TRAGIC OPERA’S HAPPY ENDING

Puccini’s Tosca ended on an unexpected high note recently on its final night at San Francisco Opera. At the curtain call, soprano Ailyn Pérez, playing tragic heroine Floria Tosca, was asked for her hand in marriage by bass singer Soloman Howard, playing the equally ill-fated Angelotti. “In front of God, in front of my sisters and cousins, and most importantly in front of your mom and dad, I ask you: will you marry me?” he said.

The crowd rose to applaud Ailyn’s resounding yes. Later on social media, she wrote: “I knew this was a milestone in my life, but I was totally awestruck when this moment happened! Soloman Jedediah Howard proposed. I screamed ‘YES’ with all my being.”