Did you know that Mozart piece wasn't an opera?

I had been sure that I'd be seeing an opera tonight. The Savannah VOICE Festival always gives us an opera near its end, you know. For this SVF14, the choice was Mozart's "Die Zauberflote", usually simply called "The Magic Flute". Hooray! I'd never seen that one, though I have heard some music from it. That was a very funny piece called "Pa-Pa-Papageno", featuring the bird-catcher, 'Papageno'. Evan Stark did a wonderful job in that role!

"So you did get to see that opera! I'm so happy for you!"

Well, as much as I'd looked forward to it, I hadn't realized that it's a musical, not an opera. During the show, I thought perhaps someone had restaged it, with lots of talking between the songs, to cut down on all the translation. See the songs were all in German, with English subtitles displayed on the film screens at Asbury Memorial Church. You follow?

"Of course. That's how it's been done every year in the past. That's why you made sure to bring your glasses this time."

Correct about me bringing my glasses, but they don't always have an opera. Sometimes they perform a musical instead. I had misunderstood and thought tonight's performance was to be an opera, but that isn't what I got. And here's the thing: that's how it was composed and presented back in September of 1791, just two months before Mozart's death. "The Magic Flute" was a collaborative work with Emanuel Schikaneder for his theatrical troupe. They didn't call it a musical, though, but the German term: singspiel. Literally, that's a "singing play", i.e., a musical!!! How about that!!!

"That's amazing that musicals go back that far!"

Yep, just by a different name! "The Magic Flute" was actually a fairy tale, written to show that things aren't always as they appear. In the first act, we learn that the 'Queen Of The Night' isn't the good guy but the bad one! I'm glad Melanie Spector was able to explore her evil side for this one! Then there were Benjamin Sokol as the supposed bad guy, 'Sarastro', with his confused henchman, 'Monostatos', played to hilarious consequences by Henry Drangel!

"Was that Melanie coming down the stairs?! What great makeup and poise!!!"

Yes, that vision in black was her! Her headdress even had a light in it for a spooky aura. The guy is Eric Sebek, in his first theatrical work with SVF! He told me the other night that he's been part of this festival for eight years, but this is his first role - he was so excited about it! That's because he played 'Tamino', the lead role!!! He was a prince in search of 'Princess Pamina'... what silly, rhyming, names! Emma Petersen played that role. Together, they were quite charming!

"Oh, I remember him from last year! Him and his brother and their dad!"

Yes, and his dad was there tonight, too, to watch Eric shine! I had so much fun with this one, and loved working as the directional wench. That volunteer position usually goes to Lonnie Breslow, but he and Penny were ushers this time. Kim Owens handled the lame, granting them special access. However, I think I'll try for that spot at the foot of the stairs again. That made me privy to first sight of all the singers after their transformations into the characters. Yes, please!

"Good for you! I hope that's how it will work out next year for you."

Thanks! I felt I was definitely in the right place, right time! My odometer even tried to confirm that for me, but I missed the special mileage reading by ten miles. My guess is I had "247247" back at the church, but didn't see it when I parked. Still "247257" has a nice ring to it, doesn't it? (smile!)

eye of the hurricane...

"He does look a bit like the center of all activity, and all he is doing is sitting on that comfy couch at the back of the Telfair Rotunda."

 

Exactly!!! I'm so glad you see that, too.

 

"Hey, the eye cannot help but be drawn to Sherrill Milnes. As well as being world-renowned for his opera prowess, he's a tall fellow, and holds himself with quite a regal manner."

 

I agree. I do hope some of the others with cameras caught that. Then again it was serendipity that I took the shot. He and I kept catching each other's eye, as we do, and I'd pointed the Alcatel lens at him a time or two. But someone would come up and ask me something and I'd get distracted. As for him, there was a steady current of people headed toward him for a few words, or away after they'd shared a moment. I finally just clicked the shutter!

  

"So, just why were you at this offering of the 14th Annual Savannah VOICE Festival? I know you don't have that kind of money at hand."

