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Who Are All These People?

Die Fledermaus cast

by Curtis Tucker, General and Artistic Director


"Who's singing the title role?" or "Who's conducting?" These are frequently-heard questions among operagoers. But the largest group in an opera performance is generally not the lead singers or baton-wielder, it is the many priests or partygoers or soldiers. So today, I want to ask "Who's in the chorus?"


Almost every opera has a chorus – women, men, sometimes even children. At FCO I have produced 16 fully-staged productions, 14 featured choruses, and they have included 92 different choristers. They have come from all walks of life: trained professionals, amateur lovers of singing and storytelling, students, and retirees. 27 of them have sung in more than one FCO production, and then there is Steve Rich.


Steve Rich in The Barber of Seville

Steve, a retired attorney, moved to St. Johns County around the same time I did in 2014. He joined the chorus of Don Giovanni, my first opera with FCO, and he is the only person who has sung in all 14 operas with a chorus. I call him my "good luck charm." But it gets better. After singing in the chorus for a while, Steve joined our Board of Directors and next month, he becomes President of the FCO Board! Now that's an ascendency of operatic proportions!


Maybe you would like to perform in our chorus. The upcoming season will feature two productions (stay tuned for that announcement) in which the chorus features prominently. If you are interested, get in touch and we'll see how you best fit (it's a very simple audition process, I promise). And the next time you attend an opera, pay close attention to the townspeople and gypsies. Without them, opera would not have the grandeur for which it is known.


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