It is with great sadness that Maryland Opera shares the news of the passing of Charlotte Floyd. “Music is a higher revelation than all wisdom and philosophy.” Spoken by Beethoven centuries ago, that quote could also easily be imagined as coming from the soul and heart of Charlotte Floyd, a devoted friend to Opera in in our fair city for many, many years.
Trained as a visual artist, Charlotte recognized the power and revelatory nature of the creative instinct and loved to encourage that same instinct in young artists of all disciplines. From her small alley house in Bolton Hill, adjacent to MICA, she loved to be a part of that exuberant artistic life and also celebrated the musical offerings at the Lyric, Meyerhoff, and Peabody. She loved opera, the grander the better, and her nickname was “Carlotta”, referencing the Italian opera repertoire she delighted in.
Charlotte, through her advocacy with the Kenneth S. Battye Charitable Trust, was for many years the sole benefactress of our signature Opera Camp, which identifies the singers of tomorrow and is offered completely free of charge. This program has encouraged manifold young artists over the years, many of whom are making their mark in the world of opera and music. We will indeed dedicate our final Opera Camp performance this summer to her memory.
We are grateful for Charlotte’s life and generosity that will continue to impact us in glorious and grateful ways.
“The song is ended, but the melody lingers on”.
Maryland Opera is committed to keeping opera alive for our devoted and passionate opera lovers. With our outdoor concerts in gorgeous, sylvan settings, our presentations from the barn at Boordy Vineyards, our semi-staged production of The Merry Widow, our New Voices in Opera initiative, and our full opera Madama Butterfly, this season, Maryland Opera continues to present innovative operatic classics. These creative programs are presented with extraordinary artists of international status--“leading voices” in their field. Engagement of these artists was through the generosity and support of the Loretta Lee Ver Valen Endowment Fund for Leading Operatic Artists, for which we are so appreciative.
We are also greatly indebted to the Maryland State Arts Council for their continued support of our mission and presentations. Thank you, MSAC! To discover more about the Maryland State Arts Council and how they impact Maryland, visit msac.org.
Maryland Opera is a professional company member of OPERA America which leads and serves the entire opera community, supporting the creation, presentation, and enjoyment of opera.
