So here I am, a retired old opera singer living near my grandchildren in Berlin and I have to get a notarized form saying I’m still alive so I can keep getting monthly retirement benefits. After a little back and forth with the nice person at the Pension Fund for former theater employees (imagine that!) I go into a bank and wait my turn.The guy looks at my form. He lights up when he sees that it’s a form for theater people. “What did you do?” he asks, “Orchestra, chorus?” I tell him I was a soloist and he’s not just impressed, he’s knowledgeable! It turns out he went to the opera a lot in Berlin when he was growing up. He has a favorite opera, Otello, in this case. so naturally I give him my YouTube channel so he can see me in this role, and he happily stamps my document. Folks in the US react to a real voice too, but it’s an oddity. Here, it’s admirable but normal and you can retire on it.