The Value of a Voice

Yesterday, I went to my weekly piano lesson with my private teacher. I’ve been studying piano with this teacher for about 7 years?…it’s been a while. Now, yesterday in particular was interesting because the first conversation we had was irrelevant to piano and it was more only somewhat relevant to history, which we were talking about since I’m attending a Diversity Conference next week.

Maria Callas. One of the greatest opera singers of all time. My teacher and I were discussing the beauty, the controversy and the brilliance of Callas’s voice. At home, I listened to her most famous opera, Norma Casta Diva and I was astonished by the subtle and dramatic changes Callas was able to produce with her voice alone. It sounded almost as if three people were singing the piece. In addition, I found a wonderful NPR podcast which briefly covers  Maria’s life.

But Maria lost something quite important for any singer at a young age: the brilliance of her voice. Specialists advised her to retire in her forties, which is young for an opera singer. And when I heard my teacher saying this to me, it struck me, as I had never considered what it would be like to lose my voice. Callas could still talk, but singing became quite difficult and strained.

I feel quite fortunate to live in New England where my voice does matter and it is heard. Many places in the world still do not appreciate the voices of women and in some ways, I believe that it is a social and cultural construction. So when I consider what I value most about myself, I would say my voice. When I think about all the things I am able to do with my voice, all of the ways I am able to portray my feelings with my voice and all the possibilities my voice could bring about, I feel really grateful for the gift am I given and often take for granted.