Opera, says Mr. Scruples in Mozart's The Impresario, "occasionally loses skirmishes, but it invariably wins the battle for survival." On the theory that some of the most interesting battles are taking place in that realm known as regional opera, TIME'S music critic William Bender visited St. Paul, Katonah, N. Y., and Ottawa. He encountered imaginative programming, talented young singers, skilled managerial talent and audiences as eager for the untried as the familiar. His report:
ST. PAUL OPERA is an adventurous, four-year-old summer festival with an extensive following not only in Minnesota but also...