OPERA CANADA MAGAZINE - FALL 2003

The Future of Opera in Canada

Opera is growing. Opera is in financial peril. We have never had such an impressive cadre of emerging singers and yet their career opportunities have rarely been so uncertain. Paradoxes and polarities abound. In surveying the current state of Opera in Canada from coast to coast, this exotic and irrational art form seems full of contradictions. As this magazine constantly reveals to us, Opera in Canada encompasses, on the one hand, astonishingly diverse differences. On the other hand there are perhaps comfortingly consistent similarities. In such a dynamic environment, in both the artistic and financial dimensions of opera, the most scarce and vital resource is leadership. Our operatic leaders, by articulating their directional vision, help us to come to terms with and resolve the inherent contradictions of this most fascinating art.

In Opera, one of the core paradoxes each leader must help to resolve is the constant tension between being a high art form and also a unique segment of show business. Most of us are only peripherally aware of this because we tend to experience Opera, in both its live and electronic forms, as consumers. If, however, we look at opera from the perspective of our performing companies, a much more intriguing picture emerges. For them, balancing the shifting dynamic between artistic and commercial demands is a daily challenge.

Whenever there is a change in leadership, as has recently happened at L'Opéra de Montréal (with the selection of Bernard Labadie as artistic director and David Moss as general director), there is an unusual opportunity for a rebalancing that company's business priorities and artistic goals. As Arthur Kaptainis's article in the fall issue of Opera Canada pointed out, those promoting a greater focus on artistic risk taking and those hoping for greater attention to financial prudence are now actively lobbying the new leaders. It will be interesting to see what balances and choices this new team will make and how they will establish a new positioning for the future of opera in Montréal.

One way of understanding the arena for making trade-offs between show business and artistic goals is to imagine a two by two matrix, a square with four quadrants. Every company's current and aspirational artistic goals can be plotted with some precision on such a matrix. The vertical axis represents the spectrum of choices that can be made in repertoire, from a concentration on the familiar and popular works at one end, to a preference for the rare and unusual operas at the other. The horizontal axis represents the spectrum of choices that can be made in terms of production values. At one end of this axis are traditional production values (for example, that for any production of "La Traviata" there should be crinolines and a chandelier). The other end encompasses radical concept presentations (with lasers or neon lights, characters in business suits carrying briefcases and the obligatory motif of an overturned chair).

In Toronto, a new company has recently introduced a bold new strategy which will be watched with great interest. Royal Opera Canada, under the leadership of Dwight Bennett, has decided to focus solely on the traditional operas in traditional settings quadrant. This strategic positioning is in part predicated on the belief that there is a large conservative segment of the opera-going public who are disenchanted with stage directors who believe their role is to introduce their "concept" into operas. In the same marketplace, the leadership at the COC has adopted a more radical profile, perhaps as a means to attract a different audience. Some of that company's most successful offerings in have been from the opposite quadrant -- unfamiliar works in very non-traditional avant-garde productions. Robert Le Page's settings of Bartok?s "Bluebeard's Castle" and Schoenberg's "Erwartung" is perhaps the most celebrated of these. When these two productions are seen later this season in Montréal, they will no doubt rekindle the debate in that city about how to balance appetites for traditional versus radical approaches. Back in Toronto, it is hoped that the very different strategies being pursued by the Royal Opera Canada and the Canadian Opera Company will expand the audience base for both companies.

In any show business, audience development is the prime commercial challenge requiring leadership and vision. Many Canadian companies appear to be adopting new strategies for building audiences. Some are supporting educational initiatives. Others are broadening their scope by offering Broadway, operetta or musical comedy choices in their seasons. For example, this year you can see "the Merry Widow" in Montreal, "Sweeney Todd" in Calgary, or "South Pacific" in Edmonton.

The context for operatic audience development is complex. Opera is specialized niche, not a mass consumer market. How can the number of ticket buyers be both reinforced and increased, given the changing demographics of Canadian urban cultures? Marketers must adapt to slow, but inexorable demographic trends. Patterns of immigration are changing the mix of ethnic origin in all major cities. Age demographics also play their part. The good news is that opera seems to be one of the two fastest growing art forms amongst 18 to 35 year olds (the other is visiting museums). We might speculate that opera is catching the interest of this group, in comparison to symphonies or ballet companies, because the inherent multimedia experience of Opera mirrors their tastes and experience of movies and computer games.

The paradox that an Opera company loses money every time the curtain goes up is not widely understood. Even if a company sells out every performance, ticket revenues do not begin to cover the costs of production. As a result, the financial imperative of every opera company is to supplement ticket revenue with financial support from foundations, corporations and especially individuals. Yet these measures are not enough. Governments at all levels must support Opera if it is to survive. If there is one single, constant theme from performing companies across the country, it is the need to educate ticket purchasers that they must also support the companies with donations, and to educate governments that their support is also vital for survival.

Paradoxes, contradictions, polarities aside, there is hope for the future. The talent pool in Canada, in all the disciplines needed for the future of opera, is healthy in not only its quantitative but also its qualitative dimensions. Both the stocks and the flows within that talent pool, projected forward, are vibrant and encouraging. Canada seems to continue its astonishing capability to produce numerous world class singers and directors. This is primarily a testament to the excellence of our University Opera Schools and Conservatories across the country and to the training provided by the Ensemble and Atelier programs of our major performing companies. When Erin Wall became the fourth Canadian to reach the finals of the Cardiff Singer of World competition this summer, (following in the footsteps of Martha Collins in 1985, Brett Polegato in 1995 and James Westman in 1999) she became the latest example of the way in which Canadians impress internationally. This summer, in Paris, there were half a dozen Canadian singers in major productions at the Garnier and the Bastille. There are Canadian stars in major roles regularly on the stages of all the major Opera houses of the world.

There is ample evidence for the optimists that the future is secure, but where is the greatest hope for the future to be found? It may come as a surprise to some that it is in a small public school in a quiet suburb of Hamilton - Buchanan Park Elementary School. At this school, one brilliantly gifted visionary teacher, Dawn Martens, has achieved what I consider to be a miracle. For the last ten years, she has consistently persuaded her entire school -- her Principal, every teacher and every one of the 200-plus students -- to actively participate in putting on three performances of a fully staged opera production each year. I discovered her achievement last Spring and am still in awe. As long as Canada can produce operatic leaders with the drive and vision of Dawn Martens, our contradictions and paradoxes will be resolved and the future will be bright.