Carmen Giannattasio as Tosca and Scott Hendricks as Scarpia in San Francisco ’s Tosca

the YEAR in REVIEW 2018 The HERITAGE INNOVATION, PLUS A

HEALTHY RESPECT FOR LIVES ON TRADITION, KEEPS THE REPERTOIRE BUOYANT.

or all the vitality of from most companies, large and small, contemporary opera, consisted of the works, written between the standard repertory the late 1700s and the early 1900s, that remains the backbone of have maintained a foothold in the By Fred Cohn the industry. This year’s repertory across the centuries. F premieres of works like “You can’t give up on the standard Missy Mazzoli and Royce Vavrek’s repertory,” says Heidi Waleson, opera Proving Up, Lembit Beecher and Hannah critic for The Wall Street Journal. “It’s the Moscovitch’s Sky on Swings and the full- base of the industry.” length version of Huang Ruo and David A look at OPERA America’s tally of Henry Hwang’s An American Soldier the most-produced of 2017–2018 all garnered well-deserved attention, confirms the point (see “The Top 25,” as did mountings of recent operas by pages 24–25). Although it includes composers like Ricky Ian Gordon, Jake Kaminsky’s 2014 As One, Astor Heggie, Laura Kaminsky and Kevin Puts. Piazzolla’s 1968 María de Buenos Aires

Cory Weaver But as always, the bulk of the offerings and Leonard Bernstein’s 1956 Candide,

WINTER 2019 21 Derrell Acon as Roc, Malorie Casimir as Marcy in Heartbeat Opera’s reimagined Fidelio )

La bohème Giaquinto as Musetta, Brenda Rae in Alex DeSocio as Marcello,

of Lucia di Colline, Daria Somers Lammermoor as Mimì, Dane Suarez at Opera as Rodolfo and E. Scott Kelly & Massa ( ),

the bulk of the list consists of works and audiences on the foundation of “The opera is changed just enough to

like The Barber of Seville, La traviata, “heritage” operas, and they still offer a make it a little different, but not so La bohème La bohème and Carmen, most of them steady stream of canonical works as a much that you don’t recognize it,” she standard fare in past eras, and some of dominant part of the mix. explains. She offers as an example them mainstays virtually throughout But even though the works are Laurent Pelly’s production of Lucia di the history of opera in America. In familiar, their interpretations Lammermoor at Opera Philadelphia fact, seven of the titles were performed may offer surprises. Waleson notes this fall, the black-and-white design at the in 1883– that straightforwardly traditional stripping away the work’s romanticism Fidelio 1884, its first season. To be sure, our mountings of standard pieces (“the and suggesting a feminist subtext. companies’ forays into contemporary bohemians are in the garret, or outside “I like it when the director has an opera are revitalizing the field. But they in the snowstorm”) have by and large individual take that’s still of a piece

have largely built their reputations given way to “tweaked” interpretations. with the opera,” she says. “People seeing Russ Rowland (

22 OPERA AMERICA

The TOP THE MOST!PRODUCED 25 OPERAS IN THE U.S. AND

CANADA, "#$%&"#$' 1 Il barbiere di Siviglia Saave

Opera 2 6 10 La traviata Tosca 3 5 7 13 La Carmen Le nozze 11 Candide bohème di As One Figaro 4 12 Rigoletto 8 Die Madama Zauberflöte Butterfly

9 Turandot Denyce Graves (at National Opera

24 OPERA AMERICA the YEAR in REVIEW 2018

17 18 19 Così fan La Norma tutte Cenerentola 20 Aida Saave

Knoxville Opera 14 21 Orfeo ed Lucia di Euridice 16 Lammermoor 15 María de Buenos Aires 22 L’elisir The Merry d’amore Widow

