ARTICLE FROM OPERA AMERICA
Opera America
Summer 2009
Universities and conservatories play an important role in today’s opera industry. In addition to offering specialized training for performing artists and other opera professionals, many have developed synergistic relationships with nearby opera companies. These collaborations vary from city to city, and can offer a range of benefits.
Mississippi Opera (Jackson, MS) and the University of Southern Mississippi (Hattiesburg, MS) have developed a different strategy for getting more bang from their producing buck. Maryann Kyle, who is director of the university’s Southern Opera and Music Theatre, was looking for a way to improve production quality and create opportunities for her students. “Our production resources are less than spectacular, but our singers and orchestra are really strong.” Kyle, who has sung several roles with Mississippi Opera, invited Mississippi Opera Artistic Director Alan Mann to hear her students in audition, after which the two agreed to move forward with a joint production of La traviata — as a trial. Mississippi Opera hired guest artists for leading roles; university students were invited to audition for smaller roles and to join with the Mississippi Opera chorus for the production. Costs were shared equally between the two organizations.
The experiment was a success, and the organizations have now produced three operas together, with performances in both Hattiesburg and Jackson. In addition to providing opportunities for the students, the initiative has helped build opera audiences in both locations. “Because of the quality of the singers and the production, we’re able to bring in a more well-rounded audience,” says Kyle. “And in Jackson, the students attract a ticket base of parents and friends.” The university also benefits from having Mississippi Opera guest artists in residence as they prepare for the production. “In addition to rehearsing for the opera, they are available to give a masterclass or an acting workshop,” says Kyle.
“Contributors look really favorably on the collaboration,” says Elizabeth Buyan, executive director of Mississippi Opera, who notes that alumni in and around Jackson are particularly interested in how the organizations work together. “You find more and more these days that people want to support educational opportunities. Every time one of those students goes to an audition for graduate school or an apprentice program, they have a role with Mississippi Opera on their resume. It is just huge for them. They get to perform on stage with professionals. It’s not like a university production, where they have three months to rehearse an opera. They have to show up prepared and get it staged in our three-week schedule.
The Marriage of Figaro