Food, Wine And Operatic Song To Headline

 Gala For Connecticut Summer Opera Foundation

WOODBURY — On an uncommonly warm early spring day in May, Karen Hughes of Abrash Galleries, Carole Winer of The Country Loft and Vincent de Luise were in a musical mood. As they shared a bottle of prosecco and some cheese in the aerie of one of Woodbury’s Main Street bistros, the conversation soon turned to song.

The trio noticed that there weren’t that many cultural goings-on in this part of Litchfield County in the summer, and very few that featured vocal music. Tanglewood, Caramoor and Music Mountain each had their own longstanding summer events, but they all were a bit far away, even by car. So, the trio began to discuss the possibility of joining forces to put together a summer dining and musical event in the community.

From that germ of an idea at an informal meeting in May was birthed The Litchfield  Hills Food, Wine and Opera Gala, “a musical feast” to be staged Saturday, September 8, on the grounds of  The Country Loft, an antiques dealership specializing in late 18th century and 19th century French antiques located at 557 Main Street South in Woodbury.

The trio also decided at their wine and cheese get-together that the gala event they had just conjured should not be a one-off event; rather, there should be an enduring purpose for the festivities, one that would be ongoing and resonate with many in the community and beyond.

And so, from that additional concept, they founded a new non-profit arts organization, The Connecticut Summer Opera Foundation (CSOF). CSOF will serve to support a summer residency in operatic vocal training, as well as engage in educational outreach by bringing operatic music to grade schools and elementary schools, to introduce the art form to the next generation of concert goers.

The gala on September 8 will thus also be the first fundraiser for CSOF.

The evening will unfold with a farm-to-table tasting curated by four of Connecticut’s most renowned chefs: Tom Gould of Brass City Bistro, Denis Niezes of Ovens of France, Carole Peck of Good News Café, and Jerry Reveron of Taft School and founding chef of The Woodward House. Each will use locally-sourced produce and ingredients to fashion their entrees.

The tasting dinner will be paired with wines selected by the chefs, in concert with recommendations by Chris Jeans of Casa Bacchus Wines in Litchfield.

The repast will be followed by an hour-long recital of vocal highlights from some of the world’s most beloved operas, including works by Rossini, Puccini, Verdi, Mozart and Bizet, as well as selections from America’s own composer and conductor laureate, Leonard Bernstein, and his sparkling musical (really, an American opera), Candide.

After the recital, guests will be invited to linger on and savor French-styled desserts, coffees and teas.

“There is a long tradition of food with opera,” says Mr de Luise. “When you think about it, more than a few operas feature food and wine, and some even have banquet scenes, perhaps most famously the one in the second act of Mozart’s Don Giovanni, when the Don invites the “Stone Guest” to dinner before the Don’s own inevitable demise.

“In Verdi’s Macbeth, there is a truly Lucullan feast of a banquet, and Verdi’s title character in Falstaff has already eaten and drunk pretty much the whole menu at the Garter Inn tavern by the middle of Act 1,” he pointed out. “And even opera novices will recognize the drinking song ‘Libiamo ne’ lieti calici’ from Verdi’s La Traviata, one of the most famous of all operatic melodies, which will be a featured ensemble piece at the Gala, replete with champagne glasses, no less.”

 Organizers also promise “it wouldn’t be a true gala without some surprises — musical and culinary — in store for the attendees as well.”

The Litchfield Hills Food, Wine and Opera Gala — A Musical Feast will run from 6 to 10 pm. Tickets are $100, and can be reserved by calling 203-266-4500. Attire is casually elegant.