Kentucky Opera Annual Meeting

By Henry C. Mayer

The Annual Meeting of the Kentucky Opera Guild featured music, and refreshments, the election of Guild officers and the selection of this year's Award Winner from the Guild membership.

The Guild Volunteer of the Year was retiring President John Martin Rutherford. Previous winners have been Doris Batliner; Maurine Crossett; Stanley Crump; Ruth Devine; Sharon Hatfield; Sue Jones; Rose Lowry; Dorothy (BJ) Mason and Libby Parkinson.

For the second year in a row, the Rudd Award singers presented solo numbers, with Kimcherie Lloyd in charge of this project. This year, the following were guests: Anthony Barrese, who aspires to be a professional operatic maestro, acted as coach and accompanist. He The youthful tenor Keith Boyer revealed his experience of love at first sight as Tamino in Mozart's Magic Flute; baritone Jeff Monette recreated a similar episode from Baby Doe: Rebecca Davis presented "Steal Me, Sweet Thing" from another contemporary classic, Menotti's The Old Maid And The Thief while Judith Ann Metzger sang "Habanera" from Bizet's Carmen.

The Guild's officers and Executive Committee for 2001-2002 are as follows: Richard R. Wigginton, President; Sharon A. Hatfield, Vice President - Special Events; Elden Dale Golden, Vice President; Carolyn Marlowe, Corresponding Secretary and; Roger Hickman, Treasurer.

General Director Deborah Sandier reported that for the second consecutive year the book sale turned in slightly more than $20,000.