May I have Just One Minute Of Your Time?

Everyone enjoys opera, but they may not know it.

I love opera, and I am not afraid to tell you about it. I won't mince words - I think it is the greatest art form there is.

Yet I get "looks" when I tell this to some of  the guys at work. I do get more sympathy from the women in the office (bless their hearts)... but even some of them struggle at the thought of  sitting through "opera." How can there be people who don't understand how great it is?

How do I convince these skeptics to try opera?

I talk and talk. Write and write. Post and post. But all of that cannot convey what opera is, and more importantly how it affects you. I know this is an art form everyone can relate to, no matter what their background is. I know opera can touch people who have never experienced opera before! But how do I break the spell of this mysterious and scary word "opera" and it's effects on those non-believers around me?

Then a magical moment happened! Fresco Opera was invited to the Fire and Ice Ball at the Majestic Theater in Madison. We knew this would probably not be a "typical" opera going crowd. But we pursued it, knowing we are not a "typical" opera company. Our mission is to introduce opera to new audiences. The audience at the Majestic that night certainly fit the bill.

Directors Melanie and Frank Cain, along with singer Holly Flack presented a Fresco piece and captured it on tape. And something magical happened.

Give me just one more minute of your time.

Watch the first minute of this video. If you don't think you like opera, I think you will love this. If you love opera, you will witness a response you may have never heard at an operatic performance. This group of people, many of whom were hearing Fresco Opera for the first time, reacted in a way we could only dream about before this event.

One minute. Watch and listen.

PS - This is the Diva Dance from Gaetano Donizetti's Lucia di Lammermoor: “Il dolce suono”, the mad scene of Act II, Scene 2. You may know it better as the part in "The Fifth Element" where the blue lady sings.


Jeff Turk
Fresco Opera Theatre
www.frescooperatheatre.com