We've heard those singers who consistently drop diaphragmatic support hotly defend their skills at diaphragmatic support. We've heard singers whose achievements were compromised by deafness, literally. I may be wrong, but I always thought that trained singing was what separates opera from all the other performing arts. Santa Cruz Bay City Opera has announced plans to stage Madama Butterfly in January. We hope the company's leadership steps back for a thoughtfully circumspect moment before mounting the production.
Nothing can turn tragedy into comedy more easily or quickly than ineptly performed opera.