ARIA

Turofsky’s memoir recounts her journey toward—and away from—a career as a renowned opera singer.

The author, a retired singer, broadcaster, and, most recently, blogger, presents a charming memoir of a nice Jewish girl from Toronto who ended up back there later in life, having enjoyed a notable performing career in opera, oratorio, and classical song along the way. Turofsky’s somewhat unlikely journey began with a first marriage in her early 20s, which took her to Whitehorse, capital of Canada’s Yukon Territory, and gave her a first taste of singing onstage—as a pregnant Snow White. Later, as a divorced single mother of a young daughter, the author studied with the British Columbia Opera Ensemble and, after some successful auditions, broke into the world of opera (“‘Tell us about your training,’ the fair-haired one said. What training?I thought”). In the 1960s and 1970s, Turofsky pursued an impressive career that took her across North America and on to Europe. She achieved a measure of fame, did some crossover performances on TV, and eventually went into broadcasting, working for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation both in front of and behind the camera. Her personal life was more tumultuous, marked by two more marriages and the sudden death of her daughter. Throughout the narrative, the author gives readers a good sense of the “why” of opera (including its enduring appeal) for performers and fans alike. She portrays opera as something of a world unto itself, though curiously she doesn’t say much about “divas,” either those she encountered or whether she was seen as one. Turofsky does not fully address her decision to leave opera beyond the sense of having come full circle after moving to Vancouver to be with her third husband. Still, this is an engaging story of a performer operating in a rarified sphere.

The book aptly conveys the appeal of opera while acknowledging the importance of life beyond the stage.