Tapestries

Experience the rich history of opera like never before! Through fifty personal essays, maestro Patrick Summers weaves a tapestry showcasing opera's many threads and colors across the centuries into today. With a devoted operatic career, maestro Summers understands not only backstage logistics and onstage glory but the myriad connections in between. Through his collection of essays, readers will learn how the different arts within an opera weave together to comprise the whole—much like threads woven into a tapestry. His stories include profiles of opera stars past and present, along with composers, teachers, and the works behind them. He also reveals how American Broadway musicals link to the European opera tradition. Perfect for casual readers or dedicated students of the art, each essay-thread can be read as a standalone and in any order. Combined, they form an enlightening picture of an artistic life.