In central Virginia's Rappahanock County, the four-year-old Castleton Festival is part traditional summer music festival and part music training program where young performers have a chance to work with music greats. It's the vision of renowned conductor Lorin Maazel, who first came here by accident as a young man when he took a wrong exit off the turnpike and found a beautiful setting that stayed with him.

Friday on the Newshour, Jeffrey Brown visits Maestro Maazel at his Civil War-era home to talk about his creation: a month-long festival of operas, recitals, musicals and concerts, which runs through July 22.

Now in his seventh decade of music making, the child prodigy also shared reflections on how he got to where he is today:

 
Davone Tines, 25, plays the role of an officer in "The Barber of Seville," as well as has a roles in "A Little Night Music" and "La Boheme." He grew up only a half hour from Castleton, and just finished his first year of his Master's degree at the Juilliard School.

He told us why he thinks opera is in fact not only surviving--but thriving:

 
Tines sings an aria from "I Puritani" by Bellini in rehearsal:

Aria: Ah! Per sempre/Opera: I Puritani/Composer: Vincenzo Bellini

Corey Crider, the father of three young children, has had a less conventional path to the opera world: He's gone from his upbringing and education in Kentucky to performing at the big opera houses around the world.

He told us what it takes to make it in the opera world: