There was love in the room. Hannah Shmerler was being honored for her voice by the Taconic Opera. Though operatically, she had sung Gilda in Rigoletto, Violetta in La Traviata, and Michaela in Carmen, it was another voice for which she was being honored this week. For years, Hannah has been the voice for the Conservatory of Music at SUNY Purchase. She was the voice for the PepsiCo Summerfare at the college. She was the voice for the Performing Arts Center and its Prompters. She has been the voice for Friends of Music, for the Westchester Philharmonic, for Career Bridges and for the Berkshire Opera. And, since 1999, she has been a leading voice for ArtsWestchester.
After her career as a singer, Hannah kept on singing for the arts. As I sat there applauding Hannah, I thought, If everyone who ever sang or danced or painted continued to use their voices in support of the arts like Hannah does, what a chorus we would have for the arts. It could be as strong as the Pilgrim’s Chorus in Tannhäuser, as compelling as the Hebrew Slaves chorus in Nabuco, or as dramatic as the Bell Chorus in Pagliacci. Bravo Hannah!
