President’s Message
The question continues, “Where do we go from here?” Our mission stays the same, despite the pandemic: The Seattle Opera Guild, a non-profit organization, continues our commitment to supporting Seattle Opera, funding vocal scholarships, and providing opera education for all age groups to ensure future opera audiences.
I hope many of you subscribers were able to watch Seattle Opera’s recent production of Elixir of Love, featuring David McDade and Jay Rozendaal each playing their own piano (in place of a full orchestra), and a pared down cast with only the five main characters appearing onstage to sing their roles. One of the five, Tess Altiveros, who sings Gianetta, was given a Singers Development Award by Seattle Opera Guild, and she appeared at one of our luncheons. So encouraging to see a singer we helped appearing in a Seattle Opera main stage production! And so heartening and exciting to see how cleverly the director and cast of this production managed to create a lively, funny, and moving opera even as the cast had to practice staying at least six feet apart from one another throughout the opera!
Toward the end of this opera the soprano sings one of the most beautiful arias in the Italian repertoire, Una Furtiva Lagrima, a furtive tear. Opera lovers often hear this on collections of favorite arias without knowing its context. This is where it comes from, and the oboe accompaniment, onstage in this production, brings such sadness and depth that you will want to cry when you hear it.
Donizetti’s opera, Elixir of Love, was written quickly, over only six weeks, and first was produced in Milan in 1832. It has become a favorite of many and is played in opera houses all over the world. (Just check out You Tube.) This version by Seattle Opera was filmed and edited from a live performance at McCaw Hall in mid-October, and it has received rave reviews in the Seattle Times. We are so fortunate that we can still enjoy live opera, albeit online, from Seattle Opera during this pandemic.
The Seattle Opera Guild continues with almost 100 members, and we enjoyed a wonderful audition on August 8th of seven singers, with David McDade the accompanist. He spoke very highly of their enthusiasm and their talent. We will host another audition for young singers next spring or summer, giving young singers that terrific experience of performing for prizes as well as getting the practice of performing before an audience.
The Guild is creating a new website, which will be up and running soon. Please check it out and like us on Facebook.
King FM (98.1) broadcasts recorded Seattle Opera productions every Saturday morning at 10 AM. So please continue to connect with opera. We are somewhat in the stage of “Una Furtiva Lagrima,” a furtive tear, as our world has become so different, but we cling to the hope that much that we have lost will be restored as we go forward into 2021. If you get a chance, please listen to that exquisite and timely aria!
—Suzy Mygatt Wakefield