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WINE & SPIRITS Est. 1933
Celebrating 84 Years
Kreston Picks... Pleasures Chard California
Buttery soft clean and refreshing with apples and oranges in the taste profile and just the right touch of honey and cloves in the back end. A real delight that can be enjoyed with food or by itself. $ .99
Kreston Price: 9
Bazzini Pinot Grigio Italy
Bazzini Pinot Grigio is delicately fragrant with lightly pear aromas and, well-rounded with good acidity. Available in a 1 Liter bottle, an amazing value. $ .99
Kreston Price: 9
Angels Landing Napa Cab
From Calistoga fruit, an area made famous by Chateau Montelena. This is a deeply colored Cab with loads of blackberry, currant, and lots of mocha. Very good structure but the tannins are very ripe. This will be a real crowd pleaser for any occasion. It is worth every penny if you are looking for a delicious Napa Cab that will not put a dent in the wallet. $ .99
Kreston Price: 19
The Culprit Red Blend California
Big, bold and intense! Displays intense aromas of fresh, ripe raspberries and toasty vanilla oak... Big, bold flavors of blackberry syrup, blackberry jam and deep, dark chocolate are framed by velvety tannins. This fruit-forward, palate pleasing wine finishes long, lingering and smooth. 15.1% in alcohol.
Kreston Price: $13.81
MIDDLETOWN 448 E. Main Street Middletown, DE 19709 Tel: (302) 376-6123
WILMINGTON 904 Concord Avenue Wilmington, DE 19802 Tel: (302) 652-3792
We brought in our loyal opera lovers, and they in turn brought friends and family, all new to opera, into this setting. — Brendan Cooke
Photo courtesy of OperaDelaware
KRESTON
The first makeover: cabaret style programs that allowed CREATING A SENSE OperaDelaware to expand and OF COMMUNITY develop its audiences here at continued from previous page home. At these casual gatherings at OperaDelaware Studios on the Riverfront, performers gave attendees the tools and vocabulary to appreciate what is often viewed as a high and mighty art form. OperaDelaware presented meaningful opera in an accessible way that developed new audiences. Says Cooke, “We brought in our loyal opera lovers, and they in turn brought friends and family, all new to opera, into this setting.”
The second makeover: an Opera Festival that is drawing fans from across the country. On May 14 and 15, 20, 21 and 22, OperaDelaware will offer three performances of a lost setting of Franco Faccio’s Hamlet (Amleto), an East Coast premiere of a work written in 1865, and two performances of Verdi’s final opera, Falstaff. Hamlet and Falstaff will be presented at the Grand at the same time. On Friday, May 19, Shakespeare in Song will be performed at the OperaDelaware Studio. Anne Midgette, one of the nation’s top music critics, made Hamlet a not-to-be-missed choice for the season in her February 7 Washington Post column. “It is well worth hearing for any lover of Italian opera,” says Midgette. “Because it’s going on to the festival in Bregenz, Austria, this summer and is likely to get quite a bit of attention there, you can say you heard it before that.” Only 30 percent of funding for these unique opera events comes from ticket sales. Other funding for OperaDelaware comes from numerous foundations, individual and corporate donors as well as the state. It also is the recipient of an Art Works Grant from the National Endowment for the Arts—only one of two organizations to receive such funding this year in Delaware. Says Cooke: “Great cities have great opera companies. Wilmington has great restaurants, hotels and theaters. We are a train ride away from New York and Washington. We are the perfect location for an opera festival. Why not invite these other cities to see our city, stay overnight, eat here, enjoy our entertainment, and revel in our history? There’s something for everyone here.” As for the opera experience itself, Cooke asserts that there are two kinds of people: those who love opera and those who don’t love opera…yet. “You don’t need a tuxedo or a tiara; you need to be willing to be transformed. You need to appreciate that these singers have devoted their lives to training their voices with the strength and stamina to fill gargantuan opera houses without the luxury of a microphone.” Check out the ticket prices and the dress code (none) at operade.org. Says Cooke, “Go to live theatre: experience that moment when the last note is sung, when there is a hush, a pause, and suddenly the audience leaps to its feet and bursts into thunderous applause demanding encores. Go to the opera. Prepare to be transformed.”
22 APRIL 2016 | OUTANDABOUTNOW.COM
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