 

I was a volunteer usher!!! I dared myself to sign on for some shifts, after Torlef Borsting, the Executive Director, contacted me to see if I was available. I only signed up for this one this weekend, to see how it went, but I have a full slate at the end of next week.

 

"Whoa, girlie! Even with that hitch in your giddy-up still?"

 

In spite of that!!! I'm not sure that anyone much noticed my hobble, though if they did, they didn't say anything. I was so proud of myself for keeping that on the down low! I'd taken an acetaminophen around 3 pm, then another around 5:30 pm, an hour before showtime. That near double hit worked pretty well! Though it was starting to wear thin by show's end at 8:30 pm, making that trek back to my car a bit rough. But I persevered!!! I am so proud of myself!!!

 

"I'm proud of you, too, honey! I know it really hurt your psyche to not be a volunteer for the Savannah Music Festival this year."

 

Yes, but a good bit of my absence there was due to that inguinal hernia repair surgery and the recovery period after. I didn't even drive for a week! For this festival of opera, I was determined to try to be a volunteer again... and I have succeeded!

 

"That's great news! Even better that no one commented on your lameness. And just what was this show tonight?"

 

"A Night Of Rising Stars"!!! This was the first show of the festival, too! They've already had two of the "Masters In Voice" programs this week, with those during the day on Wednesday and Thursday. But Maria Zouves made a big deal of this being the inaugural event for SavVoice14! This was primarily a showcase of the new talent from this year's singers, but there were a few from last year sprinkled in. Like Juan Johnston-Chavez!!! Remember that sweet, and oh-so-helpful, baritone? He finished up the first half of tonight's program with "If Ever I Would Leave You"... and I could swear he was singing it straight to me! How about that? We even talked about the musical "Camelot" which was the source of the song, and it turns out neither of us have ever seen it! Maybe I need to arrange a movie date so we can remedy that. I wonder if Comcast has the movie version of the musical?

 

"Oh, girl, you are too funny!"

 

Hey, I can be his dear Auntie while he is around here.Though I would imagine he has a few of those already. Get this: he remembered my name! Like, early on, well before the show began. It took me a minute to recognize him, but when I did, I totally did. You know?

 

"I do. Did you have any other moments with folks there?"

 

Well, sure! Lani Winskye, the VP of Operations, was super glad to see me volunteer again! She made sure Ashley Nunez, in charge of Patron Services, knew she could count on me, and put me to work at once stuffing programs. It wasn't even 5 PM yet! (smile!) But I think one of the favorite people I saw tonight has to be Jessica Ann Best. Remember her?

 

"Hey, that's her curly blonde mop in the center of that group shot, isn't it? I'm so thrilled to see her performing still! What was the song?"

 

"The Sound Of Music", of course!!! (smile!) They were finishing the rehearsal and I just couldn't stay downstairs any longer! So I was lipsyncing along with her, hands in motion, and she smiled at me the whole time - fabulous!!! And that's 22 other singers up there with her for the kind of ending that brought everyone to their feet at the end of the second half of the show. Talk about a showstopper!!! Wow!!!

 

"Well, I'm so glad this has been a good first venture back into the volunteer life!"

 

Me, too, g'friend, me, too. I have so missed this!!!

theatre: not just on the stage

Happy World Theatre Day!!!

Actually, that was yesterday, but I wasn't able to see a live performance until this evening, so I'm celebrating it over a 32-hour span.

(smile!)

I began at the cinema, of all places, with me unaware that I had done so until after the credits had rolled.

The movie was "Forbidden Fruits", seen at the AMC, with only one other person at that 1:35 PM matinee, but she seemed to be laughing in all the same places I did.

Very nice, as I know my sense of humor can be a bit different!

Anyway, after the movie, I spoke to the other viewer and found out why she was there at this "Valley Girls gone bad" horror-comedy.

She was best friends, since college days 16 years ago, with the playwright whose work was the basis of the movie... say what?!

Yep, that's right!

Lily Houghton's play, "Of the woman came the beginning of sin, and through her we all die', was first performed in 2019.

