“It opens with Scalia’s rage aria; it’s an aria very Händelian in style. And he sings:
- The Justices are blind! How can they possibly spout this? The Constitution says absolutely nothing about this.
And then in my coloratura soprano voice I answer:
- Dear Justice Scalia, you are searching for bright-line solutions to problems that do not have easy answers. But the great thing about our Constitution is that, like our society, it can evolve.
So that sets up the difference between us. The plot of Scalia/Ginsburg is roughly based on The Magic Flute. And Scalia is locked up in a dark room – he is being punished for excessive dissenting. I then emerge through a glass ceiling to help him pass the tests he needs to pass to get out of the dark room. Then the character left over from Don Giovanni Commendatore is astonished; he says:
- He is your enemy. Why would you want to help him?
And I say:
- He is not my enemy; he is my dear friend.
And then we sing a wonderful duet that goes:
- We are different. We are one. Different in our approach to reading legal text, but one in our reverence for the Constitution and for the institution we serve.”
This is how the late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg described the 2015 opera Scalia/Ginsburg in a 2019 interview with David Rubenstein [https://youtu.be/9LNzQ-wIgBs]. Prefaced and approved by both Justices, the comedic opera has been based on her and Justice Antonin Scalia’s legal writings and long friendship.
My personal fascination with Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg started a few years ago, when on a life-long search for high-achieving female role models I explored the stories of the four female US Supreme Court Justices. The fascination deepened when I learned about Justice Ginsburg’s love for music. From the 2016 book “My own words” I learned that her love started early. She took piano lessons from an early age, participated in musical matinees, ballet, and opera performances in NYC. She grew enchanted by the operatic singing and its intricate characters. According to her own words, if she had the talent, she would have been an operatic diva. In another 2019 interview with Joyce DiDonato at the Kennedy Center she expressed that listening to music was the only time when her head was not filled with briefs and opinions, and when she was focused solely on the art.
The Scalia/Ginsburg opera is a brilliant expression of the power of shared love for art, and a great proof how music brings people of different opinions together, how it transforms and informs their relationship. It also shows that disagreeing without being disagreeable is yet another art form, and with the help of comic relief and love of music we can all find our shared humanity.
The whole Pinnacle staff has been working hard to prepare for our big opening Sunday on October 4th. We cannot wait to see you, reunite with those of you who are able to participate in person and at the same time connect with those who will join us online. We are so eager to worship God together with you through the beauty of our liturgy, scripture, spoken word and music. Blessings to you all!
