In Conversation with Angelina Kalahari
- Julie Embleton
- Mar 23
- 12 min read
Author, Soprano, Actress, and Director (and more!)
I’m thrilled to welcome Angelina Kalahari to the Creative Soul Tarot blog. A fellow author, Angelina has also worked for over thirty-five years as a professional actress, stage director and operatic soprano, performing around the world. Angelina has always regarded herself as a storyteller, either through music or through acting and directing. She honed her storytelling skills from a young age, writing and telling stories to her siblings at bedtime. It became a habit through the years and a solace while travelling for singing. Angelina writes non-fiction books on the voice—her specialism and obsession for over thirty-five years—contemporary, paranormal and supernatural romance to explore love, paranormal women's fiction and supernatural thrillers to understand love, and middle-grade novels to give love. What more is there than love?
Julie: Welcome, Angelina. It’s lovely to have you here. Thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to chat with me today!
Angelina: Thank you for having me, Julie. It’s wonderful to be here!
Julie: Angelina, you create through both voice and word, so can you tell the readers a little about both?
Angelina: To me, they are the same thing. In both writing and singing, we’re telling stories. They’re just in different mediums. I write novels, novellas, and short stories. These all need slightly different approaches and skills. The same is true for singing. Whether you’re singing an opera, operetta or musical theatre, it’s like showing the audience a musical novel or novella, depending on the length of the production.
Singing a concert or solo arias is like telling short stories, or even poems. Both short stories and singing solo arias require that you tell your story in short form. But in all cases, the intention is always to touch each individual reader or audience member’s soul, to change their feelings and thoughts, and to give them a gift they couldn’t receive any other way than through the art you present. Thus, both singing and writing can be a healing experience.
Julie: I wholly agree with how we write with the intention to touch a reader’s soul. We’re also both avid readers, so from that side of the page, I know how special it is to find a story that truly moves us. Can you recall the moment when you decided to pursue opera singing, and why?
Angelina: That is a brilliant question. I remember the time in my life when it became an obsession, but not the exact moment I decided to sing opera. In fact, I use the story to introduce my upcoming online voice course, and you can watch that story on my YouTube channel.
My experience of opera started at a very young age as my parents both loved it. In those days, no technology like TV, Wi-Fi, Netflix or even YouTube existed (that shows my age!). Plus, we lived in a part of the world that was utterly disconnected from entertainment offered in cities. So, my ear for opera developed in a vacuum as a young child.
I remember feeling the sound going through my body and into my heart, into my soul, and I knew I had to sing. So, when I attended school and the choir mistress discovered I could sing, my training started with a singing teacher, and I was hooked for life. I only stopped singing professionally because of health reasons.
Now, teaching others the wonders of voice and singing brings its own satisfaction.
Julie: Your indie author career came about through the unexpected and tragic loss of a dear friend. How did writing help as part of this ongoing healing process?
Angelina: Yes, I stumbled on my indie author career through pain and grief.
I’d been writing for years because travelling as an operatic soprano could get lonely. I had to save my voice for performances and often couldn’t speak. So, I read and wrote.
So, when my dear friend, Steven died, I was advised to write about it. Steven, was an uber-talented actor and singer, with creative friends from around the world. After his tragic death, many of his friends contacted me to find out what had happened because they knew we’d been working together just before he died. My heart broke every time I told the story and I couldn’t keep doing it over and over again. Instead, I wrote what had happened in a journal style and sent everyone PDF files so they could read the story for themselves.
As more people read the story, I received feedback saying it was good and worthy of publication. I wanted Steven’s story to live in the world, but I didn’t have the energy or wherewithal at the time to go down the route of finding a literary agent or a publisher prepared to take on the work. After much thought, I added a fictional love story, so it wouldn’t be so sad and self-published The Healing Touch on Amazon.
Writing about what had happened was extremely difficult because it brought the events around Steven’s death into a sharpened reality. But it was also one of the most cathartic things I could have done, as the writing brought answers and closure when I didn’t think either would be possible.
If anyone is going through a crisis, grief or pain, I can highly recommend writing it down.
But I thought that would be the only book I’d ever publish. Then, to my surprise, readers wanted to know what happened to the fictional lovers, and my indie-author career began. The books have turned into a trilogy in my Love Beyond Reason series. (Love Beyond Reason is the title of one of the songs Steven's character sang in the play.)
Julie: Isn’t it amazing how one story can expand into more? Although you’re not currently working with voice or breath healing at this time, can you share what this process involves?
Angelina: I was lucky enough to study sound healing with a wonderful team who had worked with Dr Steven Halpern, who’d had tremendous success with cancer patients, among other ills. My studies helped to reinforce for me the idea that the body is technology and our voice is a superpower.
Though I haven’t practised it for many years, singing and voice dynamics, which I’ve taught for over thirty-five years alongside my singing career, have always felt like healing to me and my students.
