More than 1,000 people came to show their support of opera at Milligan on Monday night.
At 7:30 p.m., Seeger Chapel and ETSU’s Opera Theatre welcomed the cast of Carmen for a special production from the Asheville Lyric Opera.
“I was thoroughly amazed at how the performance went,” said David Craig Starkey, general director of the Asheville Lyric Opera. “The crowd response was overwhelming.”
Carmen is best known for songs such as “The Toreador March” and “Habanera.”
Whether opera will continue to come to Johnson City depends upon the response of the audience, Dr. Oliver Lo, director of ETSU’s Opera Theatre said, in his introduction before the first act.
Lo asked the crowd to e-mail or call the music department if they wish to see more opera in the area.
“We fully intend on trying to have future relations and performances in Johnson City and East Tennessee,” Starkey said. “We are already analyzing our options and the doors are definitely open.
“[Performances such as these] encourage a love of art,” he said. “Opera is our vehicle to make it happen. People don’t forget such an experience.”
Starkey hopes the per-formance will help the audience grow culturally and artistically.
“I think opera is easy to appreciate because it involves so many forms, including a symphony orchestra, talented performers and beautiful scenery,” he said.
“It’s stimulus for all the senses. It’s all the elements working together.”
Asheville Lyric Opera’s next performance will be The Marriage of Figaro on Apr. 1 and 2 at 8 p.m. with Lo joining the cast.
To encourage future opera performances, call Lo at 439-5787.
For information on the Asheville Lyric Opera’s next performance, go to www.ashevillelyric.org.

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