Last year, the play was deemed worthy of life as a movie, with that script co-written by Lily Houghton and Meredith Alloway, following closely the narrative of the play, but with fruits, not flowers, and set in a mall, not a single store.  

How very cool that, at the end, one of the characters wore a cropped t-shirt with the play's name emblazoned upon it! 

Nice way to pay homage to the play!

(smile!)

That gave me the impetus to look at other movies for their theatre.

So, when I got home, I watched "Wonka" again!

Comcast gave me a $1 Movie Night reward on Thursday and that's the movie I chose!

So, when I say "again", I'm referring to that night, not to the time three years ago when I first saw it.

Heck, I've seen this musical so many times since then!!!

However, I was incorrect in thinking that it had ever been on the stage.

No, this was an original story, serving as the origin of the character portrayed by Gene Wilder in "Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory" in 1971.

That earlier movie was based on the book by Roald Dahl... but was never performed on stage, either. 

That's not to say that stage adaptations were never done... but that didn't transpire until this century. 

Now, there are children's musicals, an opera, and even a musical that's appeared on The Went End in London!

Maybe I'll get to see one of those someday - but certainly not within my stated 32-hour timeframe allocated for celebrating World Theatre Day.

Next!

(smile!)

Peacock to my rescue!

It offered "Les Miserables", the 2012 musical film with Russell Crowe and Hugh Jackman in the lead roles!

And what should I determine as I watched?

It's an opera!!!

How to tell the difference?

In an opera, every line, by every character, is sung, with no spoken parts.

Ta dah!!!

It's based on the 1980 'sung-through' stage musical, "Les Miserables", which is based on the 1862 book written by Victor Hugo.

Although the movie is technically not a filmed version of a live play, it does use the same musical score as the stage musical did.

The difference is the dramatic license taken with the setting of those songs in elaborate constructions that would be impossible for a staged show.

However, as the film follows the stage production and utilizes the same lyrics in the same songs, I'm regarding it as a legitimate creation to include in my celebration!

Yes, yes, I am!!!

(smile!)

That brings me to the only live performance in this grouping.

I had hoped to see the Savannah Children's Theatre's production of "Evita" yesterday, but the Friday Fiesta ran too long... so I went tonight!

I even bought my ticket last night, to make sure to have a seat.

See, this was held in their brand-new Black Box space at the Starcastle.

Most such spaces hold 50 to 100 seats, so I didn't want to miss the show!

Fortunately, this Black Box can seat about 250.

Surprisingly, this is actually an opera, though it's called a 'sung-through musical', which is a bit off as Hanna Richmond, who plays 'Eva Peron', clearly has several arias during the show!!!

She is on-stage almost nonstop, along with the narrator, 'Che', performed absolutely perfectly by Desmond Chaney.

Austin Bradley was there as 'Peron', and Trey Wilner as 'Magaldi', but they truly don't have many lines as those characters.

Austin does have an incredible courting dance with Hanna, who also dances with 'Magaldi' and 'Che'... but that dance with Austin is beautifully done!

Honestly, I was so impressed with the stage story that I wanted to know more about that Argentinian woman, the real Eva Peron.

What did I learn?

She moved to Buenos Aires as a 15-year-old determined to be famous, hence her affair with the entertainer, followed by future affairs with men who could advance her to where she wanted to be, a position of prominence.

She attained that by the age of 26 with Juan Peron, just a Colonel at the time, but encouraged him to further his career to become President of Argentina.

Then she died of cervical cancer in 1952, at 33 years old.

Incredible! 

So, was this play based on a book of her life?

Actually, it originated first as a concept album, of all things!

That was in 1976, and Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice used that tactic, already proven successful for their show, "Jesus Christ Superstar", six years earlier.

How amazing!!!

I've truly enjoyed looking at the history of these works.

I'll have to do a bit more of that in the future!

(smile!)

ain't too much sadder than the tears of a clown

So sang Smokey Robinson, but he was singing about a different clown.

"I Pagliacci" was six years ago with Savannah VOICE Festival!

