Demystifying the Opera

Demystifying the Opera
F. Paul Driscoll, editor in chief of Opera News, talks about cultural changes and current challenges impacting the world of opera at his office in Lincoln Center, New York, on March 21, 2016. Samira Bouaou/Epoch Times
Milene Fernandez
Updated:

NEW YORK—Opera may not be for everybody. It’s clearly artificial. No one would ever be fooled into thinking that it’s realistic, but the emotions have to be charged and the stakes have to be high, the editor-in-chief of OPERA NEWS, F. Paul Driscoll explained.

“I do think that most people who say they don’t like it, haven’t really experienced it. Opera is like frogs legs. People have an opinion about it whether or not they have tasted it,” Driscoll said in his office at Lincoln Center.

Driscoll talked eloquently relaying a treasure trove of encyclopedic references, factoids, insights, and witty remarks about opera—too many to mention here. But essentially, he and Diane Silberstein, the publisher of OPERA NEWS, talked about how the magazine—especially with its latest breezy redesign—wants to demystify the opera.

OPERA NEWS "25 Rising Stars" Cover 2015 (post-redesign).
OPERA NEWS "25 Rising Stars" Cover 2015 (post-redesign).