Steven and Jean Hix of Camas recently took a trip through the Middle East to celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary. Their stop in Egypt, which coincided with protests there, was featured in The Columbian on Friday.
But the Hixes trip started in Israel, where Tani Zarelli gave them a private tour.
“I try to bring people over to educate them about what’s going on in Israel, to help them understand it from a geopolitical perspective,” Zarelli said by phone from Israel.
The 48-year-old Ridgefield resident and her husband, Republican state Sen. Joseph Zarelli, organized the 2007 Convergence Northwest conference, which brought conservative Christians and Israelis together in hopes of reinforcing the U.S. government’s support of Israel.
When Tani Zarelli was showing the Hixes around, Jean, a supporter of the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, mentioned that its conductor, Salvador Brotons, would be traveling to Israel to conduct the Raanana Symphonette Orchestra this winter.
“I was so excited that I immediately invited several Israeli friends to join me in Raanana that night,” Zarelli said. “This is just one more connection between two places I love: Clark County and Israel.”
Brotons is scheduled to conduct in Israel on Thursday.
High school senior reaches national opera competition
Union High School senior Natalie Parks started singing opera less than four years ago. So it came as a shock when she earned a spot in the senior voice category of the Music Teachers National Association national competition.
The national competition will take place on March 27 in Milwaukee, Wis.
Parks’ music interests have long differed from her peers, which was instrumental in her decision to pursue opera.
“I’ve always loved music, … not really the pop or alternative stuff, but things that are actually really challenging like opera,” she said.
The first opera Parks, 18, performed — and her favorite — is Mozart’s “The Marriage of Figaro.” “I have lots of good memories from that opera,” Parks said. The Vancouver student first performed it at a district competition in her sophomore year. “It was my first really powerful piece that I sang that showcased my mezzo-soprano quality,” she said.
Most recently, Parks won the Music Teachers National Association state and regional competitions to earn one of seven finalist slots at the national competition.
“Since I don’t have very much experience with this kind of stuff, I was expecting not really to win, but definitely to do the best that I could do,” Parks said. “All the hard work has paid off.”
Parks’ interests don’t end at opera. She has performed in school productions of “Bye Bye Birdie” and “Grease,” as well.
“Anything that has to do with music, I’m in there,” she said. “I want to be a part of it.”
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