Drive-Through-Arias bring OperaDelaware to the community

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Like many arts organizations, OperaDelaware’s season was cut short by the Covid-19 pandemic.  The company, now celebrating its 75th anniversary, was forced to cancel its spring festival which brings artist and patrons to Delaware from more than 30  states. 

In June, the company offered several successful “Drive-Through-Aria” events in the parking lot of its riverfront studio, and took the show on the road this week. 

Thanks in part to in-kind support from the EDiS Corporation, OperaDelaware’s mobile opera cart will begin making pop up appearances throughout the state.

“The pandemic has created a difficult landscape for so many people,” said OperaDelaware’s General Director, Brendan Cooke.  “The arts sector has been hit particularly hard.   Even if organizations can successfully navigate the challenges of physically distanced seating in a theater, there is simply no safe way to rehearse right now.  Fortunately, artists and companies throughout the country are coming up with creative ways to connect with their audiences, and we’re delighted to borrow this strategy from our friends at Opera Memphis.”

On July 2, the first outing of the mobile opera cart offered   15 minute programs to the Newark and Delaware campuses of ChristianaCare, as well as to The Country House retirement community in Greenville. 

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Three Wilmington residents with international opera credits (Grant Youngblood, baritone, Jason Berger, tenor and Gina Perregrino, mezzo)were be accompanied by OperaDelaware’s Head of Music Staff, Aurelien Eulert, and live, real-time supertitle translations were sent directly to listener’s mobile devices through the LiveNote(™) platform.  For more information, visit www.operade.org/livenote

“Opera singers are facing a long road ahead, with months and months of cancelations until the pandemic is under control.  Programs like this allow us to compensate artists for their talents in some small way, while bringing the joy and beauty of live music to those who need it most.  We are grateful to ChristianaCare for allowing us to kick off this program in such a beautiful way by saying ‘thank you’ to our health-care professionals…” said Cooke.  “We hope these short concerts provided a moment of peace and inspiration to those who are working so hard to keep our community safe,” Cooke said.

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