|
In 1995 I met the Rudd family through a pre-school
group my family was involved in. The Rudd’s had two children,
David & Ashley, and had just adopted 2 younger children from
Russia. At the time, I didn’t know how well I would come
to know the then very young Ashley.
Ashley Rudd was home schooled with her brothers and sister. Her
open schedule allowed her opportunities to perform that may not
have been possible in a more structured setting. She was still
able to maintain a 4.0 grade average with her busy schedule.
She began performing publicly at age eight with the Singing Angels
in nursing homes. “Nursing home residents are very receptive
of children, and that positive influence teaches them confidence
onstage and they have less and less trouble performing in front
of people.”
She is now age 18, and currently a freshman at Baldwin-Wallace
College in Berea, Ohio. She is majoring in both Vocal Performance
and Music Therapy. She is one of the most stunning young singers
I have had the pleasure of both hearing and working with. She
began her singing career as a member of the Singing Angels has
spent a good portion of her life with the group.
Ashley is very poised and professional when she performs. She
commands your attention and as a listener, you gladly surrender
to her sweet voice. Her repertoire includes music not usually
sung by an 18 year old these days. Her music includes ballads,
Broadway songs as well as spiritual music. She is quite refreshing
as a performer.
Ashley currently has a CD entitled “Dreaming”. The
CD is available at Artist Review Today in the Galleria downtown,
or at Joseph-Beth Booksellers in Legacy Village. If you have not
heard this young “Angel” sing yet, I would highly
recommend picking up a copy of her current CD.
I was able to catch up with Ashley between classes and the following
is her story.
Q: This past summer you traveled with the Singing Angels to Europe.
Tell me about your trip.
A: The trip to Europe was simply amazing, and pretty life changing.
We started out in Venice, doing some impromptu concerts, and we
received some wonderful feedback from the tourists as well as
the residents. A day or two later, we were on a weeklong cruise
that took us to Kusadasi, Turkey, Corfu, Greece, and a few other
memorable stops. I think my favorite concert from that tour was
the mass at Saint Francis of Assisi, one of our many stops in
Italy. The church was actually built for choral music, and when
we performed the Hallelujah Chorus and Ave Maria, everyone including
the Angels (and especially me) had tears streaming down their
faces. It was the most beautiful thing you’d ever heard.
That was not something I’ll ever forget, nor will I ever
have the chance to do again.
The best part of the tour happened on the last day, right before
we prepared to head home. We were at the Papal Audience, somewhere
in the middle of all the pilgrims. A voice over the loudspeakers
had announced all the groups that had traveled from their homes
to see the Pope in all the appropriate languages, but they didn’t
announce us. We were kind of depressed about it, but about five
minutes after the last announcement, the voice came back and said,
“Would the interfaith youth chorus from Cleveland, Ohio,
The Singing Angels, please make their way to the front of the
assembly?” You have never seen 120 people run so fast. We
ended up about 30 feet away from Pope Benedict XVI, and we performed
the Hallelujah Chorus a Capella over the speaker system for the
100,000 people that had gathered there.
That event has really impacted my life; ever since, when I look
back at my memories of the group, all I can think about are the
opportunities that I’ve had and the things I’ve gotten
to do. I mean, how many young adults do you know that have performed
a full-length song for one of the most powerful men in the world?
Q: How did the Singing Angels benefit your singing career, or
influence you?
A: The Singing Angels gave me so many beneficial opportunities.
I’ve sung for Pope Benedict XVI, I’ve performed alongside
Celine Dion, and I’ve been a soloist on stages I’d
only ever dreamed about. The group has been the biggest influence
on my career choices, simply because I became absorbed with it
and fell in love with the teaching methods and the music we sang.
Q: Who is your favorite group/singer? How did, or do, they influence
your music?
A: I’m absolutely obsessed with Elton John. I think it’s
because of his amazing piano skills and bittersweet lyrics that
I’ve been so motivated to try and write my own material.
The CD that I have out now is all cover work, but I think that
if I decide to do more after a Christmas CD, I’ll want to
create my own material and release my first independent record.
It would be so cool to walk down a street and hear someone humming
a song I wrote.
Q: What has been the highlight of your career to date?
A: When I was a junior in high school, Singing Angels did one
of the most powerful songs in our repertoire, and by some miracle
I was chosen as the soloist. The song was O Holy Night, and at
the very end of it I had to sing a high C, which is a very difficult
note to hit on the dot without screaming. Every time I sang it
well, the audiences just went wild. It’s a very uplifting
feeling when people tell you they get chills from hearing your
voice, and actually hearing it from people besides my parents
was a very proud moment for me.
Q: Where has been your favorite place to perform so far?
A: I love performing at the Galleria. The acoustics there are
just amazing because everything echoes and sounds just beautiful.
(Ashley performed at the Greater Cleveland Art & Gallery Festival
September 17, 2006)
Ashley currently has a CD entitled "Dreaming."
The CD is available at Artist Review Today in
the Galleria downtown or at Joseph-Beth Booksellers is Legacy
Village.
|
