Category: Blog Post

Opera????? How did I get here? Why do I love this art form so much? It started with a piano and a pair of glasses. I started wearing glasses and playing the piano the same month when I was 8. I put on the glasses and noticed this big blurry thing in the living room. I practiced and got pretty good. Growing up in Harrisburg, I joined the Wednesday Club, a musical club for young classical musicians. When I was 13, we took a field trip to New York City to see Lucia di Lammermoor at the New York City Opera. It starred a soprano I had never heard of ….. Beverly Sills. I was instantly enamoured of the music and at the end of the mad scene, Miss Sills sang the final high note and tumbled down a flight of stairs. I was hooked!!!!! I majored in piano performance in college, but I always wanted to play for singers. Not only did I get a Master’s degree in Vocal Accompanying and Coaching, I married a soprano! We’ve performed together for XX years, and music continues to bring us together.  Opera is the unification of all aspects of the stage:

Scott Drackley here, the Founder and Artistic Director of Penn Square Music Festival. I’d like to introduce you to an exciting new way to learn more about your favorite arts organization, Penn Square Music Festival and Conservatory: my new blog called Scott’s Thoughts! This blog will include some unique and interesting perspectives. Come join us! A little about me: I love singing and I love singers. That’s obvious because I married one. I signed on to be my wife Phyllis’ accompanist in college and I’ve been doing it ever since. We had two sons, both singers. Both tenors. While both continue to sing their hearts out, my younger son, Peter decided to pursue it as a career. This opened my eyes as to what challenges and opportunities singers have in the 21st century. Opera is thriving in the 21 st century. We have a huge array of a wonderful tradition from the past and also some incredibly exciting operas that are being written and premiered as we speak. Plus, as a retired music educator, I love to introduce audiences to genres of vocal music of which they might not have heard. Scott’s Thoughts will bring you some interesting insights into