US opera company cancels next season
NewsTulsa Opera has called off its two productions for 2023-24 due to financial shortages.
CEO Ken McConnell has resigned.
Artistic director Aaron Beck steps up as interim general director.
“Here in Tulsa, we saw a 39% drop in revenue last year and this year, we’re facing a 44% decline.” the statement reads. “Further, the average cost of a large production is up by 22%, now costing well over $400,000 per show.”
Opera cannot function under a system of private donors, it’s just too expensive. That’s why the USA ranks 39th in the world for opera performances per capita, behind every European country except impoverished Portugal. It’s also why young US opera singers have to go abroad to develop careers. They are economic refugees.
Any time any US city wants to establish a full-time, publicly-funded opera company, they’re perfectly free to do so. Nothing is stopping them.
False. Americans are not given a choice to choose public arts funding because it is not a part of the political spectrum.
What is the relation between “opera performances per capita” and opera attendance per capita ? Should that be a factor in allocating public funds ?
Without performances, there can be no attendance, nor the work to encourage intelligent and educated cultural preferences. When we consign that merely to market forces, society is debased.
Costs $400,000 a show to stage, why that’s almost as much as ENO.
Always hate to see this. Shows the importance of trying to find major donors.
I hope they can bounce back. Why is revenue down 44%? The Biden economy stinks, obviously.
Your jibe about the current government is unnecessary and inappropriate here. I could more accurately point out that beginning with Regan, the Republicans cut back on education and arts funding so much that now we have two generations of people who not only do not understand how to appreciate opera, but they disdain it.
Please learn to spell. REAGAN NOT REGAN. And what was stopping the Clinton, Obama and Biden administrations from fully funding education and arts funding. At least Reagan and even Carter listened to classical music.
The reason we don’t have fully funded education and arts lies in the laps of far more Republicans than Democrats. There’s not enough money left after the egregious tax cuts for the super wealthy and the continuous blocking of tax revisions so more of the super rich actually pay taxes commiserate to their incomes.
Try to get arts funding passed a Republican house or Senate and some good old negativity, Hellen Lose
You may know how to spell but you certainly don’t know American history/politics. Reagan was the start of the budget wars/cuts – another round, in fact, just concluded.
Not true. Biden economy did this.
LOL…
I agree with you statement about arts funding cuts, etc. Reagan also cut mental health funding which contributed to the homeless mental health crisis. It’s very tragic.
Isn’t it a demonstrative lack of an “enquiring mind” to bring party political bias into a discussion of failing opera companies in the US? Opera struggles in the US no matter WHO is in the White House. And since the 19th century it’s been dependent on private money.
As for Tulsa: There’s lots of oil and Oral Roberts money in town. Has opera been made interesting to them? I could imagine Zauberflöte set in ORU’s revolving prayer tower.
People have less money to donate due to inflation and a weak market. Opera isn’t funded by government grants in the US. It’s funded by donations and people who can afford expensive tickets.
The “Biden economy”? Really? I believe it was Trump who drastically cut arts funding across the board!
Read my lips, arts funding is not relevant in the US of A.
*And* it is the fault of Muti! Oh, wait, that is someone else’s pet peeve. But, according to your logic, 2024 should take care of it, and another golden age of opera will begin. Perhaps The Former Guy can even help, given his never ending support for the fine arts. He could stage an opera himself. In prison.
…don’t forget the 2+ years of pandemic; if you choose to politicize everything, you can blame instead the chaotic, egoistic and sleazy previous admin and his pinhead supporters.
No, wealthy patrons are stingy is the problem.
Blame Biden for average singers BRILLANT
Cadet Bone Spurs wasn´t a big supporter of the art…
Every day good news. Next good news will be – whole US cancels due to financial troubles. Anyway there are no such thing like culture in US. Hamburger and Netshit, sorry Netflix.
Nothing like an ignorant snob with a poor command of English.
“No culture in the US.” Netflix. McDonald’s. I knew a German (a Herr Dr.) once who blamed prostitution in Germany on the post-WW2 occupation!
And non-USer users of Netflix and McDonald’s, e.g., are just “too weak to withstand the incredible pressures of US cultural reach abroad.” Yeah. Heard that one, too.
Sad indeed but one wonders why they are spending “well over” $400,000 for a production? (Full disclosure: I used to run an opera company.)