We can hear so much more through the voice than in any other manner. The voice will always tell you what’s going on inside someone, at least, it will highlight stress, anxiety, pain - both physical and non-physical, etc. It’s why when you speak on the phone to someone, you can tell by the sound of their voice if something’s wrong.
Using the voice for healing is an extraordinary process. Briefly, this is what you might expect: First, it’s important to establish what ails the client first. Sometimes, it’s not physical, and I used to send a questionnaire before our appointment, and then spend a little time talking with them when they arrived. The client must relax before the sound healing starts. Asking them to lie down before taking them through a specific meditation not only relaxes the body but also the mind. Then, I’ll start humming on their body wherever the problem might be. The sound changes as healing happens.
Of course, there are many other ways of sound healing and not all involve using your own voice. But since I work with voice, it’s my preferred method.
Sometimes, I’d ask the client to hum with me, because the vibrations of our own sound sent throughout our body, are hugely beneficial.
Julie: I’ve attended sound healings, but they’ve always been with singing bowls, gongs, and drums—never voice! So, this fascinates me. I’ve experienced the healing of using voice through singing mantras in meditation, and even chanting the most simple mantra of Om can be physically felt. One of your recent YouTube videos is Spiritual Aspects of Voice & Singing; Humming the Chakras. Can you share the inspiration behind this wonderful lesson?
Angelina: Thanks so much for checking out my YouTube channel. I sincerely appreciate it.
Since the beginning of my voice studies, I have always noticed the energy and divinity of the voice, and that our voice is our direct link to our higher self and higher consciousness.
Most singers and actors who’ve studied voice seem to be more aware of this aspect of the voice and I feel we’re unable to avoid this when working with our voice. It teaches deep lessons about ourselves in a way I haven’t found elsewhere.
I created the video you mentioned because I wanted to show others a way to learn about these aspects of voice. In my experience of teaching voice, most people never think about the power of their voice and I feel, particularly now, as we live in such a crazy world, it’s more important than ever to invest our energy in ourselves, to find light and joy in ourselves. Our voice is one of the most important ways to change our emotional states and to soothe whatever mental turmoil we might go through.
So, as our bodies are bio-electrical devices that operate on energy, it’s really important to feel the energy inside our body. One way is to align our chakras so that the energy centres of our body are open and we’re able to live at a higher frequency. This will help us live a more joyful, love-filled, healthy and abundant life.
Humming is a great way not only to align our chakras and open our energy centres, it also to open our vagus nerve. This is so important, because it controls the parasympathetic (rest and digest) functions, helping to slow the heart rate, stimulate digestion, and control other unconscious bodily functions. For singers and speakers, it’s especially important to open our vagus nerve because it controls muscle movements in the throat and vocal folds. The vagus nerve innervates muscles of the larynx (voice box), pharynx (throat), and soft palate, which are all vital for speech and singing.
So, although the exercise I did in the video, singing along the chakra system, seems like fun (which I hope it was!), it’s a serious exercise that helps to raise our vibration to a higher state and prepare our voice for singing.
A collection of Angelina's Titles. Links to purchase are below.
Julie: Moving away from voice for a moment, can you share with the readers what your favourite oracle or tarot deck is, and how often you turn to the cards for clarity?
Angelina: That’s a tough question for me to answer because I love so many different mediums of looking for answers.
My favourite tarot deck is probably the beautiful Ancient Egyptian Tarot by Clive Barrett. I also love David Lawson’s runes, from the Eye of Horus Oracle of Ancient Egypt. (Can you see a pattern there? Haha!) Sometimes, I also consult the I Ching, the ancient Chinese method of obtaining spiritual guidance and wisdom. But recently I’ve been looking at the Archangel Fire Oracle or the stunning Water Alchemy Oracle, both by the lovely Alexandra Wenman.
Julie: I know you’re a fan of astrology, too!
Angelina: Yes! I feel astrology is also great for looking at the energy and dates of importance that might help to optimise our efforts in life. So, I watch Pam Gregory’s YouTube channel and find her so wise. I’ve had my chart drawn up and sometimes consult astrologers when I face a challenging situation to make sense of it.
I used to consult these things more often in the past, but more recently, I’ve started doing something different which I find quite useful. So, briefly, this is the method: I meditate with pen and paper in front of me and ask my higher self for guidance. Sometimes, it takes a while but I always receive amazing answers that help with whatever challenge I might be facing. I write the answers as fast as I can and they’re usually so brilliant and appropriate, I’m always amazed. I can highly recommend it.
Julie: Thanks for sharing your technique! What does a typical day look like for you?
Angelina: My days are fairly structured. Not by design, but purely because of circumstances. I also teach Tai Chi when my husband, who usually teaches those classes, is travelling to teach abroad, which happens quite often.
I try to write every morning. Afternoons are usually for admin and social media, video recordings and uploads. But sometimes, life gets in the way. So, flexibility is a necessity.
