Just sang 'Ombra mai fu' in a stairwell

I was late for an audition, and the building’s service stairs smelled like wet concrete and old paper. I started humming it—just to steady myself—and then, without meaning to, I sang it out loud. The acoustics were terrible, but something about the way the notes curled back at me made me feel seen. I’ve sung that aria a thousand times, but never like that. Not just singing, but remembering what it means to be small and trying to reach something vast. I still don’t know why I did it. But I’ll do it again.