Song Bird HEALTH CRISIS LETS
SINGER FIND HER VOICE
C
arol Manson is a singer who soars. Her clear, joyful voice and playful musicianship suggests she’s been singing jazz her whole life. The truth is, she almost never became a singer. Growing up in Berkeley, Manson played violin and piano, and sang in her high school choir. But music fell by the wayside when she went to college, earned a master’s degree in social work, got married and began a career in state service. She spent years as a foster youth advocate and eventually received a governor’s appointment. A health challenge in 2004 made her reconsider everything. “I started having hypertension episodes,” says Manson, a Natomas resident. “No matter what they gave me, my blood pressure wouldn’t go down. I had never been so silent and scared in my entire life. I took seven months off work, but when I went
Carol Manson Mural by Maren Conrad Photo by Linda Smolek
48
IES JAN
n
22
JL By Jessica Laskey Open Studio