23 Fidelio

24 Roméo et Juliette

Evelyn Saavedra as 25 María, Pensacola Opera Don Pasquale

WINTER 2019 25 the YEAR in REVIEW 2018 REPERTOIRE

2

1

3 4

1. Adams in Gregory Spears and en el Amazonas at Madison Opera Breiwick and Rebecca Ringle Kim in Huang Ruo and David Greg Pierce’s Fellow Travelers at 4. Henry Hwang’s An American Marnie 5.Musa Ngqungwana and Sean Soldier Norman) 3. Panikkar (at center) in Moby-Dick, (center) in Daniel Catán and 2. Marcela Fuentes-Berain’s Florencia

26 OPERA AMERICA PREMIERES AND REVIVALS OF CONTEMPORARY WORKS BRING RENEWED FRESH ENERGY TO THE ART FORM.

5

7 8 6 8

9 10

Almond) 7. Ryan McKinny in 6. Roderick Williams and Kate Doctor Atomic Pisano) 10. Stewart Copeland Miller-Heidke (on-screen) in The 9. Marietta Simpson in Opera Invention of Morel Sunken Garden 8. Sky on Swings, Soldier Songs at Polakoff)

WINTER 2019 27 the YEAR in REVIEW 2018

trustees in the membership, it created a The community chorus of web page of trustee resources and began On Site Opera’s Amahl and the Night Visitors publishing Across the Board, a semiannual newsletter highlighting best practices in governance. And for Professional Company Members, it launched Civic Practice Grants, which fund opera companies’ efforts to identify civic priorities in their communities and form partnerships with other organizations to achieve shared goals. Another resource, available to members in every category and in fact to the public at large, is OA’s new anti-harassment web page, launched in response to the field’s heightened awareness of sexual harassment and assault. The resources on the page, culled from social service organizations, as well as our own member companies, can help opera companies prevent harassment and develop their own policies. They can also assist individuals who have been victims of harassment. One of OA’s most profound areas of member support is its grantmaking. OA injected more than $1.5 million into the opera field last year, supporting new repertoire, innovative business strategies, GROWTH and DISCOVERY

he year 2018 represented a high-water mark for OPERA Peggy Kriha By Nicholas Wise Dye, general America’s membership: For and artistic the first time, its individual director of Opera members topped out at Columbus, T over 1,600. Meanwhile, speaks the number of organizational members at Opera Conference — comprising opera companies, schools 2018 and businesses — grew to 457: a level of participation that hasn’t been seen in more than a decade. Included in community partnerships and more. The Michael Fabiano and this latter membership category are returns on these investments were seen Marc A. Scorca at a Conversations event 140 Professional Company Members, throughout the year — from the much- presenting performances in 44 states and anticipated premiere of Missy Mazzoli’s the District of Columbia. Proving Up, for which Washington National These figures are not only a testament Opera received a Commissioning Grant to the health of the field; they speak to the for Female Composers, to On Site Opera’s value members have found in the services presentation of Amahl and the Night Visitors OA provides. In the past year, that value at a New York City soup kitchen, supported has increased through an expansion of by an Innovation Grant. our portfolio of services. For individual OA continued to support the members, OA launched a new online professional development of industry directory where they can list their contact personnel. For artists, it offered information and professional specialty, discounted recording opportunities at the with an aim of enabling collaboration National Opera Center, OA’s headquarters;

field-wide. For the 300 opera-company the Feedback Auditions program, in Pavel Antonov (OnSite), Maurice Meredith(Kriha), Patricia K. JohnsonReeder (Fabiano (Pérez and and Kaminsky), Domingo), Teatro Real Jeff (Little), Anne-Michèle Mallory (Robinson)

