First I would like to celebrate a milestone and say thanks to my loyal followers. Today I reached the heady total of 150 yes, one hundred and fifty followers.
“I can no other answer make, but, thanks, and thanks.”
William Shakespeare
For many of the blogs I follow this is a small number but when I first started on this blogging journey some 14 months ago I wasn’t sure that I would gain even one follower. So I am overwhelmed by this total.
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I have written before on my love of opera. Recently I wrote about Manon at The Met and other operas I have seen in that series.
Here in New Zealand we have a very professional world class opera company. The company (NBR New Zealand Opera) puts on two or three performances each year, with singers brought in from around the world to support and encourage our own ‘home grown’ talent.
The next performance is to be Verdi’s Rigoletto directed by Australian Lindy Hume who was last here in 2007 to direct Lucia di Lammermoor. The NBR New Zealand Opera’s Director of Music, Wyn Davies, conducts a stellar cast, including Warwick Fyfe in the title role, Emma Pearson as his daughter Gilda and Rafael Rojas as the cynical womaniser, the Duke of Mantua.
NZ Opera has a so -called Supper Club which is part of the NBR New Zealand Opera’s sponsorship programme. This allows entry-level sponsorship of the opera at a level we can afford. In return we get early notice of upcoming operas, tickets and invitations to special events at which we meet some of the singers from here and overseas. Tonight was one such event.
Over wine and beautiful finger food, we got to meet all three principals of Rigoletto. And as a special treat they all sang for us.
The Wellington function is always held in Logan Brown‘s a first class restaurant housed in an old bank building and the banking chamber is perfect for the acoustics required for opera. There are never more than 30 invited guests and so it is quite an intimate occasion and as we are so very close to the performers, we get to see all the facial actions which we won’t see in the theatre.
The Opera performs in both Wellington and Auckland with each centre having its own chorus. So the Director has the added challenge of getting two choruses working individually with the stars. There are to be only four performances in Wellington and the cast is busily rehearsing for the opening night which is to be May 19th. I am really looking forward to this production and so watch this space!
Grand opera is the most powerful of stage appeals and that almost entirely through the beauty of music.
Related articles
- Classical music: The Metropolitan Opera’s hugely successful “Live in HD” satellite broadcasts are changing the opera world across the U.S. and the globe, according to the New York Times. Next season, the series will expand. (welltempered.wordpress.com)
- Opera Magic (notesfromtheblogusfear.wordpress.com)
As one of your followers I think the number is well merited. Congrats on that
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Peter, thanks for the comment. As a follower on your blog, I look forward to reading of your thoughts and doings.
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Congratulations, Judith – so many followers, that’s a testimony to the consistently high standard of blog-fare you offer us! Keep at it, gel!
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Thanks so much Cat.
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Whey Hey ! 150 ! Go you ! 😀
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Thanks Sallyann
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Congratulations. Glad we crossed paths through Andy.
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Thanks Georgette. Andy is on his way to Virginia Beach this week. Sorry to see him go.
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150 is a grand number Judith! Congratulations and thanks too for mentioning “Opera Magic” in your Related Articles. How wonderful that you are on the invitation list for the NZOpera Club’s elegant functions. Somehow I can picture you there.
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Thanks Dor. I am now looking forward to Rigoletto later this month.
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Well done. I have recently joined Pinterest. I have a business I would like to grow–as well as wanting to be read. I mainly pin pictures using Be With Beauty–one of my Emotional Fitness Training Exercises. As I read your post I thought if you want more readers, start an Opera Board on Pinterest. It is easy to use and I am getting two or three people a day repinning my stuff, so it seems to gain noticed and followers fairly quickly Just a thought for all of us with that very human need to be heard, read, seen, acknowledged. Stay strong, I am working at it.
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Hi Katherine. Thanks for the info on Pinterest. I’ll have a look at it later today.
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Congrtulations!
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Thank you.
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That’s a comfortable number to keep the network up close and personal. Some people try to garner more and more traffic into the thousands. How do they keep up with that and make the return visits ? Not for me.
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I think if there were many more I would not be able to keep us. As you say ‘keep the network close and personal’. I feel a connection with each of the subscribers which I wouldn’t be able to do with many more.
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Congrats on 150 followers. Your posts are interesting, fun and informative (and not too long). I for one am happy I decided to follow. A fan from Canada XO
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Thanks Darlene. Glad you decided to follow me.
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Congratulations on 150! The Supper Club sounds like a great event idea, and quite an experience. Will be watching for your review. 🙂
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Rigoletto is on later this month Patti so I will post a review after that. I propose to send Andy on to you tomorrow so watch out for him,
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I’ll be keeping an eye out for him!
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Woo Hoo! Go you! 😀
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Thanks Nancy.
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Well done on reaching 150 followers Judith. Blogging shrinks the globe!
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It certainly does Lynley and it’s such fun!
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