Going to Texas, Part 1; What is a Soprano?

So....I got fly out to Texas, joining Bryce for a concert. Below is a short video of some of the stuff that I leaned while I was in Dallas. Here I learn what a soprano is. I hope you enjoy. My new friend Jennifer Sanchez is featured. I also had a chance to ask her a couple of questions about opera, and I can't wait to share those answers with you soon! Anyway, enjoy the video..and if you think this is cool, wait until you get to hear my new Mezzo Soprano friend Barbara!

My First Public Appearance, Opera Tampa

I want to learn more about opera, so when my creator and friend, Bryce asked me to come with him to an event he was singing at, I jumped at the chance. He told me that he was singing at a party for some of the Opera Tampa League members. I asked him, what the Opera Tampa League was and what they did. I was also worried that I would not know anyone there, since I was not an Opera Tampa League member. What was I going to talk about? Was I going to get to hear any music? Were they going to look at me funny for crashing their “exclusive party?”

Bryce told me that the party would be fun and that he and his piano playing friend, Constantine Grame, were providing the entertainment. Constantine is a pianist and also runs a small local opera company. He said that they would perform a couple of opera tunes for members of the Opera Tampa League. He then explained to me that the Opera Tampa League members were people who really, really, really loved opera (my kind of people) and that they loved it sooooo much that they donated time and money to help the opera company put on their season. He also told me that we were going to find out about next season. He did warn me though, that they might look at me funny at first! He assured me though that as soon as they realized that I loved opera just as much as them, they would be really happy to get to know me!

So, when we got there, I quietly waited to hear Bryce and Constantine do their thing. They were introduced by this really nice lady named Maria Zouves. It turns out that Maria is the Associate General Director of the Opera Company. This means that she runs all of the Opera programming at the Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center. This seems to be a really big job with lots of responsibilities. One of these responsibilities is that Maria runs what they call an apprentice program. This is where young professional singers get on-the-job training about all things opera. I think it would be kinda cool to be an apprentice. Maybe I can be an apprentice some day! It turns out that Bryce was once an apprentice for Opera Tampa. (No wonder they asked him to come back and sing for this party) Maria talked a little, thanking the members of the Opera Tampa League for their support and telling them a little bit about the next season. Ok, after all of that, it was time for some singing!

Bryce and Constantine sang and played. They performed some music by some composers that I had never heard of before like Gounod, Mozart, and Donizetti. I can’t wait to learn more about these composers over the coming months! Bryce sang in French and Italian, but he explained to the people there what he was singing about so that they could understand. I guess that everyone there doesn’t speak those languages. Once Bryce had explained what he was singing about it was easy to see the emotions that he was getting across. It was really pretty cool music (and very loud being that I was sitting in Bryce’s bag about 10 feet away.) When he got done singing, they clapped for both of them….and then Maria gave us a real treat. Turns out, she sings too. (I later learn that her husband is a famous singer, Sherrill Milnes. Bryce tells me that he will teach me a little more about Sherrill at some point and if I am lucky, I might even get to meet him!) Maria sings a song for everyone. The Opera Tampa League members really, really, really like this!

Anyway, after we were done, I got to meet both Maria and Constantine, and even have my pictures taken with both of them. I showed them that I was working on a little bit of Donizetti Opera myself and that I hope to be an apprentice artist some day! Wow, this was a really exciting event for me! Bryce asks me if I had fun and I enthusiastically said yes.

“So, Bryce,” I gobbled “When is the next thing I get to go to? I really like meeting your friends and the music is soooo cool!”

“Well, Luciano, you are in luck! I get to go to Dallas, Texas next. Do you want to come with me?”

“Sure, but I don’t know if my wings can fly me that far, it’s an awfully long way from Florida to Texas!”

Bryce chuckles, “No problem buddy, you can fly with me, we will have some real fun there!”

Welcome to Luciano's Blog

Hello and welcome to my blog. Allow me to introduce myself... I am Luciano Pavoturkey, the official mascot of OperaGobbler.com. In my blog I will keep you up to date on my travels to great music destinations all over the United States, and eventually all over the world!

I am a opera-loving Meleagris gallopavo and more specifically a Narragansett Turkey which is a threatened turkey species.

Over the coming weeks and months you can follow me on my journeys around the world meeting cool people like opera singers, opera directors, musicians, and opera fans. I was created by Bryce Westervelt, a tenor. (I am a tenor myself) You can learn a little more about where I came from and how I was created here!

Anyway.... I hope you enjoy the blog (and that you learn a little something about opera, the music that I love so much) I look forward to telling you all about some of the people I have met recently in trips to Oklahoma, New York, Florida, and Texas. I am also really excited that I get to go to Germany and Italy. I hear they have great pasta and great opera in Italy!

Here is a picture of me from a recent visit to New York City! More pictures to come!