Palm Beach Opera presented the final Lunch & Learn of its 19-20 season series for an inside look into “Eugene Onegin,” the company’s final mainstage opera.
On March 12, Palm Beach Opera hosted Lunch & Learn at West Palm Beach’s National Croquet Center, featuring a warm welcome by General Director David Walker followed by thoughtful presentations by Director of Artistic Administration Jim Barbato, conductor Christian Knapp and resident artist associate principal coach and pianist Ksenia Leletkina. Guests also enjoyed live accompanying performances by Palm Beach Opera’s Benenson Young Artists.
Walker welcomed guests, shared the success of the company’s 19-20 season thus far, reminded attendees to renew or secure new subscriptions for next season, and reflected on the importance of music during this time.
“Through our curated Lunch & Learn programming, we are able to provide patrons with insight into the opera directly from the artists behind the production, making for an even more enjoyable experience at the theater and with the art form,” said Walker. “While we unfortunately had to cancel ‘Eugene Onegin’ due to the pandemic our community and country is facing right now, we are grateful that we were able to present such an informative and entertaining final Lunch & Learn, and we are looking forward as we prepare for next season. Now more than ever, we need to take the time to collectively share in the beauty and power of music”
Knapp, Barbato and Leletkina all shared insights into “Eugene Onegin,” highlighting the music, the most notable arias, the Russian language, and the story, which is based on the novel of the same name by Alexander Pushkin. Examples of the score were provided through live performances by Benenson Young Artists Emily Blair, Maria Vasilevskaya, Duke Kim and John Tibbetts, accompanied by Leletkina.
Joan Genser, Jerry and Judith Kaufman, Donna and John Kesselman Raggio, Ingrid Kosowsky, Marsha Laufer, Elaine McCombs, Anne Hummel, Robert Kraus, Tom Nixon, Dan Sherbo, Lucia Maggiore, Gloria Ciongoli, Sally Valenti, Elaine Santowasso, Tibisay Ellis, Joseph Perterseil and Palm Beach Opera’s General Director David Walker and Director of Artistic Operations Jim Barbato were all in attendance among others.
Palm Beach Opera’s Lunch & Learn series is designed to provide patrons with an inside look into upcoming productions over lunch, featuring aligned programming presented by artistic staff and live performances by the company’s Benenson Young Artists. For more information, visit pbopera.org/lunch-and-learn.