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| Lucine Amara rehearsing Aida in the living room (Photo: William Perlman/The Star Ledger) |
"It’s business as usual with the New Jersey Association of Verismo Opera, which has long rehearsed in the home of its artistic director, Lucine Amara, an 86-year-old soprano who sang at the Metropolitan Opera for more than 40 years. 'The better the singers are, the more the neighbors complain,' says director Evelyn la Quaif, Amara’s daughter, who is helping stage a production of Giuseppe Verdi’s Aida — in the living room. As part of the company’s mission to train young singers, operas like Aida — which will be performed Sunday afternoon at bergenPAC — can have 10 weeks of rehearsal, with intense coaching sessions almost every day. 'I love singing, and I love to pass on what I have learned to other young singers,' Amara says...Amara and la Quaif express continued frustration with donors who focus solely on the Met. 'What they spend on a production we could use for four years," la Quaif says. 'It’s heartbreaking for us. We go out of our pockets constantly and we have a couple board members who go into their pockets big-time. We would love to have rehearsals in a rehearsal studio instead of here — but here we can save money.' Amara has been the artistic director of the New Jersey Association of Verismo Opera since 1993. The company is one of the few opera presenters left in New Jersey." [Source]
