On Monday, October 5, the Artist Services Committee held its annual Gathering at committee member Nina Haro's La Cabaña restaurant in Venice. Welcome Gifts in the form of an audio recording of the third act of LAO's production of Die Walküre were distributed.
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Nina Haro
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Opera League President Judy Lieb |
John Spear |
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& Communications Chair Ed Shaff |
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In anticipation of the coming production of Götterdämmerung, Nina added to La Cabaña's stature as providing our community's finest margaritas [See citysearch.com] by concocting a new margarita for the occasion: The Gutrune --- one sip of which is reputed to cause one to forsake all prior loves and to become enamored with the next individual who "comes on" to you.
The drink is based upon the classic Midori [tequila, triple sec, melon liqueur & sweet/sour mix], but with a splash of absinthe added. The intent of the latter is to reinforce the amorous intent of the Gutrune, relying upon the truth imbedded in the line from 19th century English songwriter Thomas Haynes Bayly's Isle of Beauty:
'Absinthe makes the heart grow fonder'
[Note: Some poetic license taken here]
Continuing with the topical theme, the dinner included the option of ordering another new addition to the menu: The Siegfried, a burrito fortified with ample helpings of chile rellenos and jalapenos --- just the thing for those with a heroic outlook on life.
After opening words of welcome from Opera League President Judy Lieb, Assistant Committee Chair John Spear interviewed four artists affiliated with the Domingo-Thornton Young Artist Program:
. Soprano Erika Wueschner
. Bass-baritone Yohan Yi
. Head Coach Nino Sanikidze
. Pianist/Coach [06-08] Yulia Levin
Both Erika and Yohan, besides reflecting upon their current responsibilities in The Ring (Erika) and The Elixir of Love & The Barber of Seville (Yohan), spoke regarding their future career goals. Nino fulfilled her prior commitment, alerting the Young Artists to the enervating experience of having to watch Old People Party, and we can only hope that Erika and Yohan went home last Monday free of any inordinate fear of the aging process.
Yulia is currently working as a prompter for Siegfried, residing in the folds of one of the on-stage Ravens. Speaking regarding her experiences when stationed in a Raven, Yulia proved to be considerably more communicative than her trisyllabic-prone counterpart in the Edgar Allan Poe ode to his lost Lenore.
Later, Artist Services Manager Susan Lang, besides verbally inoculating the assembly with some of her abundant enthusiasm, made generous distribution of opera CDs to the Committee members.
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Yohan Yi, Erika Wueschner, Yulia Levin, and Nino Sanikidze
|
Susan Lang
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As has become tradition, the evening's program included a number of opera-entitled awards, recognizing some of the prominent activities of committee members:
- Nina Haro --- the Mama Lucia Award [Ref: the character in Cavalleria Rusticana who dispenses wine & hospitality from her establishment]
- Anne Russell Sullivan --- the Leo Slezak Award [Ref: Wagnerian tenor Slezak, reacting to a missed stage cue in Lohengrin and having the Swan-Boat depart without him, inquired: "What time does the next swan leave?"; Anne, on assignment, had an artist change flight plans without informing LAO]
- Alma Guzman --- both the La Sonnambula Award [For returning an artist to LAX prior to 7am] and the Orfeo Award [For making two or more trips to LAX within a 24 hour period; i.e., for going to hell and back in service to artists]
- Bill Keiser --- the La Cenerentola Award [For greeting an artist in or about the midnight hour], in addition to the La Sonnambula and Orfeo Awards
- Ann Mosser --- the Erde (or Earth Mother) Award [For her super-generous hospitality to mezzo Margaret Thompson: taking Margaret, her 4 1//2 year-old daughter, husband and mother into her home for the months of May and June, totaling well over 100 hours of volunteer time]
The tangible portion of the Mama Lucia, Leo Slezak, La Sonnambula, La Cenerentola, and Orfeo Awards took the form of personalized DVDs of Geraldine Farrar in Cecil B. DeMille's film Carmen. Ann's Erde Award, with Martin Bernheimer's designation of Anna Russell as being "The Mother of us all" in mind, took the form of a personalized DVD of Ms. Russell's First Farewell Concert in Baltimore from 1984.
