Wolf Trap Opera

Thanks to our Best Opera Recording nomination for Volpone, we were in the slightly surreal and truly wonderful position of being able to attend last Sunday’s GRAMMY festivities in LA, and I’d be remiss if I didn’t file some sort of report.  So…

Wolfie Goes to LA!

80% of Success…

Yes, the classical music industry is marginalized, along with over 90% of the rest of the GRAMMY categories.  We joined our colleagues in jazz, R&B, country, world music and many other genres at the pre-telecast ceremony on Sunday afternoon.  Some of the bigger pop music names who were prepping for the evening telecast were unavoidably absent in the afternoon, but some of them (Taylor Swift, most notably) managed to make an appearance. 

And yes, it was Woody Allen who said that “80% of success is just showing up.”  In such a scenario, we probably would’ve taken home the statue, for almost none of the other classical music nominees were there.  The winners sure weren’t.  It’s no secret that our part of the industry has a complicated relationship with the GRAMMYs, though.  We decided to attend because it really was an honor for us to be nominated, and we wanted to acknowledge that.  (And we figured there was a once-in-a-lifetime kind of experience to be had in the process )  But after seeing how alone we were, we figured that the whole thing should work on a “must-be-present-to-win” premise, kind of like a door prize.  That way, if those folks from London and the Mariinsky and the Hague and the Netherlands couldn’t show up, we’d get lucky!

And I Thought We Were a Niche Market…

It’s amazing (even for someone like me who works for a presenting organization that covers many many genres) how many different kinds of music there are out there.  Electronica, gospel, alternative, R&B, rap, country, new age, jazz, Latin, Americana, traditional folk, Hawaiian, Native American, children’s music, reggae, zydeco and more.  And the long tail is growing every day, even as the public face of the GRAMMYs (via the telecast) gets more and more mainstream.

Pink as Deus Ex Macchina

Speaking of the telecast, I thought that Pink’s performance felt a lot like the early days of opera must have.  The atmosphere at the Staples Center that night bore a lot of similarities to what we know of 18th-century opera.  Lots of people socializing during the boring parts, only paying attention when the famous acts are on stage, watching highly sexualized performances by big name stars, some of which fly in from the sky and make the audience gasp.  Sadly, the GRAMMY folks don’t agree, because the two tips of the hat given to opera that night were in the form of a stereotype-reinforcing setup to the rap number and a weird presenting assignment to Placido.

Behind… er… Above the Scenes
or
In the Gallery with No Peanuts

Attending as representatives of the record label (Wolf Trap Recordings), we were lowest of the low on the totem pole.  We sat in the nosebleed section of the arena, which had its pros and cons.

On the plus side, we had a bird’s-eye view of scene shifts and changeovers (during the commercial breaks), and it was comforting in a Schadenfreude sort of way to see that the big boys screw things up occasionally, too.

On the other hand, if you have to sit for 7.5 hours of ceremonies with only one 30-minute break (1:00-4:15 and 4:45-8:30), someone should at least be going up and down the aisles with peanuts and hot dogs…

While It Was Snowing Back Home…

…we enjoyed the always-generous hospitality of friends in Malibu, with long walks on the beach in sunny 70-degree skies.

And now that our 15 minutes of fame are over, we’re back at our desks, getting ready to announce our summer season next week – see you then!

We have the great privilege of going to LA for the GRAMMYs this weekend!  The Volpone recording nomination (one of 5 in the category of Best Opera Recording) meant that Wolf Trap, as the record label, was able to get a few tickets for the ceremonies.  (GRAMMYs are for artists on the recording, and even though we commissioned and premiered this work, then produced and distributed it on our label, we’re sort of just hangers-on:))  So we’re going to go and celebrate.  We’re not particularly good at strutting our stuff (we tend to fly under the radar and plug along), but we shall try!

I’ve always thought that the words “It was just an honor to be nominated” were 1) a way of being gracious when you won or 2) an attempt at not feeling bad because you lost.  But I am here before you now to witness that it is possible to say it and mean it.

