Jerome Socolof

“It’s a bunch of people in horns singing in languages I don’t understand for longer than I want to listen.”

Posted by Jerome Socolof, Apr 18, 2014 0 comments


Jerome Socolof

Jerome Socolof Jerome Socolof

“It’s a bunch of people in horns singing in languages I don’t understand for longer than I want to listen.” Whose brilliant summation of opera is this? Why, that would be mine, circa 2003. It was, admittedly, an ill-informed viewpoint, one underpinned by the misperceptions of elitism and grandiosity in opera that many people hold, but I was only 17 at the time. After becoming a music major, and thanks largely to the tireless work of a few professors, I was soon sliding down the slippery slope to being in love with opera. After realizing that I lacked the voice and single-minded dedication to be a professional performer of opera, I knew that I had to be an administrator so that I could stay involved. 10 years, three college degrees, and a few shifts in the cultural landscape later, I still feel the same way.

It didn’t take too long outside of the college setting, however, to notice that I was a bit of an aberration. In college, I was surrounded by many other young people who loved opera as much as I did. In the “real world,” I was not. In its summary report on the 2012 Survey of Public Participation in the Arts, the NEA notes that only 2.1% of American adults attended an opera performance in the last year, and only 0.3% performed opera, both representing low points in a steady decline that has been going on for the last 20 years. The 2008 SPPA (the last for which a full report is available) shows that, in addition to being small, the segment of the population is overwhelmingly white (82.3%), middle-aged or older (78.7% are 35 or older), and upper middle class (72% have annual household incomes exceeding $50,000). The same data show that opera attendance rates have a direct relationship to income and education level, likely contributing to the elitist image that plagues the art form.

Why do we need visionary ideas, leaders, and models? Because the current state of opera audiences is not one that can sustain the art form. The United States is increasingly diverse—racially, ethnically, and socioeconomically. The recent high-profile closures of New York City Opera and San Diego Opera point to the extent to which even the most established companies cannot escape a changing landscape. This may sound a little doom-and-gloom, and it might be, to a certain extent. Just like opera, reality isn’t always rosy. But, also like opera, there is a good chance that it has a happy ending.

Why do we need visionary ideas, leaders, and models? Because this is actually the time when things can get the most exciting! One can already see hints of the payoff from such vision popping up. Companies both large (Florida Grand Opera, with its “Unexpected Operas in Unexpected Places” initiative) and small (Gotham Chamber Opera, with performances at Hayden Planetarium, (le) poisson  rouge, and the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, amongst others) are finding success in breaking away from often intimidating  performance spaces, even if only part of the time. Social media is allowing companies, singers, directors, and others to make opera a constantly engaging part of their followers’ lives. Even the biggest of the big (and, arguably, the source of opera’s elitist image in America), the Metropolitan Opera, has made moves to make opera accessible to new and broader audiences with cheap ticket options and its Live in HD broadcasts.

Why do we need visionary ideas, leaders, and models? Because opera needs to be able to survive and thrive everywhere if it is going to survive and thrive anywhere. Even here in Charlottesville, VA, we are finding new and interesting ways to get everyone in on the fun (the city, as a whole, is doing the same through the creation of a cultural plan, the subject of a blog post last year). Ash Lawn Opera has an audience that, according to our own research, is even older and more affluent than the general American opera audience. To help diversify our patron base, our current General Director has lead efforts to engage the city’s minority communities and better serve lower income children through our education programs. We have created a group, BRAVO, devoted specifically to serving the opera needs of young opera lovers. And, as the staff member charged with overseeing the company’s social media presence, I am working with a group of students at Rider University to overhaul how we utilize social media to interact with a broader and younger patron base. Our viability as an opera company is tied to our ability to engage this entire community.

Why do we need visionary ideas, leaders, and models? Because if we as a company, and opera as an art form, are to thrive, then we need to make sure that every person, of every age, race, and station, knows that opera is for them. We need these ideas, approaches, and people so that, as we confront new problems, we can find new, inclusive solutions. We’re taking small steps, but we’re getting there.

Interested in hearing more about the future of the arts from emerging arts leaders? Check out our preconference session on Arts Leadership at this year’s Annual Convention in Nashville, TN.

This Emerging Leaders Blog Salon on Charting the Future is generously sponsored by Patron Technology

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