I have found the most wonderful, inspiring, jaw-dropping, charming Prince!!! 

This is NOT a drill!

Over the holidays I got to see the Metropolitan Opera Live stream. The opportunity to see the Met stage in a local theater is always inspiring and never fails to leave me feeling invigorated and ready to keep at it! 

It was an adaptation of Massenet’s Cendrillon, translated to English and condensed into a 90 minute program, conducted by Maestro Emmanuel Villaume. 

I knew it would be some seriously enchanting holiday special, easily digestible after the festivities of the New Year, but I did not anticipate what I left with.

Leaving the theater on New Year’s Day, I was overwhelmed with emotion.

Delight, exuberance, optimism, anticipation. 

Live performances have always had an impact on me, but for some reason, and on this day, I was left feeling more inspired than ever.

Let us get onto the star of the show… the real reason you are still reading. 

The Prince.

Her name is Emily D’Angelo. (Please go listen to her latest release or check out her instagram) 

She is paving the way to greater things in this music world, BELIEVE you ME. 

Her performance was awe inducing. I was stunned. 

I could literally not speak for hours afterwards.

If there is one thing you should know about me, it is that I am quite a traditionalist. I love listening to the oldest recordings in existence. I believe that this ancient way of technique is what I need to be the best singer I can be. 

And so, at times it can be difficult to find new, ALIVE singers that grab my attention. This is not a diss to any of my favorite singers of the present, it is actually the opposite. 

I commend the singers of today for all that they do. It is just that Ms. D’Angelo has easily taken the rank as one of my favorite singers of all time.

I heartily look forward to her work and eagerly await the day I get to sing onstage right next to her.

I even ponder the probability that someday, an adoring fan gushes about my vocal capabilities and is changed, in a way, never to be the same since the first time they heard my voice.

What will it be, future Queen Bee aficionados? I can picture you now, drooling over my expansive phrasing. Or am I to expect a fuss over my shimmering, yet comprehensively exacting notes past the upper passaggio? 

What truly sends me into a state is the precision of a face illuminated by a single spotlight. Prince Charming did this incredibly well…

If I could possess even half of the presence of the likes of Ms. D’Angelo, I think I would have achieved all that I need to in my life.

It always goes back to how who we are as people impacts our art, and what we allow the world to see.

How is that for some manifestation on a Saturday?

XOXO, Bentley