Popera Singers: What is the role of Classical Crossover artists, or whatever you want to call them?

Most of my friends are not opera lovers.  It's not that they really dislike opera, it's just that they simply don't know.  "Opera?  You mean that fat lady with the horns?  Or do you mean Pavarotti?"  For most of the general public, this is all they know.  It's what mainstream popular culture tells us opera is.
Every now and then, when I converse with my non-opera-loving friends, our discussions turn to music.  And sometimes, one or another says something like, "Oh, I love Andrea Bocelli, and Sarah Brightman, too!  And how about that trio of teenage tenors, and Paul Potts?  And Jackie Evancho is absolutely amazing!  So, yeah, I guess I do like some opera!"

Now, after a statement like that, some more experienced opera lovers may be left scratching their heads and saying, "Huh?  Are you serious?  Have you ever even HEARD a real opera singer?"  I've seen many an online debate sparked by someone trying to compare Jackie Evancho to the likes of Renee Fleming.  And one time, my brother and I couldn't help bursting into raucous laughter when we walked past the music section in Target and saw a recording of Carmen starring Andrea Bocelli featured prominently in the Pop section, along with several other of his CDs.
Now, I could very easily join in with all the (sometimes good-natured) ribbing that often occurs at the expense of these artists.  Or I could point out that, while talent in its raw state may be present, only when Jackie Evancho hold her own with other singers on stage, be heard at the very back of a large opera house without the benefit of a microphone, and convincingly portray a role at the same time, can she ever be compared with Renee Fleming.  And, sure, I could have a lot of fun chuckling about these singers and their often rabid fan base.  But then I really think I would be missing the point of it all.
I mean, think about it.  Regardless of how you personally feel about crossover artists, actually stop and think about it.  Seriously.  I mean, there was a recording of CARMEN in the POP section!  Along with other opera-ish recordings!  Presented right there to the mainstream music audience, who might not even step foot in the classical aisle!

And that, right there, is the whole point I'm trying to make with all this.  These singers, while quite missing the mark for many of us, do play a vital role in the world of music.  They bring a taste of opera to millions of people who would otherwise never even give it a try.  And there is really no better illustration of this point than the talent shows that made many of these people famous in the first place.  I remember watching episodes of America's/Britain's Got Talent, with audiences full of average people, along with millions of national network TV viewers.  On those occasions, they often followed other musical acts, ranging from pop to rock, country to rap.  Then one or another of them would walk out onstage, open his or her mouth, and leave the audience absolutely astonished.  The next day, there would be headlines about this or that incredible talent that had just been discovered.  And each time, the singer continued through the competition to the very end, taking second place on the occasions where he or she did not actually win the whole thing.  And each time, it was mainstream audiences voting for their favorites who put these singers in the top spots.  People who were never exposed to opera before picked these artists as their favorites.  Many of those people have continued with independent exploration, and have thus arrived at the magical destination that is opera.  And those who haven't, have at the very least realized that opera is more than just a fat lady with horns.
 

Opera birthday parties? Why not?!?

Hello again, everyone!  Welcome back from a rather extended holiday break!  The kids are all back in school now, and life can slowly start to return to normal.  Today, I am going to continue on the subject of passing opera on to the next generation.  I have heard a lot of chatter (or perhaps twitter?) over the last few weeks about ways to attract a younger audience.  Most of the talk seemed to be centered around the idea of so-called Tweet Seats.  While I very happily participated in last month's Tweet Seat session at Palm Beach Opera's Madama Butterfly, (a dress rehearsal, I should add,) I don't believe that simply letting people play on their phones during the performance is going to get them to want to attend.  Rather, honest exposure, ideally at a young age, whether at home or in school, is the surest way to spark interest in opera.
This, of course, is in no way a new idea.  I have said it before in previous posts, and I will doubtlessly say it again.  But today I am going to write about a (brilliant?) idea I had about one way of doing this.  Opera birthday parties!!!  Now, I know some of you may be scratching your heads and thinking that I must be crazy, but just hear me out! 

