Law Practice
May 30, 2001
After Work, Singing a Different Tune
The practice of law is performance-based, Karen Pang says. That is why the Crosby Heafey Roach & May attorney polishes her lawyering skills by singing her heart out before an audience.
Several times a year, Westwood United Methodist Church transforms its main sanctuary into a concert hall.
Pang, 28, recently took time out of her busy practice with the firm's business solutions group in Los Angeles to give her fourth performance in the church's Mother's Day opera.
"The thing I like about performing is that it's very similar to public speaking," she says. "It gives me some practice on how to carry myself and on how my voice comes across. All those things are very similar to what I do at work, as well."
The church performed Dido and Aeneas for a crowd of more than 50 people.
The opera, written by Henry Purcell, tells the story of Queen Elissa, known as Dido, the legendary founder of the city of Carthage. Dido is best remembered for her love affair with warrior Aeneas, which ends with their separation and her subsequent suicide.
Pang, dressed as a witch, joined her singing partner, Tonia Symensma, in a duet that in the story brings a curse on the ancient empire.
"It's a lot of fun to get to know people at the church, and it's great stress relief," she says. "It's important to work with people that are not all lawyers in order to expand the type of people you know and the type of people you're exposed to."
Born in Canada, Pang lived most of her life in the suburbs of Los Angeles. She attended South Hills High School in West Covina. When she was growing up, music was always a part of her life.
She played piano as a child. She was a member in the women's a cappella choir at Stanford University and then at the University of California, Los Angeles, where she attended law school.
Although Pang says she's not good enough for a professional singing career, she is satisfied with performing at her church.
Besides singing at holiday performances, she also sings every Sunday in the church choir.
"In addition to two special shows per year, our choir participates in worship service every week," she says. "We sing an anthem that works thematically with other parts of the service, including the sermon and readings, as well as starting off the service with an introit and ending with a benediction response."
Pang was drawn to Westwood United Methodist Church's strong music program when she was looking for a parish to attend regularly about a year and a half ago.
"Part of what I was looking for in a church was, among other things, a strong commitment to music," she says.
She recently joined Crosby Heafey from Morgan Lewis & Bockius. As part of Crosby Heafey's business solutions group, Pang assists clients with venture capital work on both the investor and company side.
"We use our brains all day," she says. "So it's good to do something that exercises a different part of the brain."
Liz Valsamis
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