(Photo by David Sims, courtesy of W magazine)
At the risk of being accused of attempting to turn lemons into lemonade, I’m genuinely excited at the prospect of French Canadian soprano Alexandra Deshorties stepping in for the ailing German soprano Annette Dasch to sing the role of Desdemona in our season opener: OTELLO. It has all the makings of one of those tremendous “theater stories” a la “42nd Street.” Although recognized as a formidable artist already, this will mark Miss Deshorties role debut as the doomed wife and she’s being asked to pull off a triumph in near-record time under the biggest, brightest spotlight ever turned on The Dallas Opera (Don’t argue with me – There are considerably more media outlets today than when Maria Callas inaugurated the company in 1957.).
Let me whisper this softly: The early reports from rehearsals are ecstatic.
Here’s hoping!
Suzanne Calvin, Assoc. Dir. of Marketing, The Dallas Opera