Okay, so I knew her when.

The “her” I’m referring to is my friend and fellow staff singer for Roswell Presbyterian Church, soprano Minka Wiltz.

Girlfriend is on the FRONT PAGE of today’s AJC arts section, sharing that page with REM.

The print version does her more justice than the online version linked above, has an interesting photograph that makes her look more solemn than she actually is – she’s a cut-up, to put it mildly.

Minka told me about the interview for the above-mentioned article only a day or two after Gary Dorsey interviewed me for the Northside profile he did of myself and several fellow Marietta/Roswell/Alpharetta bloggers. We both got a little stupidly tickled about it. Then Gary’s piece came out on the 12th, and Minka was pretty sure hers was going to be in the following Sunday issue, the 19th. It wasn’t – I couldn’t tell if she was disappointed or not – she is, after all, a trained actress as well as opera singer. I know I would have been a bit downhearted.

Then today, just like me when I found out about the Northside article, she was minding her own business at church and everyone else started telling her about it. It’s kind of cool when that happens. (Unless you’re me and your wife comes home one day telling you two fellow teachers heard my name on the radio and she doesn’t know any more than that, and neither do they. I’m still in the dark and paranoid about that.)

I can tell you what the article can’t. It mentions her preparing for the Metropolitan Opera Auditions, a three-round audition series that starts in Atlanta, and if you are a winner, ends up on stage at the Met. I can tell you that the Met Auditions are a big deal for young opera singers. I won two Tennessee districts (first round) in the late 90’s but never advanced past the second round. It does not make or break you for sure. One of the greatest operatic baritones of all time, Sherrill Milnes, never won any competitions. But the Met Auditions can be a great way to kick off a career. And what I can tell you about Minka that the AJC writer didn’t seem to know is that her voice is a force of nature. It brings to mind Leontyne Price and sometimes some of the great Italian sopranos like Mirella Freni. She has a remarkable vocal range, going from beautifully resonant almost Sarah Vaughn-ish bottom notes up to, yes, very Leontyne-like perfectly placed top notes.

The first time I heard her, all I could do was marvel at the size of her voice – if you have never stood next to any opera singer when they cut loose, it’s hard to understand what I mean. I’ve heard it said about me, and I can say it about her. You simply can’t believe a human being can do that with their bodies, and wonder how they keep it up.(It’s all about the BREATH, baby, but I digress.) Then she sang the notoriously difficult sacred soprano aria, Mozart’s Alleluia, in church one Sunday, and pulled it off with such taste and control that I realized, before the AJC got hold of her, that she is a star on the rise.

Go check out the article or pull it out of your Sunday AJC. I’d get her to autograph mine, but she’d smack me upside the head and tell me to quit being foolish.

If you are inclined to hear both of us, then let me point you to this event:

Sunday, October 10, 5:00
“Roswell Presbyterian Church Musicians in Concert”

Both Minka and I will be singing, with pianist Sue Wilson, and there will be instrumental and vocal performances by several other fine musicians who happen to also attend Roswell Pres. The event is free and open to the public, in the main church sanctuary.

Look for Minka’s name to pop up more in the AJC and who knows where else? Look for me to brag like an idjit if it does happen.

Seriously though – I actually wouldn’t say a word if I didn’t think my pal was talented. I’m not gonna shout-out without a reason. Believe me, there’s reason here – it’s not just because she complimented me after reading my blog. And I don’t think she’s any more well-equipped to bribe a body than I am.

And hey, anyone know anything about that rock band on the front page of the arts section with Minka?