I am the Artistic Administrator for a modest-sized opera company in Columbus Ohio. We generally manage to put on 2-3 productions each year popular both critically and with our audiences with a budget of $200-250k. We focus on young up and coming extraordinary singers whom we pay responsibly, and often use brilliant college and conservatory talent mixed with professionals in our orchestras. Regarding staging, we rely on clever directors whose inspiration might be Wieland Wagner (e.g.) in terms of suggestive sets, creative lighting and yet convincing costumes. Our conductors are top- drawer talent compensated well but not excessively. We manage to pay all our people responsibly so that they are happy and create wonderful musical operatic experiences. Our audiences are hugely appreciative and while still somewhat down, are recovering from the pandemic. I’m NOT arguing for a penurious approach to the arts, rather one that employs creative imagination on the parts of our performers and our audiences. Alfred Hitchcock emphasized how he always left the most lurid and horrible to the imagination, “because I could never create what the individual mind sees itself.” Then there’s Coleridge suggesting we “suspend our sense of disbelief” and immerse ourselves in the coming tale. Beowulf was presumably shared around fires on dark nights. And I for one LOVED the Texaco radio broadcasts of the Met. Growing up in Springfield, Ohio, (until my high school teacher took me to see Turandot in Cincinnati) I spent my teen years on Saturdays glued to the radio. Art requires imagination, talent, inspiration (so many things), but on the parts of all involved.
Invite Dan Vasc from Brazil. Metal singer who sings Opera.
This is all very good, but town-and-gown productions should not be the standard for a city of close to one million people, and a metro population of 2.1 million. Columbus actually has 3 times the population of Cleveland.
Wonderful insight, experience and advice for Tulsa. Glad you wrote.
Sir, I too am a lover of the arts. And your spirit and positive outlook is so appreciated by so many. I have been so fortunate to have worked for and with so many great persons in not only the world of opera, from the Met to more other opera houses all over the world. My love for musical theater is as great and they all have one thing in common. Positive outlook on life and the true appreciation of talent, hardwork and the knowledge of what magnificent impact these arts have on the world. I hope someday I get to meet you for it sounds from your words you have a great heart and mind to be shared ! My name is Bruce Brown and it’s my pleasure to have met you, in text!
I hope you received my comment to you, you are so right on, and appreciated!
You hit the nail on the head!
I an very sad to hear this. I don’t know much about the current company, but this is where I saw my very first opera when I was 13 years old. It was The Barber of Seville, and starred Roberta Peters. I fell in love with opera then and there! Tulsa Opera has had a special place in my heart ever since (1961). Bad management has ruined more than one company– look at New York City Opera– smaller theater than the Met, but ticket prices were reasonable, moreso than the Met. I was sorry to see it fold as well.
My first live opera was in Tulsa too, in 1965. Aida! I was a senior at Oklahoma State University and my boyfriend and I drove over with two friends to see it. I had heard opera on records and had seen a good film of Rigoletto, but nothing compares to a live performance in a large opera house with great acoustics. I have loved opera ever since. Wish something could be done to keep Tulsa’s going!!!
The Met ran at 63% capacity this season. Opera needs to change to rationally continue. Tulsa is just a reflection of that.
Too many companies in major cities in the US are performing in venues too large for its audience. Tulsa Opera performs in a venue that is over 2000 seats. Unlike Europe, we do not have venues designed exclusively for opera and symphony. America has a lot of converted movie theaters posing as venues for opera or huge halls over 2000 seats.
The past notion of private wealth believing US cities should have all the great arts like European cities led to many performing arts centers being built and the need to fill them with touring shows and grand opera.
We will now see more companies like Tulsa Opera become like the current NYCO, doing concert performances in a park with microphones and not producing its own fully staged productions. Poor management + declining interest= demise. Don’t believe me? Just look at what is happening to US regional theater right now.
Perhaps they should have added a production of the musical “Oklahoma!” to their season ?
It is, after all, Tulsa…
Meanwhile, the excellent Tulsa Symphony Orchestra is thriving. Next season having guest conductors of the highest calibre: Joanne Falletta and Gerard Schwarz to name two. Oklahoma is not just a bunch of Okies wearing cowboy hats and listening to country/western music with a mouthful of Skoal. It’s a very civilized, sane place. With lots of cowboys…nothing wrong with that!
People in Tulsa OK don’t really want to see Opera? Now there’s a surprise.
Decades of condemning European Culture and Western Civilization has seriously dampened demand. Not surprisingly.
Absolutely ludicrous analysis.
Tulsa Opera is in this position because it has been poorly managed for a while. Hopefully the right management will right the ship. There’s nothing wrong with opera or with Tulsa. That company has been there for 80 years, has done great work, and will again.