JCx

Berlin JCx AGM!

We had a wonderful time!

José Cura and club members in Berlin at the AGM, 23 Sept 2006

To learn more about the José Cura ConneXion, check out their web page:


The José Cura ConneXion's annual group meeting and dinner was held this year in Berlin, Germany, in association with Mr. Cura's starring role in La fanciulla del west. After the great dinner, each country had an opportunity to present fun gifts to Mr. Cura. We had so much fun!



The Club!

Jose and May during the Sep 06 AGM in Berlin

Mr. Cura agreed to be president of a fan club ONLY if the club was more about 'connecting' with each other than it was about him.

May, from England, discovered Mr. Cura when he won Operalia in the early 1990s, and has been a big fan ever since. She was one of the first to join JCx and remains one of the most active members.

	Mr. Cura wanted people from different cultures and different countries to come together to enjoy each other as much as they enjoy good music and his wonderful artistry. Margaret, from Austria, has been a member of JCx from the early days. She is always a big help when Mr. Cura is starring in Vienna.

	The goal of the club was (and is) to keep members informed of recent and future performances by Mr. Cura, but also to stay connected with each other. One way we do that is to write articles about our experiences at live performances for the club's newsletter. Chikako is the club's country representative from Japan. Her loyalty to Mr. Cura is awesome--she flies all the way from Japan to attend Mr. Cura's concerts and opera performances, making her the long-distance winner among club nenbers.


	The club members love to share our experiences at Mr. Cura's performances by writing about it and by sharing our pictures, but we also meet up with each other at venues around the world. Members also share information on travel, hotels, ticket purchase, and more. Jean is the current president of JCx and works with the other members of the committee to conduct the business of JCx--and to put together the annual meeting.

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The Anniversary Cake


	Over forty club members from as far away as Japan and the US journeyed to Berlin to attend the 10th Anniversary Dinner. Special guest of honor was the club's president, Maestro José Cura, and his beautiful wife, Silvia.

	The Menu Arugula salad with smoked Ham of Venison and Fig Confit Chicken breast in Honey-Sesame Crust on Raisin Couscous and Sage Jus Warm Chocolate Cake with Ragout of Citrus Fruits and Spicy Ice cream Celebration Cake

What made the evening even more special for me was the opportunity to bring the celebration cake into the room and present it to Mr. Cura.

I was a little bit nervous as the serving tray moved between all the tables, but both the cake and I made it to Mr. Cura's side.

Then the Maestro said thanks by tickling me!





Maestro Cura conducts the cake cutting!



One by one, the members came forward. Some of the gifts were sweet. Some of them were practical. Some of them were funny.

Some of them were just ....unique!

	But no matter what, Mr. Cura was charming, funny, and grateful.


Then it was our turn. Mr. Cura was suspicious right away when we handed him our first present--a book to help him understand current affairs in the US.



Then we gave him a survival kit to help him on his long flight across the Atlantic in October when he comes to NYC for his Metropolitan Toscas.



	To help Mr. Cura find a parking space as he travels around the world, we found a wonderful sign that he can carry with him.


Next, we gave him a special gift, nicely wrapped in bright blue. By now, Mr. Cura knew not to trust anything that came from us, so he was very suspicious. To find out what is on the inside, visit us next week when we continue with our adventures at the JCx annual meeting!


	One of Mr. Cura's fun gifts was very special, because it was something he had never seen before--but we doubt he will ever forget it now!














	Mr. Cura was such a good sport, and he seemed to like the evening's parade of fun presents a lot. He even shared some of the fun with the members.


After the presents, Mr. Cura pulled numbers out of the box for the evening's raffle. We didn't win :(




	The Presents!