Some time ago–months, at least–I was contacted by a kind member of the faculty of the UF College of Music, Dr. Anthony Offerle, who asked if I’d narrate the Spring Opera Gala, a scholarship fund-raiser held at the University Auditorium (yes, the same “don’t tase me, bro” landmark). He’s been very nice to me in the past, so, of course, I agreed. But as the date approached I got to feeling anxious about it. It wasn’t that I was nervous about the public speaking; that doesn’t bother me at all. Rather, it was the thought that any blunder I might make could reflect badly on him, or embarrass the students performing.
So, with the dress rehearsal Sunday afternoon I was able to get a feel of how the production would go, and it was very helpful. My job was to introduce each of the fifteen or so pieces of music, and the performers thereof. It would be not unlike what I do every day on the radio, only this would be scripted and before a live audience. I wore my charcoal suit, and arrived just before two o’clock in the rain. The auditorium was open and mostly empty but for some crew setting up chairs on stage. But before long we were going through the program, and the students were practicing their entrances and exits. I found myself getting hung up on some awkward phrasing in the text, but I fixed it up before the performance.
I needn’t have feared ruining everything. Aside from speaking a little too fast at the beginning, I didn’t stumble at all, though I did require the use of the script, since there was no way I could have memorized every line. And I found the whole thing to be fun, especially the energy of a live event, and the whirlwind of backstage activity. It’s like a beehive in the wings, and behind the scenes were students getting into costume, and waiting to go on. And some of these students were very talented. There was a Ukrainian pianist named Anastasiya Naplekova who played Liszt’s Rigoletto Paraphrase with an energy and technical brilliance that was astonishing. Then, in the Act III quartet on which Liszt’s transcription is based, the soprano singing Gilda was excellent. The tenor singing the Duke was perhaps overparted for Verdi, but his Tamino in the Act I quintet from Die Zauberflöte was perfect. He’s going to have a career. The drei Damen were well matched vocally. There was a Japanese student named Risa Iguchi who played Sarasate’s Carmen Fantasy, a performance made more impressive by the fact that her accompanist was her tiny fifteen-year-old sister, Mona. There were dozens of choristers wearing colorful kimonos twirling parasols waiting to take the stage for a preview of the upcoming Mikado production at the Constans Theater. I even got to introduce a gentleman named Carroll Bailey, a 1936 UF graduate who won a bronze star in WWII, and later wrote an opera called De Soto, the rights to which he has donated to the university. Another high point, so to speak, was the coloratura soprano who sang the Queen of the Night‘s Act I aria from The Magic Flute with seeming felicity, even squarely hitting the high F. Amazing.
Dr. Offerle did a really wonderful job organizing the whole affair, and I understand the school raised a lot of money, since tickets to the event were quite expensive, and they found some great sponsorship. The proceeds fund scholarships, and many of the performers are recipients of the self-same scholarships, so, the money is being well-spent. I was glad to be involved.
Filed under: General, Music, School, Work on April 7th, 2008 | No Comments »