My Country 'Tis of Thee

That's what all the cute kiddos had to sing for our Opera Columbus Youth Chorus auditions this past weekend. Now, let me say, as a young calf, I would have rocked the house with this little ditty. But, I digress.

We had an amazing turnout for our auditions on Saturday. All in all we had 46 kids, from all over Central Ohio, tryout for the chorus. They ranged in age from sassy 7-year-olds to sophisticated 17-year-olds.

From those 46 talented youths our lovely chorus mistress, Susie, and resident youth choral music expert, Jayne, had to narrow the field down to 20 children. Here I am giving them advice on how to select the best singers for the job: While the young opera-stars-to-be waited for their time to audition, I had the chance to hang out with a few. We chatted about everything from favorite school subjects (recess was a popular pick) to past stage roles to the OSU game (oy vey, what a game).

Here I am with a clan of Buckeye and opera loving Columbusites:

Miss S. and I strike a pose before I help her get measured for her costume:
Susie and Jane had a tough job. Thanks to everyone that tried out. Make sure you come see our production of Turandot in February to see 20 of the most talented kids in Columbus.