Scaled-Down Batiquitos Festival Ends

The Batiquitos Festival completed its season of orchestra concerts at the Sammis Pavilion Saturday night with a program of operatic arias accompanied by the festival’s student orchestra. Because of severe financial problems, the Batiquitos board had already reduced the seven-concert series to five performances.

Saturday’s program also reflected the festival’s need to scale down. Originally advertised as a concert featuring “the great voices of the festival’s guest artists,” the program’s only performer from the festival faculty was Russian soprano Natalia Rom. The other 15 voices were students from the opera workshop, although New York City tenor William Barone had been flown in to sing an extended duet from Puccini’s “Madama Butterfly” with Rom.

After the intermission, student Mary Lou Basaraba repeated the request for donations and assistance, although Saturday’s request was directed to a promised festival next season with a new board of directors. Some members of the Batiquitos Institute, the festival’s teaching arm, were more concerned about being paid for the teaching they have done this season.

A member of the Batiquitos staff estimated the concert attendance to be 850--the outdoor site can hold 6,000--although the actual number of people seated and picnicking on the sidelines appeared to be closer to 500.