FAIRBANKS — The end of June a young woman stopped by the inn for a look-see. Her parents had spoken to me earlier about reservations for July and she was here to check-us-out in advance of their arrival. It happens more often than you would think that visitors coming to Alaska to see friends and relatives do not stay with friends and relatives. For a variety of reasons (privacy, running water, flush toilets to name a few) many prefer to stay at the inn which, of course, makes me happy. My assumption in this case was completely incorrect.

On the day of their arrival the daughter came by the inn to leave a welcome gift for her parents who were scheduled to arrive about 10 p.m. She said she would not be available to see them until the next morning as she would be at the opera. I told her my friend and I also had tickets to Opera Fairbanks’ production of “Don Giovanni.” She said her husband was performing in the opera and to watch for the fellow in the black curly wig.

The next morning Kathleen and Eapen Leubner along with their beautiful little girl came for a visit. Being the curious person I am and never having met an opera singer, I riddled Eapen with questions. He was such a gracious young man that it was pure pleasure to listen to his story.

From a very early age Eapen had a pretty good voice and he loved to sing. Eapen’s parents enrolled him at 8 in a children’s choir. His mom sang in the church choir and his dad taught him to play the recorder and read music. As a boy soprano in the children’s choir his voice was good enough to allow him to participate in a couple of recordings and to get a job singing a few solo jingles. He said some of the kids at school teased him about his singing until they learned he got paid to sing. Eapen quickly learned that singing for money was a good thing.

Eapen’s interest in the performing arts continued into high school. After playing Seymour in “Little Shop of Horrors” and getting great reviews, he told his dad he wanted to study singing in college. His dad wanted him to consider a teaching career until he heard Eapen sing “Maria” in West Side Story. Eapen went on to earn an undergraduate degree in voice performance and, under a full scholarship, a master’s degree in opera performance.

Once educated in his craft Eapen needed to learn how to develop his career. The boy soprano’s voice had by this time matured into a rich tenor. He moved to Seattle and worked as a character tenor in choir performances for two years until he had enough hours worked to become a union choir member. In the afternoons he would sit in the audience of opera rehearsals and quietly watch and study opera singers in tenor roles. In due course he met opera stars who listen to him sing, gave him feedback, and taught him how to reach his High C. After Seattle, he worked in Colorado where he was able to attain leading roles as a lyric tenor. The next logical step was to New York City where he now works and still takes weekly voice lessons.

Eapen pointed out that each performance of an opera is a different experience. The performance of Don Giovanni as played in Fairbanks will never happen again. Each performance is cast specific and it is very unlikely that this same cast will ever perform the same opera together as a group. Each performance brings together different talents and interruptions to create a unique experience.

After spending some time talking with Eapen I could see a familiar pattern. There is very little difference in his career development than in any other fields. First the interest, then the education, followed by time in the trade. Like most careers, success is a product of talent and time dedicated to whatever one does in life.

There is a Web site that posts auditions (job interviews) for opera singing positions all over the world. Potential roles as an opera singer come from word-of-mouth, connections to co-workers and employers which lead to agents and other people connected to the business. Eapen said the opera community is very similar to the Fairbanks community. Everyone knows each other. His goal is to be a great singer and a great colleague and neighbor. Fairbanks was Eapen’s first performance with opera stars from the Metropolitan Opera. I am sure it will not be his last.

For the three weeks Eapen and his family were in Fairbanks, they took the time to see and experience Fairbanks as a visitor. He ate his first sourdough pancakes, which he loved.

My friend Nancy Peterson at North Pole Cabins has shared her recipe for a sourdough starter. Once you get the starter going you can use it for pancakes, scones, muffins and a variety of breads. Creating a sourdough starter takes 10 days. Be patient and enjoy the fun of watching it grow. Use this time to search the web for sourdough recipes.

Sourdough Starter

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 cup sugar, divided

1 teaspoon salt

1 package dry yeast

2 cups of warm water, 105-115 degrees

Combine flour, 3 tablespoons sugar, and salt in bowl. Stir and set aside. In a large sized non-metallic bowl, dissolve yeast and 1 tablespoon of sugar in warm water. Let stand for 5 minutes. Using a wooden or plastic spoon, stir together the flour and yeast mixtures until blended. Pour the mixture into a 2-quart glass or ceramic container and cover with cheesecloth, a cotton towel, or plastic wrap that has a few holes punched in it as the starter must have air. Let stand in warm place (85 degrees) for three days, stirring once daily. Move the starter to the refrigerator on day four and let sit for seven days. The refrigerator container must allow the mixture to breathe.

Sourdough Directions

Step 1. Prepare the sourdough starter and let it stand in a warm place at about 85 degrees for three days.

Step 2. Use some of the starter now or refrigerator it all. To use, stir the starter well and remove the amount called for in the recipe. Always retain at least one cup of starter to keep it growing. If none of the starter is used, move to refrigerator for seven days.

Step 3. Once the starter is seven days old it may be used at any time. The starter needs to be fed every seven days to keep the yeast active. On day seven, remove the starter from the refrigerator, stir well, remove the amount needed for a recipe or give a cup to a friend along with the feeding directions. Let the starter stand at room temperature at least three hours before using as it will not work well cold. The warmer the starter the more active the yeast will be. Never heat the starter. If the starter is not used, every seven days discard one cup of starter and add the sourdough food as directed below.

When alive, the starter will have a pleasant yeasty smell, be visibly bubbly, and be thick like pancake batter when stirred. When dead, the starter will have a pungent vinegary smell, have no visibly bubbles, and be thin and watery.

Sourdough Food

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup sugar

1 cup water

Combine and stir together all ingredients. Add the sourdough food to the sourdough starter and stir well. Let stand at room temperature for 24 hours in a warm place (85 degrees) covered with cheesecloth, a cotton towel or vented plastic wrap. Place in the refrigerator for six days. Repeat the feeding directions every seven days.