For decades, opera singers have been stereotyped as bossy, self-involved and demanding. Any number of encounters with Chautauqua Opera Company’s Young Artists would disprove that negative image, but one afternoon stands out as a myth-buster for Chautauqua Opera Guild President Barbara Turbessi.
When Turbessi arrived at Heritage Green Health Care Center to visit her husband on July 29, she found soprano Mandy Brown — her “adopted opera daughter” — and three colleagues preparing to give a recital to a group of the facility’s residents.
After presenting an afternoon art song recital with tenor Adam Bonanni, baritone Thomas Lehman and pianist Allison Voth during Week Four, Brown decided to take the already-prepared music to Heritage Green. They sang selections from Tchaikovsky, Barber, Debussy, Respighi, Rossini and Gilbert and Sullivan.