Our
Newsletter, Issue of November 2001 Volume 1, Issue 3
Friends of Opera Newsletter issued 4 times a year. Editor: Florence McElmurray Assistant Editor: Publisher: Howell
Printing, Aiken, SC Message from the President…Ken Blohm Aiken Friends of Opera has had a very successful 18 months. Strong leadership, high quality programs, a relatively stable membership base, and a good financial position all combined to create a viable and growing organization. The Board of Directors is committed to continuing to strengthen the organization. As a result, a workshop was held to take a snapshot of our current strengths and weaknesses. The goal was to mitigate our weaknesses and take advantage of our strengths. The following areas were examined: Leadership, Programs, Membership, Committees, and Community Support. Jerry Rudd, a trained facilitator and member, helped us organize our thoughts and maximize our time together. The result of our workshop produced the following 6 priorities: 1. Review and update our mission and membership strategy, if appropriate. We all should understand who we are and where we are going. Responsibility for definition: Executive Committee. 2. Address the concerns of our members by developing an active membership program including small-group home events, opera chats, new member coffees, etc. Responsibility: Membership committee with support from Program and Marketing Chairpersons. 3. Start an active campaign to get more members involved in our committees and to fill officer and committee chair positions. Responsibility: Board. 4. Increase Community awareness and participation, including other music and arts groups, hunt and polo clubs, booths at Aiken events, rent-a-tenor, as well as sponsoring a Hopeland Garden event. Responsibility: Marketing Committee. 5. Ensure we have the support and resources to provide long term programs in Aiken. Responsibility: Board. 6. Begin an exploratory Education Committee to define what it is we want to do and how to get started. Responsibility: President. Each of the responsible organization committees, etc. will continue to report our progress to you in subsequent Newsletters. Augusta Opera's Holiday ConcertMark your calendars for the December 4th Augusta Opera Holiday Concert in Aiken. Last year s performance was SOLD OUT . Aiken Friends of the Opera will present the Augusta Opera Holiday Concert on Tuesday, December 4, 2001, at 7 p.m. at Aiken s First Baptist Church on York Street. The cast of over 100 will include five international soloists, the nationally recognized Augusta Children s Choral, the Augusta Opera Chorus and Orchestra. This performance will mark the second time this 18-year Augusta Opera tradition will be performed in Aiken. Be sure to bring your guests and/or prospective members to the Membership Table to obtain information about and a membership form to complete when they join the Aiken Friends of Opera. TICKETSTickets for members are now available for this Holiday Concert. The ticket price will remain the same as last year at $20.00 per person. However, the Board decided this year to offer preferred seating to our members. To obtain tickets, please send your check for the requested number of tickets to: Aiken Friends of Opera, PO Box 5046, Aiken, SC 29804. Please include a stamped, self-addressed envelope for your tickets to be mailed to you.Outlets for obtaining tickets are:
MembershipThe Membership Committee would like to welcome new members and also thank those of you who have renewed your membership in the Aiken Friends of Opera. The Committee would appreciate suggestions from the members for activities that would promote member participation and socialization. We also urge you to participate by joining a committee. Just call the Chair of the committee in which you are interested. The Committees and Chairpersons are:
There is still time to renew your membership!! If you became a member of Aiken Friends of Opera prior to January 1, 2001, it is now time to renew your membership. Our renewal campaign started in July and will be ending on November 30, 2001. The rates for the next year are $25.00 for a single membership and $40.00 for a couple. Please send your payment to Aiken Friends of Opera, PO Box 5046, Aiken, SC 29803. We have a great Winter and Spring line-up of events which you surely will not want to miss. Opera AnecdotesThe rehearsal for Tosca had been a stormy one due to the lead soprano s prima-donna behavior. However, the stage crew exacted their revenge at the end of the last act. Normally during the performance of Tosca , she throws herself off the battlements of the Castle Sant' Angelo to land on a mattress four feet below. On this occasion, the rather large Diva landed on a trampoline and it is reported that she came back up 15 times, sometimes upside down, sometimes right side up, before the curtain finally closed. The young soprano was unable to appear in subsequent productions because the season subscribers, remembering the trampoline incident, would greet her stage entrances with uncontrollable laughter. Turnadot was Puccini's last opera. When he died on November 29, 1924, he left the opera unfinished, ending with Lisa's death. At Toscanini's suggestion, the score was competed by France Alfano. But at the La Scala premiere, the performance ended after Luis's aria, Tuche d gel sie cinta.Toscannni turned to the audience