Salon

This past Tuesday, I had the pleasure of participating in a donor function for my upcoming show, Glory Denied.  Our producers organized a cruise for friends of the company.  It left from Chelsea Piers and went down to the tip of Manhattan for a view of the Statue of Liberty, then up the East River under the bridges.  We then turned around and headed home.

One of my greatest joys of being an opera singer is attending the parties.  I love to get dressed up and chat with new people.  I am always surprised at the interesting stories of how these guests and donors came to be opera fans.  Each story is unique and, while sometimes I may forget the name, I usually remember how they learned to fall in love with opera.

This particular event was made even more special by the attendance of the composer, Tom Cipullo, and the author of the book, Glory Denied, Tom Philpott.  Both shared insights into their work with the group.  After that, my fellow actors and I did readings from the show.

After the presentation, I was able to enjoy a glass of wine and have some interesting conversations.  Talking with Mr. Philpott, I learned a few details about Col. Thompson that helped organize some of my thoughts on the character.

I asked him how he felt about his work being turned into an opera.  When he first received a letter from Mr. Cipullo asking for permission to adapt his book, Mr. Philpott thought it might be a joke.  Surprising stories like this kept the conversations going both with the artists and with our guests.

I remember that my sister and I once bemoaned the death of the Salon as an evenings entertainment.  There was a time where people would meet and they would spend the evening talking about art and science and would perform music for each other.  As I walked home down 23rd Street, it felt good to know that I had just attended one.