The idea came to me this morning, as I was trying to plan my son's ninth birthday party.  I was looking online at all the different options available in the area: bowling, arcades, science museums, even the local animal shelter!  There were a lot of venues offering sports parties, cooking parties, arts-and-crafts parties, and dance parties.  And then it occurred to me: Why not do opera birthday parties?  If one enthusiastic child chooses ten or twenty of his closest friends to share opera with, it could trigger a whole chain reaction of spreading an awareness (if not outright love) of opera to a group of children who might otherwise never give it a fair chance.
Now, how to do it?  I had some ideas there, too.  There are a couple of different options to be considered: the do-it-yourself party, which would require a bit of homework and planning on the part of the parents, and the party organized by a local opera company's Young Artists program, or some such organization.  "But wait a minute," you might say.  "There are no opera companies offering children's birthday parties!"  And you would probably be right.  But why shouldn't there be?  After all, almost every other type of theater, museum, and miscellaneous entertainment outlet offers several party packages.  And while I recognize that these other options may be more popular among children, it would be a wonderful experience for them if such a thing were available.

So here is what I propose to any opera company out there that may be reading this: give it a shot!  If no one takes you up on it, what have you lost?  And if they do, think of what you have gained: a doorway into the hearts of the next generation.  So what might an opera company offer as part of a party package?  Well, a package could include one or two young artists who would give a brief background of what opera is, followed by a short performance.  These performances could range from some of the more action-packed scenes for boys' parties to the more romantic ones for the girls' parties, or any combination of the two.  Afterwards, young party goers could be given the opportunity to participate in recreating the drama and singing the music.  Fancy foods and Martinelli's sparkling cider served in plastic champagne flutes could be served to add a celebratory feel to the event.  And at the end of the party, each child could go home with an opera-themed goody bag.
For the parents planning an opera party on their own, it might be a little trickier without the personal interaction with the singers and the hands-on music making.  But again, a brief overview of opera could be given, followed by a showing of an opera on DVD.  One possible opera to show a group of children who are new to it is Il Barbiere di Siviglia.  Most of them will probably have heard at least some of the music, the story is highly entertaining, and there is nothing in it that any parent could possibly consider to be objectionable material.  (Something like Tosca, on the other hand, might not go over so well with all of the parents.)  After the performance, the children could be given an opportunity to talk about their impressions of what they have seen.  Again, fancy foods and opera goody bags could tie the whole experience together.
Now, I'm not naive.  I know something like this might take some time to catch on, or it may never catch on at all.  But if nobody even tries, it certainly never will.  And with opera audiences getting older, opera education in the classroom and at home at a low point, and opera companies around the world struggling to bring in young people, something must be done to ensure the continued survival of opera for the next generation.  And what better way to pass it on than in a fun, exciting, and celebratory atmosphere?  Today's children, who think they have seen everything, can go home from an opera party with memories of a new and thrilling experience, and a thirst to discover more.

Read along, sing a song!

Happy Monday, everyone!  Today I am going to continue on the subject of introducing opera to children.  Over the weekend, I took my boys to a program at the public library, put on by Florida Grand Opera, that promotes literacy through the arts.  The program, called "Read Along, Sing a Song", combines reading with song and dance, using music and movement to bring the story to life.
We got to the library a little early, and the kids passed the time by playing on the computers.  (Remember the days when people went to the library to read?)  When everything was set up, we went into the multipurpose room, and all the children congregated on the floor in the front row.  The program began with a brief introduction to opera.  While almost everyone there knew roughly what opera is, very few of them had ever experienced it before.  So they got their first taste from soprano Kyaunnee Richardson, who sang the Doll Song from The Tales of Hoffmann.  She invited the children from the audience to come up and press buttons on her dress and pull her finger (it's not as bad as it sounds) to make her move.  I appologize for the poor video quality, but I was having camera issues (like having my husband do the filming).

The aria was very well received, and the children discussed the different things the doll did while she sang, noting that sometimes she needed to be wound back up.  Then they all formed a circle, did some movement exercises, and experimented with an accordion.  Then it was storytime.  They read The Nutcracker and discussed their favorite parts.  (Most said they liked the part about going to the Land of Sweets.)  Then they broke out the hats, put on the music, and the fun really began.  They performed the Spanish, Arabian, Chinese, and Russian dances, some of them timidly and others with reckless enthusiasm.  Again, appologies for the video quality.

