Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32 Page 33 Page 34 Page 35 Page 36 Page 37 Page 38 Page 39 Page 40 Page 41 Page 42 Page 43 Page 44 Page 45 Page 46 Page 47 Page 48 Page 49 Page 50 Page 51 Page 52 Page 53 Page 54 Page 55 Page 56 Page 57 Page 58 Page 59 Page 60 Page 61 Page 62 Page 63 Page 64 Page 65 Page 66 Page 67 Page 6856 FOCUS - DECEMBER 2016 tistic community comes to know your work and your name. Now when I go to an audition I know myself as an artist, and what I can offer. I haven’t figured it out completely yet, but I have a better sense of the arc.” That arc has transported Leslie Ann to major cities from coast to coast in Canada and the United States, singing with symphony and philhar- monic orchestras. Europe beckons. “Music is my journey: not just in the career sense, but also as a means of seeing the world. With so much of opera originating in Europe, singing there would be a thrill. But I wanted experience in North America first. “I don’t necessarily see it as a ‘step up.’ My career is much less a staircase than it is a large circle. But Europe represents the untapped, and it’s on my audition list.” Before she embarks on that next phase of her career, Leslie Ann has booked a more sentimental journey. Saturday, January 28, she’ll leave her New York City home, and return to her roots in Port Perry to sing at Port Perry United Church, in a benefit concert supporting the high school’s Music Department. “I’m grateful for the opportunities I had there as a teenager,” she says. “They gave me a place to grow, as a person and an artist.At the same time, they challenged me and enriched my life through music. “Nowadays, with budget cuts, music programs don’t always get the respect they deserve. So I’m glad to help.” Leslie Ann may be a shining example of what a school’s music program can help to achieve, a world-class talent with a successful career. But as she points out, a musi- cal background can serve equally as a lifelong source of enjoyment for those who choose not to ride that wave to find its crest. “My sister and I both went through PPHS’s music program. We’re very different people, but when we get together, she can pick up her flute and I can sit at the piano, and we connect through music.” Music isn’t first to mind when considering the means by which hu- mans communicate. But it can be in the hands of the true artist. The years of training, the struggle for accept- ance; they’re essential building blocks in mastering that communication technique. Though it’s taken Leslie Ann Bradley to the footlights of re- vered concert venues, she remembers clearly how and where it began. And January 28, it will bring her home to celebrate that journey. By Scott Mercer, Focus on Scugog Leslie Ann (continued from page 42)