Counsellor at the Hungarian embassy Sandor Mihalko was in even better mood than usual after having attended the FACE Foundation concert with the opera singer Carlota Porta, who is of mixed British-Spanish background.

The diplomats and other guests at the opera recital by the young soprano were all pleased with the event; many had wanted the performance to last longer.

“It was a rare treat to have a European classical singer perform in Islamabad,” said Mihalko.

He is himself a solid musician, having been a drummer in the now dissolved music group called ‘The Envoys’, with Australian, Bosnian and Danish envoys cum musicians.

He has played in ‘Wild ManGoes’, which made success at EU events.

Among the guests at the concert was Lynley Ruth Butt, an opera singer in her youth from New Zealand and British training. She has taught singing and piano in Islamabad, but can still sing.

“I was asked to sing together with Carlota, but my voice is not quite up to it,” she said.

Carlota said that it is hard to become an opera singer today.

“The Q&A session was very interesting and I learnt that opera is concert, but also theatre performace,” said a guest, who continued asking questions during the informal conversation and session that followed, before dinner was served on the top floor of the building.

Published in Dawn, April 29th, 2019