The clown for SVF13 was "Rigoletto", a hunchbacked jester with a malicious flair no doubt honed by years in the service of a womanizing Duke.

That hunchback was played by Sherrill Milnes to great acclaim at the Metropolitan Opera in 1972, when he was 37 years old.

I wonder what the age was of Jean Carlos Rodriguez, the man who had that role tonight at Asbury Memorial?

That's him, centered in the photo, taking his bows at the end. 

It's quite possible he was in that age range, too. 

 

I admit to being a bit lost at the beginning of the opera.

As well as being occupied with my volunteer duties, I was thrilled to discover we had a live orchestra in the house!

That meant Marc Chesanow and his bass were again part of the show!

So was Richard Ochoa (violin) as well as another I knew: Xiaodi Liu (oboe), whose tall, blonde wife tipped me off to his presence.

Very nice!

However, when showtime arrived, I found myself unfamiliar with the story.

Even worse: I was sitting in the very last row, without my glasses.

Would I be able to read the translated dialogue from back there?

Fortunately, I could... and did!

Ah, and what a tale of woe that befell this clown...

such a sad loss of a beloved Gilda by a father...

and all due to the twisted jester's venomous nature.

Wow.

Here's a surprise: I recognized one of the songs!!!

Gilda had been warned that the Duke was a lecherous beast, but she didn't believe that... not until she heard him boasting in "La donna è mobile", which basically gave him carte blanche to cheat with, and on, women before they could do so to him.

That wasn't very noble of him, was it?

There was one nice bonus, too.

The young man who had helped me and Kim the last time at this space?

He had a right nice amount of stage time!

Juan Angel Johnstone-Chavez played Count Ceprano, a young noble whose wife was one of those seduced by the jester's master, the Duke of Mantua.

Such a very nice baritone that young man has!

I'll be looking forward to more from him next season!

I guess that means this final performance of SVF13 was a success -

it left all of us wanting more!

(smile!)

seagulls and opera?

 

Cenerentola has returned to the stage she left exactly four years ago.

Did I happen t say that it's been exactly four years, to the day?

Well, it has been, and she's a bit taller now, but still radiant!!!

The "she" this time is Carlyle Quinn, the mezzo-soprano whose voice I had been so  taken by in the first SVF13 show.

The swashbuckling prince in her wake as their stroll catches the Maestro's gaze is Stephen Steffens - and, yes, that's his real name.

I don't know why they were on their way to the stage, as showtime was well over an hour hence.

What a handsome pair they are! 

Then, another bewitching hour has lapsed and their tale - "Cinderella's Royal Feast" - has run its course and the seagulls have stolen the show!

That's them, roosting at the highest point on stage, over on the right.

Voiced by Henry Drangel and William Velasco, they truly had the best lines and even told us some jokes!

One bird to the other: "Why is it so easy to steal food from humans?"

The other to the first: "Because they're so gull-ible."

Hahahaha!  Hahaha!!

One bird to the other: "Why do seagulls like to tell jokes?"

The other to the first: Because they're caw-caw-comedians!"

Hahahaha! Hahaha!! 

Sure the jokes are pure corn, but they're from a couple of birdbrains!

Hahahaha! Hahaha!! 

That last one was pure me, y'all - couldn't you tell?

(smile!)

John Tisbert - yes! The 'Tiz!! - played the evil stepdad, Don Magnifico (not to be confused with Mr. Fantastic or Mister Terrific), and he has some choice words, too.

Those are tongue twisters!!!

"She sells seashells by the seashore" was one of those!

What great fun!

And get this: Theo even played a role on stage!!!

The Milnes-Zouves' son was the Fox!

I cannot recall a single time in the past when he has been part of the cast.

Behind the scenes, yes, plenty.

But actually on stage???

With lines???

Wow.

Yes, I said he was the Fox, and yes, there were seagulls, and there were also rabbits, three mice (not blind, just more like a Greek chorus), a cat, two snakes, and even two chimney spiders. 

Remember them?

They're the ones who bit Cenerentola as she cleaned said house chimney, thereby granting her the power to understand all creatures.