Now that I no longer sing professionally, I only warm up my voice and sing when I teach and that happens every Thursday.
Julie: Flexibility is absolutely a necessity. It took me a while to appreciate the art of being flexible. We never know when the next curveball is coming! Why, in your opinion, is music food for the soul?
Angelina: I wrote an article about this many years ago, about how our brains are hard-wired for music. You can still read it here: The Mystery of Music | The Sound Bath
But music is so much more. It is our emotional and creative expression and it is our response to it that enhances our lives and is the food for our souls.
Julie: I don’t have the words to describe just how much music enhances my life. Like you, I had music playing all the time at home as a child, and now, my days would be empty without music. What book/s are you reading right now?
Angelina:
Reading on my Kindle - The Vesuvius Club by Mark Gatiss
Reading in paperback - The Silent Miaow translated from The Feline by Paul Gallico
Listening on Audible - Thin Air by Michelle Paver
Julie: If you were to blink and appear on stage before an audience, what song would you sing without hesitation?
Angelina: Oh, that’s a great question. I have so many favourites and it depends on my mood. But if it happened in the blink of an eye, I’d have to say Casta Diva from the powerful opera, Norma by Vincenzo Bellini. It’s one of the most challenging arias to sing, but also one of the most satisfying when you get it right.
I love everything about the aria and about the character, Norma, who is a priestess. I guess it’s why my new novel also has druids and a priestess in it, though the story is very different and based on the play, Tempus, I had created for the West End - the same one in which I cast Steven, my friend who died.
But not everyone likes opera, so for a non-operatic aria, it will have to be Nella Fantasia. The music is from the movie, The Mission, composed by Ennio Morricone, based on ‘Gabriel’s Oboe,’ and lyrics by Chiara Ferraú, after Sarah Brightman persuaded Morricone to release it as a song. It’s the song I sang for Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace.
Angelina with Adam Lambert
Julie: I absolutely LOVE Nella Fantasia! It’s on a Spotify playlist I created for when I’m writing, and every time I hear it, I get shivers. You’re a great admirer of Adam Lambert. Have you ever met or worked with him?
Angelina: Yes, Adam is the ultimate and consummate singer and performer. His vocal technique is perfect and extraordinary, and I admire him greatly for his fabulous creativity, courage and amazing work ethic, too.
Weirdly, I was recovering from the health condition that stopped my professional singing career when I first saw Adam on TV. His voice was such a shock in the best possible way, and I couldn’t wait to see what he’d sing every week on American Idol.
In a way, watching Adam sing made mourning the loss of my career a little easier and I’ll always be grateful to him for it. It’s one reason I started my Soundbath blog and YouTube channel. Though I never post on either any more and haven’t done so for years, I’ve kept them because newer fans find them and there’s lots about Adam and performance in general they might enjoy. (Bear in mind, these were created years ago and meanwhile, with all the changes on YouTube, some videos I used for demonstrations may no longer be available.)
If you're interested to read and hear more, you can find them here:
Sadly, I've never worked with Adam, but I've had the pleasure of meeting him and chatting with him about voice and singing several times. He's a wonderful and kind human being, and he gives the best hugs!
Julie: The photos show that! What lies ahead for both the voice and pen of Angelina Kalahari?
Angelina: As far as voice is concerned, I’m working on online singing courses - a basic course and a more advanced course. Both will be available on my Patreon and at Udemy. I’ve also received requests to create online courses about voice and confidence - I suspect it came from readers of my non-fiction book, Breathing For Confidence.
Even though I can no longer sing full-length operas, my voice is still there. I just have to manage my energy and sing much less at once than before. Concerts and singing a few arias now and then are doable. As far as singing is concerned, I’ve been chatting to a wonderful musician friend of mine, Elizabeth Dockrell-Tyler. She composed the music for the show, Tempus which we created for the West End. We’re thinking of doing something fun musically. But that’s for later in the year, possibly nearer Christmas.
Meanwhile, I’ve been nominated for a OneVoice Award in May 2025 for narrating my audiobook, Draven & Other Stories. It’s a huge honour as it’s the award for the great and good of all British voice artists.
My current WIP is the first book in the Tempus series which I hope will be my third trilogy. It’s loosely based on the show Tempus, but because of Steven’s death, I’d put the writing on hold until now.
Julie: The best of luck with the OneVoice Award! Before we go, what one wish do you have for the world at this time?
Angelina: That's easy. As clichéd as it may sound, I wish with all my heart for peace and kindness.
Julie: Angelina, thank you so much for joining me today. It was lovely getting to know you a little more, and hearing about your fascinating world of voice. Where can readers find you?
Angelina: Here are the individual links to my other social media platforms!
If you're a creative and would like to join me for an In Conversation session,
reach out to me at julie@creativesoultarot.com
I love to chat with fellow creators, especially when they share a love for tarot and spirituality, so don't be shy!
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