Arts Venues, Brand, Brand Values, C-Suite, Business Development, Business of Opera, Branding, China, Working Conditions, Composer, Librettist, Best Practices James Mowdy Arts Venues, Brand, Brand Values, C-Suite, Business Development, Business of Opera, Branding, China, Working Conditions, Composer, Librettist, Best Practices James Mowdy

Kennedy Center thoughts from Grammy-winning librettist Mark Campbell

(Santa Fe, NM) - I met librettist Mark Campbell in 2015, while he and composer Mason Bates were finalizing their Grammy-winning opera The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs. I also had the honor of being at its Santa Fe Opera world premiere in 2017. During the pandemic, he even wrote a piece for OI. But with the arrival of a new regime in Washington, and the hostile takeover of the Kennedy Center by Trump, a political lapdog, and a new board of loyalist supporters, I wanted to know how Mark felt about Washington National Opera’s production of Jobs, which closed two weeks ago…

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Best Practices, Business of Opera, Unions, Working Conditions, COVID, Classical Voice, OI Insights, Opera Singer, Opera Innovation, Corporate Governance, C-Suite James Mowdy Best Practices, Business of Opera, Unions, Working Conditions, COVID, Classical Voice, OI Insights, Opera Singer, Opera Innovation, Corporate Governance, C-Suite James Mowdy

Has Central City Opera Lost The Plot?

Something’s apparently rotten in the state of Colorado. We first heard about Central City Opera’s entanglement with AGMA (American Guild of Musical Artists) via the latter’s 15DEC statement on Instagram, which was shared and commented upon by a few individuals across the opera spectrum. THE JIST: Per Eden Lane’s Colorado Public Radio story: “Founded in 1932, Central City Opera is one of the oldest opera companies in the United States. Now the company is in a bitter dispute with the labor union representing its performers…

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Q&A, Arts Management, Artist Management, Crisis Management, Relationship Management, Strategic Counsel, Business of Opera, Women in Business, Working Conditions, COVID Margaret Thompson Q&A, Arts Management, Artist Management, Crisis Management, Relationship Management, Strategic Counsel, Business of Opera, Women in Business, Working Conditions, COVID Margaret Thompson

Q&A: Artist Managers Share Insights, Brand Ethos and Unique How-To

Most people with a working knowledge of the business of opera understand how artists are often represented by managers who help them navigate their careers and/or how getting a manager is a primary goal for most young singers. The concept of a Hollywood-style or rock-and-roll music agent is already culturally imprinted, but when those concepts are extrapolated to opera, it can often mean different things…

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Opinion, Best Practices, ROI, Working Conditions, Diversity, Corporate Governance, New Opera, C-Suite Margaret Thompson Opinion, Best Practices, ROI, Working Conditions, Diversity, Corporate Governance, New Opera, C-Suite Margaret Thompson

Opinion: Opera Has An Access Problem

Opera is our favorite art form. We wouldn’t be here if that wasn’t true. However, three years of pandemic (and pandemic-light) brought opera industry failings into much sharper focus, including force majeured soloists, racial and gender disparities, YAP application fees, #MeToo and more. OI was also troubled by these issues, but committed to championing innovators, doing our best to also spotlight wrongs constructively in real-time.

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