Freia Marie DelRio, 30
Senior Associate, Regulatory Affairs
RGVS student since April 2006

"I was very surprised when I received the letter from Rocío asking me to be in the Showcase. At first I was very terrified, but my love of singing took over and I said yes. The entire process was not easy; I had to make time for extra practice, be patient (especially when I had to sing the same line over and over), and be dedicated. But, due to my anxiety, the most difficult part was to connect with the song lyric and tell my story. Thoughts such as, 'here comes the difficult part' and 'did I do that right?' are always in my head while singing. Rocío helped me to ease those anxieties by being very supportive, giving me more lesson time to learn the song, and by telling me in detail what to expect when I got to the recording studio. On the day of the recording, even though I know that I did everything I could to prepare, I was still nervous, and thankfully, Rocío and the engineer from The Annex were very encouraging and very accommodating to make me feel comfortable. I am very happy that I agreed to the Showcase because I learned a lot about my voice that can help me be a better singer. Also, this experience gave me what I needed most... confidence. Thank you Rocío and The Annex."

Freia came to us after a traumatic experience with her previous teacher, who gave up on her while claiming she was "unteachable". The consequence of this was a lot of anxiety about her voice, singing ability, and extreme shyness during lessons. We started by providing her with a safe, non-judgemental environment that allowed her to explore and experiment with her voice. Through continuous encouragement and support, Freia has regained her joy of singing, increased and strengthened her range quite considerably, and most importantly, lost her fear of singing in front of people. We believe she has a beautiful quality to her voice and are very happy to have her on board!