I am proud to bursting of our little company and our maiden voyage in the recording world.  And I think that it’s amazing – almost inconceivable, actually – that we did it so well on a wing, a prayer, and very little money.  But at the same time, I don’t think there’s even a remote chance that we will win.  (In case you don’t already know, I am the Queen of Low Expectations.  It’s a way of life and a title I bear proudly.)

Yes, we did good.  But to believe that we bested the LSO, or Ian Bostridge & Nathan Gunn, or Valery Gergiev, or the Hague Philharmonic etc etc, well, that’s more hubris than I can typically muster. 

But see, the thing is that it really doesn’t matter. The recognition that comes from this nomination will pay off in so many ways, and I intend to celebrate that.  I want to go to LA and be so proud that someone somewhere thought we belonged with the big boys.  I want to celebrate that we didn’t give up on the idiotically rocky road to completion of this project.  There shall be people-watching and beach-walking and general jubilation.

So there.

January is WTOC Alumni Month

Oh, and just in case you were wondering, 2 of the other 4 nominees in our category feature Wolf Trap alumni (Nathan Gunn, Billy Budd; Charles Workman, Marco Polo)!

I sat for an interview last week, and a typical question came up: “What was the biggest challenge you’ve faced so far in your career?”

How coincidental that this interview came right after our recent oh-so-sweet GRAMMY news. For the fight for this Volpone recording was probably the biggest hurdle I’ve had to clear, at least in recent memory.

I tend to live a lot in the future, not so much in the past. (And not nearly enough in the present, but that’s another st0ry.) So I took a walk down memory lane, breaking open the huge files that documented the road to this project. And it was amazing exactly how much of the trauma I had suppressed.

So very much of it was, as my social networking friends will say, unbloggable. But here’s a little bit of it that wasn’t (you can link to the posts or just read the excerpts):

Mixed with the excitement of company arrivals are notes of frustration and regret.

Our much-anticipated upcoming recording of Volpone is not to be. This is not the place to spin out all of the confusing and irritating details, but… there’s no nationally approved recording agreement whose conditions our company meets, and the local doesn’t have the ability to negotiate individual agreements with organizations….

The bottom line is that we’ve run out of time. We had so wanted to get this terrific piece out there in circulation, and it’s tough to walk away from it. For now, the goal is to sort all of this out after the season so that when our next new fabulous operatic comedy hits the stage, we’ll be ready to capture and share it.

As of 4 hours ago, we now have the raw material for a commercial live recording of Volpone. And this has been possibly the most frustrating and confounding journey of my professional life thus far.

The recording project was launched and canceled more times than I can count. The path to today was littered with obstacles, aborted attempts, misinformation and misunderstandings. But it also included generous colleagues, helpful advice, supportive coworkers and bosses, and a learning curve that was so fierce that it demanded to be conquered.

I intend to articulate that process here in the blog. It’s critical that other small organizations have the chance to learn from our mistakes and our successes. Very little of this journey is private or confidential, and there are no real villains.

Since that time, we also worked through the difficult decision about whether to use a large label for distribution, or to release it ourselves. It took a lot of internal effort to get this opera out on the Wolf Trap Recordings label, but we’re so glad we did. It was a labor of love, and as is usually the case in our industry, not one that anyone will ever make money on.

I’m normally not all about external validation. As a matter of fact, the same week that this recording was issued, we had some useful discussions about how artists must learn to handle criticism of all types. If you take this advice to heart, though, you must also learn not to immerse yourself too deeply in favorable reviews. Therefore, I usually blow off good notices as well as bad.

But this time, I’ll take it. The fight was too hard, and the implications for the future are too positive. For these fifteen minutes of what passes for fame in the opera world, we’re going to enjoy ourselves.

It’s been a bit of a wild ride over the last few days, as last week’s GRAMMY news eclipsed much of business as usual. We are working overtime to choose and cast next summer’s operas, and I haven’t forgotten my promise to post the list of most-offered arias during November’s audition tour. [UPDATE: These are up now - visit these links for Filene Young Artists and Studio Artists.]

However, there’s been much to absorb in these last few days. Before you read on, take 1 min. 33 seconds to watch and listen to this.

Even if you don’t think you like opera (or, for crying out loud, new opera…), do it.

