My story as a singer begins at the age of two, when an aunt of mine discovered me singing show tunes on the back porch of my grandparent’s summer home. In my teens, I began to formally study voice with a local teacher who quickly discovered I had an operatic voice. I made my professional debut at the age of 16 as a church cantor for the historic Old North Dutch Reform Church in Dumont, NJ (est. 1724), and garnered a choral scholarship at the age of 17 from the First Presbyterian Church of Ridgewood, NJ (est. 1823). In college, I discovered the joy and beauty of singing with operatic greats such as Elly Ameling, Maria Callas, Lily Pons, and Joan Sutherland. My professor at Washington University in St. Louis, tenor John Stewart, encouraged me to study opera and classical art song. In my sophomore year, I studied and performed early music and Italian opera with Orvieto Musica in the Umbria and Tuscany. For two summers, I was lucky enough to gain entry to a program studying art song at the University of Irvine in California, where I coached under the illustrious collaborative pianist Martin Katz and conductor Graham Johnson OBE. After graduation, I studied with several teachers until landing with baritone Joshua Hecht, a protégé of the American opera great Rosa Ponselle. While in New York, I sang Nannetta from Verdi’s Falstsaff as young artist with DiCapo Opera Theatre and performed opera roles in regional companies throughout the NY metro area. I expanded my creative pursuits into writing songs and combined my original works with broadway and operatic pieces into a one woman Off-Broadway cabaret show. The National Foundation for Advancement in the Arts (NFAA) provided support through a grant for the performances. One of the pinnacle experiences of my career in New York what when I made my international debut as Blondchen in Mozart’s Abduction with the Opera at Rutgers Presbyterian Church. This performance aired on both the BBC International network as well as the RCN regional network based out of New York City. After relocating to the greater Philadelphia area, I established my own opera troupe, Gilded Angel Opera which supported the showcasing of local artists and exposed them to audiences in exciting and unique venues. In addition to my classical music pursuits, I am a published songwriter and poet. In 2024, I joined my son Augie in publishing his first book, the Renewed Adventures of Super Potato, made possible in part by a Creative Entrepreneur Accelerator Grant from the Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance and Pennsylvania Council on the Arts. The grant allowed us to establish Angelini Publishing, an independent publishing company which focuses on books of poetry, songs, comics, and graphic novels. I detail my songwriting, musings and anecdotes from my career, and positive advice for singers on my blog at freedomangelsoprano.com. I currently am pursuing my Master in Music under mezzo soprano Dr. Emily Bullock at West Chester University’s Wells School of Music. Thank you for letting me share my story.