At the end of the program, each child was given his or her choice of an opera activity book.  They were also given the opportunity to sign up for supernumerary auditions, for those moments when a non-singing, non-speaking child is needed.  Naturally, my older son was first in line, throwing his fist in the air and shouting, "I'm in!" at the first mention of a chance to actually be in an opera.  My four-year-old wanted to be in one, too, but he was expecting to be able to sing Ferrando from Il Trovatore.  I only hope he's not too disappointed when he finds out he'll have to wait a few years for that, at least until his voice changes.

Anyway, the children all seemed to have a wonderful time, and it was apparent that a couple of them were particularly affected by the program.  They seemed genuinely excited about opera, and were eager for more.  And the good news is that, throughout the remainder of the season, there will be many more opportunities for these and other children in Broward and Miami-Dade counties to participate in these wonderful events.  So whether the child in your life already knows and loves opera, or has never heard a note of it, I highly recommend attending one of these programs.  You never know what it could lead to!

Flash mob, everyone!

Imagine you're in line at the supermarket.  Suddenly, the guy in front of you starts singing to the lady bagging his groceries, and what do you know, she starts singing back!  "Holy cow!" you think to yourself, moments before you notice that the guy in the next checkout lane, the lady three places behind you in line, and that couple over there in the produce aisle are all singing, too!  Well, last night I was playing around on Stumble Upon, when I, um, stumbled upon (imagine that!) this video:



Quite aside from the lovely performance itself, the reactions of the other shoppers were very interesting to see.  There were, of course, a few people in the crowd who did their best to pretend that nothing out of the ordinary was going on.  They kept their headphones in their ears, paid for their groceries, and left with averted eyes.  But they were the minority.  As the camera panned around the store, I watched the various expressions of surprise and delight cross the faces of the many customers, young and old.  They were sharing the wonderful experience of opera with complete strangers, most of them probably for the first time, and the result was almost magical!
This got me thinking.  There are so many people out there who have never experienced opera, and in the normal course of life, probably never will.  Most people who don't alreaky know and love opera are not likely to go out and buy a ticket to a performance on their own, without any sort of external push.  You know, Newton's first law of motion.  An object will persist in its state of being at rest or in motion, unless acted upon by an external force... Sorry, I digress.  Anyway, my point is this: an event like this just might be that external force needed to alter the inertia... ahem... I mean, to pique public interest in opera. 
So after I saw this video, I wanted more.  I wanted to find other examples of opera ambushes, as they are sometimes called.  I found that various organizations and opera companies often arrange similar events, whether to promote an upcoming performance or just to bring a bit of culture to the unsuspecting public.  These events, also variably called pop-up opera and Opera Anywhere, have been put together in such places as shopping malls, restaurants, transit stations, public markets, and even college cafeterias!



One organization of note puts on what it calls "random acts of culture."  These events range from opera to jazz to "impromptu" orchestras.  And several South Florida locales have played host to these random acts.  Earlier this year, shoppers at the Aventura mall were treated to a grand-scale performance of O Fortuna from Carmina Burana.  Travelers at Miami International Airport were surprised with a brass quintet rendition of West Side Story.  And if you happened to be trying on ladies' shoes in Macy's at Dadeland Mall at just the right time, you might have seen this:



These wonderful surprise performances do much more than provide brief entertainment for people passing through on their day-to-day business.  They raise awareness of the arts, and offer an introduction to opera to anyone fortunate enough to be there.  They bring joy to people of all ages, from the older audience members who may already be familiar with the music, to the young adults who may have never really noticed before, and especially to the children hearing it for the first time.  For them, these performances are precious gifts, paving the way for a lifetime love of opera.

Hook 'em while they're young!

