— from Luke Pietsch, Orcas High School Senior —
People have a lot of preconceptions about operas; that they are boring, a thing of the past, or strictly for ‘old people’. My name is Luke Pietsch, and for my senior project at Orcas Island High School, I hope to change these misconceptions.
To achieve this goal, I want to take a group of fellow high school students to The Seattle Opera and prove to them how the passion and the intricate plots of operas are exciting and should be enjoyed by people of all ages.
Unfortunately, Operas do cost money, so I need your help. The high school band will be hosting an opera-themed fundraiser concert on Friday, May 3 at 7 p.m. in the community church with all proceeds going towards our trip to the opera. We have been practicing very hard to try to bring a bit of the opera to Orcas so that we can go and see the real thing, and we would love to share it with anybody who wishes to join us at the concert. Entry will, of course, be free, but any donations would be a huge help in expanding the appreciation of a classic performance art to a new generation of islanders.
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As someone who came late to opera and is now a great fan, I applaud you, Luke! Where can we send donations apart from the band concert?
Please let us know how we can support this project. To whom do we make out a check and to what address shall it be mailed?
Great Senior Project, I attended my first Opera in New York with Pavarotti performing. I also enjoyed Operas in Paris, Moscow, Buenos Aires, Seattle, Vancouver, Sydney, Australia. The dramatic stories and singing is so fabulous to experience in a live performance. Happy to make a contribution.
I live in Oregon and can’t attend the fundraiser. I’m a lifelong choral singer and music lover and would love to make a contribution. Please let me know how.
I am very happy to see that there are so many people who are willing and ready to help out with my project. I have personally sourced all of our costs for music and Opera tickets so far, so checks can be made out to me, Luke Pietsch, and mailed to 329 Dolphin Bay Road, Eastsound WA, 98245. We are hoping to raise about $800 for this trip, and any extra will be donated to the band for trips such as this in the future. Thank you all so much for your support, I hope to see you all at the concert!
What a terrific project. All the core human emotions and values are embodied in operatic stories, with much better stories than video games. Please be sure to announce when the public presentation will be in May.