“If I had any talent that God could give me, I would be a great diva. But, sadly, I have a monotone…[I sing] only in the shower and in my dreams.”
—U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg (RBG)
RBG was notoriously passionate about opera. It’s no surprise that the plots of her favorite operas often paralleled her professional pursuit of justice. To mark her 88th birthday, the first since her passing, we are celebrating with performances of some of her favorite opera arias.
The program will feature performances from NMAJH’s Dell Theater by Joshua Blue (tenor), Norman Garrett (baritone), Michelle Rice (soprano), Ashley Marie Robillard (soprano); instrumental accompaniment by Stephen Karr (piano) and Grant Loehnig (piano); as well as remarks and reflections by Francesca Zambello (stage director, artistic director for the Washington National Opera and the Glimmerglass Festival), Lawrence Brownlee (tenor, Artistic Advisor of Opera Philadelphia) and Peter Kazaras (stage director, tenor, Director of Opera UCLA).
This is a production of the Lowell Milken Center for Music of American Jewish Experience at the UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music, Opera UCLA, the National Museum of American Jewish History (NMAJH), and Opera Philadelphia. Please subscribe to our YouTube channel for all future programs.
Program
“Una furtiva lagrima” from L’eslisir d’amore by Donizetti. Performed by Joshua Blue (tenor) and Grant Loehnig (piano)
“O mio babbino caro” from Gianni Schicchi by Puccini. Performed by Ashley Marie Robilard (soprano) and Grant Loehnig (piano)
“Hai gia vinta la causa” from Le nozze di Figaro by Mozart. Performed by Norman Garrett (baritone) and Grant Loehnig (piano)
“In uomini, in Soldati” from Cosi fan tutte by Mozart. Performed by Ashley Marie Robilard (soprano) and Grant Loehnig (piano)
“Pst, pst, Nannetta…” from Fallstaff by Verdi. Ashley Marie Robilard (soprano), Joshua Blue (tenor) and Grant Loehnig (piano)
Additional pieces included in full video mentioned above:
“To this we’ve come” from The Consul by Menotti. Michelle Rice (soprano) and Stephen Karr (piano)
“Make them hear you” from Ragtime by Flaherty. Norman Garrett (baritone) and Grant Loehnig (piano)