President’s Message
Where do we go from here? We never dreamed that we would be facing anything like a worldwide pandemic that would virtually shut down the operatic world. So here we are in Seattle, Washington with the mission to support Seattle Opera, vocal scholarships, and opera education for all age groups.
I am a great believer in the concept of synergy—that by working together toward common goals, we can get more done, have more fun, and come up with more ideas than if we all worked independently. It is the enjoyment of opera music, watching young singers develop, and getting to know each other that have made belonging to the Guild so rewarding. Our Singers’ Development Fund is our pride and joy!
We all still love and support opera. We can enjoy whatever online opera programs are offered by Seattle Opera, going to their website: www.seattleopera.org to see what is available. The first program, “Songs of Summer” with artists singing along with a piano accompanist, streamed on youtube.com/Seattle Opera or facebook.com/Seattle Opera. One amazing performance was on June 25 with John Moore, the baritone who sang in Verdi’s Eugene Onegin this past January. Tim Barrick, the pianist, recorded at his home in Seattle, and John recorded his singing at his home in Minneapolis. The online performance was a meld of the two artists, doing their respective performances from home in their own states. Little did we know that our digital capability would come to the rescue when we must “socially distance” to keep ourselves safe and watch performances from our own homes.
Zoom also came to our rescue, as we staged our first Seattle Opera Guild Board meeting via Zoom on June 17 with the help of Paris Sakas, a new board member and host of our meeting. It was a very productive meeting, so let me introduce your new Board Members: President, Suzy Mygatt Wakefield; Penny Wade, Vice-President (VP) of Administration; Gayle Charlesworth, Past President and VP for Membership; Maria Van Horn, VP for Special Events; Christine Szabadi, VP for Education; Judi Kalitzki, Editor of L’Aria and VP of Communications; Mary Scott, Secretary; Sally Buckingham, Treasurer; Danielle Gaines, Trustee; and Patricia Pavia, Officer at Large.
Preview chairs include: Allegro, Dorothy Petersen; Amici, Maria Van Horn; Bellini, Suzy Wakefield and Sally Buckingham; Magnolia-Queen Anne, Florence Rose-Thompson; Mercer Island, Marilyn Leck; Parties & Previews, Paris Sakas; and Vivace, Emily Bennett and Mary Scott.
We look forward to serving you, and hope you will continue your Guild membership, as we need your support to get through this together.
We’ve now had the joy of watching the Singer Development Awards event live streamed by Seattle Opera from the stage of Tagney Jones Hall. What an exciting event! Enormous thanks go to Christine Szabadi, VP of Education, who poured her heart and soul into making this happen. We are equally thankful to all those at Seattle Opera who helped make this event possible. And finally, thanks to those of you who donated to the Singer Development Awards fund after watching these vibrant, talented singers. Couldn’t you just tell they were grateful to be performing live? So, you see, we are moving forward with great excitement and hope!
—Suzy Mygatt Wakefield