MP3 Jessica Weidman - My Soul Waits for the Lord

Inspirational With A Classical Twist. Since this is was my first album, I chose to mix of the traditional Christian Hymns and Classical favorites. These are some of my favorite Christian songs that has inspired me through the years.

13 MP3 Songs in this album (48:32) !
Related styles: SPIRITUAL: Spirituals, CLASSICAL: Traditional

People who are interested in Audra McDonald Kiri Te Kanawa should consider this download.


Details:
The Lord gives me soul and music gives my soul purpose

I have been performing for most of my life, but to give you better perspective, we should start in the beginning.

My mother likes to tell people that I whistled and sang before I could speak clearly. If she ever needed to know where I was at any given time, all she had to do was to stand still and listen for the music.

I come from a gene pool of singers down through the generations. That being said, it was understood that my siblings and I must surely possess the same talents. So, one Sunday, my sister, brother and I were asked to sing in our local church. I was four years old, my sister was six and my brother was eight. We practiced almost every day and finally, the exciting day arrived. As we sang, my sister turned white and decided "Never Again!"; my brother twirled his hair nervously; and me...I was thrilled!! I loved it so much that I promptly decided that I was going to sing again and again.

For the next several years I sang everywhere I could. Even, when I was not performing. I sang in the shower, as I walked up to bed and at times I would sing instead of speaking. When my brother was 13 and I was 8, he asked my mother over and over again, "When is she going to grow out of this phase? SHE'S DRIVING ME CRAZY!" Well, I never did "grow out of it." Instead, I just learned to hone my talents and use them at the right times.

Throughout my school years I sang many solos in churches and at local functions, starred in numerous school musicals and won every music competition I entered (including a national operatic competition in my senior year of high school). I performed in so many venues throughout the region I just knew performing was what I wanted to do most of all. When I graduated from high school, I had $68,000 worth of scholarships to study Opera and had already been accepted, on the spot, for Hartford University's School of Music in Hartford, Connecticut. What an ego I was building! All that was left for me to do was to study and come up with the remaining tuition. I was totally unaware that God had a completely different path set out for me. So, He just waited for me to come to Him.

At this time in my spiritual journey I knew of the Lord but had not truly accepted Him as my Savior. Looking back, I can see just how hard He worked to open my eyes. The additional funds for my music education were not available - no matter how hard I tried. Time ran out on my scholarships and I had to realize that college was not going to happen for me. So, I decided I had to seek out a new path and finally I was walking with God.

The Lord then sent a wonderful man into my life. We married and God blessed us with three beautiful boys. Over the next ten years, God spoke to me in so many ways. My husband and I grew spiritually together and we settled into a very quiet and happy existence. Although I was content with my life, God led me to feel as though I was to do more with my singing. So, I prayed for His guidance and after ten years of occasional singing, God introduced me to a Christian vocal coach who taught me to sing Opera. He trained me in the Bel Canto method, and as a trained Operatic Lyric Soprano, I have been fortunate to be a featured singer in numerous venues. I have sung with Symphonies, with Metropolitan Opera singers and numerous professional musicians. However, none of these performances are as rewarding as when I can sing for the Lord.

Just as I was realizing that He wanted to use me for His ministry, I was diagnosed with a rare illness that, if not treated, could cause blindness, deafness, and worst of all, death. So, I turned to the one man who can do anything. I asked Jesus to walk me through this "Briar Patch." The Lord brought me through a life threatening illness and spared me of blindness and hearing loss. He continued to use me as a tool to help other people find Him.

I enjoy performing works by some of the great composers such as Verdi, Puccini, Kern, Berstein, and numerous others; but my favorite music is Classical Christian because I can feel his presence and see Him in the faces in the room. If He can reach just one person through my music, all the hard work will have been worth it. Never in my life do I feel more love and satisfaction with my singing. I truly believe that God has a plan for all of us and we all have talents that he can use to reach out to His lost children. I pray that you may come to know the joy of serving others in the name of Jesus.

God Bless You, and may you come to know Him and feel His blessings as I do.

In His Love,

Jessie Weidman