A Day in the Life

May 22, 2008 - Well I haven't done very well on my promise to keep everyone posted as to what's going on behind the scenes here at OV. And the reason is. . .well too much is going on. OV has grown so rapidly in the past few seasons that we are really in need of some more staff. So before I tell you what's been happening, if you or someone you know would like a part-time administrative gig in an up and coming arts organization please contact me.

Okay. So this past Saturday we had our gala fundraiser OV11. I must say, it was a fantastic event. Many thanks to all those who helped in its planning, particularly Kathy Kahler (who did a myriad of things), Steven Sutor (who at the 11th hour opened his beautiful home to the event to save us from the vicissitudes of contractors - has there ever been a good one in the history of mankind?), and Karen Hoffman (who engineered a wonderful silent auction). Everyone enjoyed themselves, eating, drinking, and generally being merry, all while helping to support OV. Dare I say it might become an annual event?

On other OV fronts, the season brochure went to the printer on Monday and should be in hand and ready for mailing early next week. Dave Cooper has once again done an amazing job. If you're ever in need of a graphic designer, I can't think of a better one. Subscriptions are being mailed out on a daily basis. And speaking of subscriptions, they are currently on sale so order now and take advantage of savings as well as free exchange privileges. I'm currently also putting together the final members of our 2008-2009 design teams, finalizing contracts with singers, preparing to attend NPAC at the beginning of June, writing donor acknowledgment letters (a pleasurable but time-consuming job), and translating Lord Giovanni. So, must dash but I'm determined to keep this blog thing going. Just a reminder: it would be great to hear from any of you reading this out there. . .hint, hint. As Kelly aka Liam Sullivan says in one of my favorite YouTube videos "I can type too".

See you at the opera. - John Bowen

Back in Baltimore and Hard at Work

May 16, 2008 - Well I arrived back in Baltimore on Monday night, and was immediately plunged back into a whirlwind of activity. Donor acknowledgment letters, subscription orders, last minute details for OV11 (you can still get a ticket for this event if you call 410.547.7997 today), final proofing of the 2008-2009 season brochure, as well as an "organ emergency" at Emmanuel Church brought on by an overzealous and not too bright electrical contractor have all been vying for my attention. I've also been engaged in lining up promotional materials both for OV and myself to take to the National Performing Arts Convention in Denver (June 10-14), finalizing plans for a brief visit to Opera Theatre of St. Louis and trying to finagle a 10th anniversary trip to Italy with my partner which will take us to the Italian home of our friend David Walker (who is indeed an angel).

All this flurry of activity has made me think about how often the life of the performing artist is different than those involved in a more 9 to 5 kind of profession. In general, many people are currently engaged in "winding down" for the summer: making vacation plans, thinking about hobbies they want to get back to during the "lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer", etc. But many of us involved in the arts are gearing up, taking advantage of longer days to make preparations for next season, or the next big round of auditions, or even participating in summer training programs, festivals, and institutes. So I'm going to take a break from promotional posts for awhile and talk about the various and sundry activities surrounding the running of an opera company during "summer hiatus", a misnomer if there ever was one.

This change has also been provoked by some conversations that I've had recently with fellow bloggers and blog-readers. It seems that the promotional posts don't invite dialogue as much as I would like so I'm hoping that the new focus will once again provoke comments, thoughts, and questions from my readers. After all, you all now have more "down time", right? Just kidding.

See you at an opera. - John Bowen

Opening Night Receives Standing Ovation

May 10, 2008 - Just a quick post to say that last night's opening of Granite State Opera's Cosi fan tutte at the Music Hall in Portsmouth couldn't have gone better and received a thunderous standing ovation from the audience. Kudos to all the wonderful hardworking people at Granite State Opera who made this production so rewarding to work on. There's still one more performance to catch at the Capitol Center in Concord tomorrow at 2pm so if you're in the area and want to give Mom a great afternoon of opera check it out.

See you at the opera! - John Bowen

Final Dress as a Birthday Present

May 7, 2008 - So tonight is final dress rehearsal for Granite State Opera's Cosi fan tutte. Since it's also my birthday (a day I'm proud to share with Tchaikovsky and Brahms) I'm hoping for a smooth, relatively stress-free run of the show. And after the marathon day we put in yesterday, I have every confidence that it will be. Everyone seems to be rising to the challenges of this masterpiece and I was really excited to see all the elements come together at last night's piano tech rehearsal. Special kudos to Quentin Stockwell for his absolutely stunning lighting.

Many thanks to all my friends who have contacted me via mail, email, or phone with birthday blessings and especial thanks and love to my partner Bill who not only called and sent a funny e-card but sent me a dozen beautiful yellow roses. I don't care if the experts say this isn't the sort of thing that should be in a blog. It's my birthday and I'll blog what I want to, blog what I want to. . .Okay just to in some way tie this into opera, how about a trivia question: Post comments regarding any operas in which birthdays figure prominently. There's no prize or anything, so you'll have to just be one of those people for whom a lot of trivial knowledge is its own reward.

See you at the opera! - John Bowen

Finales and Beginnings

May 1, 2008 - Today is the beginning of my favorite month (it contains my birthday for one thing) and so it's great to be able to report that at this point I have a) finished staging Cosi fan tutte up here in NH and b) finished and sent out the translation for Apollo and Dafne (have fun Lisa and Ryan). During the staging of the Act II finale last night I was once again momentarily stunned by Mozart and da Ponte's ability to reveal some of the most heart-wrenching and vulnerable aspects of the human condition in the midst of what has up to that point been light-hearted and comic. No wonder these operas are still such fixtures in the repertoire.

Back in Baltimore, the gala committee is shifting into high gear for OV11. This is shaping up to be a fantastic event which promises to keep the "fun" in "fundraiser". Show your support for OV and get a ticket today (410.547.7997). Although our office is temporarily closed, messages are being checked every day and so both tickets for the gala and 2008-2009 subscriptions may be purchased during this time.

Now it's time to start translating Lord Giovanni.

See you at the opera. - John Bowen