The First Pop Stars: Bel Canto Divas

Opera divas who brought the dramatic works to the masses.
The First Pop Stars: Bel Canto Divas
A recent diva: Renée Fleming and Christian Thielemann, after a concert at the Philharmonic in Gasteig, Germany. Public Domain
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Growing up in the nation’s capital, I followed the local opera scene with interest. This included the endless attempts to popularize this highbrow form. The most creative of these was probably “Opera in the Outfield,” where music lovers gathered at Nationals Park to watch Renée Fleming sing on a giant screen. Plácido Domingo was the head of the Washington National Opera at the time and showed up to give a speech. Sitting only 50 feet away, I imagined I could feel his aura bathing me with inspiration.

“Opera in the Outfield” is a popular event that has been running for 13 seasons now. It is nice to see some success in making artistic music more relevant to everyday life, since this is not usually the case.

Andrew Benson Brown
Andrew Benson Brown
Author
Andrew Benson Brown is a Missouri-based poet, journalist, and writing coach. He is an editor at Bard Owl Publishing and Communications and the author of “Legends of Liberty,” an epic poem about the American Revolution. For more information, visit Apollogist.wordpress.com.