Sylvia Korman

Sylvia Korman is a PhD student at the CUNY Graduate Center a recent devotee of all things opera. They like mezzos in pants, Met Opera student tickets and reading the comments sections. See their tweets at cowboyverismo and people mad at opera.

Puppets and cherry blossoms Puppets and cherry blossoms

I find it difficult to experience Madama Butterfly without also experiencing an odd fracturing of the self.

Into the wooed Into the wooed

We are the elusive, the mysterious, the ever-courted Millennial Audience, Mr. Darcy to the marketing department’s Mrs. Bennet.

Dressed to kill Dressed to kill

Oh, that slippery Don Giovanni—so elusive, so chaotic, so open to no end of interpretation! 

The harsh untruth of the camera eye The harsh untruth of the camera eye

Ivo van Hove really seems to be everywhere lately.

Natural woman Natural woman

I do not envy Jennifer Rowley the task of stepping into Anna Netrebko’s shoes.

Whiskey tango foxtrot Whiskey tango foxtrot

I really cannot exaggerate the extent to which I truly did not know what was going on in New York City Opera’s production of Maria de Buenos Aires.

Go away from my window Go away from my window

Hunger was the note of the night, a sentiment shared between the audience and Proving Up, a lean and hungry one-act telling a story of drought and desperation on the post-Civil War Western frontier.

Elements of stile Elements of stile

I’m no fach expert but I will admit the “gay stile” is a new one for me — somewhere between the lyric and the dramatic tenor voices, perhaps?

Accentuate the positive Accentuate the positive

I love the comments that really seem to think they balanced the positive with the negative.

The savvy and the non-savvy The savvy and the non-savvy

Sounds like a better Friday night than “what the composer intended.” 

Heaven is a place on Broadway Heaven is a place on Broadway

Broadway’s new Head Over Heels is anything but under committed; it’s a show with an irresistibly fun spirit and an infallibly good heart.

If I could be with you one scour tonight If I could be with you one scour tonight

“Too sexy” is a hell of an accusation for a woman wearing a giant mesh Brillo pad!

“Ah, mascalzone, presto in prigione! Suzuki, il thè” “Ah, mascalzone, presto in prigione! Suzuki, il thè”

Here’s a set of comments that I think really captures the duality of YouTube — two criticisms of Jonas Kaufmann. I won’t say which I personally find more valid! 

U mad? U mad?

I found myself engrossed in the comments of bitchy queens and backseat directors.