Three Generations: One Volunteer’s Story

Guest Post by Barbara Edwards
LVO Wardrobe Volunteer, Chorus Member & Patron

Barbara and Sir David Willcocks, Conductor of the New Zealand Choral Festival.

Livermore seemed small when Livermore Valley Opera (LVO) was first formed.  The initial venue at  the Livermore High School’s auditorium seemed small as well when I first signed up as a volunteer chorus member a long time ago.  The production was La Traviata, which I ultimately backed out on, because, due to my overseas musical travels, I had missed several rehearsals; I didn’t want to breeze in from Europe as a "prima donna" for my very first role with the opera.  I remember that in the high school auditorium the audience was so close to the stage they were almost on it.  The idea of performing in such a small venue kind of scared me off because I thought that “if I were performing on that stage everyone I knew could easily see me!”  It was a very intimate venue, in a very small town at the time.  Many years would transpire before I would again commit to performing with LVO.

"Livermore Valley Opera is now my priority; it takes precedence over my beloved choral festivals."

It has been fun watching the company grow throughout the years in the quality of sets, the singers, the staging, and professionalism.  All along, it seemed that everyone involved was having a good time.  My 7th grade sewing skills were resurrected when I was recruited by a friend to help with costume construction, and I volunteered in wardrobe for several years.  I went from sewing simple seams to doing somewhat complicated alterations.  It was a fun learning experience and throughout the years I've found these new skills to be quite useful.  At some point LVO started renting costumes instead of creating them so that caper ended for me.  Thus, my role reverted back to being a donor and a member of the audience.

Eric, Barbara and Donna Edwards, "three generations" choristers in LVO's 2009 production of Cavalleria Rusticana & Palliaci.

Before I volunteered for LVO’s chorus, I had become "addicted" to participating in choral festivals, nationally and internationally.  The travel interfered with conflicting rehearsal schedules and demands of our local opera company, so singing in the LVO chorus had to wait.  Then “Cav-Pag” (Cavelleria Rusticanna  & Palliacci) happened in the fall of 2009, and everything changed for me.  Our local opera company was now staging their productions at the brand new 507-seat Bankhead Theater, with an orchestra pit, a green room and gorgeous chorus dressing rooms at their disposal.

My grandson, Eric, at 12 years of age, was asked to be in the men’s chorus as an advanced Chamber Choir member of the Cantabella Children's Chorus, a frequent collaborative partner in the community.  His mother Donna, another singer in the family, also decided that it would be a very special experience to participate with him in the opera so she auditioned and also joined the chorus.  I let one rehearsal slide by and then woke up to the uniqueness of the opportunity and decided that I just had to sing in the chorus as well, and then I was hooked.

Barbara gets an autograph from Luciano Pavarotti, taken in April 1992 in Oslo, Norway.

I already had a few friends in the opera chorus, and the company warmly welcomed me back.  We three became known as the “three generations trio”:  grandmother, daughter, and grandson all singing on stage together.  The challenge of learning and memorizing so much music, the camaraderie of the rehearsals, mingling with the principal singers, and the glamour of the performances turned it into a fabulous experience for us. It was very special to be in the production together and it is a memory we will always cherish.

My next production with LVO was Stage Director Mark Streshinsky’s modern interpretation of Don Giovanni.  That was over-the-top fun.  The chorus only had about three lines of music to sing but that was greatly compensated by giving us a lot of acting opportunities.  In one scene, I was highly visible downstage in tight gym clothes doing yoga moves.  I realized I'd come a long way from wanting a huge distance between me and the audience.  That scene garnered much hilarity from the audience as, unbeknown to us yoga performers, Leporello, played by Roberto Perlas Gomez, was photographing us from the rear while we were in the Downward Facing Dog position, thus adding to The Don's prospect files. 

Barbara Edwards, second from right, in the Don Giovanni yoga scene.

This spring, I'm singing in Madama Butterfly.  As rehearsals begin, I wonder what adventures will unfold.  As usual there is a mix of familiar and new faces in the chorus.  I know that there will be challenges, there always are, such as how to put on a kimono. I know that we'll all try to do our very best and that we'll once again be thrilled and proud to be a part of Livermore Valley Opera.

Livermore Valley Opera is now my priority; it takes precedence over my beloved choral festivals.  I was miserable last year when my New Zealand Choral Festival in January had me missing way too many rehearsals to participate in LVO’s production of Die Fledermaus.  I'm performing with the chorus in LVO’s Madama Butterfly instead of the New Zealand festival.  I'm grateful for my LVO opportunity and I'm honored to be a part of it.

[EDITOR’S NOTE: This article was written before we staged Madama Butterfly. If you see Barbara at the "Night Out" concert at the Firehouse Arts Center, ask her about her music resume singing in international choral festivals!]