Festival Presents Opera and Art To Palm Desert

I grew up in the desert and was acutely aware of the non-profit organizations in the valley that catered to the mission of spreading arts and culture to the valley public.

As a young writer and artist, I had to seek out methods of learning as arts in the school system were scarce. The Palm Springs Public Library became a sort of best friend to my hungry desire to absorb literature and knowledge. I also enjoyed the times when our school took a respite from daily routine to visit the Palm Springs Art Museum during important exhibitions like the Armand Hammer collection.

One of the most memorable experiences I had was being introduced to opera by a traveling organization that visited my junior high school to perform pieces of Madame Butterfly. This is why, as an adult, I have remained committed to contributing to important organizations that are doing the same for our desert public.

I currently sit on the board of OperaArts, a non-profit organization started by Arlene Rosenthal two years ago. Her mission was to gather a consortium of diverse community members whose sole impetus was to expose members of our public to quality arts and musical performance, with an emphasis on opera.

Last year, we debuted our first Festival of Opera and Art in , assisted by sponsorship from the city of Palm Desert. Nearly 1,000 people showed up to the park for an afternoon of live operatic performances and interactive activities for all ages.

This year, the festival will return on April 10 from noon to 4:30 p.m. Members of the community are encouraged to bring their own blankets, umbrellas and chairs to join together on the lawn for a day of opera and art. Picnic lunches are allowed, but there will also be food sold on the premises. Along with the music, there will be various cultural organizations represented with displays and fun things for kids to do like a S.C.R.A.P. Gallery area where recyclable art projects can be made live on site.

This year we are also encouraging artists to come and create work on site where they can share their art with the public and interact with people about what they do. Any artists who would enjoy painting on site can contact me at knr@dc.rr.com.

I am proud to be part of an organization devoted to giving the public world class culture for free and hope to see you all there!