Never Judge a Book...

Orchids Galore! Ginter Botanical Garden.  Copyright 2012: singeronthesand

Never judge a book by its cover...

~Unknown 

This week on America's Got Talent, a young man quietly stood in line, the last contestant for the day in Austin, Texas.  He had long black hair, heavy black eye makeup, a spiked black leather wrist band - your "typical Goth."  Other than his outfit, there was nothing particularly remarkable about him except for his eyes - an eerie whitish blue that seemed almost transparent.  The host of the show, Nick Cannon, walked up to him and called him Criss Angel - a heavy metal type-casting that would continue when he stepped on stage. Cannon stayed for a moment, however, and learned that the young man, named Andrew, was there to audition as a singer, even though he had never sung in front of anyone in his entire life.  I was immediately struck by how well spoken and intelligent he was, but I'm sure most people don't go much past his appearance. 

Andrew walked on stage, where Howard Stern took one look at him and said, "Hard day at the office?"  It was supposed to be a joke, I am sure, but it fell flat and Stern quickly told the young man to begin.  When the music started, Sharon Osborne's head popped up and she stared at the young man, as Howie turned to stare at her.  Heavy metal music?  Rock and roll?  No, it was the introduction to a famous soprano aria from an Italian opera by Puccini.  When Andrew began to sing, Howard Stern threw up his hands in amazement.

Andrew is a counter-tenor - a male who naturally sings in either the alto or soprano range.  This young man is a soprano, and a glorious one.  People were crying in the audience and I was crying sitting on my sofa.  This was perhaps the last thing you would have expected to come from Andrew's mouth.  Here is a young man who experienced rejection after rejection growing up, identified with Marilyn Manson and Rob Zombie as a loner, learned of his unique voice while spending hours alone in his room, has had no formal voice training, and finally found the courage within himself to let his friends, his family, and the world see who he really is on the inside, as opposed to the outward appearance.