San Antonio is currently experiencing what art patrons have waited for decades to happen: A renewal of excitement in the arts community. One only has to open an event calendar to see that there is now something happening for almost every taste. It is obvious that the increasing population of the city is turning this engine of excitement. Perhaps this is also an indicator of our college graduates wanting to remain and work in San Antonio, instead of fleeing to more hip places of residence. Tobin Center for the Performing Arts The face of the performing arts has been one of change and growth these past few years. With the Tobin Center for the Performing Arts preparing to open in September 2014, San Antonio will finally have an acoustically special place for our fantastic San Antonio Symphony and newly formed The Opera San Antonio, which promises to produce world-class grand opera here. Certainly, there is an audience for grand opera, mostly built from the regionally acclaimed performances for 16 seasons by the now closed San Antonio Opera that I founded and served as general and artistic manager from 1997 to 2011. The organization was forced to file for bankruptcy the following year. Read more here: “Opera in San Antonio Takes the Stage Once Again.” Opera Piccola of San Antonio, which I founded last year and serve as general and artistic director, has in its opening and current seasons produced four fully staged professional operas, two concerts and an opera tour to surrounding cities, including Uvalde, New Braunfels and Fredericksburg in collaboration with Texas Hill Country Opera & Arts. Much different than what opera patrons are accustomed to seeing, Opera Piccola provides an intimate opera experience. This nonprofit performing arts organization seeks to produce chamber opera, or smaller works that can be performed in places where the audience really feels they are a part of the drama on stage. The company has recently announced its 2013-2104 season at the Charline McCombs Empire Theatre. Opera Piccola should not be construed as competition for the The Opera San Antonio, which has announced its first production in 2015 at The Tobin Center; quite the contrary, Opera Piccola wishes to support and collaborate in any way possible. What is Chamber Opera? There is a wave of change occurring, mostly in the U.S., but certainly also in European countries. The post-recession diminishment of many major opera companies has birthed a slew of smaller, intimate chamber opera companies. Grand opera will always possess a stronghold on the wonderful art form, but these new companies are attracting the younger generations of supporters by offering innovative and contemporary stagings of established opera, sometimes performed in non-traditional venues. Mark Richter A rendering of The Tobin Center for the Performing Arts, set to open in Fall 2014.
Posted on: Tue, 25 Mar 2014 21:50:49 +0000
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