Thursday 3 July
2.30pm
St Mary’s Church, Beaminster
£12 I £2
Priority Booking Dates
Platinum, Gold Sponsors and Donors and Trustees 24 March
Silver Sponsors, Donors and Committee27 March
Bronze Donors 31 March
Friends 3 April
General Booking 7 April
Each tier with be emailed with their Priority Code the day before their booking start date
Programme
In this remarkable novel, Daisy Goodwin brings to life a woman whose extraordinary talent,
unremitting drive and natural chic made her a legend. But it was only in confronting the
heartbreak of losing the man she loved that Maria Callas found her true voice.
In the glittering and ruthlessly competitive world of opera, Maria Callas is known simply as la
divina: the divine one. With her glorious voice, instinctive flair for the dramatic and striking
beauty, she’s the toast of the grandest opera houses in the world. Yet her fame has been hard
won: raised in Nazi-occupied Greece by a mother who mercilessly exploited her, Maria
learned early in life how to protect herself. When she meets the fabulously rich shipping
magnate, Aristotle Onassis, her isolation melts away. For the first time in her life, she believes
she’s found a man who sees Maria the woman rather than the legendary soprano.
Desperately in love, Callas follows Onassis into the world of International Café Society, mixing
with celebrities like Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton, Princess Grace and the Duke and
Duchess of Windsor.
And then, suddenly, it’s over. The international press announced that Onassis will marry the
most famous woman in the world, former First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy, leaving Maria to
pick up the pieces.
Goodwin is inventive and media-savvy, but she also writes with the affection and respect of a long-time Callas fan Opera