That's at least as good as what Spider-Man got from his arachnid bite!

All of that about the animals was straight out of the initial World Premiere of "A Royal Feast" on August 14, 2021. 

I'm sure "Cinderella's Royal Feast" must have some notable differences, as this, too, was deemed a World Premiere performance.

I'll have to ask Michael Ching about that the next time I see him.

Both have certainly been a lot of fun!

And, having it at Yamacraw Center over at Garrison Arts Academy certainly allowed a lot more children easy access to some opera in their life!

I'm so glad this season has been looking to involve more youngsters!

(smile!)

before - and after - at oldest church

This time, "Voices In Sacred Song" was at First Baptist Church, which has been here on Chippewa Square for 200 years.

I was the first SVF13 volunteer to show up and happened to catch the singers in mufti.

That's Benjamin Sokol, Henry Drangel, James Wright III, Jason Lambros, Lavonya Johnson, Ina Torres O'Ryan, Ashley Nunez, and Samantha Talora, left to right.

That was just before 4 PM.

Flash forward to about twenty past 6 PM.

The last vibrations of Handel's "Hallelujah" still linger from the 103-year-old organ.

Now our line-up has Benjamin Sokol, Ryan Lustgarten, Ashley Nunez, Henry Drangel, James Wright III, Jason Lambros, Lavonya Johnson, Ina Torres O'Ryan, and Samantha Talora.

That means we started with 8 singers and now have 9.

What gives?

Ryan Lustgarten wasn't there for the rehearsal and used a tablet for the two songs he performed; in solidarity, Samantha Talora also used a tablet for their duet.

Very nice, y'all!!!

I did love singing "Hallelujah" with everyone at the end, too.

That's a long-standing tradition at these free gospel concerts.

The best part is watching Sherrill Milnes as he enthusiastically conducts it!

Very nice!!! 

iz dos geven a niu-yorker kabaret?

Here's the reason I ask.

With cabaret-style, you get a bit of banter between the songs, a bit of insight into how they came to be or some words to set the stage... 

so to speak.

(A little pun to get things rolling!) 

However, this third SVF13 concert had a simple title with a complete absence of that word: "David Friedman: My Simple Wish". 

See what I mean?

And yet, the entire evening's entertainment was most def cabaret!

Even the title song was pure whimsy, sung with as much panache and moxie as Tevye exhibited when he fantasized about being wealthy!!!

Indeed, I laughed repeatedly during "My Simple Wish", especially with Eric Sebek emoting so well during his performance!!!

And what, pray tell, had Friedman's 'wish' been?

To be "rich, famous, and powerful"!!!

Hahahaha!!!

Two out of three ain't bad... as I knew nothing of him before last night.

Even so, I took him to simply be a long-time piano-playing friend of Sherrill and Maria, and a fellow who occasionally wrote music.

Even when I took this photo before the show, when my volunteer duties were waning, I still thought that.

See that tall guy in the glasses and yellow shirt, standing to the right?

That's him, quite possibly chatting with Sherrill and Maria as they also stood.

Well, I'm here to say I was mistaken.

David Friedman just may be famous as well as the other two things he mentioned in "My Simple Wish".

I realized that later in the program, when he broke out the big guns: the songs in several of my favorite Disney musicals for which he was the conductor.

Say what???

Yes, Angela Lansbury sang to him when she recorded "Beauty And The Beast" - done every bit as soulfully tonight by Samantha Talora.

Yes, Robin Williams sang to him when he recorded "Friend Like Me" - done in very animated fashion by James Wright III, with the others backing him up.

Yes, Judy Kuhn sang to him when she recorded "Colors Of The Wind" - done in beautiful voice by the charming, and intelligible, Ina Torres O'Ryan.

[I made sure to compliment her on not "losing the words", as so many sopranos and mezzo-sopranos do when they're swinging for the rafters.]

And, yes, Tom Hulce (my "Amadeus"!) sang to him when he recorded "Out There" - done by Peter Lake in that tenor tone I so love!

