The very first opera I ever played was Mozart’s “The Magic Flute” during my freshman year in college. It holds a special place in my heart because I performed as second clarinet to my teacher, Roger McKinney. However, despite its significance, I wasn’t much of an opera enthusiast due to the intricate plots. While “Die Zauberflöte” is sentimental to me, I never actually saw it during my college days in the pit. Except for The Queen of the Night’s Aria when soloists performed with the orchestra, I hadn’t watched or listened to it since.
But that changed recently. The Kaohsiung City Spring Arts Festival presented a grand opera production of Mozart’s “The Magic Flute.” It had been years since such a professional opera or ballet staging took place in Kaohsiung. I was thrilled to finally secure tickets to watch the show with my children, more than two decades later! Typically, for major solo parts, external talent is brought in. In this case, The Queen of the Night, Papageno, and Sarastro were performed by renowned artists—Hungarian Coloratura Erika Miklósa, American Baritone Philip Cutlip, and American Bass Jeremy Galyon.
Whenever soloists visit Kaohsiung, a few of us make it a point to meet up, offering them a taste of our city. We aim to alleviate some cultural shock and provide a genuine local experience instead of the standard touristy spots. This time was particularly special—we had the opportunity to introduce them to our new workshop, showing them everything we do! We managed to capture some memorable moments, including a surprise cameo from Philip at 0:17 in a video showcasing our famous Jende Ceramic Sharpening Steel.
Additionally, we gifted some Spirit Blades to the artists and discreetly placed a 6-foot advertisement at the opera rehearsal, causing a delightful stir, especially when my wife, part of the orchestra, spotted it.
On the night of the opera, while the Queen of the Night sang her renowned aria, she handed Pamina a knife to kill Sarastro. At that moment, I couldn’t help but wonder if that was related to Erika purchasing two knives earlier that week.
The opera was a grand success! One of the most intriguing moments was when the Queen of the Night sang her famous aria while offering a knife to Pamina to slay Sarastro—raising questions about Erika’s earlier knife purchase.
We spent some more time with our newfound friends before their departure, cherishing our moments together. We even got the entire cast to sign the program for our daughters and received special souvenirs from Erika and Philip.
