My first stop was New York City. My thought when I headed back from the last road trip was that I would stay in Amagansett and be able to go into the City for theatre and concerts. Well, not so much. That trip is longer than I thought. In fact, that's my one real disappointment with living on the East End. New York City is too far away for frequent trips and I miss being able to get in for a bunch of different things.
This time, however, I was on my way to the Midwest so I could talk myself into stopping overnight in the City. Found a very pleasant hotel and enjoyed a leisurely dinner. The next day it was Lincoln Center and the Metropolitan Opera. You see, there's this eight year old little lady who was making her first scheduled appearance on the stage of the Met (she'd already been on once subbing for another kid who couldn't make a performance in Midsummer Night's Dream). She is a member of the children's chorus and the opera was Frau Ohne Schatten. I was completely unfamiliar with the opera and was really astounded not only by the music, but by the amazing staging that was like painting with light and color. Truly amazing. I know the Met is all about music, but the stagecraft here was wonderful. I wanted to buy tickets for everything else they were doing because of that experience.
The most fun and interesting though was sitting with the young diva during the third act and hearing her tell me about being in the chorus, learning the music, switching from language to language with each opera, as well as what she had been doing in school. Sofia is a delightful person and I admire her so much; for her talent, of course, but also for her hard work and most of all for being her own strong self. I hope this is the beginning of many dreams come true for her. I will always delight in being the first one to bring her flowers after a Met performance.
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