I tend to be the person who does not want to make small talk on a plane. I either want to eat my sandwich, do my Sudoku or simply fall asleep (or at least pretend to be sleeping so I don’t have to chit-chat about where I am going.) A friend recently told me that I should invest in a hat that says: Ask me about Jesus and also sport a t-shirt that says: Ask me about the devil. This would surely keep the “talkers” away and allow for some puzzle-solving, sandwich-eating peace.
So today, as I flew back to New York after singing for the opening of a new Hilton in Columbus and the last performance of the fall run of La Boheme for Opera Columbus, I encountered two talkers who wanted to know the usual. They seemed nice enough so I engaged them in conversation (doing more than my usual answer of questions in short spurts without returning the favor by inquiring about them.) I asked what they were doing and we chatted for several minutes about their kids, their travels and the like. When it got to my career, they seemed very impressed that I was an opera singer. They were very sweet. I realized that perhaps, I don’t have to be a sour puss and could actually be a charming, kind person. Just then the guy behind me tapped me on the shoulder and handed me a card. He turned out to be someone who worked in opera and handed me his card.
I started thinking that many times in life, we just stay to ourselves. We connect more with our phones and puzzles and in my case, food and forget that there is life happening all around us. My new roommate and I were talking about this phenomenon. She told me of something she heard recently where a girlfriend of hers mentioned that “...we are no longing going on line, but we are online.” We’ve become so engrossed in our own selves either through technology or books or other means and don’t realize that the art of talking/connecting with people face-to-face is a dying art.
So the moral of this tale is that through connecting with people, anything can happen. Had I remained quiet, I would have never learned anything about these lovely people or been given an opportunity that was literally sitting there waiting for me. So the next time you want to accomplish something, don’t just open up your laptop, open your eyes as the opportunity might be sitting next to you in the form of a stranger on a plane.
Peace,
Eric
Wednesday, November 21, 2012
Saturday, November 3, 2012
Opera: fresh, new and served up in an hour
I am in the midst of performances of an updated 1-hour version of La Bohème in English. The purpose of these performances is two-fold: 1) Opera Columbus is looking to reinvent itself and 2) Opera Columbus is looking to find a way to introduce people to opera in a streamlined, digestible and modern way.
This idea of taking a traditional opera and bringing it into an intimate setting is catching fire all over the country and many opera companies are redoing the classics stripping away the distance and bringing the opera closer to its (hopefully new) audience. I have always believed that for opera to survive it had to go two ways, more grandeur so as to compete with the likes of movies and music and also more intimate to make the entire experience less intimidating. The Met and other large companies have the resources to take care of the granduer, but smaller companies have had to find ways to bring operatic experiences to audiences on a smaller (and cheaper) scale. And like introducing someone to any new art form, education has to be the FIRST step. (Gets off of soapbox.)
In truth, there are people who might see an opera, but the perception of opera is skewed with visions of ladies in horns and large men with handkerchiefs (still.) On the flip side, people see Katherine Jenkins, Josh Groban and Andrea Boccelli and assume that they are top-tier opera singers and if they’ve attended one of their concerts then they feel as though they have experienced “opera.” This, of course, can make it tough to enlighten people about the reality of opera. But I see opera companies (new and old) becoming incredibly aggressive about connecting to audiences by offering something new and fresh alongside the traditional. It is breathing new life into the artform. Bringing people to the theater whether to see an hour-long intimate production in English or that same opera in its original grandeur, one must make it relatable.
There are purists who wish that people would just love opera as it is, but I had a revelation about why opera is a challenge for modern society: we live in a world where we can access information (and answers) at the drop of a hat. We are also living in a highly digital age. Opera demands that we listen and concentrate for an extended period of time. It also requires a certain level of critical thinking regarding what to listen for, how to process the story line and give one’s self over to the conventions of opera.
So, I am excited about this hour-long production meant to entice people to "try” opera. It allows people to experience the beauty of the operatic voice in a production that surrounds and envelops. It also has an immediacy that removes the language and distance barriers. Should every company do every opera this way? No. But should companies looking to draw people to an artform that spans hundreds of years find additional and creative ways to introduce it so that people will be more likely to attend a full-scale production? Yes!
Peace,
Eric
This idea of taking a traditional opera and bringing it into an intimate setting is catching fire all over the country and many opera companies are redoing the classics stripping away the distance and bringing the opera closer to its (hopefully new) audience. I have always believed that for opera to survive it had to go two ways, more grandeur so as to compete with the likes of movies and music and also more intimate to make the entire experience less intimidating. The Met and other large companies have the resources to take care of the granduer, but smaller companies have had to find ways to bring operatic experiences to audiences on a smaller (and cheaper) scale. And like introducing someone to any new art form, education has to be the FIRST step. (Gets off of soapbox.)
In truth, there are people who might see an opera, but the perception of opera is skewed with visions of ladies in horns and large men with handkerchiefs (still.) On the flip side, people see Katherine Jenkins, Josh Groban and Andrea Boccelli and assume that they are top-tier opera singers and if they’ve attended one of their concerts then they feel as though they have experienced “opera.” This, of course, can make it tough to enlighten people about the reality of opera. But I see opera companies (new and old) becoming incredibly aggressive about connecting to audiences by offering something new and fresh alongside the traditional. It is breathing new life into the artform. Bringing people to the theater whether to see an hour-long intimate production in English or that same opera in its original grandeur, one must make it relatable.
There are purists who wish that people would just love opera as it is, but I had a revelation about why opera is a challenge for modern society: we live in a world where we can access information (and answers) at the drop of a hat. We are also living in a highly digital age. Opera demands that we listen and concentrate for an extended period of time. It also requires a certain level of critical thinking regarding what to listen for, how to process the story line and give one’s self over to the conventions of opera.
So, I am excited about this hour-long production meant to entice people to "try” opera. It allows people to experience the beauty of the operatic voice in a production that surrounds and envelops. It also has an immediacy that removes the language and distance barriers. Should every company do every opera this way? No. But should companies looking to draw people to an artform that spans hundreds of years find additional and creative ways to introduce it so that people will be more likely to attend a full-scale production? Yes!
Peace,
Eric
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