 |
 |
 |
Alma Guzman
|
Bill Keiser |
Bob Bernard and Ann Mosser |
Acknowledgement: All photos are by Ed Lieb
On Monday, October 5, the Artist Services Committee held its annual Gathering at committee member Nina Haro's La Cabaña restaurant in Venice. Welcome Gifts in the form of an audio recording of the third act of LAO's production of Die Walküre were distributed.
| |
|
|
Nina Haro
|
Opera League President Judy Lieb |
John Spear |
|
& Communications Chair Ed Shaff |
|
In anticipation of the coming production of Götterdämmerung, Nina added to La Cabaña's stature as providing our community's finest margaritas [See citysearch.com] by concocting a new margarita for the occasion: The Gutrune --- one sip of which is reputed to cause one to forsake all prior loves and to become enamored with the next individual who "comes on" to you.
The drink is based upon the classic Midori [tequila, triple sec, melon liqueur & sweet/sour mix], but with a splash of absinthe added. The intent of the latter is to reinforce the amorous intent of the Gutrune, relying upon the truth imbedded in the line from 19th century English songwriter Thomas Haynes Bayly's Isle of Beauty:
'Absinthe makes the heart grow fonder'
[Note: Some poetic license taken here]
Continuing with the topical theme, the dinner included the option of ordering another new addition to the menu: The Siegfried, a burrito fortified with ample helpings of chile rellenos and jalapenos --- just the thing for those with a heroic outlook on life.
After opening words of welcome from Opera League President Judy Lieb, Assistant Committee Chair John Spear interviewed four artists affiliated with the Domingo-Thornton Young Artist Program:
. Soprano Erika Wueschner
. Bass-baritone Yohan Yi
. Head Coach Nino Sanikidze
. Pianist/Coach [06-08] Yulia Levin
Both Erika and Yohan, besides reflecting upon their current responsibilities in The Ring (Erika) and The Elixir of Love & The Barber of Seville (Yohan), spoke regarding their future career goals. Nino fulfilled her prior commitment, alerting the Young Artists to the enervating experience of having to watch Old People Party, and we can only hope that Erika and Yohan went home last Monday free of any inordinate fear of the aging process.
Yulia is currently working as a prompter for Siegfried, residing in the folds of one of the on-stage Ravens. Speaking regarding her experiences when stationed in a Raven, Yulia proved to be considerably more communicative than her trisyllabic-prone counterpart in the Edgar Allan Poe ode to his lost Lenore.
Later, Artist Services Manager Susan Lang, besides verbally inoculating the assembly with some of her abundant enthusiasm, made generous distribution of opera CDs to the Committee members.
|
|
|
Yohan Yi, Erika Wueschner, Yulia Levin, and Nino Sanikidze
|
Susan Lang
|
As has become tradition, the evening's program included a number of opera-entitled awards, recognizing some of the prominent activities of committee members:
- Nina Haro --- the Mama Lucia Award [Ref: the character in Cavalleria Rusticana who dispenses wine & hospitality from her establishment]
- Anne Russell Sullivan --- the Leo Slezak Award [Ref: Wagnerian tenor Slezak, reacting to a missed stage cue in Lohengrin and having the Swan-Boat depart without him, inquired: "What time does the next swan leave?"; Anne, on assignment, had an artist change flight plans without informing LAO]
- Alma Guzman --- both the La Sonnambula Award [For returning an artist to LAX prior to 7am] and the Orfeo Award [For making two or more trips to LAX within a 24 hour period; i.e., for going to hell and back in service to artists]
- Bill Keiser --- the La Cenerentola Award [For greeting an artist in or about the midnight hour], in addition to the La Sonnambula and Orfeo Awards
- Ann Mosser --- the Erde (or Earth Mother) Award [For her super-generous hospitality to mezzo Margaret Thompson: taking Margaret, her 4 1//2 year-old daughter, husband and mother into her home for the months of May and June, totaling well over 100 hours of volunteer time]
The tangible portion of the Mama Lucia, Leo Slezak, La Sonnambula, La Cenerentola, and Orfeo Awards took the form of personalized DVDs of Geraldine Farrar in Cecil B. DeMille's film Carmen. Ann's Erde Award, with Martin Bernheimer's designation of Anna Russell as being "The Mother of us all" in mind, took the form of a personalized DVD of Ms. Russell's First Farewell Concert in Baltimore from 1984.
|
|
|
Alma Guzman
|
Bill Keiser |
Bob Bernard and Ann Mosser |
Acknowledgement: All photos are by Ed Lieb