The Story of Opera Bracelets
The Story of Opera Bracelets
A guest blog by Cindy Battisti
I was only a “hit song” sort of opera lover for the first part of my life. My Grandma would listen to opera
on the radio when she was cooking big Sunday dinners. As an adult, I got in the habit of tuning in to the
Saturday Metropolitan Opera broadcasts when I knew there would be a big familiar aria or duet. I didn’t
learn very much about opera stories initially.
However, as a long-time mythology fan, I became enamored with the Ring and I wanted to see Die
Walkure at least once in my life. It wasn’t like it is today – you couldn’t pull up operas to watch online
whenever you wanted to (like you can on Opera on Video!). The best I could do was a video from the
local library, which I couldn’t even borrow long enough to get through the whole opera! (As you know,
Ring operas are on the longer side.)
One year for our wedding anniversary, my husband took me to see Die Walküre at the Met in New York.
I knew it would be a really great experience, but I didn’t know it would be life changing.
I visited the gift shop after the performance, but I was surprised that there was nothing beyond a DVD or
CD that was related to the opera I had seen. I wanted something about “Die Walküre”, not just a random
piece of jewelry, opera house trinket or t-shirt.
It made me ponder… Opera lovers are passionate and they are specific in those passions. Those who love
Carmen might not love Nabucco. But the thing opera fans had in common is they might, like me, be
looking for something tangible to connect them to their opera memories, something that wasn’t yet
available in an opera shop or online.
So, I walked out of the shop already designing my Die Walkure memento in my imagination.
And then the inspiration went off in my head like a lightbulb…
And then I realized I could make that sort of design I was imagining for ANY opera!
Opera Bracelets were born that very day: Unique jewelry that relays an opera’s narrative through beads
and charms that symbolize the story.
Over the years, I have found myself connected to many opera lovers all over the world who have shared
their opera experiences with me. My jewelry helps them keep those memoires alive and a part of their
daily lives.
It’s a small but purposeful business that relies on resources like Opera on Video to do the research and
gain the opera education needed to create pieces that meaningfully represent the story and connect
opera lovers to their passion.
I hope you’ll enjoy learning more about my work. Come learn more at this link:
https://www.operabracelets.com/about-opera-bracelets/
