It was deeply gratifying to convene with members again — in person — at Opera Conference 2022 in Minneapolis. General Director Ryan Taylor, Board Chair Nadege Souvenir, and their colleagues on the staff and board of Minnesota Opera were tremendously gracious hosts who accommodated postponements, repertoire changes, and safety procedures. We thank them most sincerely for their hospitality and the opportunity to learn from their excellent work.

The importance of speaking directly to friends and colleagues was obscured over the last two years as we learned to live in a digital world. Missing was the eloquence of body language, the affirmation of a handshake or embrace, and the anticipatory cacophony of chatter in a theater before the lights dimmed. The conference gave us a chance to meet people with whom we’ve developed deep connections through the pandemic, and to recognize the value of long-standing professional friendships. Graham Berwind’s extraordinary contribution to OPERA America provided complimentary registration and hotel accommodations for 200 company representatives; many of them work at smaller companies and attended a conference for the first time. Going forward, we have to find a balance between virtual and in-person convenings to increase access for as many people as possible with the value of talking together in the same physical space.

The 2022 conference was different from past meetings in many ways. The pandemic has been a humbling experience for everyone; we were grateful to be able to convene at all. National trauma over the murder of George Floyd, the January 6 insurrection, and continued revelations of sexual harassment led to deeper reflection and discussion. The meeting was enriched by the active participation of artists who are shaping the future of our art form and administrators who will lead our field boldly into the future. Guest speakers were exceptionally generous with their honest insight about the biases, barriers, and opportunities that define our field, and members arrived ready to listen and learn. We provided them with time to share their fears about the risk of experimentation and their desire for progress; their comments and ideas provide a roadmap for our work in the year ahead.

What did we learn? We are only at the beginning of a journey to achieve racial justice, gender parity, and connections to our communities that promote civility and understanding. Talk must be converted into action to realize the ideals we espouse. Our public value is linked directly to our ability to help our country heal from historic and recent divisions. We have more questions than answers, but the disruption of COVID provides a chance to examine inherited attitudes, policies, and procedures to determine which are worthy of being restored — or discarded.

Change is never easy, but those who work in opera are practiced at managing complex challenges. This skill is more important than ever as we work to realize opera’s full potential.