How has your first week of school been? “I’m still trying to juggle everything... Today was a good day because it was a bunch of music.”
When she was 21 years old, Tamara Beliy first witnessed an opera performance. The music moved her. Toward what, she had no idea.
From the age of 17 until the day before she moved into her dorm at Biola University, Tamara worked as a surgical dental assistant: “I had to work and go to school full time, full time.” She would work a full day in the doctor’s office and then attend night classes for her nursing major—sometimes until 10 p.m.
Five years ago, Tamara was excited to become a nurse, but God had different plans. A year ago, for fun, she took a semester of music classes at a junior college in Sacramento. She was surprised by the effort that had to be put into music theory. “It was actually really hard,” she said. When her voice teacher told her, “You don’t need to do nursing,” Tamara began to question her career plan. She applied to study opera in Italy at the American University of Rome: “It was really kind of random, actually. I was thinking I had no chance to study at a place where world renown mezzo soprano Marilyn Horne would lead master classes,” but to her delight and surprise, she was accepted. Tamara flew to Italy and for a month and a half to study and train in the heart of the opera world. The opportunity was life-changing: “The teachers thought I had a gift—a talent—and told me to pursue it." Tamara was inspired to be serious about music: "Doors weren’t opening for nursing no matter what I did. As soon as I started music classes, everything was flowing. It was what I had to do. What I was made to do.”
Like all students attending a private university, she faced the financial obstacle of tuition. Perhaps a larger obstacle was winning the trust of her family. After watching their daughter perform at a music benefit concert and finally hearing her gift, her parents blessed her. “My dad really loved the school,” Tamara reflects, and the remarkable talent Tamara had found over the past five years brought her parents to the realization that she would find success in the career field she had fallen in love with.
Across the country from Biola, the East Coast is known for their prestigious music schools, and Tamara auditioned first for a school in Boston. After the audition, the judges thanked her briefly and dismissed her with no indication toward their decision. When she came to audition at Biola, she connected with the staff immediately. They were astounded by the power in her voice while she sang. She said, “They told me they wanted me right away and made wonderful offers.” When Tamara had a lesson with Biola music instructor Richard Zeller, she knew where it was she wanted to study: “He was more excited than I was, and it made me more excited.” Although she received scholarships for both schools, the welcoming atmosphere of Biola University and the promise of learning about God while growing in the His gift won her over.
What do you do when God is calling you to something you can’t be sure of? “You take that risk, and you make the best of it.” You have no idea what God has in store for you. Faith, trust, and hard work will lead you toward undreamed-of places that He has planned.
