Having a wonderful few days surrounded by music...
Last night we went to the Chanticleer Christmas concert in Petaluma. It was great to see and hear them again. I have been participating the Chanticleer in Sonoma workshop each year for the past few years and plan to again this coming year. They are a real joy .....if you don't know Chanticleer - check them here.
Then today we went to see one of the Live HD broadcasts of the Metropolitan operas. My husband and I try to always have Saturdays as a day together and so for the last few months, we have got tickets to the Rialto Theater in Santa Rosa on a Saturday morning to watch the live broadcast of one of the Met opera matinees. Today's opera was Thais - by Massenet. It starred Renee Fleming as Thais and Thomas Hampson as Athanael. I had never heard of Thais before, never heard an Massenet opera either - but this was just amazing. I loved every minute of it - and as it lasted 3 and a half hours - I had three and a half amazing hours.
One part in it most people will recognise -and that is "the meditation" - a violin solo. It occurs during a scene change and it's unusual that the most well known part in an opera is an violin solo - not a soprano solo! David Chan played the solo and it was gorgeous......
If you get a chance to see this opera or watch the broadcast - I would highly recommend it...
And now ....the music continues... Tomorrow, I'm singing at Grace cathedral in the morning, and then going to the ballet in San Francisco with my friend.....

