Statistics from the Cincinnati Opera’s 2001 season are in, and the news is very good. A robust 4,443 subscriptions gave the company its second highest subscription rate ever, totaling 70 percent of Music Hall capacity. Approximately 30,504 people came through the doors over the Opera’s 10 performances this summer. Subscriber retention continues to be favorable. Ticket income broke company records. The Community Open Dress Rehearsal of Madame Butterfly and accompanying public celebration in Washington Park drew enthusiastic crowds.
The numbers — no matter how impressive — tell only part of Cincinnati Opera’s story. The real news is that Artistic Director Nicholas Muni is offering new things to Music Hall audiences.
By mixing abstract stage productions of lesser-known works (Bela Bartók’s Bluebeard’s Castle and Arnold Schoenberg’s Erwartung) with modern stagings of audience favorites (The Magic Flute and Francesca Zambello’s stark production of Madame Butterfly) and introducing new vocal talents to local audiences (Chinese soprano Chen Sue as Butterfly‘s Cio-Cio San), Muni has made Cincinnati Opera exciting and financially robust. More importantly, he’s proven that creative risk can steadily win the devotion of Cincinnati audiences.
In a summer when Cincinnati lost much of its tourism luster due to racial strife and high crime, the Cincinnati Opera continued to draw people to Music Hall and served as a much-needed source of civic pride.
“We were also very pleased by the diversity and youth of our audience, especially on the Friday performances of Butterfly and Flute, as well as the strong attendance at our Community Open Dress Rehearsal event, which could have been easy for people to skip because it’s free,” Muni says. “These are all positive signs that support for the Opera crosses many age, race, ethnic and socioeconomic levels — which is extremely important to us.”
As is frequently the case when an arts organization heads in a new direction, Muni and Cincinnati Opera have their share of detractors. The 2000 season boasted a 73 percent subscriber base, and this season fell off that record. Technical difficulties marred this year’s production of Nabucco, and stagehand Kyle Stevie was injured during a scene change in Act III when his arm was caught in a hydraulic lift. Some of Erwartung‘s avant-garde stage effects went unseen by the majority of the Music Hall crowd. It’s clear that Muni is still learning what works well at the cavernous facility.
Still, the fact that Nabucco played to two sold-out houses proves experimentation can work in Cincinnati. The arrival of critics from Opera and Opera Now magazines to review the Magic Flute/Nabucco festival weekend confirms that Cincinnati Opera is beginning to receive some outside attention. We can all hope the hometown spotlight will also burn brighter.
What Cincinnati Opera brings to a distressed Queen City goes beyond attendance numbers. The summer opera season has become a festival of inspiration.
Local performance artists are inspired by the fact that abstract productions can attract good crowds. Other arts institutions are inspired to push their own programming boundaries. City leaders are inspired by the realization that the arts are capable of invigorating a battered and neglected neighborhood like Over-the-Rhine. More importantly, Music Hall audiences are realizing that opera can be new, progressive and challenging.
Cincinnati Opera elevates the local arts community with its willingness to push creative boundaries. If political leaders rally around the company, as they have around the arts in Indianapolis, I believe that future summer opera seasons would impact the entire city.
The hit Broadway musical The Producers has invigorated New York City with additional excitement. San Francisco is abuzz over the announcement that Pamela Rosenberg will take over as general director at San Francisco Opera. In Cincinnati, the summer opera has the potential to generate a similar buzz.
“Our goal is to transform Cincinnati Opera from a top-notch regional company into a unique and nationally recognized summer festival that’s an indispensable part of the Greater Cincinnati community and beyond,” Muni says. “If we are successful in achieving this vision, we certainly hope that Cincinnati Opera will be a defining summer cultural event for our city.”
This article appears in Aug 1-7, 2001.