Our opera company celebrated the New Year with a tradition that has lasted at our company for more than two decades and, if operaworld legend is to be believed, has been around almost since the late 1800s when Johann Strauss wrote the charming operetta in which Act II ends with a company-wide champagne toast.
Opera companies all over the world regularly offer a performance of this old standard on New Year's Eve as a special perk for special subscribers and, at least in our case, the result is a great fundraiser and a really fun party at which supporters of our company get to reconnect with each other and with their loyalty to us and our mission. Naturally, this got this gal thinkin...
With all the talk of interactivity in the media these days, I'm wondering if there might be some other operas out there that could offer equally intriguing holiday tie-in gimmickry. Hmm... The Elixir of Love for Valentine's Day? (or for more cynical audiences: Don Giovanni, perhaps?) Or how about The Masked Ball for Halloween? Or Dialogue of the Carmelites for Mother's Day? If there are any other opera freaks reading this blog, I'd love to hear what you all think of this idea. Of course it's a silly gimmick but if it raises seriously needed cash and gives everyone a fun time, is it really such a crime?
