Trying to get the operatic sound out of my voice was something I worked on when I first came to New York so my sound would be more commercially appealing. This first song, from The Mystery of Edwin Drood, shows some range and adheres to a more classical style for a musical theatre piece. “Moonfall,” with its somewhat haunting melody, travels up and down the scale in its own eerie way.

This next test track is of the song “Much More” from the long-running off-Broadway show, The Fantasticks, chosen for its range, lyricism, lilting musical style, and unfettered expression—a clear move away from the operatic vocal feats I enjoyed singing as a lyric soprano with a coloratura extension.

And this last song, recorded at the same time but obviously not professionally recorded either, demonstrates that if I sang in a low enough key, any operatic sound would be undetectable. From Grease, “There Are Worse Things I Could Do” enabled me to audition for all sorts of shows where I was suddenly no longer a soprano—opening up new roles and possibilities for me.