“I think in times of difficulty, art has always been the way that people have moved forward and found compassion for each other or found catharsis in in a difficult time.
-Eric Ferring, Opera Singer
He should be traveling the world with his voice, but instead he spent the pandemic with his husband in their new Riverview home.
Eric Ferring is making lots of metaphorical lemonade.
What You Need To Know
- Eric Ferring lost contracts for his performances because of the pandemic
- But he says there are "opportunities hidden under the rubble"
- More Life in the Time headlines by Virginia Johnson
The Iowa native lost every contract for his performances from March of this year through at least June of 2021.
His “just a few weeks at home this year” turned into all the weeks.
“But there are a lot of opportunities hidden under the rubble,” explained Ferring. “And for me, I'm taking a French class. I bought a house. I have a Great Dane. That's 160 pounds. So he needs a lot of attention and gives a lot of attention and love to me.”
There are some emerging opportunities with organizations like St. Petersburg Opera. Ferring reached out as the Opera company was beginning to stage outdoor events. Their next outside events are scheduled for the weekend of December 13. They are also monitoring the pandemic to decide whether to host the event.
PHOTOS PROVIDED BY ERIC FERRING
Because art helps make sense of our world, Ferring is grateful to practice his craft.
“And by finding a way to produce art, we're not only helping ourselves as performers and as our institutions of art, but we're helping our audiences find a way through it, too,” said Ferring. And I think that that’s one of the most important things that artists can be doing at this time.”
Since March, we’ve taken you all over the Tampa Bay area to see how people are dealing with Life in The Time of Coronavirus. Check out more stories here.