Last weekend, Glimmerglass actually had two performances in one night. One was our production of Tolomeo. Later the same evening (not to be confused with our 2011 production, Later The Same Evening), our Young American Artists and music staff descended upon the Oneonta Theatre for an opening gala performance. The venue itself has a wonderful sense of historicism, evident in both its architecture and its reputation as a longstanding cultural fixture in Oneonta, New York.
At the Oneonta Theatre Open House Gala, Glimmerglass was one of many organizations celebrating the theatre’s reopening. The variety of acts and performers was surely enough to suit anyone’s tastes – dance, live bands, karaoke, and of course, opera.
Our very talented Young American Artists performing that evening were Alison Bates, J’nai Bridges and Juan José de León, each of whom performed selections from Ernani (Verdi), Carmen (Bizet), and La fille du régiment (Donizetti), otherwise known in English as The Daughter of the Regiment. The audience was wonderful, and it was great meeting with some of those individuals after the performance. For some, it was their first taste of opera, and others were longtime fans of the company.
It goes without saying that we were delighted to participate in a performance that not only increases our art-form’s exposure to the public, but that also highlights the varied contributions of Central New York’s many performing arts organizations. In a time where farmers’ markets are making a comeback, remember that you can also just as easily go local and find some great music (or dance, or theater, or film, or…) right around the corner.
