Trees on the Mountain

[louisianatothecore]

Absolutely incredible! 

[sevenseconds7777777]

this is beautiful! She has so much talent and the whole performance looks very effortless which is just how it's meant to be! Wow. And a beautiful beautiful aria too.

[einalemgirl]

This is a very beautiful song!!

[TheLyrico]

For experimented singer, I like Fleming and Studer.

[TheLyrico]

No I want to say she is gifted. It is the best interpretation of the aria by a very young soprano.

[OperaLover84]

You've got it girl -- you don't open your mouth like crazy like so many other singers. That's where the true resonance comes from...inside the throat and not at the front of the mouth. Brava!

[musoph21]

Omg I LOVED THE UPPER REGISTER SINGING!

[trustingbelieving]

beautiful job. best youtube video i've heard for this aria yet. try to communicate with the audience more. i have similar issues with communication. brava! try working coach. beautiful voice!

[ladyfuchsia]

What a stunning and beautiful voice you possess. You did this aria much justice. I hope to see you perform live one day!

[maria6069]

is never to young sing one or other opera as long you have got a voice, other wise it ,may can be to late somehow,Sharah have very nice voice some notes i like more , some less, very promising singer

[TheLyrico]

You have got a exceptionnel voice but perhaps you are to young to sing that king of aria.

Continue to work, beware, and with your voice you are gifted.

[droot6681]

more I listen, the more impressed I am. You are so young and already doing SO well! We will be seeing you on big stages :) BRAVA

[chaosxxxhearts]

great song! i just sang it in Germany and then for this other concert back in the states!!

:]

[MasochisticLion42]

I LOVE your voice. It's absolutely gorgeous. Keep singing. You're going to be a famous opera singer. And I'll be the first one to buy tickets to see you in Susannah. :D

[sopranogirl13]

You have a nice voice, but you lack communication with your audience. I feel you have no connection with the character Don't attack your high notes and be careful, your pitch tends to go sharp.

[droot6681]

shes TWENTY!!!!!!!!!!!

Brava!

[benz981]

I liked your voice with this piece... maybe a little more to be done binging the story through in your music... but you were terrific. Your accompanist on the other hand... I hope you fired her that evening.

[charismacake04]

you're fabulous!! can't believe how young you are - it makes me feel terrible!! lol jk keep it up girl!

[bsok1289]

This performance was phenomenal. Fantastic job!

[dbeach1]

this is crazily good. i cant believe youre only 20. gorgeous lyric soprano. keep going.

[ZabbyMedovnik]

Beautiful song, beautiful voice!

[LikesCandy]

oh, my gosh, you beautiful young woamn of enormous talent. i was lucky enough to know your dad in college, and i am so proud of him and you. please come to NYC and sing for a city in need of such beauty.

c. monda

[KikiSazuki]

It look like your singing is effortless. Beautiful.

[soprankarin]

Beautiful!!! You´re going to be a star!!

[soprankarin]

Beautiful!!! You´re going to be a star!!

[KEEPDATBS]

who did you study with at texas state university

[KEEPDATBS]

this was added on my birthday..what a lovely gift...very nice singing

[thespis148]

Just glorious singing.

Keep striving for all you want! Don't let anyone discourage you. You have a lovely, even voice and stunning pitch control.

[Tamelvin]

Beautiful rich tone only a young singer. Hold your head up that was fabulous.

[RLviddy]

I'm not sure I understand the negative comments. No one is perfect, but Sarah does a great job here and jeez, there are like 85 high B-flats in this thing. This aria is difficult in all the sustaining it requires, not to mention conveying a specific set of emotions. I really enjoy this performance.

[deepeyes29]

the amazing thing about youtube is that everybody becomes a master technician, and in a polite-as-possible way, usually not, impart "wisdom" in the form of snarky criticism. some of these comments are helpful, i guess. in any case, i commend you for doing such a good job, particularly as a 20 yr old.

[joevek37]

I just a production of this opera this evening at Opera Pacific with Pamela Armstong singng this song. You sing this beautifully. The production I saw used a heavy Tennessee accent which I thought added a lot to give a sense of regionalism, ruralism, and isolation for this tragic story.

