The Stowe Area Opera Lovers met on Sunday for a delightful brunch at Trattoria de Festa in Stowe, VT. Trattoria de Festa is a Tuscan style restaurant, a perfect setting to hear critically acclaimed opera bass singer Erik Kroncke accompanied by none other than Mary Jane Austin.
Restaurant owners Tony and Patty and crew served brunch from the bar. (This in itself was well worth the snowy slushy drive from Williston !) Then Erik and Mary Jane performed. It was opera "up close and personal." It was as if the restaurant were transformed into an opera house with everyone enjoying front row seats. An added treat was Erik singing "Some Enchanted Evening," from South Pacific, a goosebump experience for me.
Erik's repetoire extends impressively from Beethoven to Weber. One of his recent roles is the Grand Inquisitor from Don Carlos. We look forward to seeing his performance in Carmen at the Green Mountain Opera Festival in Barre, either June 17 or 19.
The Stowe Area Opera Lovers group was formed in 2009 as a grassroots effort to enrich the members' experience of opera and to gently introduce newcomers to this art form. It's a way to encourage opera appreciation in an informal way. Geo and I have attended dinner and now brunch with this group and we've enjoyed meeting them and hearing about favorite operas.
Our next opera event will be with friends E & P who invited us see Carmen at the movies ~ Yes ! ~ this will be a 3D experience, complete with glasses.
We applaud W & J of Stowe for forming the Stowe Area Opera Lovers and fostering its growth.
You may want to check out http://www.greenmountainoperafestival.com/ to learn more.
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