Does Everyone Have Music in Their Blood?

By Lada Chernova, student

Music is not just a collection of sounds and voices, but also of emotions, rhythm, and their harmony. Every day we listen to different melodies. These may be songs written by people, or they may be birds singing. We are surrounded by many kinds of music, and without it, who knows what the world would be like.

All singers and composers understand this well. Among them is Natalia Mikhailovna Spirina: “I have been singing for as long as I can remember. Once, during a rehearsal for an amateur concert at a club, I met Sasha, a final-year student at a music college in Tartu, Estonia. He advised me to audition for that music college...” She listened to Sasha and went to apply to the vocal department.

To get into that institution, as with any specialized school, one had to pass tests or interviews and prove one was worthy of studying there. One of the entrance assignments was to compose a poem. Natalia had always written poetry well, but that time, for the first time in her life, she was given a grade of three, even though there were no mistakes in the new poem. The young singer was upset, but she was accepted into the college.

She was the only Russian there among Estonians. As a student, Natalia Spirina began singing in several operas. Later, she worked with opera companies in Moldova and, of course, in Estonia.

Throughout her creative life, the talented singer not only performed, but also took part in competitions as a jury member and even opened her own school, where she taught children vocal music. She believes that if a person has a voice, they can be taught to sing. Therefore, even those who are not especially gifted can learn, if they wish; it will simply take them more time.

After moving to Canada in 1991, she did not stop singing. She sang in church choirs in Toronto and Ottawa, gave solo concerts, and successfully performed romances. She even recorded songs accompanied by the well-known guitarist Andrei Krylov (they are available on the Internet), and recorded an album with guitarist Sergey Rozen-Gurevich. Romances from that album can still be heard today on the airwaves of our internet radio. Overall, however, she sang less in Canada.

Natalia Spirina’s singing career did not unfold the way she had hoped. But Natalia Mikhailovna regrets nothing. After all, the main thing in life is to be happy.

If you did not manage to achieve something, it means that it was not what would make you happy. You will be able to reveal your light in another calling and find your happiness there, even if it may not seem obvious right away. Happiness is friendship, peace, love...

Do not try to be better than everyone else. Try to be happy. And never give up. Then everything will work out for you, even singing. Because, as N. Spirina believes, everyone has music in their blood.