SINGING FOR SENIORS
Opera Saratoga event entertains young and old alike
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. >> Opera Saratoga’s fifth annual Saratoga Sings! for Seniors tour stopped at the Saratoga Senior Center on Friday, providing a memorable performance for audience members both young and old.
Saratoga Senior Center members were joined by high school students from the nearby Saratoga Central Catholic School on Friday morning for a free show by Opera Saratoga.
Three alumni of Opera Saratoga’s nationally acclaimed Young Artist Program - mezzo soprano Paulina Villarreal, bass baritone Nate Mattingly, and conductor/pianist Brandon Eldredge - performed a selection of songs at the center for the mixed crowd.
Students were paired with seniors as their dates to the opera, engaging in conversation before and after the music.
Opera Saratoga presents its Saratoga Sings! for Seniors program as a way to bring opera into the lives of older adults throughout the area. This year, the tour includes 16 stops at retirement communities, senior centers and assisted living facilities throughout the Capital Region, continuing through Monday.
“Opera Saratoga exists to serve the community, and as such, we aim to provide opportunities for audiences to experience opera throughout the year in many different ways,” said Lawrence Edelson, the artistic and general director of Opera Saratoga. “We launched Saratoga Sings for Seniors in 2014 to increase access to opera for older members of the community, many of whom are not able to attend performances due to limited income, mobility or other health issues.
“This program removes all of those barriers by bringing the music directly to them, where they live. It is truly one of the most impactful and rewarding things we do all season.”
More information about Opera Saratoga and its programs is available online at www. operasaratoga.org.