It happened last Saturday night--the first Tobin Center for the Performing Arts simulcast, a really interesting sidebar function to the state-of-the-art hall. But first I'd like to introduce you to someone.
"My name is Inga Cotton.”
Inga is a mom, but she does something else, too.
“I’m also a mom blogger. My blog is called San Antonio Charter Moms.”
That blog has a big focus.
“I just really like to expose my kids to culture.”
Which brings us back to the Tobin Center from last Saturday night. Inga details what was going on.
“Opera San Antonio offered some free tickets to the outdoor simulcast to me and some other families.”
Inside the Carlos Alvarez Theater, Opera San Antonio was performing the Fantastic Mr. Fox, and outside on the River Plaza, families were watching it on a 30-foot screen. I asked Inga if her kids enjoyed it.
“Oh, they had such a good time. My son and I have been reading the story.”
'The Fantastic Mr. Fox' is a child’s story, and as Inga notes, seeing the opera in the context of an open space like that was as family-friendly as it gets.
“My kids are very active. So they could kind of run around on the grass, and so then kinda burn some energy off" she said. "We could enjoy the opera, but without the stress of being inside the Theater, and having to be on our best behavior all the time. Between the acts there were scenes where the children’s chorus members would come out…”
That’s the Children’s Chorus of San Antonio.
“…and they were dressed as trees and they’d sing these beautiful choral pieces.”
She’s got strong feelings about this kind of thing for her kids, and really, for the public at large.
“The opera’s not stuffy. It’s really beautiful and everybody can appreciate it, even if you’re kind of new to classical music.”
We’ve more on the Tobin here: https://www.tobincenter.org/
Opera San Antonio here: http://operasa.org/
Inga’s blog: http://sachartermoms.com/
