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Houston Chronicle: Houston Grand Opera announced the next phase of its ambitious fundraising campaign, as well as new programming initiatives including several world premieres, in a gala presentation Monday at Wortham Theater Center.
Though this article frames Houston Opera's fundraising campaign in a good light, I think there is a bit more going on beneath the surface. First, the amount of money they are talking about is really not THAT much- about $165 million dollars over the course of seven years. It's a lot for an opera company, but not a super duper surprising or previously unthinkable amount. Second, I look at some of the new announcements and believe that many of them are positive, energetic spins on cost saving measures. Producing World Premieres can be cheaper because you don't need a big star to make them interesting (and big stars in Opera are expensive), and less well-known operas can be done in much the same way. It also mentions more mainstream musicals and christmas shows, which are clear money makers. I think it is very bold of them, and am excited to see what they do with them, but this article can be a bit misleading. All of that being said, taking on the Ring Cycle is no small feat, so maybe that's where all that money will go.
This article seems to skate lightly over a lot of heavier topics. It is, of course, wonderful to hear of a theater's ongoing successes and their upcoming season sounds delightful. But what exactly is all this money needed for? It seems they are doing quite well, so why the urgent fundraising? I would like to hear more about the opera company's plans for the future and where all this money is being funneled to. I congratulate them on their fundraising abilities, but it would just be nice to know what it is all for.
2 comments:
Though this article frames Houston Opera's fundraising campaign in a good light, I think there is a bit more going on beneath the surface. First, the amount of money they are talking about is really not THAT much- about $165 million dollars over the course of seven years. It's a lot for an opera company, but not a super duper surprising or previously unthinkable amount. Second, I look at some of the new announcements and believe that many of them are positive, energetic spins on cost saving measures. Producing World Premieres can be cheaper because you don't need a big star to make them interesting (and big stars in Opera are expensive), and less well-known operas can be done in much the same way. It also mentions more mainstream musicals and christmas shows, which are clear money makers. I think it is very bold of them, and am excited to see what they do with them, but this article can be a bit misleading. All of that being said, taking on the Ring Cycle is no small feat, so maybe that's where all that money will go.
This article seems to skate lightly over a lot of heavier topics. It is, of course, wonderful to hear of a theater's ongoing successes and their upcoming season sounds delightful. But what exactly is all this money needed for? It seems they are doing quite well, so why the urgent fundraising? I would like to hear more about the opera company's plans for the future and where all this money is being funneled to. I congratulate them on their fundraising abilities, but it would just be nice to know what it is all for.
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