October 2, 2023 – Rancho Mirage Library Lecture Series 

Opera has many traditions – and one of the most famous is how the female heroine meets a tragic fate. The stereotype is so commonplace that it became a sports analogy when sportswriter Dan Cook penned in 1976, “The opera ain’t over until the fat lady sings.” In this lecture, we will observe how composers use soprano voices as tragic heroines, looking at the compositional and storytelling aspects of the operas. Natalie Mann, who holds a Doctor of Music from Indiana University, will present a fresh perspective on how listeners can evaluate operas. In addition to the lecture, she will also be performing arias from the selected operas live with pianist Bruce Mangum. This lecture is part of a two-day series.