July 17, 2008
Taking Action Together
By Megan Young, Artistic Services Manager, OPERA America
This year's
National Performing Arts Convention (NPAC) and
Opera Conference brought a record number of North America's performing arts organizations and artists to Denver, CO this June. Over 3,700 performing artists, administrators and advocates were on hand to create a dynamic atmosphere in Colorado's capitol city. For many, it was an experience that reinvigorated their commitment to championing the performing arts. "There are thousands of us in the same boat, and the journey ahead requires hard work, wisdom and confidence," said Wang Jie, a composer and NPAC scholarship winner who traveled to Denver from New York for the Convention and Conference activities.
Over the week that NPAC and
Opera Conference 2008 took place, delegates chose what to attend from a vast list of sessions and activities. Some of the most unifying NPAC activities proved to be the Caucuses and 21st–century Town Meeting run by
AmericaSpeaks. Artist attendee and NPAC scholarship winner M. Ryan Taylor had this to say of the sessions: "I was able to meet a lot of people I wouldn't normally have met through the Caucus sessions. That was one of the highlights of the Convention. I was unsure going in what they would be like, but I found it very stimulating and was exciting to participate in."
Another stimulating event was the Opera Conference opening session with keynote speech by Gerard Mortier, general manager-designate of
New York City Opera. Mortier focused on the future of opera — and how we, as artists, can convey emotion to our audiences in the most intense and meaningful ways possible. For those who were unable to attend, the video is available for viewing
here.
Other NPAC and
Opera Conference 2008 programming included many sessions dedicated to artists. Composer Roger Ames led an art-making session called
Instant Opera with Gourmet Results and composer Sxip Shirey led
Turning Sound into Music. Singer and NPAC scholarship winner Jessica Slatkoff Arteaga attended Ames's session. She remarked, "
Instant Opera turned out to be such an incredible inspiration to me and I'm sure to the other participants. The piece that we came up with was so touching that a few of us are considering expanding upon it to make a song cycle to perform soon!" Sessions for opera-specific artists included
Building Understanding between Artist Managers and Artistic Administrators,
Teaching through Opera: Making Relevant Connections Between our Art Form and the Classroom,
Creating and Managing Fellowships for Opera Stage Directors,
More than Just a Harpsichord: Collaborations between Opera Companies and Period Ensembles,
Partnerships between Universities and Young Artist Programs and
Affordable and Innovative Onstage Multimedia, as well as a Singer Training Roundtable and Technical/Production Roundtable.
ArtsTown, the exhibit and registration hall in the Colorado Convention Center, served as the hub for NPAC activity. Over 220 exhibitors promoted everything under the performing arts sun, including opera co-production opportunities, choir apparel, special attractions, publications and many, many other resources. Also, a few parks, a "public library" for promotional materials, a cyber café and a town hall structure gave the exhibit area a more town-like tone. Another highlight of ArtsTown was the smART Bar, where experts on a number of performing arts subjects, including development, electronic media and artistic planning, were available to give free consultations to NPAC registrants.
Many
Opera Conference participants felt that the opera performances highlighted their Conference experience. Mainstage presentations included
Opera Colorado's production of
Nixon in China and a special bus trip to
Central City Opera for the production of Britten's
The Rape of Lucretia. In addition to these full-scale shows,
Opera Conference 2008 also included two special opera performances: the
New Works Sampler held in Opera Colorado's Ellie Caulkins Opera House featured scenes from
Elmer Gantry,
A Flowering Tree,
Frau Margot,
Hannaraptor and
John Brown; and a double-bill of bilingual operas highlighted
La Curandera by Robert Xavier Rodríguez and
En Mis Palabras (In My Own Words) by Roger Ames. Librettist and NPAC scholarship winner Joan Ross Sorkin enjoyed many of these events. "For me the highlights of the week were the events specifically for OPERA America — the keynote address by Gerard Mortier, the
New Works Sampler and some of the opera-specific sessions," she commented.
All in all, NPAC and
Opera Conference 2008 proved to be an enjoyable and stimulating experience for all involved. OPERA America thanks all attendees, volunteers and staffers for their help in creating a truly exciting and inspiring event. If you weren't able to make it to Denver this year, mark next year's calendar now for April 29 – May 2 for
Opera Conference 2009 in Houston!