The Color of Sound
11-27-2020
Article and pictures by Joseph Ralph Fraia - @jrfstudio – jrfstudio.com
Anna Cley is an artist. A formidable one. Renowned and internationally acclaimed Opera Singer, a talented, beautiful woman with a fascinating ‘bigger than life story’: years of study in opera, intermitted with her studies and career as an aerospace engineer, until she fully embraced her artistic journey. Anna is not afraid of experimenting and breaking the conventional boundaries of genres and styles; that is why she did not hesitate a moment when the opportunity presented itself to work with composer and electronic music artist Ben Cockerham. Anna and Ben were able to find unique chemistry and deeply connected on an artistic level and produce the album ‘Opera En Code.’ Six tracks – available on all the major streaming services – that offer an experience that transcends music. Anna’s powerful voice produces sounds that enfold Ben’s music and continuously emerges and immerses itself through the synthetic notes, sometimes by contrast, sometimes by dissolving itself in it.
I had the honor of meeting Anna on several occasions, and her grace and talent are mesmerizing: she talks about music in a unique and captivating way. Frequencies and waves created by the human voice interact with nature, cosmic harmony, and human emotions. One day she mentioned the fascinating relationship between sound and colors, both made of waves and frequencies, and how deeply they influence our feelings, moods, and behavior. From this charming parallelism, we decided to take it to the next level and work on an experimental photographic project that combines images and sounds, part of a production of which you can enjoy a sneak peek in this article. Anna’s voice and the colors’ spectrum will provide a new, unexpected, musical, and visual experience.
‘Opera En Code’ sends a strong, powerful message to everybody, artists and the public: no matter what challenges life presents us, we can’t lose our faith in ourselves and our abilities, we cannot be afraid of taking chances and experimenting. Daring, and watching our dreams becoming true, is the best feeling in the world. Anna keeps us dreaming. It’s on us to make them happen.
Article and pictures by Joseph Ralph Fraia - @jrfstudio – jrfstudio.com