Can it be that in mid-July we are already thinking about the last days of summer? Well, La Cieca is, especially since she’s just found out that Robert Wilson‘s Byrd Hoffman Watermill Foundation will offer the unlikely duo of Rufus Wainwright and Jessye Norman in a concert entitled “Last Song of Summer” on August 30.

According to Fashion Week Daily, the grande dame/ex-tweaker pairup promises to be “a noted departure from the center’s always highly-anticipated 15th-annual Watermill summer benefit on July 26… This year’s gala will feature the work of German artist Jonathan Meese, who … will transform the venue’s pure design into an ‘ever changing assemblage of cult, kitsch and historical relics’.”

La Cieca

James Jorden (who wrote under the names "La Cieca" and "Our Own JJ") was the founder and editor of parterre box. During his 20 year career as an opera critic he wrote for the New York Times, Opera, Gay City News, Opera Now, Musical America and the New York Post. He also raised his voice in punditry on National Public Radio. From time to time he directed opera, including three unsuccessful productions of Don Giovanni. He also contributed a regular column on opera for the New York Observer. James died in October 2023.

Comments