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Cabell will return to perform at alma mater
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More from events calfeedFor the first time since becoming an international singing star, Nicole Cabell will visit her alma mater, Ventura High School, to give a special student performance and receive the key to the city.
"Nicole is receiving the key to the city because she's a hometown girl who will be coming back to her high school to perform as a world-renowned singer," said Mayor Christy Weir, who will attend the performance at 1 p.m. Wednesday at Ventura High School.
Cabell, 30, is humbled by the honor: "The city of Ventura is growing into not only a wonderful place to live and a great tourist destination but also a noted cultural hot spot," she said. "To give the key to the city to an opera singer says quite a bit about a city's dedication to high art.
"I suppose I'm receiving the key to the city because I am a Ventura native who pursued this challenging, beautiful art form and have achieved a career, showing that it can be done," she said. "I love Ventura and Southern California as a whole, and am honored to be returning to sing in Ventura."
On Wednesday, Cabell will sing "Summertime" and "O Mio Babbino Caro." After the performance, she will share her story, including her education at Ventura High, what inspired her to pursue a singing career, and how she got to where she is today. There also will be a question-and-answer period.
"She is an inspiring role model for the youth of Ventura, illustrating the power of dreaming big and working hard to reach lofty goals," Weir said.
A Ventura native who graduated in 1996, Cabell was crowned BBC Cardiff Singer of the World in 2005 and will return home again to perform with the 14th season of the Ventura Music Festival on May 10.
Cheryl Heitmann, festival executive director, looks forward to presenting a talented performer who just happens to have grown up in Ventura. "Nuvi Mehta, our artistic director, chose Nicole based on her talent," Heitmann said. "The fact that she grew up here is such an added bonus."
— Alicia Doyle
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