Downtime? What Downtime?

January 19, 2009 - Because opera companies (particularly opera companies in geographic locations prone to that cold white stuff falling from the sky) rarely produce shows during January, the general public has the idea that this must be "downtime" for us. Well, here's a little snapshot of what OV has been engaged in since the start of 2009.

1) Working out final details of the design, construction, and load-in of the set for The Coronation of Poppea. This is a more complicated process than you might think (and it has not really been made easier by the economy) involving bringing artistic sensibilities, budgetary realities, and space usage logistics all into one harmonious whole. Here's a sketch of what audiences can expect when they attend.

2) Auditioning children for the roles of Emmie, Cis, and Harry in our upcoming production of Albert Herring. So far I've heard kids from The Handel Choir of Baltimore Children's Chorus, The Children's Chorus of Maryland, and The Peabody Children's Chorus. Final casting decisions will be made by the end of this week. This piece is a delightful comedy for families. Britten wrote very well for children's voices but expects a high degree of musicianship from the kids so auditions are taken just as seriously as those for the adults.

3) Setting repertoire for 2010-2011. More of that in later posts, but yes, we do actually plan that far in advance and there are many companies that plan even further ahead.

4) Writing proposals for Artscape 2009, grants for funding, blurbs for press releases, etc., etc., etc. Well at least that undergraduate English major of mine is coming in handy.

5) Planning all things of an orchestral nature for the 2009-2010 season. Thanks Jed, JoAnn, and Michelle for your valuable input.

6) Auditioning singers for the 2009-2010 season. For some reason, this is not as time-consuming as it has been in the past since singers are inexplicably not auditioning as much as in the past. I say inexplicably because my instinct would have been that, with companies cancelling auditions, productions, and seasons, more singers would be going after the opportunities that still exist. Oh well, guess it's good to be reminded that none of us have a crystal ball.

The list actually goes on, but I hate to belabor points. So back to the "to-do" list.

Stay warm and see you at the opera!

The Case for the Arts

January 13, 2009 - I was going to blog about what's going on at OV today but I simply had to disseminate this post (click here to read it) from the development goddess Penelope Burk. It's moving and should remind all of us in the arts why we do what we do and the essential role we play in the lives of our patrons. Amazing stuff. Thanks, Penelope.

And after reading, please know that the season to "show your love" has not come to an end. You can still donate online (or via the phone or via mail) and if you aren't in a position to send money, please consider other ways in which you can help OV with time, talent, or useful items (office supplies are always welcome). Have you hugged your opera company today?

I wish you all a wonderful 2009 filled with all the things that make life worth living.

'Tis the Season

- to have a lot of irons in the fire. So everyone who's been reading this blog knows that we have our holiday cabaret coming up on December 12th. Call 410.547.7997 to reserve tickets today 'cuz the seating is extremely limited and the event is very popular. Do not count on being able to just walk up to the door the night of and get a ticket.

Also on the burner for OV at the moment is our end of year appeal which dropped in the mail this past week. We're taking a can-do, we have the power to affect great change attitude and are encouraging everyone who has been a patron of OV, a performer with OV, a designer for OV, or just likes the letters OV to give us a gift of $25. Click here to "show your love". It's fun. It's easy. It's very much appreciated.





We're also working hard on design details for The Coronation of Poppea. Below is a pic of the set design. Click here to purchase tickets. This opera is one of the sexiest ever written. Hot, hot, hot!


Also, planning a number of mini-fundraisers hereafter referred to as "musicales". If you'd like to be on the guest list for these or would like to host one, send me an email at jbowen@operavivente.org.

Finally, we are also avidly involved in planning our kickass gala "When the Clock Strikes Twelve" on May 16, 2009. More of that later.

Okay, gotta dash. Some of the irons are quite hot and in need of striking. See you at the holiday cabaret! - John Bowen

Just a Quickie

August 14, 2008 - Just a quick note to talk about some interesting things that are coming to pass during these dog days of summer. Our design team for Lord Giovanni is tweaking the last few details for the look of the show and construction of set and costumes will be starting any day now. In the meantime, our Special Events committee was actually able to meet this past Tuesday (amazing that we were all in town at the same time - or at least enough of us for a quorum) and has already made great progress in planning our Holiday Cabaret, our Gala Spring Fundraiser, and some smaller special events. Look to hear more of that in the next couple weeks. The audition listing for 2009-2010 has gone out and applications are starting to trickle in. We'll see if my blog posts last year have had any impact (fingers crossed). Okay, must dash to a luncheon with a prospective new board member. Oh, and speaking of board members, OV is planning to launch a new Young Leaders Initiative this season so if you're under 40 and are interested in finding out about the world of non-profit patronage and support give us a call (410.547.7997). Ciao for now.

August is the Crappiest Month

August 5, 2008 - First of all, let me rush to apologize to T. S. Eliot's spirit for the blatant paraphrasing of The Wasteland, but I have certainly been realizing why I hate late summer so much. On the one hand, the weather in Baltimore during this month is hideous: hot, humid, and hazy - blech! Being someone who sweats rather than perspires, I would much rather be cold than hot any day of the week. However, the other reason I hate it is that it often is the month during which many things for the upcoming season have to be finalized and also the month in which most artists, designers, crew, etc. are the most unreachable due to the all too understandable desire to flee to more habitable climates. Oh well, I guess "to every season, turn, turn, turn". . .Okay better go before I get myself sued for any more plagiarism. Next post, all original material. I promise.

Artscape Finished but No Rest for the Weary

July 24, 2008 - Well, Artscape performances are over and were a great success. Many thanks to the patrons who braved blistering heat to come hear us and particular thanks to Tim Smith for his review. Now it's full steam ahead for the opening of the season with Mozart's Lord Giovanni aka Don Giovanni in the original language opera house world. We're in the midst of finding the last few choristers, finalizing set and costume designs, contracting orchestral musicians, writing press releases, etc. as well as all the day to day operational things, e.g. working on program layout, selling advertising, fundraising, fulfilling ticket orders . . .well the list goes on. And speaking of ticket orders, individual tickets go on sale August 1st! See you at the opera! - John Bowen

Summertime and the Livin' is Busy

June 6, 2008 - Okay, so I've been really lax in posting on this blog. One reason is that I'm currently really trying to get a handle on what readers are looking for in this blog and so I've been doing more pondering than typing. However, the other main reason is that I just haven't had the time. I'm really being diligent with regards to my translation work since I want singers to have the maximum amount of time to prepare for a production (Note to self: think long and hard before agreeing to translate five different pieces in a 12 month period.) But I've also been quite tied to the desk so to speak simply taking care of mundane office things. OV has tried to alleviate the office stuff over the years in a variety of ways: temps, interns, etc. but we have not had much success. So, I'm "taking it to the streets" so to speak and putting the word out there that I am looking for some quality people to volunteer their time in helping OV out with some simple office tasks, e.g. answering phones, mailing subscription tickets, filing, etc. This in no way is meant as a slight towards our current wonderful group of volunteers. You and your coordinator Karen Pekala are fantastic, indispensable people. I'm just saying there's a lot to be done and extra hands are always needed and appreciated. If you're interested in discussing how you can be "part of the magic" (okay, it's not really magic but it is a really good cause and answering phones for an opera company is probably a bit more interesting than answering them for a sewage treatment plant) contact me at jbowen@operavivente.org. Thanks in advance and see you at the opera (company office). - John Bowen

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