By Brooke Braddock

The opera event, “Catch a Rising Star,” brought a taste of big-city entertainment to Abilene at the Paramount Theatre on Saturday night. The show, featuring young performers from the Houston Grand Opera Studio, was a compilation of well-known opera scenes and a benefit for Young Audiences of Abilene.

“The concert was geared to opera lovers,” said Jayne Middleton, professor of voice and vocal literature at Hardin-Simmons University and opera director for 30 years. Middleton helped organize the event and said she hoped the show would captivate audiences of all ages.

“There was a great turnout, and we were very pleased,” she said.

Young Audiences of Abilene is an organization dedicated to bringing culture to the Abilene community by inviting professionals to perform, said its executive director, Victoria Spangler.

The organization has stations that provide professional, educational entertainment to school systems nationwide. It does this by funding 50 percent of the cost of performances, she said.

Publicity and planning by YAA were essential to the show’s success, bringing in approximately 500 people. The Dian Graves Owen Foundation sponsored the event, and donations were accepted before the performance. Spangler said she hopes the event will become an annual tradition.

“There was an atmosphere of fun with African drums and guitar playing,” Spangler said. “It was excellent.” She said the opera scenes were in many different languages, but explanations from the director helped communicate the show clearly to the audience.