Marketing at its most inventive. What the unexpected can do to amaze people.
Susan says, “Lucia took this photo at a wonderful happening: opera on the streetcar. Yes, the young man in flannel is an opera singer. You can see his effect on two passengers: one enchanted and one stunned. There is nothing like being up close to an opera singer. Their voices are not like cuddly folk singers or over amped rock singers. Their voices are huge. Hearing them is like being in the presence of raw power. I wish I’d been there when opera came off the stage and out of costume to share the glory of unaccompanied vocal brilliance with the unsuspecting public. I hope this marketing idea, (kind of like handing out free samples) had a positive effect on the box office of Portland Opera.”
Lucia says, “I believe most people were simply riding mass transit going from one place to the next. My friend and I were among the people who knew this was part of the Portland Streetcar Music Fest, a clever marketing tool for the streetcar and the musicians. We jumped from one car to the next to listen to different music groups. I have to admit the car with the opera performers was the most fun. Streetcars and opera, who would have thought the two would go together? Before boarding the Opera car, I wondered how it would sound – huge voices in a small space. Well, it worked. Passengers were transported (no pun intended) by several well-known opera crowd pleasers. I enjoyed the singing, but the reactions of the unsuspecting passengers were the most entertaining part of my experience. The impromptu performances in the unexpected venue surprised and delighted them. Just look at their faces.”
