A yankee doodle singer...

So if you happen to see the Philadelphia Inquirer today, which I read over coffee, and if you know the resident artists and alumni of AVA, you might have had a morning chuckle.

As most of you know AVA’s production of La traviata opened last Saturday, and in all good performing arts groups, you wait for the review (even when you say you won’t.) Well in today’s paper side-by-side was the old, and new of AVA.

Playing Benjamin Franklin in Philadelphia for many years is AVA alum Dean Bennett (class of 1960) in a article about the story tellers in the historic area and Independence Hall. Dean is the authentic Mr. Franklin and is well know in this area.

Sharing the top of the page with Dean was a wonderful review from music critic David Patrick Stearns on AVA’s opening night  La traviata As they would said at Sardi’s (for all you when remember the glories of Broadway), he liked it!

I have it here for you to read, but he said of Jan Cornelius, “Jan Cornelius nailed Violetta.” Of tenor Michael Fabiano’s Alfredo he mentioned, “He's the real thing.” The photo is of (l to r) Cynthia Cook, Jan Cornelius and Ariya Sawadivong.

What a wonderful time to bring two different decades of AVA people together on the same page, doing what they do well.