and said: "The opera ends here, because the composer died at this point." An Aiken Friends of Opera member reception is planned for early January, 2002. Please look for additional information in your mail. HAPPY HOLIDAYS!! We are Officially a Non-Profit OrganizationAiken Friends of Opera has received its official non profit status from the Federal Government. All donation are now tax deductible. We are also eligible for gift matching from corporations who have this benefit. This is a major accomplishment and We would like to thank Tom Hofstetter and Ray Massey for their help. Membership NewsFor privacy, we will not be putting member's information on the website As opposed to having two Home for the Holidays events, one in Augusta and one in Aiken, it was decided to combine the two into just one event. It will be held at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Caye on Johns Road in Augusta on Thursday, November 29, 2001. Aiken Friends of Opera members will be receiving invitations in the mail. Home for the Holidays is a very special event. In the warmth of a private home, a small intimate group [200] will enjoy hearing the 5 soloists who will be appearing in the Augusta Opera Holiday Concert . Good fellowship, hearty hors d'oeuvres and cocktails will round out the evening. Doris Begley informs us that the home is spectacular and seeing it is well worth the price of admission, which is $75.00 per person. Coming Attractions & events
MEET THE CAST OKLAHOMAOn August 26th, the Aiken Friends of the Opera enjoyed a wonderful evening with great music and a down-home BBQ at the Aiken Center for the Arts. This was a great opportunity for new members to become acquainted with other members of the organization. The cast from the Broadway production of Oklahoma presented by the Augusta Opera, sang selections from the musical, tunes we all love, including Oklahoma as the finale. We all went home humming and happily looking forward to the main attraction soon to come! PhotosAnother Success Story OKLAHOMA on StageDuring the intermission at the Oklahoma performance on Sunday, September 19, 2001, a special reception was held. Approximately 40 Aiken Friends of Opera members and guests enjoyed fruit, cookies, soft drinks, and fellowship. It was great fun and all of the comments were very positive about the production. The consensus was that the person playing Judd, Charles Taylor, had the best voice. A special thanks to Joan Graham and Jeanne Quattlebaum for their help in making this reception a success. Falstaff in AtlantaIn September, a bunch of Aiken Friends journeyed to Atlanta for the Atlanta Opera s premier of Verdi Falstaff . Verdi s last opera is a hilarious romp, loosely based on Shakespeare Merry Wives of Windsor and other tales. A big treat this season is the additional offering of an opera chat prior to each performance, free, at the Georgian Terrace Hotel across the street from the Fox Theater. It started an hour before the performance, led by their education person. What a treat to walk into the opera more informed on the plot, circumstances under which the composer wrote, and the history of the times.Opera on the Web.............Bill Wilson The Internet provides a tremendous source of useful information for those interested in opera. We have found one website mentioned in the New York Times to be particularly good at capturing many features in one location: www.operabase.com Among many features, the House and Festivals is very special. You can find information on opera houses by searching by name, city, or mouse sensitive maps of many countries. This can be particularly useful if you would like to include opera in your vacation plans. Visiting Germany next year? Click on the Central Europe map and then use the mouse to click on various German cities you plan to visit. Each result gives you one or more cultural venues in that city to explore for performances of interest.
2001 - 2002 Program PlansNOVEMBER 29: Augusta Opera Home for the Holidays at Mr. and Mrs. Caye's home, Johns Road, Augusta, GA. This is a special evening of Holiday Music and is limited to 200 people. DECEMBER 2: The USC-Aiken Masterworks Chorale will present Vivaldi's Gloria at 4 p.m. at St. Paul s Lutheran Church on Hitchcock Parkway in Aiken. Tickets are: $8.00; $6.00 for students. DECEMBER 4: Second Annual Holiday Concert to be held at First Baptist Church, Aiken. The production includes a cast of approximately 100, consisting of five nationally recognized soloists, the Augusta Opera Orchestra and Chorus, and the Augusta Children s Chorus. JANUARY, 2002: Opera Chat with focus on Turnadot [tentative] FEBRUARY 17: Augusta Opera Turandot at the Bell Auditorium. MARCH 16 & 17, 2001: Gilbert and Sullivan HMS Pinafore at the Newberry Opera House. MARCH 20, 22, 23: Augusta Opera s production of Faust at the Imperial Theater. APRIL, 2002: Aiken Friends of Opera Cabaret and silent Auction in Aiken. MAY/JUNE: Overnight trip to Spoleto Music Festival in Charleston, SC, to attend opera. JUNE 2002: special musical treat and annual meeting.
For more information and reservations, contact: Augusta Opera: Donna Jannik [706-826-4710] Aiken Friends of Opera: Sandra Heath [649-3664] Donna Donley [643-9936] Masterworks Chorale: Flo McElmurray [ 642-5763] Newberry Opera: Rita Sewell [643-9410] Our
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