An Unbeatable Team: in Opera and Otherwise

A POST FOR THE SAKE OF POSTING: NOT WORTH KEEPING There seems to be an opera theme going on here in recent blog posts from my colleagues at WOSU-FM, but I can't help it. We just finished the last day of our Fall fundraiser very successfully, and what a great team effort it was. Everyone pitched in and helped here in the station, along with the volunteers who gave their time to be here, and, most importantly, all of the wonderful listeners who responded so generously with their contributions. Friday was Opera Day, and kudos to Christopher Purdy for his marathon session pitching on-air with Boyce Lancaster in the morning and myself in the afternoon. There's no one better to present opera recordings and the stories that go with them. We had been playing selections from a very enjoyable opera compilation throughout the day, but Christopher provided the musical highlight for me by bringing in one of the greatest opera recordings of all time, the tenor and baritone duet from The Pearl Fishers by George Bizet with Jussi Bjoerling and Robert Merrill. It's an old standby, but I hadn't heard it in quite sometime. It certainly lifted my spirits, and I suspect it may have inspired some of the calls that came in as well. They were an unbeatable team, Bjoerling and Merrill, in that music. And I then also felt that we were an unbeatable team, the people here at the station, the volunteers, and all the loyal listeners who make all the great programming on WOSU Radio possible. It's a cliche, but it truly is a team effort.  Thank you, and I hope you enjoy this performance of the Pearl Fishers duet on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ekaMQP_Fwc