Someone Noticed

About the Book

CROONING COLORED CASSIDY is a classically trained African-American opera singer – well educated, attractive, petite, feisty and MAD AS THE DICKENS at the opera industry.  At her breaking point after years of endless voice lessons coaching sessions, auditions and self-created artistic performance avenues, she ponders over two questions: “Why are there some many voice teachers taking their personal problems out on their students?” AND “Why have these so called important and prestigious voice competitions and auditions turned into greedy money making machines charging outrageous entrance fees when their real purpose is supposed to be helping aspiring opera singers embark on promising careers?”

About the Author

Paula Newberry, (Soprano), has been entertaining audiences with her powerful lyric coloratura soprano voice since the tender age of two when she used to tap her tiny feet near the organist’s pit at her family’s Baptist church in Memphis, Tennessee.  Her formal classical vocal training began at the age of 14.  She graduated from Oberlin College and Conservatory of music with a Bachelor of Arts degree.  She has studied with the likes of Grace Bumbry at the Internationale Sommerakademie Universität Mozarteum (Salzburg, Austria), Marcie Stapp (San Francisco, CA), David Tigner (San Francisco, CA), Monroe Kanouse (Sacramento Opera Conductor) and Ethel Maxwell (Memphis, TN) to name a few.  She has performed with the Spoleto Vocal Arts Symposium (Spoleto, Italy), Central Florida Lyric Opera, Opera Memphis, Oakland Opera, Cinnabar Opera, San Francisco Lilliput Players’ Children’s Theatre, Como Opera Guild, River Repertory Theater and many more.  Her U.S. concert tour features the “Evening of Opera” and “Spirit Moving Spirituals" concerts and has included Carnegie Hall (Weill Recital Hall), Germantown Performing Arts Centre, Rust College Concert Hall, Rhodes College Auditorium, Borders Book Store, Barnes and Noble Book Store, Amro Music Recital Hall, The Orlando Florida Urban League, The Memphis Junior Urban League, The San Francisco Bay area and many more venues.  Her audio and video recordings include “Evening of Opera Excerpts” II ©2004, “Christmas at St. Mary’s,” ©2003 “Spirit Moving Spirituals” ©2001 and “Evening of Opera Excerpts I,” ©1997.  TV/FILM credits include “Walking the Line (The Johnny Cash Movie),” “The Bachelor,” “Mumford,” “Rookie Bookie,” “Take me back to Beale” and “Going to California.”  Ms. Newberry has received numerous vocal scholarships and grants from Bagby Musical Foundation (New York) Community Foundation (The Autian Fund), Society of Singers, MusiCares, The Actor’s Fund, The AGMA Relief Fund, Spoleto Vocal Arts Symposium, University of Miami @ Salzburg, Austria, The Beethoven Club Vocal Scholarships and performance Award, acceptance into the American Institute of Musical Studies in Graz, Austria, a Congressional Scholarship from former Congressman.