Opera America

Examining The LA Opera’s Pilot Program To Put Opera Into Popular Media Culture Part 2

Tuesday, January 7th, 2020 by Drew McManus

Over the 2014/15 and 2015/16 seasons, the Los Angeles (LA) Opera implemented a program to promote opera to the general public by placing opera and opera-related stories and images in popular television, film, and other entertainment media. The program came about thanks to an Opera America’s Building Opera Audiences grant. Part 1 in this series examined the program’s scope and implementation and today’s installment will focus on what the LA Opera …

Examining The LA Opera’s Pilot Program To Put Opera Into Popular Media Culture Part 1

Monday, January 6th, 2020 by Drew McManus

In 2014, I served as an adjudicator for an Opera America grant panel. One of the grant recipients was the Los Angeles (LA) Opera, which used the funding to initiate a pilot program to put opera into popular media culture. At the time, it was an ambitious and intriguing program. Here’s how the organization described the program in their grant proposal: LA Opera seeks to pilot a program to more heavily …

A Positive Message About Change And Adversity

Wednesday, May 21st, 2014 by Drew McManus

On 5/20/2014, Opera America (OA) published a statement about the San Diego Opera and related issues as they apply to the opera field. The statement acknowledges the difficulties opera organizations have been experiencing since the economic downturn but unlike similar efforts (remember Red Alert?) it conveys a meaningful upbeat message that doesn’t fall prey to self-deceiving, Pollyannaish nonsense. For instance, OA doesn’t mince words when it comes to difficulties: But instead …

Declassified

Wednesday, April 30th, 2014 by Drew McManus

It isn’t often that I get to talk about some of my more clandestine projects but today is a happy exception; in particular, this project covered the trio of days I was away earlier this month in New York City. And now that Opera America (OA) has announced their Building Opera Audiences Grants recipients, it is safe to mention that I had the honor of serving on the grant panel. Without …

A New Voice Emerges In The San Diego Opera Saga

Friday, June 29th, 2018Thursday, April 17th, 2014 by Drew McManus

The 4/15/2014 edition of The San Diego Union-Tribune published an article by Pam Kragen that examines recent developments at the San Diego Opera (SDO). Of particular interest is news of a new voice in the discussion that may be just what the situation needs to embrace a new plan capable of keeping the company going. Worth noting is the introduction of Opera America (OA), the national service organization for opera, into …

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