Annual event reaches out to students,
builds appreciation!
Singer Jesus Leon performs for guests during the
Palm Springs Opera Guild's 12 annual
Opera In The Park on Sunday March 28, 2010
By Mike Perrault,
The Desert Sun
Monday, March 29, 2010
About 4,500 music lovers set their lawn chairs and sleeping bags on the Sunrise Park grass, sipped smoothies and munched kettle corn on a warm, sunny Sunday afternoon as they took in the sounds of the 12th annual Opera In The Park.
"I'm very fond of (Giacomo) Puccini, and I'm very glad they've got selections from "Madame Butterfly" said Paul Davis, a retired Palm Springs resident and opera lover since he was a teenager.
Young singers such as Jacquelynne Fontaine, Joseph Kyungteak Lim and Liam McLachlan belted out performances after being chosen from among more than 100 competitors in California, Arizona and Nevada said Robert Hazucha, a Palm Springs opera Guild member who helped organize the event.
Opera In The Park, which is co-sponsored by the city of Palm Springs, has grown steadily since it debuted eleven years ago with about 700 spectators.
George Klauss, president of the Palm Springs Opera Guild, said under the guidance of music director Mona Lands, the performances "have been elevated to new heights."
One reason the Guild puts on the event is to reach out to area students, create an interest and eventually a love for the arts, Hazucha said.
The Guild's outreach presented musical programs to more than 10,000 Coachella Valley students annually in recent years organizers said. "A lot of kids bring their parents" Hazucha said.
Raymond Cree Middle School students Klarrissa Mae Boongaling, Chanlar Ranager and Noelle Pedersen were convinced by their choir teacher to volunteer at the annual event. "I want to be a singer, but I don't think I could sing like that" Pederson said as soprano Karen Vuong took to the stage.
Maestro Valery Ryvkin conducts
the Palm Springs Opera Guild
Orchestra during the Opera In
The Park on Sunday
Attendees from across Southern California travel to the event to listen to budding artists, some of whom have gone on to perform at the MET, Chicago Lyric, L.A.Opera and European venues, Klauss said.
Phillip and Deirdre Gittelman and their dog Cody, of Desert Hot Springs, regularly attend the event, in part because it reminds them of the Tanglewood music festival in Stockbridge, Mass. "I've been here many times and love it." Philip Gittleman said. "We read the profiles of the singers, and they lived up to their notices."
Photos by Marilyn Chung The Desert Sun
op-ed. Stay tuned for many great photos of the day's events submitted by members and attendees.
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