The Love of Three Articles

I have shamelessly been absent from the blogosphere. I must admit to drowning a bit in grant applications and the Bloomington Early Music Festival's production of Monteverdi's "L'Orfeo". This is the 400th anniversary year of its premier in Mantua. It is the earliest opera still widely performed so this is the year for numerous performances, like Glimmerglass' entire Orpheus season (and after all that Mozart some Monteverdi is nice). I'm also preparing to teach the summer opera workshop at Indiana University, so it is a busy time.

I will make amends with several links each illustrating a different facet of the ideas recently running around in my head and about which I've been too busy to write extensively. This first one has to do with the financial situation of arts organizations (in this case in San Francisco). It makes the head swirl to look at all these numbers, but it certainly is informative. I would be silly to think that we are in the clear because of this recent grant. We are still seeking lots of funding for the coming season and beyond. 2008-2009 and 2009-2010 are shaping up to be big and exciting if we can back them up financially...there's always that isn't there?

This second one is related to my recent comments on the MET simulcasts. Apparently they are doing well commercially, more than any one anticipated. The meeting of opera as a genre with creative use of new media is really exciting. I look forward to finding ways for AOT to be a part of this beyond just this blog, our Youtube videos, and hopefully upcoming Podcasts. I think this picture sums it all up!

And this third one is related to my more recent post of new or rather not so new opera. With a composition background and as an avant-guard director (whatever that means) I have to admit I have a bias for art that pushes the boundaries of exploration and isn't nailed referentially to works of the past. That said, the most interesting piece described here sounds like the Zorn, not surprisingly the piece the reviewer seems to dislike the most (citing its lack of narrative...ah yes, that old song).

I hope these links will provide interesting reading and buy me some measure of forgivness for not writing more. They are all reflections of the ideas running a muck at AOT lately - from the most practical of financial concerns to the artistic issues in creating "new" work, with the developmental collision of opera and technology snuggled nicely in the middle.