28 OPERA AMERICA Other young administrators found Back home in New York, OA’s National opportunities for reflection and personal Opera Center welcomed more than 80,000 growth at the Leadership Intensive, the people through its doors for auditions, OA program that identifies emerging performances and rehearsals, as well as opera leaders and provides them with for its own Onstage at the Opera Center specialized training. The 2018 Leadership series of conversation and recitals, which Laura Kaminsky at a Intensive class gathered in August at featured leading figures like composer Creators in Concert event the National Opera Center for a week of Laura Kaminsky, soprano Ailyn Pérez discussions and seminars that addressed and tenor Michael Fabiano. On April 7, which industry experts assess a singer’s strategic issues, built essential skills and the Opera Center’s recital hall was named mock audition; and Career Blueprints, a fostered professional ties. Many alumni after Plácido Domingo, marked by a three-day boot camp designed to provide of the program moved into top leadership ceremony hosted by Stephanie Blythe and valuable tools for launching a career, from roles this year, among them Barbara Joyce DiDonato. The naming was made headshots to branding to financial advice. Lynne Jamison, appointed general possible by 45 supporters who contributed A new OA initiative offered a unique director of Kentucky Opera in June, and a total of $900,000, their donations service to female administrators. The Lee Anne Myslewski, named head of Wolf inspired by a gift from Domingo himself: a Women’s Opera Network Mentorship Trap Opera in October. concert grand Steinway piano that is now Program, supported by the annual In 2018, OA continued its role as a the centerpiece of Plácido Domingo Hall. Backstage Brunch fundraiser, paired convener of opera professionals: a role In the year ahead, we will be begin three promising young professionals that has been part of its institutional celebrating our 50th anniversary, with with mentors who helped them identify DNA since its beginnings. We hosted nine celebrations scheduled to kick off this advancement barriers and create plans discipline-specific forums — for marketing, for professional growth. “Getting advice development and finance, among from someone invested in your success, other specialties — allowing the field’s but not directly involved in your day- professionals to meet, compare notes about to-day employment, is invaluable,” said shared challenges, and chart pathways Katie Preissner, director of production at forward (see “Seedbeds for Ideas,” p. 34). Colorado Opera, about the mentorship of The entire opera field came together Portland Opera’s Clare Burovac. this June for our annual Opera Conference, which this year drew more than 650 opera professionals from across North America to St. Louis. With the title “Raising Many Voices,” the conference Ailyn Pérez and Plácido Domingo at the naming zeroed in on strategies for making opera ceremony for Plácido GROWTH and DISCOVERY more diverse and inclusive. “Today we Domingo Hall are much more focused on diversity, on identity and on finding alternatives to the dominant culture,” said John Adams, summer and continue through 2020. David T. Little at the the conference’s keynote speaker. “But The anniversary provides not just an World Opera Forum a change in culture — if it is to be a occasion to look back at all the field has societal one, a refocusing on the identity accomplished over the past half century, and diversity of its creators, presenters and OA’s role in supporting the work of and audience — will not usher in a new opera companies, but also an opportunity canon without genuine musical and to shape the organization’s strategic dramatic revolution.” OA has continued vision. “Throughout our anniversary the discussion of equity, diversity and year, we’ll honor some of our member inclusion, and made it a primary lens companies’ milestones from the 1970s through which it views its work (see “A to the present — a remarkable period in Place of Learning,” p. 30). the development of opera in America,” OA helped bring together an says Marc A. Scorca, president and CEO of unprecedented international assembly OA. “But we also want to use this as an of opera leaders and artists for the first- opportunity for increased dialogue with ever World Opera Forum, held in April in our members about what role OPERA Madrid. Working with colleagues from America will play in their future — and Opera Europa and Ópera Latinoamérica, to learn how can we best serve them and OA organized sessions on four topics: our art form for decades to come.” cultural heritage, new work, diversity and audiences, and advocacy and public value. The interactive, discussion-based format of the forum, which included breakout discussion groups for all participants, will serve as a model for OA’s 2019 conference

Pavel Antonov (OnSite), Maurice Meredith(Kriha), Patricia K. JohnsonReeder (Fabiano (Pérez and and Kaminsky), Domingo), Teatro Real Jeff (Little), Anne-Michèle Mallory (Robinson) in San Francisco. Jane A. Robinson at a fundraiser for the Women’s Opera Network the YEAR in REVIEW 2018

A PLACE OF LEARNING By Brandon Gryde