The Lovely Galatea

Today, the Martinez Opera held a rehearsal of “The Lovely Galatea” at the Senior Center all afternoon. I felt extremely lucky to be able to attend, as I can walk around the corner to reach the center, and had a very fulfilling day.

I felt bad for the vocalists and director, as the Seniors were not interested in this event, and the few that attended were very rude, talking and making plenty of noise while the rehearsal was going on. I moved away from everyone and sat alone up close and personal, giving the performers my undivided attention. Can you tell I love opera?

They rehearsed on the floor, not on the stage. Just the accompanist was on stage, playing the grand piano. The director was near me, sitting at a table, and throughout the rehearsal, he made remarks to me, including me in the rehearsal, basically. He asked what I thought about certain parts, told me about items that would be used as part of the set, and gave me the feeling of being a part of the company. The singers performed to me a lot of the time, because it was obvious no one else was interested, and eventually everyone else left the building.

At the end of the rehearsal, the director came to me and said, “You stayed until the very end.”

“I love opera!”

He also stated that “they are all professionals”, meaning the soloists. I had told some of them on the way out that they have beautiful voices, and they thanked me. The director translated the opera from German to English, and it is delightful.

The opera features Rebecca Garcia as Galatea , Ben Bongers as Pygmalian , Roberto Gomez as Ganymede , and Brian Frutiger as Midas . The production will be great, I am sure.

Martinez Opera is the oldest opera company west of the Rockies, I learned today. The Opera House burned during the 1906 earthquake. The opera will be performed at the Alhambra Performing Arts Center.