I went to an Opera Gala recently and it was very enjoyable. The National Symphony Orchestra and two soloists Paolo Gavanelli (Italien) and Mairead Buicke (Irish) performed at the Gala and they were excellent. It is hard to believe that Mairead Buicke is only twenty-four, she is a confident and competent performer. Paolo Gavanelli was superb and gave a very spirited performance especially during the encore. As I was sitting towards the end of the Gala listening to these classically trained musicians and singers it struck me that they are probably earning less than the likes of a pop idol winner. I find that thought kind of depressing!