'Something comes over me': An admitted introvert, it's music that brings her out of her shell
It’s probably accurate to say that Imperial Polk County is not especially known for incubating opera singers. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t any – and one of the more outstanding talents is mezzo-soprano Kimberly E. Hernandez of Lakeland, whose credits include performances here and abroad. She will next take the role of Santuzza in Mascagni’s opera "Cavalleria Rusticana," which will be presented by the Lakeland Symphony Orchestra on Jan. 21 at Florida Southern College.
Hernandez, 36, who works in finance for Marriott, is the 8:50 director of music for All Saints Episcopal Church in Lakeland. In addition to opera, her musical styles include show, classical and gospel. And her voice – well, let’s just say it’s big, full and clear, and requires no microphone to be clearly heard on the far side of a concert hall, and quite possibly outside as well.
Q. Something usually is a trigger for those who pursue a career of public performance. What was it for you?
A. My mother is a singer and an artist, and I was always led to singing. I dreamt of being on stage, but I was a very, very shy kid so I didn't think that was ever going to be an option. But then I saw the movie "Selena" when I was in sixth grade and it changed everything for me. I know it's like a super cliché, but I think that movie was the reason why I just had to be on stage – it was not an option after that for me, so I started pursuing ways to sing more. My sister and I were in the children's choral society, but I wanted to be a solo singer so I started taking steps to make that happen.
In Harrison, we were taken to the opera "Carmen" when I was about 14. I had seen snippets of opera and I had been to classical performances, but I hadn't really been presented with a full length opera live. And when I saw "Carmen" I knew that I was her – I had to be her. I didn't know how or when that was going to happen because as a 14-year-old I had a really tiny voice, kind of brassy, yet I was always a large person, so it was very confusing for me – I didn't know how that was going to happen.
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Q. Obviously you made it happen. But how does a self-described introvert such as yourself overcome shyness to the point of being able to perform in front of people?
A. I just kept taking steps to overcome my shyness. I had crippling anxiety in front of audiences at that point, and I just had to keep overcoming and keep pressing forward. About that time I heard a couple of my classmates at Harrison who were juniors and seniors singing spirituals, and that moved me in a way I could not explain. Of course I had heard spirituals, but they had not been presented the way I wanted to sing. There was a competition by the Negro Spiritual Scholarship Foundation sponsored by the Orlando Opera. I competed there in my senior year in high school and placed runner-up and that was such a big milestone for me that I started auditioning for colleges.
Q. Which colleges interested you?
A. It was an obvious choice to go to Florida Southern, but I also auditioned for Stetson and Florida State and was accepted into all three schools. I wasn't quite ready to go very far away from home, so Florida Southern was the obvious answer. I did some great singing had some great instructors, but I kind of just hit a dead end and developed some vocal problems.
I had bad allergies and a really bad cold. I wasn't sleeping, I was stressed and I developed this cough that was just nagging. An ear, nose and throat specialist said that I had a polyp on my vocal chords – for someone trying to make singing her entire career this just floored me. They said the thing to do was to get surgery and I said absolutely not. I was still so young at that point and had no idea what that would do to my development. They said the only other thing I could do is just not talk, so I went on complete vocal silence for one month and it all worked out. I am such an introvert it was not a problem – it was a kind of nice hiatus. I went back and they said it was like the polyp was never there – completely gone.
Q. But you say you had hit a dead end. After your medical crisis passed what did you do to get back on track?
A. I moved to California and I found another teacher. I joined a community choir, and the conductor said, "My mom needs to hear you." I was not feeling great about my voice at that point, but he heard some things in my voice he thought that his mom could really help with. She changed my entire vocal world from then on. She knew exactly when she heard my voice that I was a mezzo-soprano. Her saying I was a mezzo was music to my ears because of course I dreamt of singing "Carmen." She also told me it's not about winning a competition but just getting yourself out there, getting yourself in front of judges and audiences. That prepares you for auditions and for the real world. The more you do, the easier it gets.
I came back in 2009 to Florida Southern and studied with Dr. John Thomason. His honesty with me was what I value so much in a teacher – no sugarcoating – he kicked my butt from day one and helped me really start to understand my instrument.
Q. If you could return to any era and talk to any musician, who would it be and what would you talk about?
A. I’d talk to Jesse Norman. She’s someone that I've always admired. I have lots of questions – How did you do it? How did you get to where you are? I've read her books and I've heard her interviews, but I would love to hear her candidly tell me some of the pitfalls as well because I know there were a lot. I was living in Berlin in September 2019 when she passed, and that was a dark week. It seemed especially meaningful to me because she stayed in Berlin a lot in her early years.
Q. If you were stuck on a desert island and were able to listen to the music of just one composer, who would it be?
A. I don't know that I would listen to opera. Maybe Chopin.
Q. If you could have any role in any opera what would it be?
A. "Carmen" of course. "Carmen" is such a great role and I love singing it. I've had one opportunity to sing it and that was a fantastic experience.
Q. What do you do to protect your voice?
A. I don’t know that I do it consciously, now that I’m a wife and mother and get pulled in so many directions, but keeping a low amount of stress is super important if you’re performing a lot. Plus sleep, no smoking and limited drinking, which can dry out your vocal chords. It’s important to warm up your voice every day. When I get into the rhythm of singing a lot, I tend to not warm up as much because I’m singing all the time. I love to warm up in the shower with all that steam.
Q. Do you have an agent?
A. I do not, and it’s something I’m working on. One of the drawbacks of my education – and I think of music education in this country generally – is that you have to be really good at marketing yourself, and that’s something that needs to be taught. I haven’t been very successful at it. Being an introvert, one of the hardest things is putting yourself out there.
Q. As an introvert, how do you get up in front of total strangers who will be judging you on every note that leaves your lips?
A. Something comes over me, some other person. A lot of performers would say that the person on stage is someone a little different from who they really are off stage. After I get off stage, it’s kind of overwhelming – I need to be alone.
Q. You’ve been trained in opera and have sung oratorios by Handel, Mozart, Prokofiev, Vivaldi and others. You’ve sung show tunes, works by Gilbert & Sullivan and spirituals. Do you have a favorite musical style?
A. No. I just love to sing, and I will sing whatever the opportunity that's presented to me. I'm up for the challenge because I love singing – that’s what makes me whole, sharing my gift. Right now most of the music I sing is contemporary Christian and sacred music. To work in music has always been my goal – that, and to just keep singing until I die. I do feel I’ve been given a huge gift and that I have to share it. And that drives me.
Thomas R. Oldt can be reached at tom@troldt.com.
This article originally appeared on The Ledger: Normally shy, Kimberly Hernandez 's voice can raise the rafters
