<p>Politics has affected the arts since the beginning of musical understanding. Both Verdi and Mozart had run-ins with censors and politicians. Verdi&apos;s Masked Ball being a prime example. But the NEA in this country, part of Lyndon Johnson&apos;s Great Society has been attacked repeatedly by republican politicians who, I guess, could not understand,  nor appreciate, music, art, theater and opera enough to want to help struggling artists and arts organizations . The Met&apos;s Klinghoffer, banning travel by Paul Robeson, and the fight against reading programs for the blind are prime examples of what they would de-fund. Trump may be the worst, trying to ban all funding for the NEA over the past three years. This makes me angry!</p>

Covid and the Performing Arts

Former heldentenor John Sayers discusses his time on the opera stage and other interests of the arts world. From opera to jazz and ballet to abstract art, John has an opinion and he is not afraid to share it.     During his career, he sang with many well-known singers, stage directors and conductors.      After retiring from singing, he wrote and edited the EastSider, an arts and entertainment newspaper in south Florida.      He also created The Opera Minute for NPR on the Treasure Coast.      He has published one book and is working hard on his second, which shall be full of wonder and surprises.