[operajasmotta]

you have real talent. If only you'd stop listening to Renee Fleming too much, perhaps you'd refine your own interpretation and hone your own skills.

[aadamy]

most gorgeous voice! PLEASE sing Ain't it a pretty night from this opera !

[amoredicanto]

See her "...Pretty Night" aria posted April 29.

--amoredicanto

[kngiht84]

Wouldn't it be perfect if you sing all the high notes in this aria piano or pianissimo ?

[nmurdock313]

brava! beautiful voice and i love the control of sound/dynamics and evenness of tone :) fabulous work!!

[lpw0021]

Brava! What a voice! I, too, sometimes get the "deer in the headlights" look when approaching the tough spots. However, you have them perfectly in tune. RELAX!  You are close to owning this aria! This is a really tough aria.. Great work!

[operagirl89]

I think you have a really beautiful voice, and your high notes sound very well placed. It's my goal to sing this very difficult aria before I'm done my undergraduate!! Thanks for posting this!

[lizziethecreepy]

On another note, this is the best you tube video of this song, and thank you for posting it.

[lizziethecreepy]

Beautiful voice, but as a performer there's a lot of improvements to be made. For one, she has this terrified look when she hits high notes, and that terrifies me. She doesn't seem to relate to the text at all, and her diction is poor if there at all and the text is so impacting and beautiful that it's vital to the success of the song. You could train a parrot to sing opera, but it takes a real performer to bring the song to life. That's the beauty of being human.

[europeobsession]

you are fabulous. wow. amazing technique...so natural...who is your teacher??

[RLviddy]

Incredible voice!

[aadamy]

i love you voice ! your dynamics make this song so ALIVE !

[DorisSjogrenRowe]

Where can I find the words to this beautiful song. Thank you for posting it! Makes me cry whenever I hear it!

[amoredicanto]

See the description in "About This Video"

--amoredicanto

[tenorino1971]

Honey - you can do whatever you want with your eyes when you singe so beautifully. Very special voice! Thanks for sharing it!

[ravenmoondrake]

Most who make fun of what she has done have probably never seen the sheet music for this song, let alone know what any of it meant. So for those who make fun of her for minor 'problems' i'd like to hear you sing four bars of this song. Sure she could pronounce the words in the high notes a bit better, but that is incredibly hard that high.

Anyways, great job.

[droot6681]

she pronounces the high notes better than Cheryl Struder actually. I CANNOT BELIEVE the criticism people are giving her. Once again, she is freaking TWNETY

[robinorene]

wow - incredibly beautiful. such passion and emotion in your face and word painting. wonderful dynamics. I"m not sure why someone told you to take your time - your timing is great! My teachers tells me I drag it. I just don't get people nitpicking - can't they enjoy a beautiful voice when then they hear it and not feel like they need to correct technical issues? All I can say, If you're not working toward a career in singing,, you need to rethink things! I hope I can hear more of you.i

[33blueberries]

Practice in front of a mirror, your eyes look like theyre going to bulge out your top notes. Don't scoop, attack notes cleanly. And live a little, the interpretation..is good, but a bit stale, it doesn't seem to come from your own experiences. Otherwise, really quite amazing.

[33blueberries]

Damn good voice for a 20 yr old. Would like to hear how she manages in a less acoustically kind venue. Big sing, but she pulls it off quite admirably actually. Watch the purity of the vowels. I understand there's an accent involved, but each vowel needs to be..lined up, yes, but still easily distinguished, more an issue in the lower, lower-middle and with the bright "i" vowel.

[bmusicman]

i think the diction is do to the nature of the song and the opera it came from susanna. the opera requires slightly altered vowles to resembel the speech patterns of the deep south

[FlamingJune5dwj]

yay for texas singers!! wonderful job! i just started working on this aria - its a killer!  huge rich sound but you know everythings bigger in texas! enjoyed hearing this for sure!

[kwerbia2]

absolutely fantastic voice

[typicalsoprano]

Take your time with this song! It seems rushed. Beautiful voice. Fits well with this song. I feel like there needs to me more of an accent. Just a little bit. She's from Tennessee! Remember that! :) Good luck to you!

[annaboott]

Great job, i understand every word you are sining, it is great to hear a proffesional that know what they are doing with their voice.

