By Andy Johnson THE INTELLIGENCER r She's sung her way to success in Canada and overseas, and now world-class opera singer Jennifer Chamandy is hanging her hat in the Friendly City. Returning to her roots, but fresh off the plane from Austria, the spinto soprano and her family have purchased a house in Belleville. She is offering voice and piano lessons out of her home while she continues her ciireer, and her and her family plan to make Belleville their long-term base. Chamandy, her husband Dan, who is a tenor, and their five year old son Benjamin have been in Europe for the past two years working for opera companies in Holland and Austria. After three years of living in hotels and apartments, and keeping their possessions in storage facilities, Chamandy said they are happy to be settled close to their families once again. She is looking forward to establishing her home and setting up her business as well as continually rehearsing for upcoming auditions. She's glad to be back in Belleville and happy to have a home in which to raise a family. Still, she would be happier if her husband could spend more time in Canada, she said. The tenor still performs in Europe on a regular basis, and he is presently splitting his time between Amsterdam and Belleville. This is unfortunate, she said, but it is a reality they have to face in their business. Work is not always available at home and travel is often necessary. Chamandy said her five year-old son Benjamin will have to adjust to having only one parent around most of the time. Chamandy grew up in Ottawa but her grandparents lived in Belleville and she remembers many dijidhood trips to the Quinte area. Her grandparents had a home on Church Street. She remembers roller skating, shopping at the market, and a general feeling of peacefulness in the quiet city. This was a definite factor in the decision to relocate to the area, she said. "We used to travel to Belleville lour or five times a year from Ottawa. It seemed so restful and clown to earth. It was a relief to get away (from Ottawa) as a teenager." Her parents now live in Belleville as well, and Chamandy said she makes good use of their babysitting skills. After high school Chamandy attended the University of Toronto, completing a bachelor of music degree prior to doing a two year opera diploma. She then performed in a variety of shows across Canada. She's played the lead roll in Madame Butterfly, Susannah, and Taming of the Shrew, among others, at venues from Victoria to Montreal. She and Dan married in 1993, and after Chamandy had given birth to Benjamin and completed one year of a master's degree at McMaster University, they both auditioned for parts with an Amsterdam opera company. Dan was hired full-tim;' and she was hired on a contract basis. They left Canada in 1998 and stayed with the company until 1999. After a year with the Amsterdam company the couple auditioned for rolls with a company in Innsbruck, Austria. Once again, they were both hired, Dan full-time and Jen on a contract basis. This is typical in the business, she said. Male tenors are less common than female sopranos. Opera companies tend to hang on to male tenors, while females are usually hired on a contract due to the high level of competition. In those two years Chamandy regularly flew home to Canada to fulfill performance contracts she had made before leaving for Europe. Although the vocalist hates flying, she quickly became accustomed to it as she made repeated trips across the Atlantic. Chamandy said the European opera has a substantial population of Canadian performers. The arts community is much more conducive to her craft, she said, and there is a greater demand for performers. This was what lured her and her husband overseas in the first place. The European audience is much more varied than it is here at home, she said. People of all ages attend the performances, from children to teenagers to seniors. She said you see every age group at the European shows. Here it is a more defined age group and you don't see the variety in the audience. However, she said, the Canadian opera c o m m u n i t y is making respectable efforts to encourage more people to come out to the shows. "Canada is really trying to inspire young kids to go to the opera. They're trying to grow a new audience here, over there they don't have to do that," said Chamandy. She said the experiences her family had in Europe were unforgettable, and they wouldn't trade them for anything. On the same token, she said it's good to be home. Her son Benjamin is at an age where he is beginning to appreciate his grandparents, and they are happy to see him become a part of the Canadian school system. She said it would break their hearts when they were in Europe and he would tell them he missed his grandparents or his aunt. Settling into Belleville has been a fairly easy transition for Chamandy. She has already been contracted by the Quinte Symphony to perform at next year's final concert, and she hopes to find other performance opportunities. She has been busy trying to line up piano and vocal students, and she is looking forward to meeting with students who are eager to learn more about music. "I think it's going to work out well. It was encouraging to hear from the symphony. We're hoping td stay here for a long time. "We want a good stable environment for Ben to grow up in." Chamandy can be reached for voice or piano lessons at 967-0950, e-mail at jchamandy@yahoo.com \M)o I