It was during an improv class
I started singing, "Fly Me To the Moon,"
Afterward someone came up to me
"You can sing?" She said
"Yeah,"
"You should be in choir"
"No, I don't think so"
"You should. What class do you have at 12:30?"
"I don't have class at 12:30"
"I don't have class at 12:30"
"Come down"
"I dunno"
But I was convinced and showed up to watch the choir
They sounded pretty good
It looked pretty fun
but mostly there were pretty girls
Lots and lots of pretty girls
and 5 goofy guys
I joined choir the next day
I liked choir and did well
Susan took notice of me
I'm not sure when
Bob was the choir director
But one day Susan pulled me aside
Informing me that she was giving me vocal lessons
I didn't ask for voice lessons
I didn't audition for voice lessons
She just told me I was taking them and they'd be on scholarship
Just had to pay Betty (the accompanist) $10 a lesson
Figured that was a pretty good deal
So we started
At the beginning
The classic beginning
She taught me to sing properly
How to stay grounded
Sing with a loose jaw
Support from the diaphragm
She was kind and friendly
But serious
There was fun but no goofing off
I remember many of those songs fondly today
This was the back bone of my singing career
She took us to the opera
The one that goes to hell
Eurydice
Oh, it was so good
Dressed in my tux
I listened transfixed
The runs the tenor traversed
were like nothing I'd heard
It was exhilarating
When the show was over I leapt to my feet
Shouting Bravo! Bravo!
Susan looked embarrassed
She waved with her hand for me to calm down
But I could see a smile at the corner of her lips
She had turned this wild young man into a fan of opera
She arranged for some students to audition for the Seattle Opera
I got a paid regular chorus member position
Not an easy feat for a young man who couldn't even buy a drink
After graduating Shoreline our voice lessons ceased
Probably could have kept going to her
But I was young and didn't know it
At the opera people were talking about their voice teachers
When I asked who was the best I was given a name and got an appointment to sing for her
To see if I would be accepted
She was very pricey
I sang
Thought it went well
She looked at me passively
"What do you want of me?"
I was confused
"I don't know any French songs"
She waved her hand dismissively
"I could teach you songs, yes, but you don't need me. Just sing as you are singing"
At that was that
Susan Dolacky had taught me what I needed to know
She gave me the foundation for a career in singing that lasted over thirty years
And it was fun learning in that small room
The three of us
Susan leaning over, instructing and correcting this teenage boy and Betty at the piano
