opera 2/3

Sam Darling

Oct 20, 20142 min read

Ballerinas are tough as nails

My maternal great aunt Hermine is a spitfire who has always amazed the family with her abundant energy and stubborn streak. She is tiny....

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Sam Darling

Oct 10, 20142 min read

Hair story; herstory

I was represented by an agency and auditioning as a commercial actress so I’ve been expected to keep the same long dirty blonde princess...

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Sam Darling

Oct 3, 20142 min read

Risk – perceived and actual

There were times when my anxiety crippled my ability to live my life. I learned to manage my anxiety and one of the main tools I use for...

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Sam Darling

Sep 24, 20142 min read

The primer for classical singing

It’s almost like a totem. When an individual has signaled their readiness to become a classical singer a teacher will lead them one of...

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Sam Darling

Jul 24, 20142 min read

Physiological response to singing

Many people who learn I sing opera feel compelled to apologize for not liking the art form. It’s okay. I get it. I don’t like opera...

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Sam Darling

Jun 21, 20142 min read

Daniel Crouet & ma sorcière bien-aimée

Many nations have rules around how much broadcast television must be in the native language. This was of particular concern in France...

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Sam Darling

May 5, 20141 min read

Glamour & Fiorello!

Some people say that we will never again see the level of glamour evident in post-world war America. It usually men who lament the...

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Sam Darling

Nov 27, 20132 min read

Puritans

I forgot about American Thanksgiving coming up. Perhaps because nothing could top our photo from last year. [Faux puritans. Thanksgiving...

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Sam Darling

Oct 23, 20131 min read

Halloween past in suburban America

The Halloween costumes of my mother’s youth doubled down on her opera training. Here are three from her teenage years. They were living...

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Sam Darling

Oct 5, 20132 min read

I’m a time traveler

In America, I was an awkward child. It’s because I’m a time traveler. Opera singers, more than many other artists, spend their entire...

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Sam Darling

Aug 12, 20134 min read

Nostalgia is a lie

It’s August and I’m returning to NYC for the first time after a long absence. There was a moment when I became a New Yorker and I can...

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Sam Darling

Jul 18, 20132 min read

Fitness

I was sick this week. I had a nasty virus that caused all sorts of gastrointestinal issues and I didn’t eat a bite for nearly six days....

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Sam Darling

Jun 27, 20131 min read

Jazzy sounds from my cousin Sophie

In my family, you can be a physician or a musician, but you can rarely be both. My cousin Sophie Bourgeois is extraordinary for managing...

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Sam Darling

Jun 27, 20133 min read

Josephine Baker

The French embraced jazz music very early. It may have been that there was a direct pipeline from the cradle of New Orleans to the...

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Sam Darling

Jun 21, 20131 min read

She painted Jane Berbié

Maternal grandmother Hélène was often enlisted to do the portraits of performers over her long career. Here’s one she did of the French...

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Sam Darling

Jun 18, 20131 min read

La vie parisienne

My diva mother cavorting around Paris in the 1970s. You can hear her singing a duet with Jean-Claude Calon in the link below. The images...

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Grand-mère kicks ass: tales of World War II

Sam Darling

May 27, 20132 min read

Grand-mère kicks ass: tales of World War II

I have few war heroes in my family of creative types, but the one most decorated got her medals in an unusual manner. As part of my...

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Sam Darling

Apr 29, 20131 min read

La Périchole

My mother and father were involved in reviving Offenbach’s La Périchole in Paris in the 1970s. A couple of photos from that production...

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We’re probably being jerks (to ourselves)

Sam Darling

Feb 5, 20134 min read

We’re probably being jerks (to ourselves)

We’re probably being jerks (to ourselves). Or: Why Beyoncé isn’t the problem I had an important realization today. I was never as ugly as...

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Sam Darling

Jan 21, 20131 min read

Lullabies

Below the beautiful song Laylay by Sövkət Ələkbərova, and the superb animation work from the creative Russian group METRONOME FILM, part...

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