In the fall of 2004, I arrived in Hamburg, a port city in northern Germany.  Full of excitement and anticipation, I started my life studying in a foreign land.  During those four years, I experienced a lot, but the deepest imprint on my heart was left by someone who also came from afar, the Finnish alto, TUULA NIENSTEDT.

TUULA was a kind, dedicated, and meticulous elderly lady.  I longed for my weekly voice lessons at her home.  They were the happiest memories of those years.  I still remember the attic under the peaked roof, with such great resonance, that old-fashioned European piano, which had been in TUULA’s family for a hundred years, and also the sun-filled tall window.  There, we spent many wonderful mornings, when she corrected my German, made me understand that singing was the fusion of language and emotions, and techniques could go to hell.  We shared her homemade cookies with the Chinese green tea that I brought, chatting with her and her family about life while listening to music.  Whenever I had to make a choice in my life, she would say, “Why not try it?”  When I was sad, she said to me, “Look out the window and see the beautiful sunshine.  You should cast those unpleasant things to the wind!”  Every day I spent with TUULA was filled with bright sunshine.

It has been five years since I came back home, and I thought about TUULA all the time.  The news of her recent passing deeply saddened me.  Looking back at the times I shared with TUULA, I feel that she was a true royalty with rich cultural upbringing, a sense of social responsibility, and the freedom of soul and will.  What I learned in those four short years benefited me a lifetime.

I dedicate this writing to TUULA NIENSTEDT, my beloved teacher, and a true royalty!