This past week, I found a bald eagle feather while I was out for my morning walk. It was quite impressive! When I got back home, I looked up the meaning of finding such a magnificent feather. I have always felt that the universe speaks to us through nature, if we will only quiet ourselves enough to listen. As it turns out, the spiritual meaning is more of an invitation, to step back in any given situation and look at it from a distance before making a decision. The feather also represents the ability to soar above the problems of life, and a reminder that we can achieve anything we set our mi ..read more

I took a trip to Germany this morning. Well, if you can call Hubertus, Wisconsin, Germany!!! A few weeks ago I shared with you that I would be putting together a summer bucket list — a list of fun and interesting things that I would like to do to make summer all the more enriching. At this point I have a list of twenty things that I hope to do. Before I shattered my heel, I flew over Holy Hill and took the picture above. What a truly majestic place it is. Since then, I have wanted to attend a mass. Today was the day! We climbed the stairs and as we stepped out onto the veranda, I was amazed ..read more

As we enter the summer season, I would like to turn the tables a bit. Over the last few weeks, I’ve been thinking about some possibilities to add a little something new to the blog posts that I do for you each week. As I was thinking, it occurred to me that each and every post is meant for you the reader, but I really don’t know what you would like. I posed the question to my husband and I was pleasantly surprised with his answer. He said that he would like to get to know some of our members. He would like to learn how they came to the American Opera Society of Chicago, and why they decided t ..read more

A few years ago, my husband found a scrap of paper in the alley. Why it captured his eye, I’m not sure, but he picked it up and saw that a young girl had created a summer bucket list. She listed things like going for ice cream at Margie’s Candies in Chicago, a trip to a water park, going camping, and the list went on. He initially did his best to see if he might possibly be able to return it. When he was unsuccessful, he brought it home to me. I looked at it, laid it down, and then went back to it. The list made me think of when I had last dreamed of all the wonderful possibilities that summe ..read more

It feels like summer today. The garden is beginning to explode with color, as you can see from my lovely clematis above. Wispy clouds streaking across a light blue sky, a gentle breeze, and the perfect temperature have all come together to create this lovely summer feeling. The unofficial kickoff to the summer season – at least for me – is the American Opera Society of Chicago Spring Concert and Luncheon. It’s our last event of the season, marking an end to the year’s board meetings, luncheons, and galas. We could not have asked for a lovelier end to our year! The house was packed. We have no ..read more

This past week, my husband and I said goodbye to our Chicago home. I well remember the day our offer was accepted, standing on the front porch, looking out at the river, excited about what the years ahead would hold. As I walked through for the last time, I thought of every exchange student we hosted, the excitement on the day they arrived, and the tears that we shared the day they left. I thought too of the adults who needed a place to land while they made major life changes. Over the years there were concerts and charitable events. Brides who walked through the door with a dream and walked ..read more

Raised in Little Rock, Arkansas, Veena Akama-Makia identifies as a southerner and with her Cameroonian and Ugandan heritage. She loves opera, laughing, and life. She is also a very gifted Mezzo-Soprano, and the winner of The American Opera Society of Chicago's 2023 Top Vocal Artist Award. I love when I can find a video of the artist giving a little insight into who they are and what they love. Here is Veena in her own words: Veena earned her Bachelor of Music degree at the University of Central Arkansas, and her Master of Music Performance and Literature degree from the Eastman School of Musi ..read more

Our very first exchange student was from the Canary Islands. I’ll never forget walking out of the house on the first crisp fall morning where we could see our breath, and hearing her exclaim how cold it was. I replied, “Just wait!” As it turned out, that was a bitterly cold winter. When spring rolled around, we had a few of those glorious warm days like the ones we recently experienced. She was in heaven… until winter decided to make one last hurrah. I remember her sitting at the dinner table, looking so forlorn, and asking if we would ever have summer. My husband replied, “We just had it. Ho ..read more

A native of New Orleans, Soprano Lindsey Reynolds has the ability to bring storytelling to life with her voice. She is a second year member of the Ryan Opera Center, and has just recently won our 2023 American Opera Society of Chicago Scholarship Award in honor of Patrice Michaels. Lindsey has won numerous awards. She placed first in the Kyrenia Opera Competition, the Camille Coloratura Awards, the James Toland Vocal Arts Competition, the Young Patronesses of the Opera/ Florida Grand Opera Competition, the Hal Leonard Art Song Competition, and the National Association of Negro Musicians Compe ..read more

The longer I live, the more I realize just how connected we all are. The idea of seven degrees of separation turns out to be only a degree or two, more often than not. That is the case for me with Alec Tonno, the winner of our 2023 American Opera Society of Chicago Scholarship Award. While reading some of his online bios, I learned that he frequently performs with the Northbrook and Oistrakh Symphonies. I have known the conductor of both orchestras, Mina Zikri, for many years. That makes for only 1 degree of separation! Alec began studying the violin in 2011 with Milan Milinkovic. Only two sh ..read more