Turandot: A Night at the Opera with Christopher Browner ’12
Turandot: A Night at the Opera with Christopher Browner ’12

Taft’s popular “A Night at the Opera” program returns to campus April 12 with Christopher Browner ’12, senior editor at New York’s Metropolitan Opera.

Taft’s popular “A Night at the Opera” program returns to campus this week with Christopher Browner ’12, senior editor at New York’s Metropolitan Opera. Browner will take the audience on a journey through Giacamo Puccini's final opera, Turandot; he will be joined by performers from the Met’s young artist program. The event takes place in Taft’s Choral Room on the main campus Friday, April 12 at 7 pm. The program is free and open to the public; tickets are not required.

Turandot is a three-act opera set in China. It tells the story of Prince Calaf, who falls in love with Princess Turandot. To win her hand, suitors must solve three riddles; execution awaits those who answer who do not answer correctly. Despite passing the test, the princess refuses to marry Calaf. As the tale unfolds, Calaf presents the princess with a challenge of her own.

Turandot remained unfinished at the time of Puccini’s death in 1924. The music was completed posthumously by Franco Alfano, allowing for a 1926 debut. Browner’s talk at Taft, along with pieces from the show performed by young Met artists, will serve as an insightful and enthusiastic introduction to Turndot, on stage at The Met through June 7. The show features Franco Zeffirelli’s “dazzling vision of mythic China with soprano Elena Pankratova making her Met debut as the legendary—and lethal—title princess, opposite tenor SeokJong Baek as the valiant prince who puts his life on the line to win her love.”

A lifelong opera fan, Browner still remembers the first show he saw at The Met as a child; he also remembers the seat he sat in.

“As the orchestra was tuning and the chandeliers were rising up to the ceiling, I grabbed my dad’s hand—my heart was beating out of my chest because I was so excited.”

As a Taft student, Christopher went to The Met a dozen or so times each year—even more as a student and opera critic for his campus newspaper at Columbia University. Browner was a music major, and directed operas with student groups. He apprenticed with the Santa Fe Opera, studied Italian, and visited the great opera houses across Europe. His work as a senior editor at The Met is the culmination of a lifetime spent pursuing his passion—one he is thrilled to share each year with audiences at Taft.

Performance photo and show notes courtesy metopera.org

Alumni Elect Diana Sands Calvaruso '06 to Trustee Post
Alumni Elect Diana Sands Calvaruso '06 to Trustee Post

Taft alumni have elected Diana Sands Calvaruso '06 to serve her alma mater as the newest member of the Board of Trustees.

A native of Farmington, CT, Diana came to Taft as a lower mid to follow the family footsteps of grandfather Edward Van Vokenburgh Sands '14, father Edward Van Vokenburgh Sands '65, sister Kate Sands Mascarenhas '98, and a number of cousins. The family's enduring legacy places a Sands at Taft during the tenure of each of the school's five headmasters.  

While at Taft, Diana earned nine varsity letters playing field hockey, squash, and tennis. She also served as a corridor monitor and—inspired by the late Brian Denyer's love of berets and crepes—spent a few unforgettable weeks with Taft in France. Diana won the history award both junior and senior years, and was inducted into cum laude. 

Diana attended Northwestern University, where she earned a B.A. in History and Philosophy, graduating with departmental honors in Middle Eastern History. She served as vice president of administration for Kappa Alpha Theta, spent a semester in London studying philosophy at University College London, and played club team squash for Northwestern's (otherwise!) all-male team. She later became the first squash player at Northwestern to be ranked nationally in both men's and women's squash. 

After graduating in 2010, Diana worked in the Chicago office of Goldman, Sachs & Co. in Private Wealth Management. Returning to the East Coast in 2012, she joined Goldman Sachs Asset Management's Global Fixed Income Team in New York. She was named vice president in 2016, and currently works in Fixed Income as a portfolio manager, responsible for representing taxable fixed income strategies to the private wealth management business nationally. 

Diana has volunteered with inner city squash programs in Chicago and New York. She also works with Northwestern's Chicago Field Studies program helping students prepare for job interviews, and serves as a mentor for Girls Who Invest, advising college-age women on careers in asset management. 

Diana lives with her husband, John, and their two cats in Fort Lee, New Jersey.