Opera Fresh

Tuesday, April 9, 2013

The Sad Reality of How Many New Yorkers Get to Attend the Opera

Operatic Flair: A scene from Starlight Express

In a recent article written by Mark Brennan Rosenberg for the Huffington Post, the author debunks some fantasies about living in New York City. A excerpt reveals much about how some New Yorkers are getting their opera:

It's the epicenter of culture.

New York has more to offer culturally than almost any other city in the world. However, I don't care what anyone says, no one really likes going to the ballet, the opera or museums. If you have actually gone to the opera this year, it was because your friend had a free ticket and it was: "A very New York thing to do and there wasn't a good party happening that night" so you took the ticket, but didn't pay for it because you're too broke to afford that shit, even though you're working three jobs. Deep down inside, you know that you'd rather be watching Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark. Don't front. You know you would. As bad as that crap is, people being flung from the rafters and nearly meeting their death in order to entertain you is much more thrilling that a fat woman singing a language you never bothered to learn. Come on, admit it, it's okay, no one will criticize you... except for your friend who invited you to the opera who thinks that "all theater is trash" but secretly listens to the cast recording of Starlight Express every night before he goes to bed so that he can make fun of you to your face and not look like a hypocrite.

[Source]

Saturday, March 30, 2013

Susanna Phillips Brings All the Boys to the Yard in Streetcar

(Photo: Todd Rosenberg/Lyric Opera of Chicago)

The reviews are in for Streetcar Named Desire at the Lyric Opera of Chicago. Find out more about the production here and see more photos here.

The Butlers Did It! One Million Donation to Houston Grand Opera

"Dr. Ernest Butler and his wife Sarah are donating the money to endow the HGO Orchestra concertmaster position. Opera Managing Director Perryn Leech says the Butlers have been long-time supporters of the arts in Houston. 'And they travel all over the world seeing opera. Whenever they are abroad, they compare other companies to Houston Grand Opera, and they never left feeling that Houston Grand Opera isn't playing at the highest table — which is a huge compliment to us.' As a result of the million-dollar gift, HGO has now raised $127 million toward its campaign goal of $165 million that they hope to reach by December 2014." [Source]