Palm Springs Opera Guild ends season on a high note with intimate event

The Palm Springs Opera Guild closed out its successful season with an exciting private musical evening on May 1 held in the stunning Murray Canyon home of David Freedman.

Guests enjoyed an open bar and a beautiful buffet catered by Lisa Corbin of Corbin Catering as Laurie Baldwin, Opera Guild CEO, spoke to guests about the season and all that the organization had proudly achieved.

Baldwin told the enthusiastic crowd that the guild had secured large donations from The Augustine Foundation, Newman's Own and the Coachella Valley Wellness Foundation in honor of Steve Lind.

She also proudly announced that the organization had gained 14 new members, bringing the total to 107. The season, which had completed with the guild's signature event, Opera in the Park, also saw several competitions that were open to up and coming singers from around the country.

President and board member Jeffrey Roberts also spoke. He explained the order of the evening and provided professional information about the performers, Page Michels and Ashlyn Brown. Both sang three solo arias apiece and two duets together. They were accompanied by Bruce Mangum, pianist, private coach and teacher and principal accompanist for the California Desert Chorale.

The evening went well, thanks in part to the mesmerizing music of Mozart, Debussy, Handel, Delibes, Bizet and Previn that filled the air as guests enjoyed wine, food and the tranquil ambience of the beautiful surroundings.

Opera, Roberts said, has hit an all-time low here in the Coachella Valley and needs an injection of youth. Moving forward to the 2024-25 season opening in October, the guild hopes to encourage more young people to become interested in opera, one of the world's oldest and most charming forms of relaxing, soothing entertainment.

Thanks went to sponsors Arnold Kassoy and Esser Air Conditioning.

The mission of the Palm Springs Opera Guild, founded in 1968, is to bring the art of opera to the Coachella Valley through educational outreach, live performances and financial support for artists.

For more information, to become a member or to make a donation, call (760) 325-6107 or visit palmspringsoperaguild.org.

Carole Stephen-Smith began writing in Scotland for a woman’s weekly at the age of 15 and then covered American celebrities for the London Evening Echo. Arriving in the desert, she wrote for Desert Woman in the 1990s. Carole focuses on charities that help women as well as medical causes, especially breast cancer awareness, and all aspects of child abuse.

This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Palm Springs Opera Guild ends season on a high note