Some Shining Moments

No life history would be complete without a little bragging.
Sometimes our hard work pays off and we are delighted when the blessings come!
Many of my shining moments growing up were centered around music.
Some came from school. Some came from church.
All came from God.

 

When I was sixteen, Ricks College – now called BYU-Idaho, hosted a Commercial Contest that tested secretarial skills.  All the schools in the surrounding area were invited.  I could type 80 to 100 words per minute, and was selected as one of the representatives from Ririe and was glad for the chance to get out of school to go.  I didn’t think much of it; there were a ton of students there. Imagine my surprise when I found out that I had placed 7th.  I truly didn’t think I was that good!

(Little did I know that in the future, being a secretary would pay my way through college and land me my future husband!)

When I was 15 years old, I was able to attend a Regional Choral Festival featuring singers from 16 schools in our area.  One of the choral numbers we sang was called “The Omnipotence.”  I auditioned and won the soprano solo featured in it.  That same year I was voted as the best girl singer and most talented girl in our school.  

When I was a Sophomore at Ririe, I had the opportunity of singing on television with the high school choir.  It was aired on Christmas Eve.  One of our selections was, “O, Holy Night.”  I was chosen to be the featured soloist in the number.

My Senior year of high school I competed for Miss Rigby High.  I prepared an aria from Puccini’s opera, “Madame Butterfly.”  It was called “One Fine Day”, (Un Bel Di), but I sang it in English.  You can listen to it below.   It is quite a challenging piece.  I got second runner up.  I knew that I was in trouble when the music judge spelled opera – “apera.” 

(Play this video of “Un Bel Di”.)

 

 

 

These are some of the musicals we did in high school: “Oklahoma”, “Cinderella”, “The Unsinkable Molly Brown.”   I loved being in them.  I was in the chorus, and sometimes played trumpet in the orchestra.

My senior year at Rigby High, I was cast as Magnolia, the leading character in the musical “Show Boat.”  It was the highlight of my life up to that point.  Learning all the lines, music and acting was thrilling.  The most awkward part was the kissing scene.  I didn’t really like it too well, but had to cooperate.  We even clunked noses in one of the shows.  We took our show on tour and performed it several different places around Idaho.  One particular wardrobe disaster happened when I was ironing the dress I wore in the wedding scene.  I melted a big iron-shaped hole in the sleeve.  Oops!

The summer after I graduated from high school I had the opportunity of receiving a full scholarship to attend The Summer Academy of Fine Arts that Ricks College was hosting.  I was in the most advanced classes, attending sometimes with the college professors.  I won the romantic lead in a little musical by Carol Lynn Pearson called, “Pegora, the Witch.”  I played opposite to a young man who had auditioned a cappella and had a rich, wonderful voice.  He won the part.  The disturbing fact was that he could only sing in one key and was totally tone deaf.  The directors nearly panicked when they found out.  Nothing, and I mean NOTHING could get him on pitch.  We only had two weeks to put the show together.  They solved the problem by having him say the words to his songs to the music.  Then I would sing mine.  It all worked out nicely in the end.

When I attended Ricks College I played a minor role in the musical, “No, No Nanette.”

Little did I know that the experiences of performing in these musicals would be used so much in my adult life when I was asked to write and direct roadshows and other church productions.

Developing our talents brings us joy and blesses the lives of others.
It pleases our Heavenly Father and prepares us to serve him!