The Music In My Life

THE MUSIC IN MY LIFE is the story of how Betty Jones decided to enter the difficult world of being an opera singer when past the age of 40. Betty was a Wilton, Connecticut housewife and mother of two teenagers when a neighbor heard her sing at a Wilton Congregational Church Service. She quickly arranged for an audition with Sarah Caldwell, the Artistic Director and Conductor of the Boston Opera Co. As a result of this audition, on March 12th, 1971 Betty Jones made her professional opera debut with the Boston Opera Co. at the age of 41, singing two small roles in Louise. 

 

The following year in 1972, as a Rheinmaiden and Valkyrie in Wagner's complete Ring Cycle with the San Francisco Opera, Betty was recommended to Glynn Ross, the head of the Seattle Opera Co. as a possible Aida to sing at the opening of the new Civic Center in Phoenix, Arizona. Ross flew down to San Francisco the next day to hear her and immediately engaged this unknown soprano. He insisted, however, that she report to Seattle the day after her final Ring performance to begin preparing for her first major role. Once in Seattle, coaches worked 10 hours a day teaching Betty the role of Aida. A major role generally takes many months to learn but she only had three & a half weeks in which to prepare.  

 

Betty really made her mark by going on at the last minute performing leading soprano roles for indisposed singers. One of these was an Oberon performance at Carnegie Hall on February 23, 1978 opposite world famous tenor Nicolai Gedda. The next day, the entire New York opera world was talking about Betty Jones with astonishment and admiration. Several of these unexpected performances are further described in the book. 

 

The crowning moment of Betty Jones’ totally unexpected career occurred when the Connecticut Commission on the Arts presented her with its coveted 1986 Arts Award at a "black tie" dinner celebration hosted by Connecticut’s Governor. A 30 minute television special on her life was shown on Connecticut Public TV throughout the state. Past winners include the celebrated contralto, Marian Anderson, fellow Wilton resident jazz pianist Dave Brubeck and the noted historian Barbara Tuchman. 

 

In addition to how she became an opera singer, Betty describes growing up as part of a nurturing middle class African American family in the 40’s then majoring in art at Sarah Lawrence College where one of her classmates was TV legend, Barbara Walters. After marrying and moving to Connecticut, she was cast by a local theater group to sing the lead in Gian Carlo Menotti’s The Medium and from that moment on, music became an integral part of Betty Jones’ life.