As a lifelong devotee of Opera (the greatest of all the performing arts, combining, as it does, music, drama and dance into spectacle), I have a few suggestions for your new company – after reorganization, that is.
A smaller venue would be a vast improvement. If you wish to stay at Playhouse Square, why not the Ohio or the Hanna? Smaller is better these days with opera. I’m convinced it’s one of the reasons for the smashing success of the MetOpera films in movie theatres. Audience members can actually see the faces (and hopefully emotions) of the singers. Of course, that may mean that more attention needs to be paid to makeup and costumes, but the trade-off should be greatly worth it!
Use more local singers. Please. Cleveland is awash with fabulous singers of all kinds—every possible range required for successful opera. We really don’t need to import singers who have no local connection at all. We can’t truly afford the BIG names, so why not encourage those artists who made a conscious decision to stay and work here and raise their families here, as well.
Please coordinate your performance dates with the other opera producing entities in the area. The opera audience is not as big as that for pro football, so why make it difficult for your fans to attend your productions? When Oberlin, Baldwin-Wallace and CIM, (to name just three of the local music schools) are presenting operatic events, you don’t need to compete with them on those weekends. You should also avoid Opera Circle and Opera Per Tutti, smaller excellent professional organizations with whom you share fans and audience members. Not to mention The Cleveland Orchestra and Apollo’s Fire! There are 52 weekends every year, and it’s ridiculous for three of you to have events on the same weekend! Someone will surely be left out in the cold. (By the way, in my opinion, the others mentioned here need to pay attention to this item, as well!)
I’d also suggest leaving the Euro-trash type of production to the specialists in Europe. If anyone in Cleveland really wants to see such productions, they can easily take themselves to Chicago, San Francisco or New York. Or even Europe!
Collaboration with other smaller companies is an excellent notion – look at the success of your co-PHS constituent Great Lakes Theater Festival. Trade sets and productions, even, just not every time out; you should originate some, too. One of the best Opera Cleveland productions I’ve seen in recent years was A Little Night Music, which (by size alone) could easily travel to other cities. It was at the Bolton Theater of the Play House. (Their Drury Theater has the most incredible acoustics! Lyric Opera Cleveland performed there for several years with great success!)
To be fair, I must also admit, however, that it’s pleasing to see a young artist who appeared in two of your productions go on to a smashing success at the Met – Lise Lindstrom, most notably. She paid her dues, to be sure, and was an ‘overnight success’ after years of singing here, there, and everywhere.
As a reviewer and fan of classical music/opera, I travel to other cities for arts programs, and am constantly amazed by Cleveland-based artists performing there, but not here. Why is this, I wonder? When your budget ranks with that of the orchestra, then, by all means bring in big name artists. Until then, however, why not encourage more home-based talent? We have fabulous stage directors and conductors right here at home, in addition to wonderful singers. We shouldn’t have to go elsewhere to hear or see them!
And, for a really radical notion, how about local composers?
Whatever. I certainly do hope you find the necessary support that you need in order to continue providing opera to Clevelanders.
Sincerely,
Kelly Ferjutz
From Cool Cleveland contributor Kelly Ferjutz, who writes: My most recently published book is Ardenwycke Unveiled (e-book and trade paper). Cerridwen has another contemporary romance from me, But Not For Love, currently available only as an e-book, but perhaps will be in print later this year. I hope to soon get around to completing some of the 30+ incomplete books in my computer!
By the way, Cerridwen has also accepted two of my short stories in their Scintillating Samples (complimentary reads) area: Song of the Swan and Unexpected Comfort. I love photography as well, as you can see here. Occasionally I teach writing workshops and sometimes do editing or ghostwriting on a free-lance basis. But over and above everything else, there’s always been the writing. I can’t imagine my life without it.
And now, after more than a few requests, I’ve started a blog about writing. You can find it here.
One Response to “Comment: An Open Letter to Opera Cleveland”
Henry Didomizio
After I initially commented I clicked the -Notify me when new feedback are added- checkbox and now every time a comment is added I get 4 emails with the same comment. Is there any means you’ll be able to remove me from that service? Thanks!