Gloria Williams Sander, Curator, Norton Simon Museum | Photos by Susie Goodman
Before Romeo and Juliet, there was Dido and Aeneas. Queen Dido is a widow dedicated to leading her countrymen wisely. Aeneas is fresh off his Trojan War heroics and on a mission to found Rome. The two meet, fall in love, become playthings of the Gods and … things do not end well. It’s a tragic story that has inspired all kinds of creative re-tellings. Right now at the Norton Simon Museum, you can experience visual and audio versions with the exhibition Once Upon a Tapestry: Woven Tales of Helen and Dido and the accompanying audio tour, narrated by LA Opera Music Director James Conlon and featuring opera star Susan Graham.
Stacy C. Brightman, Vice President, Education and Community Engagement, LA Opera
Holley Replogle-Wong, Program Director Center for Musical Humanities, UCLA & Lecturer and Researcher, LA Opera
We spoke with Gloria Williams Sander, Curator at the Norton Simon Museum, about the treasures on display and to Stacy Brightman, Vice President Education and Community Engagement at the LA Opera, and Holley Replogle-Wong, Program Director Center for Musical Humanities at UCLA, about the special audio tour accompanying the exhibition.
Hit play below to listen to our extended Arts Alive feature on the Norton Simon Museum.
