“MERIDEN – When opera superstar Luciano Pavarotti completed his rendition of “Giorgio,” nearly 50 people at the Augusta Curtis Cultural Center watching the videotaped performance stood and cheered.
That was the reaction that Valerie Bubon, secretary of the Rosa Ponselle Fund, was hoping to get from her program, “Love in Bloom,” Sunday afternoon as she passed on her passion and knowledge of opera to area residents as part of the center’s monthly Sunday cultural series.
“My premise is you don’t need to know about opera to enjoy it,” Bubon said. “I want them to open their minds and their hearts to the music. The singing is beautiful and I want them to be able to enjoy that, that’s the most important goal.”
Starting with the silent film era, Bubon took her audience through a walk through 20th-century opera using examples such as the Broadway hit, “The King and I,” duets with 1930s stars Nelson Eddy and Jeanette MacDonald and classic performances from singers such as Pavarotti.”