I consider myself very lucky.  I discovered opera at a young age, long before I was aware of all the negative stereotypes associated with it.  Long before I knew it was "uncool", or even that anything could be uncool, I was listening to the gorgeous sounds of Bizet, Verdi, and Puccini.  Long before I knew that my musical preferences would be scrutinized by my adolescent peers, my my love of opera was cemented in my heart.
My parents exposed me to a very broad range of musical styles almost from the day I was born.  Irish music and Highland bagpipes were a staple in our home.  My mother played me music from all over the world, ranging from klezmer to Russian folk songs, bluegrass to Indian sitar.  And, of course, she played classical music.  My father played the Grateful Dead and Pink Floyd.  So by the time I was nine years old, I was very open to any new music, as long as it wasn't pop.
One evening back in 1987, my mother put down the TV Guide, sat me on the couch, and turned on PBS.  We were going to try something new!  I really had no idea what to expect, but within minutes I was lost in the now-familiar notes of the overture to Carmen.  I don't remember much about that evening, but I went to school the next day singing all these wonderful songs I had heard for the first time the night before.  That evening changed my life.  I began listening to as much opera as I could, and I attended my first live performance at age eleven.
Let's jump forward a couple of decades, now.  I have two young boys, ages four and eight.  Our morning drive to school usually starts like this:
Me: OK kids, what do you want to listen to today?
4 year old: Eugene Onegin!
8 year old: No, my favorite Russian songs! (Dmitri Hvorostovsky, of course!)
4 year old: Il Trovatore!
8 year old: No, Tosca!
By this point, I've managed to make it out of the neighborhood without crashing the car.  Once we've settled on something, the conversation continues.
4 year old: (Singing)
8 year old: Stop singing!  I can sing it better!
Me: So let me hear both of you!
4 year old: (Singing)
8 year old: Stop singing!
No one else in either of their classes has car rides quite like this, as far as I know.  But I wouldn't have it any other way.  I began playing opera for them in utero, and didn't stop when they were born.  I took my eldest to his first live performance, Aida, two months before he turned four.  He knew most of the music before we went, and was totally engrossed throughout.  (I only learned of the "no children under six" rule during intermission, but he behaved very well, and I only had to remind him once, during the Triumphal March, not to sing along to himself.)  My younger one has yet to attend, partially because he is so curious about everything that, even when watching something he has seen a dozen times, we're lucky if he goes a full two minutes without asking a question.  But at home, at least once a week I put something on the Met Player, and they're both glued to the TV for the rest of the evening.
As much as my children love opera, they are already beginning to hear things like "opera sucks" from their peers.  Their teachers are unfamiliar with it, and show no interest when they express their enthusiasm.  The other children around them, at best, have never been exposed to opera, and at worst, have inherited their parents' negative opinions about it without ever getting the chance to experience it for themselves.  And yet, the minute any opera singer joins a competition such as America or Britain's Got Talent, the audience goes wild.  People are starving for opera, and they don't even realize it.
So when is the right time to give it to them?  Certainly, better late than never.  Friends at work occasionally surprise me when they say things like, "I wish I knew you were going to the opera last night!  I've always wanted to give it a try!"  Once they  have expressed an interest, I go out of my way to try to give them a proper introduction.  Many of them have simply never had the opportunity extended to them, and have therefore missed out on a lifetime of enjoyment.  Which leads me to the answer to the above question: as soon as possible!!!

The next question, then, is how to give it to them.  You could, of course, do it the way my parents did for me, and I did for my children: give it to them straight, from an early age, and watch them lap it up.  In recent years, though, more opportunities are being presented by opera companies everywhere to introduce children to opera.  For instance, the Metropolitan Opera Guild offers hands-on opera workshops to children ages five to eight, as well as school programs that enable children across the country to experience opera in the classroom and on the big screen.  The Opera Theatre of Saint Louis offers an opera summer camp for young children.  And the Florida Grand Opera offers programs for elementary, middle school, and high school aged children, including classroom visits, presentations that explore both the vocal and technical aspects of opera production, dress rehearsal tickets, and a mentoring program to help guide aspiring artists on the path to careers in opera.  Additionally, many programs are offered in public libraries from coast to coast.
But regardless of how it is done, when opera is presented to children, they usually respond enthusiastically.  It's easy for them to get caught up in the drama, the action, and of course, the music.  Sometimes, that enthusiasm sticks with them, opening all sorts of doors to the many wonders of opera.  Sometimes that first operatic experience captures the imagination of a young child, changing the way he or she looks at music forever. 
Perhaps one day I'll pull up to a traffic light, windows down, and hear the children in the next car arguing over whether they should listen to Turandot or Rigoletto.  My eight-year-old just might lean his head out the window and shout, "Neither!  Don Giovanni!"