Photo by Lisa Waddell Buser

Earnestine Rodgers Robinson/Composer

The story of how Earnestine went to Prague is so improbable, you might not believe it:  This mother of five opened her Bible one day back in 1972, and instead of words, out of her mouth came a melody.  Then vocal parts and instrumental accompaniments that told a story, called an oratorio in classical music.  Her first, “Crucifixion,” caught the attention of a choirmaster in Oregon, who then staged it in New York’s Carnegie Hall, with 300 voices and a full orchestra.  “You wished no one would talk to you, so you could just listen, “ Earnestine says.  “ I was so grateful.”  Eventually, the conductor of the Czech National Symphony heard her second oration, “Nativity,” and staged it in Prague at Christmas in 2002.  Earnestine, who has had no formal musical training, has given up trying to explain her amazing gift: she only knows it comes from God.  “(My music) is what I was hearing in my spirt.”