I remember tugging on my mom’s Sunday dress the first time I saw a soloist sing in church, whispering with budding excitement, “Mommy, I want to do that!” I couldn’t wait to get in front of an audience. Shortly afterward, I started voice and piano lessons, and when I turned 18, I started soloing in church.
Last year, I decided to pursue a Master’s degree in vocal performance, and made arrangements to sing at a new church. This year marks my seventh year as a soloist. During my first few years soloing, I learned that singing in front of the congregation is very different from singing on the stage. In an opera, audiences want to lose themselves in the drama and be dazzled by the singing, but in church, congregations want to be uplifted spiritually and absorb the message that sets the tone for the Lesson-Sermon. This makes choosing the solo each week an important task, and one that requires deep thinking and listening to God.
Soloing has been very beneficial to my study of Christian Science in helping me learn more about my relationship to God. It took me a while to realize it, but I see healing in others and in myself quite regularly during services. For example, early one Sunday morning, my vision became blurry and I started experiencing the symptoms of a fever. I began praying because I was fearful I would be unable to sing. I read through and sang some of my favorite hymns and the words of the solo, but I found it difficult to sing. As I was praying, I knew it was time to give up any sense of ownership of my vocal instrument, because it wasn’t mine; it was God’s instrument.