Wow.

David Friedman has also written songs for other Disney productions, he's written songs for original Broadway musicals, he's regularly written songs for the "Today Show" on morning television, and he's written books.

Wow.

This was quite a show, tonight, and much more than I'd expected.

Many thanks to David Friedman for being a storyteller and entertainer!

Also, happy 75th birthday, as this year is a special number for him. 

Many thanks to the six singers of his songs - Eric, Ina, James, Samantha, Ashley Nunez (not visible in the photo), and Peter - for bringing out the heart in those songs!

Many thanks to the Savannah Voice Festival for allowing me to be a volunteer!

 

And many thanks to Asbury Memorial Church - and especially to Randy - for making this an easy, and beautiful, venue for SVF13, even on this rainy day!

Right place, right time...

i thank You, God.

cabaret, a la opera!!!

I do so love a cabaret!!!

There's no telling what lyrics may spring forth!!!

Tonight, I laughed and laughed and danced in my seat!

That was in the back pew, situated between two instructors - Timothy Hall and Justin Havard - for the Savannah VOICE experience. 

At the SVF13 tonight, it was "Everything: A Classical Cabaret with Maria Zouves", with lots of contemporary hits from the radio and elsewhere!!!

There was even a fabulously funny farce about french fries that she wrote!!!

(I just had to add that alliteration!!!)

The funniest thing about that?

It's called "My True Love" - hahahaha!!!

But wait... don't I recognize that face of the man center stage?

Of course I do!

That's Richard Ochoa, the first name in violin in this seaport!!!

The fellow in the nice hat is Andrew Sovine, the guest guitarist for this gig.

He's talking to that very nice young pianist, Assaf Gleizner, I met in March.

The gray-jacketed man is the other pianist, David Friedman, who played when Maria was singing one of his songs, "You'll Always Be My Baby". 

(She actually sang two of his numbers tonight. I knew neither song.)

Then, barely visible along the right hand edge with his long white hair and black coat, is Marc Chesanow, the bass player that played with Knauer at the SMF36! 

So very nice to have a band for this cabaret!!!

They really helped round out the sound on the rock ballad (Journey's "Open Arms"!!!), the country ballad (Bonnie Raitt's "I Can't Make You Love Me"!!!), the Johnny Mercer hit ("Come Rain Or Come Shine"!!!), the inspirational piece ("Get Happy"!!!), the modern showtune (Wicked's "For Good"!!!) - woohoo!!!

There were a few songs that were new to me.

Michael Ching even took the stage to play his melodica as Maria sang "It's Always Been You", a special composition written for the anniversary of Allan and Arlene Ratner.

How very nice that I actually know those people.

Arlene is a paternal cousin of mi amiga Sandy!

I've enjoyed talking with Arlene at the "Food For Thought" luncheons.

I need to start going to those again!

What a lovely thought from this concert tonight!!!

(smile!)

a season of numbers, like 90

Don't ask me who the other person is; I have no idea, as they were not the focus of my attention.

Sherrill Milnes is the one my camera was aimed at, the gentleman by the window at the Unitarian Universalist Church.

I'd like to think Elvis Presley would resemble that midwestern nonagenarian, if he were still alive.

After all, they were born two days apart in January of 1935.

Yes, Elvis would be 90 years old now, just as Sherrill is, and both are just a year older than my Daddy would have been in April.

What a thought!

At yesterday's opening show yesterday, Maria Zouves spoke of SVF13 being a celebration of numeric milestones (much as I speak of mileage markers).

The first number was '90', her husband's age.

The next was '60', the number of years since he started his operatic career.

(That also happens to be her age now.)

Then came '25', the numbers of years since the couple started the Savannah VOICE Experience to foster the growth of opera in young singers.

(Their son, Theo, is also 25 years old now.)

Those are all nice round numbers.

I like '13', though.

After all, this is the 13th annual Savannah VOICE Festival... and I am here, once more, as a volunteer to welcome folks to this music!

Right place, right time... and it's almost show time!

i thank You, God!

figaro! figaro! figaro! figaro!

