Thanks to a fund established in 2000 by Sheldon (Class of ’45) and Marilyn MacLeod, fourteen Deerfield community members were treated last Saturday to an outstanding performance of Verdi’s La Traviata at the Metropolitan Opera in New York. Surprisingly, the lead soprano, Natalie Dessay, was able to perform only the first act—due to a cold—so the “relief soprano,” Hei-Kyung Hong, filled in for the final two acts. Prior to the opera, the group also enjoyed a dinner at a nearby restaurant, as the fund stipulates that participants should be provided “transportation, snacks for journey to and from, and a proper meal in New York City.” Just three days later, the Deerfield community enjoyed an energetic and enthralling performance by a ten-member marimba band from the Maru-a-Pula School (Gabarone, Botswana) at the Koch Center. Two fabulous—and very different—musical performances in less than a week!
