A day at the opera

By Rhonda Simmons

Published: July 6, 2008

A musical trio transformed Culpeper County Library into a classical harmony haven Sunday afternoon.

Inside the dimly lit meeting room, nearly 60 people watched the Charlottesville-based Ash Lawn Opera Festival performers deliver seven songs.

The 30-minute show included music from “West Side Story,” “Little Women,” and “My Fair Lady.”

General Director Judith Walker said the reason for traveling to various towns is to expose more people to the arts.

“(Opera) introduces people to a new genre. We’re very proud of what we do and how we do it,” Walker said. “This is just one of many things that we do.”

Soprano Elizabeth Hartnett — wearing a black dress with silver heels and dangly earrings — began the show with “Wouldn’t it be Loverly” from “My Fair Lady.”

Next, tenor Philippe Pierce — dressed in a dark suit with a burgundy-tinted tie — took the stage and performed a number from Giacomo Puccini’s “La Bohème.”

Pierce, 28, a native of France, said the opera bug bit him at the tender age of 7 during a show in Paris.

Sitting in the balcony with his family, the young Pierce waved his arms as he conducted the show from above causing the performers below to panic.

During the intermission, Pierce said, the director asked his father to remove the youngster because of the disturbance he was causing.

He said that’s when he knew he loved opera.

“I didn’t pick it, it picked me,” said Pierce. “It’s a form of music that I understand and feel in my bones.”

Hartnett, 23, tells a similar story.

At the age of 3, she performed “The Sound of Music” for her father to help cheer him up after a difficult day at work.

Soon after, the petite brunette enrolled in musical theater classes and performed in a number of plays.

“I just fell in love with it and have just been hooked,” she said.

Resident conductor Adam Turner — sporting a blue button-down shirt and khakis — sat at the piano and purposefully produced the melodies.

“This is remarkable opportunity for a young conductor,” the 25-year-old performer said. “This is really our chance to grow as musicians. I’m so blessed to be here this summer.”

Walker said there are lots of educational opportunities available at Ash Lawn thanks to the Bravo and Guild volunteers.

These professionals help introduce the festival to new audiences as well as offer informal opera talks and pre-performance wine and cheese socials.

Past Ash Lawn board member John “Butch” Davies helped bring Ash Lawn to Culpeper for the first time six years ago.

“It’s just an amazing program,” Davies said after Sunday’s performance.

Davies also pointed to the countless academic possibilities.

A few years ago, he said, three Culpeper educators — from both private and public schools — participated in the Ash Lawn program in Charlottesville.

“When you reach the teachers, you reach the students,” Davies added. “It’s such an important educational opportunity.”

Rhonda Simmons can be reached at 825-0771 ext. 125 or .

Want to go?
What: The 2008 Ash Lawn Opera Festival
featuring “My Fair Lady” and “Carmen”

Where: Ash Lawn Opera Festival, 111 Fourth Street NE, Charlottesville

When: Various dates in July and August

ashlawnopera.org (434) 293-4500.