The Parnassus Club met on March 8, at the home of Sharon Jones with ten members present. The winners for this year’s Music Scholarship auditions were announced as follows: piano – 1st – Hannah Mosier; piano – 2nd – Taylor Fry; piano – 3rd – Hannah Wilborn; voice – 1st – Andrew Koster; voice – 2nd – Holly Mosier; voice – 3rd – Rachel Herter; voice - Honorable mentions – Estella Schumacher and Joelle Keith.
In old business it was announced that tickets have been purchased for the members interested in attending the Opera performance in May and they will enjoy dinner before the opera in Salina.
In New Business, election of officers will take place in April. It was decided the May meeting will be held at the Classic Inn.
Discussion was held as to what we might do to encourage larger participation in the auditions in the future. The Piano Teacher’s League will be approached to get their input or any suggestions from their perspective.
The program was presented by Coralie Button on The Tales of Hoffman by Offenbach. It was first performed in 1881, however, Offenbach died before the first performance. The song most remembered from the opera is the Barcarolle which most young pianists learn during their early piano training. The opera is a group of tales or stories all connected by the “Muse” and “Hoffman”. The Muse appears in the first Tale and reveals she is supposed to draw Hoffman to her and that his devotion is only to her. Hoffman tells these tales to his cronies at the bar. In the first one, Olympia is a mechanical doll which he falls madly in love with until the doll is torn limb from limb by the devilish character and Hoffman is devastated. Juilietta is the love interest in the second tale and Hoffman is lured into her heart by the tempting of a mirror’s reflection of her. In the 3rd tale, Antonia loves Hoffman but to show her love she must sing and if she sing’s she will die …she literally sings herself to her death! Last is Stella who is the embodiment of all three earlier loves.
The group watched selected scenes from the video of the opera while enjoying a delicious dessert prepared by Sharon.
The next meeting will be at Darlene Boley’s with the winners of the auditions performing for the program.