[IAmPaulOldman]

brilliant

[libbystar38]

Beautiful voice! Good facial expressions. If I didn't know this song was in english I would have thought it was in another language. I can't understand a word you are saying. But keep working at it. You are definately made to sing!!

[foropera]

Bravo!!! Very touching timbre and beautiful singing indeed.

[urgrad03]

It's a promising instrument... a really, very promising instrument indeed.

[fiesco7]

very good voice...I like the way your top notes ring out...gorgeous... work on expression...the voice is beautiful

[originalprofundo]

Voice matters first. Ok. Got that. Interpretation and ability to receive direction from your coaches, directors, conductors, etc. is equally important. Then you have to **Move your audience**. These things are somewhat measurable but it boils down to that almost intangible "it" factor. Good luck.

[powerinpraise2000]

people are so friggin critical when it doesn't matter. Girl you have what matters: GORGEOUS VOICE!!! Thank GOD!!! I'm so sick of mediocre singers being praised by the general public while people with clearly superior instruments are overly scrutinized. Sing away girl!

[laChanteuse27]

unfortunately in the real world a superior instrument doesn't cut it. You need the whole package. Constructive comments are welcomed by singers truly serious about their art. She obviously posted this video to receive feedback. It's never personal!

[amoredicanto]

Yes, Sarah appreciates all comments, especially constructive advice and criticism. She wants to always improve. But she also thanks everyone for encouragement, also very important to young singers.

[urgrad03]

Encouragement is only important to young singers with the talent to get somewhere. I find that encouraging a student with an obvious lack of talent is detrimental to their future. That said, Sarah has a VERY bright future in music ahead... I'm pretty sure of that:o)! Clearly she'll be going to conservatory after she's finished? She really MUST consider this.

[amoredicanto]

Thank you.  Sarah does plan to go to conservatory, but she has not decided where yet. A good voice teacher is most important.

[crankyadmin]

Dear Sarah - listen not to the naysayers. I've produced the opera with Mr. Floyd many times - you do not sing the aria too fast. The ensemble problems are with your abysmal pianist. You have a lovely voice - if I were you I'd start adding a little more physical characterization to your singing - although I applaud you for being calm enough to stand so still. You remind me a bit of Renee Fleming at your age.

[laChanteuse27]

ryhthmic errors and timing issues with the ensemble need to be ironed out (minor tuning issues in the transition section and at the end) beautiful use of dynamics however and lovely warm tone. this piece is well on it's way! listen with score in hand to see where you deviate and determine wheter this is acceptable or detracts from your performance.

[michaeldenos]

Great voice, but you rushed the whole aria. It's empty of the sound of real emotion in your voice. Find the character and slow down!

[darksuccubus]

I think it's so fast! :/

[LazEstrada]

who do you study with at TSU? nice job!

[amoredicanto]

Sarah studies with Juli Wood.

[kweenofklubs]

i know i couldnt make it to your concert but these are wonderful, You sound amazing!! you are doing well and i'm glad you are pursuing what you love

[jizenizzlefur]

Holy moly, what an amazing voice.

[dennyvibes]

This is one of my favorite arias. She has a lovely voice for someone so young. I have what I hope is good, constructive criticism. She seems to lack confidence, though. She should practice how to hold her body, arms, hands, etc. while she sings, and on getting more facial expression. Once she masters that, she will be as wonderful to watch as to listen to. (I have not even a tenth of her vocal talent, but I "sell" it well. She has a good range and excellent control of her high range.

[Weillfanatic]

You should look at her Russian piece on here though. That has all the emotion you could want. Incredible.

[lakme]

A little depressing that she's a a year older than me and about a thousand times better. Plus I love this aria. Brava!

[amoredicanto]

Sarah says thanks for the kind comments and constructive critique. We'll post a couple more ...

[mrstudent191]

My mistake again, the Appalachians go to Tennessee, lol.

[mrstudent191]

My mistake, Susannah is from Tennessee.

[mrstudent191]

What a great instrument! That being said, I think you should have taken more chances with the diction and expression. Susannah is an Appalachian, the pronunciation can be played with a little. Also, I think you kind of rushed through some of the words to get to the extended notes, and missed the feeling. Other than that, excellent, and I say that as another young singer. To be 20, well, wow!