Opera by the Ocean by Barbara Quinn

Every summer the town I live in on the shore, Bradley Beach, NJ, puts on a program called Opera by the Ocean. These are free nights of listening to opera sung by local performers, and students. I’m grateful that the town sponsors this program, and grateful that the performers show up each season to sing for their fans.

I love sitting outside on a warm summer night and listening to classic arias and duets. The pavilion where the singers perform is on the boardwalk right beside the ocean, which makes a wonderful crashing accompaniment to the music and singing.

The programs would not be possible without the dedication of a group of opera lovers. The singers and their accompanist show up whether the evenings are eerily fog-shrouded, crystal clear, or terrible windy. The cool breezes off the ocean often become quite chilly by evening’s end. But the performers put on their show with good humor. They explain the operas and songs as they go. And there, scattered in the mostly older crowd, I see wide-eyed children, soaking it all in. How wonderful that the next generation of opera lovers is being schooled in this lovely setting.