Artists at the Center: Lead Presentation by Lawrence Brownlee

Some of the most stunning performance innovations during the pandemic were conceived, produced, and distributed by artists working independently. They displayed technical and entrepreneurial skills and compelling artistic visions. Their leadership and success challenge the inherited assumption that opera companies are the artistic gatekeepers of the art form. Some companies had begun to increase the agency of artists before the onset of COVID-19, but more companies are now developing strategies that put artists at the center of their work. Tenor Lawrence Brownlee discusses the dynamics and potential of rebalanced relationships.