OPERA America Announces Making Opera Matter Opera Conference 4/29-5/2

OPERA America, the national service organization for opera, announces details of Opera Conference 2009: Making Opera Matter, to be held in Houston, Texas from April 29 to May 2. Co-hosted by Houston Grand Opera, this largest gathering of opera professionals in North America will convene at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in the heart of Houston's business and entertainment districts.

OPERA America's annual conference presents a unique opportunity, particularly in the current economic environment, for the field's leaders to examine the vital issues affecting the opera community today. In addition to collaborative workshops, conference attendees may anticipate a compelling keynote address by Alex Ross, and open and general sessions led by industry experts.

"Opera Conference 2009 will provide attendees with fresh perspectives, meaningful information and timely solutions to help them navigate through these uncertain times," stated OPERA America President & CEO Marc A. Scorca. "Through the theme, ‘Making Opera Matter,' conference attendees will explore and seek to define opera's place within the dynamic cultural, social and artistic landscape of North America today."

Houston is a vibrant, dynamic city full of opportunity and diversity. The conference location, in the downtown Theater District, is at the heart of the city's urban renaissance. Host to more than 200 cultural, visual and professional performing arts organizations, including Houston Grand Opera and Opera in the Heights, the district brings the best of international, national and regional entertainment to the stages of Houston.

Opera Conference 2009 Highlights

Keynote Address

Alex Ross, music critic at The New Yorker and best-selling author of The Rest is Noise, will officially open Opera Conference 2009 with the keynote address.

Sessions and Seminars

Two general sessions, Navigating Changing Times and Making Opera Matter in Public Policy, bring together the entire conference constituency to explore topics that affect all aspects of the opera field.

Twenty-one open sessions will be offered during the course of Opera Conference 2009 that address the needs of staff and trustees in the areas of artistic and artist training, management, development, finance, marketing, public relations and technical/production. Session titles include How Corporations and Foundations Make Decisions in a Down Economy, Commissioning Opera That Matters, Fostering Non-Traditional Production Partnerships, Maximizing Your Board's Potential, Extending your Marketing Reach and Budget with Partnerships and Simulcasting to a Neighborhood Near You.

Full-day, intensive seminars on Governance, Donor Cultivation & Stewardship and Electronic Media have been crafted to provide expert advice and tools to help organizations and individuals thrive in these vital areas.

The New Works Sampler on Wednesday, April 29 provides a unique opportunity to witness the leading edge of opera creation. Rice University and University of Houston students perform excerpts from Before Night Falls (composer: Jorge Martin, librettists: Jorge Martin/Dolores M. Koch); Lillian Alling (composer: John Estacio, librettist: John Murrell); Review: A Satire, an Opera, a Party (composer: Jeremy Beck, librettist: Patricia Marx); Séance on a Wet Afternoon (composer and librettist: Stephen Schwartz); and Transit of Venus (composer: Victor Davies, librettist: Maureen Hunter).

OPERA America is delighted to celebrate the first year of The Opera Fund's Director-Designer Showcase. As part of a continuing effort to foster emerging opera artists, four teams of promising stage directors and designers will present their winning production concepts for four North American operas. For information on the Director-Designer Showcase Finalists, please visit http://www.operaamerica.org/Content/Archive/PressReleases/2008/12192008.aspx.

Attendees will explore the conference theme, Making Opera Matter, by going on location with HGOco, an initiative to reposition Houston Grand Opera as a significant cultural resource for the greater Houston community. Through performances, a panel discussion and roundtable sessions featuring prominent collaborators and community leaders, this session will offer a new model for community engagement. Multicultural Education and Counseling through the Arts (MECA) and Houston Grand Opera will host this session at the Dow School, MECA's home.

World Premiere: Brief Encounter

On Friday, May 1, Houston Grand Opera presents the world premiere of Brief Encounter by André Previn and John Caird, based on David Lean's classic 1945 film adaptation of the play Still Life by Noël Coward. An honest and compassionate look at emotional infidelity, Brief Encounter stars Elizabeth Futral and Nathan Gunn as Laura and Alec, the couple torn between love and honor, and Kim Josephson as Laura's bewildered husband; Patrick Summers conducts. Brief Encounter was commissioned by Houston Grand Opera.

For more information on Opera Conference 2009, including a detailed schedule of events, please visit the conference Web site at www.operaamerica.org/conference.

OPERA America gratefully acknowledges the support of the following Opera Conference 2009 sponsors: Arts Consulting Group, Inc.; Classictic.com; DCM, Telemarketing and Telefundraising for the Arts; Fisher Dachs Associates (FDA); Houston Grand Opera; Schuler Shook and Target Resource Group (TRG).

 

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