Hawken Parent Sings with Cleveland Orchestra

You`re not imagining that familiar face on the stage of Severance Hall. It`s Cindy Pitera, mother of Emily `15 and Matthew `15, in her alter-ego role as a member of the Cleveland Orchestra Chorus` first alto section. Prior to moving to Cleveland, Pitera was the northeast regional manager of network distributions for a semi-conductor company. However, she says, \"I`ve sung my whole life, either in groups or by taking lessons. I moved here knowing the Cleveland Orchestra was one of the best in the world, and that even though the chorus was all-volunteer, it was incredibly hard to get into.\" In the spring of 2004, with Emily and Matthew in school full-time, Pitera \"got up the nerve to audition.\" She has been singing with the 150-member chorus ever since, attending up to seven rehearsals a week, logging hours of weekly practice from home, and accompanying the orchestra on its Summer 2005 European tour. Pitera loves it. \"It`s a once-in-a-lifetime experience. I sing with an amazing variety of people - ministers, physicians, music teachers, other moms - but the really cool thing is that I get to stand on stage behind one of the world`s best orchestras and sing! It`s incredible.\"