The Wahkiakum County Eagle - Established as The Skamokawa Eagle in 1891

In a masterful performance, vocalist Kyleen Austin enthralled a large audience last Saturday with a varied selection of operatic songs.

Accompanied by cellist Andrew Emlen and pianist Kathleen Petersen, Austin performed works from French, German, English and Italian operas.

Before moving to Wahkiakum County about three years ago, Austin performed with companies in California. She has earned a bachelor degree in music performance and in English from Notre Dame de Namur University. She has studied with San Francisco Bay area vocal coaches and in turn has taught voice.

Located in the Skamokawa Landing Auditorium, the performance started with Austin singing from a balcony while the accompanists played on the main floor by the audience. She moved down stairs to join them as she sang her first songs in French.

Austin showed the skills developed in her training. She had volume to fill the room; her diction was clear, and she used timbre and volume to express the sentiments of the songs.

The accompanists were more than adequate. Peterson, a retired performer and teacher, provided a firm and expressive musical platform for the vocalist.

Emlen, who has performed with folk and classical groups in the lower Columbia region for a decade, added a deep bass to the music, and at times, he played solo lines to compliment both piano and voice.

The performance was sponsored by François and Sandi Benbrook Rieder. They Rieder heard Austin sing a bit of opera at the open-mike stage of the Puget Island farmers market last year and asked Austin about her background. When they learned of Austin's extensive experience, they became determined to sponsor a performance, and with the help of friends, that came to fruition on Saturday.

The audience greatly appreciated the show, and the sponsors collected names of people who might like to bring other classical music performances to the area in the future.