It’s almost Valentine’s Day, and love is in the air… but, alas, so is the coronavirus. If you and your sweetheart are playing it safe and staying in to celebrate, how about sitting down to a cozy candlelit dinner for two—with a little music to set the mood, courtesy of Sacramento Philharmonic & Opera?
This Valentine’s Weekend, Sac Phil & Opera premieres Romancing the Opera, a showcase of some of the most romantic moments in opera from The Marriage of Figaro, Carmen, La Traviata and more. The intimate performance, recorded earlier this month at The Sofia, features a small ensemble—Baker Peeples (violin l), Erika Miranda (violin II), Melinda Rayne (viola) and Susan Lamb Cook (cello)—and special guests: tenor Salvatore Atti, soprano Liisa Dávila and mezzo soprano Julie Miller, along with conductor and pianist Stephen Karr.
The virtual concert is set to stream digitally starting this Saturday, Feb. 13 at 7 p.m., after which you can view it on demand, all from the comfort of home.
But as Sac Phil & Opera’s Giuliano Kornberg shared with us via email, viewers of Saturday’s premiere will be treated to live content as well. The evening kicks off with a live pre-concert lecture with the conductor and a live welcome from Alice Sauro, Sac Phil & Opera’s executive director, followed by the recorded performance, then wraps up with a live post-concert talk-back with the three singers.
Romancing the Opera is available for a gift of $25 or more to the Sacramento Philharmonic & Opera Annual Fund. (The concert is complimentary to current subscribers and ticket holders.) Opera fans can access all of Sac Phil & Opera’s digital streams for this season with a donation of $125 or more. Call (916) 476-5975 or go to Sac Phil & Opera’s website to donate. Your contribution supports the organization’s multifaceted efforts to keep the music alive—and the musicians playing—during these unprecedented times. On Valentine’s Day, or any day, we say cheers to that!