"Yo! What's up with all the Mozart shouting?"

Not shouting... singing!!! Four of the seventeen aria-lists total chose songs from that opera to highlight their voices! I'd like to say I recognized all four of those tunes, but I did not. It wasn't until Hunter Thompson stepped to the stage that I heard one I knew: "Non piu andrai". Marvelous! I wonder if Sherrill Milnes had his 90-year-old foot tapping, there in the front row? My feet and hands were keeping that beat!

"Did you just slip a pun in there? And did you make up that word 'aria-lists' based on the 'aerialists' in the SavChTh shows?"

It could also refer to the spring show at TyPostTh... but, hey, good for you! You were paying attention and not distracted by the photo! Yes, I did make up that word, but it was totally in keeping with this first concert of SVF13. Titled "Aria", rather than "Death By Aria" as it was formerly known, it consisted of songs our of context, songs the singers chose, much as I do at karaoke. Well, except they didn't have a cheat sheet of words to keep them on track. Still, these were favorite songs of theirs, much like the songs I choose to sing, so words really weren't needed. Still, it might have been nice to have had some translation available. Only one of the songs was in English... and that was from "Little Women"! I thought for sure that Ina Torres O'Ryan was singing to a guy named 'Joe', not the tomboyish sister, 'Jo'. Very nicely done!

"Wow, that sounds cool! I recall really liking the musical a few years back. I'm sure the opera version is very interesting."

That would be my guess. This year's Savannah Voice Festival has this theme: "Once Upon A Time" - and you know how much I love fairy tales! None of the songs tonight had anything to do with that theme, as far as I know, but I'll be looking for it in the other shows this month. I'm so glad I can volunteer with this!!! Kim Owens was the other usher this evening, with Emily Gallagher riding herd on us. Marvelous!! And for this first concert ever at the Unitarian Universalist Church, this was a splendid outing! The house was packed!!!

"Most excellent! I do hope that will be the case tomorrow night, too. That show is at the same venue, isn't it?"

You are correct! Yes, I hope it will be packed, too. It's actually a rather small church, but the sanctuary makes for quite an intimate setting. Oh, sidebar: this is the church Evelina attends. I do hope it will become one of the regular venues. Even though it's downtown, the parking is free after 5 PM, so that's a nice break. This concert was at 6:30 PM, like the one tomorrow will be. Even with the volunteers arriving an hour early, the parking is still free.

"Oh, that is a nice touch. And the acoustics?"

Fabulous! Maria's voice will be showcased tomorrow, so that will be quite nice. Yes, quite nice, indeed! (smile!)

Greek, Italian, French, Hebrew, and even English!

Such a plethora of languages being shared at this VOICE Salon Series concert!!!

This was the first one ever for me, as they are held at the Green-Meldrim House.

I had never been to this venue, but I had no problem finding it -

all I had to do was listen for the music pouring out into the world! 

This photo is of Minghao Liu warming up his vocal chords as Assaf Gleizner provided the tuneful background with his piano.

Oh, let me tell you about the moment I had with the pianist!

This was after folks began arriving for the the concert, and I'd given out several of the programs, as that was my duty this time as usher.

I asked Assaf if he would like one, so he'd "have his name in print", and he took it, saying it could serve as his set list.

"That's quite a step up," I said, smiling. "All the musicians I know have their set list scribbled on whatever paper is handy and taped to the floor."

"Those days are long past for me," he said, grinning.

Very nice!

Like I said, I was chosen to usher the evening event, titled "Mediterranean Voyages," along with Penny and Lonnie Breslow.

That's Penny in the pink sweater, with her hubby in the gray jacket beside her.

She was checking folks in and he helped folks find seats.

The woman in the white sweater is Evelina Erickson, our house manager.

I also recognized some of the patrons, like Linda White and David Lake, as they attend so many of the Savannah VOICE events (as well as the SMF concerts).

 

Except for the tenor and pianist, I knew all the other performers tonight. 

