Opera Lafayette would like to add its voice to the many tributes to the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. She was well known as a supporter of opera, and OL was one of the many beneficiaries of her generosity. Despite her status as a crusader for women’s rights, a distinguished jurist, and more recently a liberal icon, she somehow managed to give me an opportunity to view her as a personal friend, or at least as someone who showed genuine interest and support in what was important to me artistically.
When I first met her, at a benefit the French Ambassador gave for Opera Lafayette, her gregarious husband made the biggest impression; I’m not sure the Justice said a word, and if she did, I strained to hear it. Subsequently, however, I would write and invite her to performances, and, to my surprise, she invariably wrote back. She was one of the most polite and consistent correspondents I have ever known, an experience I’m sure many share. There was one time when she made me especially proud, and another when she won my heart. The first was when she was the invited keynote speaker to the annual Opera America convention, held that year in Washington, during which she made a point of mentioning to the audience the importance of Opera Lafayette’s work. The other was when I conducted an opera at the Glimmerglass Festival.
As I approached her at an after party, she threw out her arms to give me an enthusiastic hug. In my surprise and eagerness to reciprocate, I stepped on her foot, and nearly knocked her down, whereupon several Secret S-service agents lunged forward to make sure she was ok! Thank goodness she apparently wasn’t too put off by my clumsiness, and our association continued. The last opera I spoke to her about was Leonore, and I’ll always associate her with that remarkable heroine. We will miss her, but know that like Leonore, her courage, perseverance, and generosity will continue to inspire for years to come.
