Spotlight
The Lady Behind Social Opera
Amal Solh Kabbani
Philosopher Ortega y Gasset famously said, “I am I and my circumstance, and If I do not save it, I do not save myself.” Appropriate preamble for what Graham Fandrei, Executive Director of Magic City Opera, had to say about Amal Kabbani, a lady committed to her community, her circumstance: “Every movement needs an advocate, and the movement to bring opera to the greater Miami community has been buoyed by Amal Kabbani. It is through her vision for inclusion, her tireless work ethic and her altruistic streak that Magic City Opera is where we are today.”
Asked to comment on her dream to bring opera to everyone in downtown Miami, to democratize what is generally seen as the domain of grand theaters, Amal Kabbani observed: “Culture and the arts are foundations to any modern civilization, and it’s a shame to have any form fade over time. Opera is the only artistic genre that contains the high five of the creative arts: music, drama, visual arts, dance, and the literary arts. Making it accessible to all is a way to guarantee that it continues to be an outlet for society to express its hardships or happy times.”
Opera originated in Italy in the sixteenth century, based on traditions of medieval and Renaissance courtly entertainment. The word opera — work in Latin — used in the modern musical and theatrical sense, was first recorded in English in the mid-18th century, according to The Oxford Dictionary of Word Histories. Opera spread quickly to France, Germany and throughout the world.
If anyone doubts the importance of the arts in solidifying a community, well, Magic City Opera’s stellar performance at Bayfront Park should dispel any doubts. Many events are staged at Bayfront Park, but seldom one congregates the downtown community in mass as MCO did with a repertoire of Opera and Broadway hits, from Carmen’s Habanera to Gershwin’s Summertime, and featuring local talent of international recognition. Photo Aurea Veras.
How did Opera make it from the world’s grand theaters to Bayfront Park?
Graham Fandrei: “This movement started with a simple, tangential comment I made to Amal, saying that the Tina Hills Pavilion in Bayfront Park would be a great place for an opera. Within minutes (or was it seconds?) I had a meeting set up with Tim Schmand, the former director of the Bayfront Park Trust, to plan a show. And quickly after we had another meeting with the Downtown Development Authority to help fund the show, and it just snowballed from there. This was the genesis of Magic City Opera. I tell everyone that Amal is the heart, the soul, and the engine of this company. Without her, there would be no Opera in the Park, no annual Hansel and Gretel for families…”
MCO premiered at the Olympia Theater Hansel and Kendel, a children’s Halloween Opera. British newspaper The Guardian ranked Hansel and Gretel among the top ten operas for children of all time. The Guardian commented: “It’s one of the high points of 19th-century opera, a wonderful remodeling of the language of Wagnerian music drama into a work that has the lightest of musical and dramatic touches, and never seems a moment too long.”
Opera not only is elegant but, among other properties, increases our cognitive ability, shouldn’t children be regularly fed some opera?
Amal Kabbani concludes: If we build enough awareness with new generations, maybe MCO can produce the new Wagner, Verdi or Mozart. I have always been an advocate of education and if MCO can help communities be exposed to Opera then our mission is on the right path.
Born and raised in a war-torn Lebanon, an immigrant to America, Amal Kabbani is the sort of woman whose passions and civic commitment enriches life wherever she goes.
