Lyric Opera of the North’s Valentine’s Day Soirée with Cal Metts, Vicki Fingalson, Jeff Madison and Sarah Lawrence.

The Ongoing Flight of the LOON
Six years ago this week, an experienced, creative, operatic soprano named Ruth Jacobson died from a rare, aggressive cancer. Fortunately, her vision of the Lyric Opera of the North (LOON) has gotten stronger over the past six years. Calland Metts and Sarah Lawrence picked LOON up, and have given it an incredibly wonderful flight. On this past Sunday evening, a Valentine’s Day Soiree was held in the Great Hall at the Duluth Depot, and all the tables were overflowing with enthusiasm and generosity.
This was a fundraiser for the many programs of the LOON opera, of course, but a few inches of fresh snow, and a variety of extravagant desserts did not interfere with the energy of the evening. Metts and Lawrence were joined by Jeffrey Madison and Vicki Fingalson, with pianist Jeanne Doty bringing all her fingers to the Yamaha orchestra pit, for a rendition of ‘Un di, se ben rammento mi,’ the delightfully sexy - and humiliating - quartet from Act III of Verdi’s “Rigoletto.” Later in the program, the two women sang the tribute to the village of Vilia, from Lehar’s “The Merry Widow,” one of the most memorable songs from the career of Ruth Jacobson herself.
The evening was a rousing success for LOON’s work in the public schools, as well as upcoming public performances. Watching this Duluthian village embrace locally organized opera is a real treat in northern Minnesota, more reminiscent, perhaps, of Austria, rather than the American Midwest. It’s great to live where the arts matter so much.
       
Armenian Memories of Tragedy, Captured in Music
I’ve mentioned before that student performances on the dramatic stages around town are frequently attended and reviewed. Musical performances by either faculty or students are generally ignored. UMD Professor Justin Rubin has brought several twentieth-century genocides into the musical world of Weber Recital Hall this year. This is a difficult concept, for sure, but young students need to be aware that the musical world has frequently produced powerful works in the midst of very difficult situations. Thursday night, a commemoration of the Turkish/Armenian conflict of 1915 - 1918 was revisited, mostly in music. While 1.5 million Armenian people perished in this short time, composers like Komitas Vardapet (a survivor) and Alan Hovhaness (an American immigrant) created songs and chamber works in celebration of the hundreds of years of Armenian pride, still struggling in our own decade.
Courtney Ellian was at the piano, and Will Brueggemann, Nicole Stevens, and Tanner Barsness shared tunes filled with nostalgia and memories. A flute trio and a percussion ensemble also added to the deep musical heritage of the Armenian culture. Watch for the next concert in this thought-provoking series on Monday, March 21, 2016.

Spontaneity from the Zenith City Cabaret
Saturday night was another in the series of Zenith City Cabaret programs, taking place in the Atrium of the Zeitgeist Cafe on E. Superior St. Adam Sippola had programmed excerpts from Gilbert & Sullivan’s “Iolanthe”, as well as other tunes about the different ways in experiencing love. These monthly musical bursts are currently free and open to the public from about 8:30pm until 10:00pm. Live people singing real songs about real emotions to a  live audience. This is a very delightful experience on a cold winter night in Duluth. Watch for the next Cabaret in the near future.

Walking the Streets of Japan in the late 1970s
On Thursday afternoon, I visited the opening celebration that photographer (and Tweed Administrator)  Ken Bloom had put together at the Duluth Arts Institute. Back in 1976 for starters, Bloom flew to Tokyo, and spent three years working and taking pictures of the Japanese world. As I strolled the gallery, I was most delighted in the expressions on the faces of these people whom I do not know. Their joys, sorrows, and aching feet were featured in this acutely detailed glimpse of human life in an unfamiliar setting. These photos will hang in the George Morrison Gallery through April 2, so take a stroll through the very public streets of Japan through the eyes of Ken Bloom and his Leica.

All Hail to the Wisdom of the King of France (a la 1604)
UMD Chancellor Lendley Black left his office recently to take part as the King of France in a student performance of Shakespeare’s play, “All’s Well That Ends Well.” In her notes, Director Kate Ufema talks about the challenges of this play, and her reorganizing the story to be a bit more consistent than the Shakespearean original. Directors have similarly modified this play for generations. The effect was rather hypnotizing from my seat. For the most part, I was simply caught up in the characters played by Ole Dack, Ryan Fargo, and Erin Hartford, as they shared the curious story of deception and honesty between young lovers. In these two acts, the story got extremely complicated, then, with the help of King Black (of France), realigned, to the relief of the man and woman at the center of the story.
This is just another example of the rich variety of arts taking place week in and week out on the streets and in the auditoriums all around Duluth. Do yourself a favor and jump into the amazing and diverse arts scene exploding across the Twin Ports as winter continues its annual bag of tricks.