Opera is finding a new voice for a new generation in South Florida

There are a lot of people who ve never seen an opera But a South Florida opera company is hoping to change that Heather Walker shows us how in this Spotlight Luciano Pavarotti made his U S debut right here in South Florida at the Florida Grand Opera back in It s the fourth oldest opera house in the country But despite its long history of famous performances - of the seats go unfilled for plenty of of its shows Maria Todaro CEO of Florida Grand Opera Could it die Yes it could die But there is a new generation here in Miami that s hoping to keep it alive Maria Todaro And you are seeing the future star of the next morning Catherin Meza opera singer I m from Hialeah Florida Born and raised Catherin Meza is one of them Heather Did you grow up with opera Had you ever seen opera prior to college Catherin Meza No I did not Born into a working class family Catherin was the first to pursue a career in music and the first to introduce her family to opera Catherin Meza In the beginning I wasn t so into opera I longed to be a songwriter pop singer But while in college at Florida International University she was introduced to the artform and fell in love At the Florida Grand Opera they are confident others will too if they just give it a try Catherin Meza I feel like a lot of the things that people think about opera are not true Catherin herself learned opera is not boring or hard to follow because it s in a foreign language and she wants others to embrace the experience Maria Todaro There is a reinvention happening right now of that very old artform Maria Todaro grew up in an opera family Her parents were both opera stars and she followed in their footsteps As the new director of the Florida Grand Opera she s focused on bringing people back to the theater Maria Todaro I m very hopeful for the future but it is a transition point The company is trying to make certain of their shows more relevant with hi-tech additions like LED screens for sets Maria Todaro They had their means years ago but in the current era what will make someone in their s or s be you know planting their nails in their seats and saying Oh my God ' Another big change screens with translations to English and Spanish so you can understand the stories But various people say when you hear the emotions in their voices you can understand what they are saying no matter what language it s being sung in Catherin Meza It s something that I just felt in my heart and in my soul Catherin and the other performers want to bring that feeling to others starting at a young age Catherin Meza This is the staging for bear hug which is a children s opera They now bring kids in to watch performances and go to the schools to show students what opera is all about She hopes this next generation will allow the opera show to go on Heather Walker News If you know of a person place or group that you think we should highlight email us at spotlight wsvn com