That's Ashley Nunez, Chad Sonka, and Maria Zouves, all performing selections from Ravel's "Cinq melodies populaires grecques" and choosing to do so in three languages of the Mediterranean: Greek, French, and Italian.

What great fun that was to hear, even from the back row!

I was in very good company, though, as Sherrill Milnes was also right there.

That meant he got to witness my reactions to the songs, as I'd close my eyes to just listen to the notes surround me, or I'd have my toe tapping or a hand weaving in the air, or I'd be mouthing the words along with the singer.

I know Chad got a kick out of watching me as he performed "Rosabella" from the 1950's opera-musical, "The Most Happy Fella"!

I made sure to tell him afterward how much I liked that joyful song!

Lonnie and Penny (see her red hair?) were in the row in front of me.

Like I said, good company!

And after the concert, we three ushers were invited to partake of the dinner feast!

Antipasta with a range of meats, olives, and pickles!

Tuna salad, a chick pea salad with pasta, chicken meatballs!

Spanikopita, hummus with fresh and crusty bread!

And, in the other room, many types of desserts... but I grabbed only a piece of baklava!

 

Then I took my feast into the parlor to dine.

That's when I met Dana and Bill, sitting in the row just ahead of mine, and sipping on the limoncello and prosceco spritzers they still savored.

She's a marine biologist and he's a chemist!

So, naturally, I told them of my education plans post-Navy, and how my very first chemistry class with Beverly Pestel set me firmly on that path instead!

They both moved to Savannah twenty years ago, as they both found work here, and they retired from those jobs last year.

That meant I spoke with them of my upcoming 7-year anniversary of retirement!

Really, they were delightful, and unexpected, dinner companions!

As they left, I re-entered the dessert room, finding the baklava long gone.

However, Minghao was there, and I taught the tenor to eat tiramisu.

I did!

He had given me a big dollop of the Italian treat, as I told him of having gone to Siena n 2012 and learned how to make pasta and ravioli and that delectable concoction.

As I put the first forkful into my mouth, the look of rapture on my face took him completely by surprise!

I guess he'd never seen anyone so enjoy their food before.

So, I explained that tiramisu (which literally means "cheer me up") is one of those foods to be savored, molecule by molecule, not simply eaten.

It isn't sustenance... it's oral joy!

I told him the proper way to maximize that enjoyment: place it into the mouth and allow it to warm on the tongue as you press your palate toward the tongue, releasing the sweet, creamy, coffee flavor from the thoroughly soaked ladyfingers as the delectable treat literally melts down your throat...

then I ate another forkful of the dessert, to demonstrate...

and may have even hummed a little, as I do when eating something that good...

as he stood there, mesmerized.

Then he followed my example and I saw the realization cross his face: I was right!!!

There was a correct way to eat that!!!

(smile!)

Time for me to take my leave!

Farewell to Evelina and Penny and Lonnie!

Farewell, and a curtsey, to Master Milnes...

who reached out his left hand and took my right hand...

saying "farewell, Faustina"...

to which I said "farewell, Sherrill"...

very nice!

Such a lovely evening, with good song, with good food, and with good company!

i thank You, God!

have you moved yet?

Dear Tony,

Hey! You still there? I keep wondering if they're going to move you. I guess that's partly why I've been postponing writing as I don't want notes to get lost along the way. Still, I don't want you to think you're not loved, either.

I'm volunteering with the Savannah Music Festival this past weekend and up to April 3rd. So far, I've been to five
concerts for free! Yeah! I have two scheduled for today and one for tomorrow before school. Then, on Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, I'll be "working" at seven shows! I am so happy!!!

I've been to two bluegrass concerts, a cabaret show, and I've seen two operas twice!! The opera was definitely my favorite! I think it must be because I so enjoy musicals. Yep!

Gotta fly!

with my love!

***** ***** *****

My youngest brother, as I had mentioned in an earlier post, has had his security level changed from "close" to "minimum". The prison he is in does not usually house "minimum" inmates. I still have not heard of him being moved; I know he has a good work where he is and would hope that continues.
I'll just have to keep my ears open for any news!