so much can be emoted through silence. What a powerful and beautiful thing it is and how true it is to the life of an artist.
      It is in silence what we singers do so much of our work. Researching, translating the score, preparing the score, memorizing melodies and lyrics, and creating our characters. It is ironic that for someone who makes a living singing, it all starts from silence. We spend so much of our lives on the road, doing what we love, but away from those we love the most. It is a lonely life sometimes, but it is then that silence becomes our consoling friend. In silence I close my eyes and I go back to my childhood, to my friends, to my grandparents' home, to thanksgiving dinner with my folks, to the first time I met my wife-silence keeps me company. In silence I find inspiration, in silence I hear the drama of life, in silence I find my true voice.
      The next time you go to the opera, remember that when you hear us sing at the top of our lungs, it all comes from deep within our silence. Silence is a powerful thing, can you hear it?