Scrappy: our small opera company and tiny record label

Outrageous: the fact that we were nominated for a freakin’ GRAMMY…

It’s not as if I’m not proud of the WTOC. I have given it my blood, sweat and tears for the last 25 years. And I will hold us up against any arts organization in artistic integrity, work ethic, financial responsibility and innovative spirit. But our budget is small, our artists are at the beginnings of their careers, and we produce in a 375-seat theatre. We are in the presence of some amazing talent in our award category, and the whole thing seems a bit surreal.

Once the shock wore off (yes, John Musto called me on my cell phone at 10:45 pm Wednesday evening, and I thought he was punking me), a few things bubbled to the surface:

John is the only American composer nominated for this award. In the company of amazing composers, to be sure, but of British, French, Chinese and Russian heritage.

Volpone is the only 21st-century opera nominated. Others range from 1928 (The Nose) to 1996 (Marco Polo).

Wolf Trap is the only U.S. arts organization in this field, and Wolf Trap Recordings is the only American record label.

Oh, and Volpone is a truly awesome opera.

John Musto’s & Mark Campbell’s Volpone, recorded live at The Barns in 2007 and issued by Wolf Trap Recordings, has been nominated for a Grammy!

Buy it here, buy or download here; or download from iTunes!

First, the Fox. Big Daddy Fox Volpone.

Exactly two years ago tomorrow, our recording of Volpone was In the Can. As of last weekend, it is finally on my desk, available in the lobby at The Barns and on its way to CDBaby and iTunes! (Should be available online in a little under 2 weeks.)

It was a much thornier and confusing process than it had any right to be, and it almost foiled us multiple times. But we persevered and prevailed, and we are thrilled to get this marvelous comic opera out there where more people can hear it!

Good Things about Bad Reviews

Second, the critics.

In recent seasons we’ve generally escaped the disapproving glances of the media. Didn’t get off so easily this time, so today was an interesting day. I’ve written before about the challenge of handling reviews within a young artist company. One of the biggest hurdles is getting folks to ignore the coverage when it’s approving. It’s so seductive to read that a knowledgeable person loved your performance. But once you succumb to identifying with the critic’s assessment, you’re doomed to the same buy-in when (not if, but when) it turns south.

So, in the spirit of gratitude journals and other various list-making exercises, my five good things about bad reviews:

1. You don’t have to tear them down repeatedly from the dressing room corridor. Good reviews tend to get posted on walls and doors throughout the theatre by folks who want to share their pride in their production. But not everyone reads these things, and most people shouldn’t. So we search and destroy, even though they’re flattering. Bad notices don’t tend to get posted as frequently

2. Colleagues feel you need respectful silence. (To mourn or something…) These days tend to be quiet. Folks who would normally be hammering at us for information are giving us a wide berth. It’s weird, but I love it. Got a lot done today:)

3. Fans and supporters are galvanized! Emails and phone calls come in from folks who loved the show and are determined to let us (and, generally, the media) know about it. God love ‘em. I’m just happy to know that they had an enjoyable night in the theatre. That, and our continued efforts to serve the music and do our best work, are the most important things.

4. It has the potential to free you for the next performance. My worst work onstage (and in life, to tell the truth) comes when I am paralyzed by fear about what will happen if someone doesn’t like what I’m doing. Because it’s inevitable, you know. Once the worst happens, though, and the world continues to turn, an incredible sense of freedom can set in. And the next performance feels like flying.

5. They get you one step closer to embracing the only critics you should have. (Yourself, and those in the business you trust.) Not everything we do is flawless. Not every mistake we make is detected. And not everything we obsess about is wrong. The only way to continue to grow and to enjoy your journey as an artist is to be honest to yourself, to continue to seek out feedback from people who have your best interest at stake. Experience has shown me that many of the cringe-worthy things I’ve done have been soundly endorsed. And some of the most wonderful things I’ve been involved with have been savaged.

Let’s keep the conversation going. It’s part of the art form, and differences of opinion and perspective keep us all from getting too complacent. We’ll talk more about this some other day, but in the meantime, there’s more Mozart to enjoy. One more terrific performance tomorrow night!