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Story 5

Birgit Nilsson - In 1970, I was a young singer in Atlanta, Ga. studying to sing in the opera. Miss Nilsson came to Atlanta to sing. I sat in a pitch black auditorium all day waiting for her to arrive to prepare for her recital, which she did at around 4 p.m. As she sang, I inched my way forward until I was sitting on the front row. When she finished, she walked to the edge of the stage and looked at me. "You're very intent on me, aren't you?" she asked. "Oh, yes," I stammered, totally awed by the great soprano. She asked if I was a singer and I told her I was studying to be a singer. She asked me if I would like to sing for her, which I did. She took her time just before a recital to critique my performance line by line and said to me, "You have a beautiful voice; you must keep singing." For years after that, any time I was panned by a critic, I just thought to myself, "So what! Birgit Nilsson said I can sing." It was incredibly validating and a magnificently generous thing to do for a young singer. I miss you already, Miss Nilsson. Your time was not wasted. I did become an opera singer and in honor of your kindness, I always tried to encourage other young singers.
- Posted: April 26, 2006

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