The voice you initially hear is someone who has impacted me greatly in my theatrical journey. Julie Wright Costa is a vocal pedagogy professor, a stage director/producer, a seasoned performer, as well as a mentor and friend to many. When she’s not at her home university, she will sometimes graciously come direct and produce shows at Western Plains Opera here in ND. Her wise words and patient guidance have helped me become a better stage actress and human being. I’m so thankful our paths have crossed.

BEHIND THE SONG
In 2018, Julie and one of the star cast members of “The King and I” gave a master class about the music industry and how they got to where they are today. Finding their words insightful, I opened voice memos on my phone and started recording so that I could remember their advice. In 2019, I revisited the voice memo and felt moved to make a track out of Julie’s words. It started with the first 12 seconds you hear but then I dropped the project because I just didn’t to know where to take it.
Jump to 2021. I was cleaning out my GarageBand projects and stumbled across this track. I decided to give my shot at reviving it. I originally only wanted to use the sounds from the masterclass but it didn’t give me enough to work with. The idea struck to use sounds from some of the shows she’s directed here and then it took off from there. I hope her words of advice help those who are struggling to find their place in the music industry.

Throughout the song, you’ll hear instrumental and vocal samples used from The King and I, Into the Woods, and the opera Hansel and Gretel.

Thank you for listening and coming along on this journey of musical growth.

(Also sorry about the quality of the clips 😅 I’m kind of a scavenger when it comes to finding footage)