In the mid 1980s my life was changing. I had decided to change careers from working in an automotive machine shop to programming computers. As a result I returned to college, which not only exposed me to computer science but also to the humanities - art, history, anthropology and other disciplines. This led me to become curious about many things that I had not really thought much prior to that time. Indirectly that led me to the world of the opera.

It started when I stumbled on a production of Bizet’s Carmen on PBS. As a life time rocker, the whole idea of listening to the opera seemed very odd to me. I had thought that the opera was for snobs and the elite. But at that point of my life but I was just curious enough to listen to five minutes of the PBS production. Some of the music was familiar, so I listened for a little longer, and then through the entire opera. I had started to listen to some classical music and to explore this opera thing a little more, I bought some cassette tapes of Marilyn Horn performing the role of Carmen. After a few listenings it was too late - I was starting to get hooked on opera.

At this point I was becoming curious about the world of the opera. I thought it would be interesting to hear a live performance and so I purchased a ticket to the Opera San Jose’s production of Puccini’s Tosca. When I attended the performance, I’d not quite developed an ear for the opera yet, but some of the arias appealed to me and the audience was enthusiastic.

The playbill had a subscription form for the subsequent year and the prices where fair, so I bought two season seats. That way I would always have an extra ticket for a date.

Since that first performance I’ve purchased a season subscription each and every subsequent year to one or more operatic companies. I’m guessing that I’ve attended about 100 performances. I’ve seen many great operas, probably about twenty first run productions and a few bad operas as well. I’ve developed a real appreciation of some composers, respect for others and at least a passing familiarity with others. One year I saw Mozart’s Don Giovanni three times, once in Austin, once in Houston and once in San Francisco. I think that the Houston performance was the best of the three.

One interesting side effect of my interest in the opera is that it has brought the past to life for me. These works were being written in the days of the American Revolution, the Civil War, pre and post WW I and WW II. Listening to an operatic performance got me wondering about the world that was being portrayed, and about the world the composers lived in.

When discussing the opera with many who are unfamiliar with it I explain that this was THE popular entertainment of it’s day. The great composers of these works were musical geniuses and many of their creations are masterpieces that stand out as unique in time and space. I won’t say that the opera was elitist, but it was probably out of reach for most members of the lower classes. No doubt that, along with lavish costumes and productions, gave the opera a reputation as only being for snobs. This is hardly the case today. Most opera halls are filled with people from all social strata, most of whom are more interested in the performances than in simply being seen at the opera.

I realize that many, if not most of the readers of this blog are unfamiliar with, or only have a superficial knowledge of the opera. In subsequent blog entries I intend to touch on a little bit about opera itself, operatic performers and audiences, and hopefully dispel a few myths along the way. The opera is a wonderful human achievement and it would be my honor to be able to introduce any new members to the legions of fans and audiences around the world.