Marifé Hernández and Nizam P. Kettaneh hosted a cocktail reception on May 17th at New York’s French Consulate to celebrate the upcoming Musique Festival.
The cocktail reception, hosted at the French Consulate in New York City, was an event that beautifully represented the opulence, grandeur, and mystery that surrounds the story of Marie Antoinette. From the ancient large tapestry to the sparkling champagne, the reception acted as the perfect lens into what to expect from the upcoming performance.
Shawn Ingram, Roberta Houghton, Vivianne Lake, Encarnita Quinlan
Opera Lafayette’s festival programming highlights the relation of historical women in 18th century France to the musical life of their time.
Mattias Ederer, Ambassador Kimihiro Ishikane, Galina Novikova, Samuel Triboulet
Consul General of France in New York Jérémie Robert shared “This festival will redress some misconceptions about Queen Marie-Antoinette. For one, she was fond of Gretry’s Silvain, a work Opera Lafayette will present on June 7th, that reflects on the land rights of farmers as well as on the softening of paternal authority through the display of familial virtue, evidently sympathized with both aspects. The Salon de musique of Marie-Antoinette, to be performed on June 8th, reminds us on the one hand that she was a musician and that she was open-minded, having the Chevalier de Saint-Georges as one of her chamber musicians and composers. On June 9th will be a performance of Concert Spirituel aux Caraïbes, which illustrates the global reach beyond Europe of the queen’s musical taste for French opera-comique and for Italian music.”
The three-day event features baroque music performed by international musicians, a roundtable discussion, a gala dinner, and a reception.
If you’re looking for a unique way to spend your evening while being immersed in history, culture, and powerful storytelling through Opera, this may be the perfect show for you.
Guests included Angela Chen, Susan Clearwater, Beatriz Coles, Matthias Ederrer, Mr. and Mrs. John French, April Gow, Susan Gutfreund, Sharon King Hoge, Roberta Downs Sandeman, and Arthur A. Houghton, Ambassador and Mrs. Kimihiro Ishikane, Caroline and Max Jahn, Ellie Manko, Mr. and Mrs. Robert Quinlan, Barbara Tober, and Rosemary Zraly.
For more information and to purchase tickets, visit https://operalafayette.org/festival2022.
