Dr. von Lyric's "Curious and Amazing Cabinet of Musical Marvels and Miracles"

#1 A selection from Callas's Farewell London recital. Elegant (as usual), expressively poignant (always), and vocally problematic (sometimes). The striking black and white gown somehow seems emblematic of the sharp divisions, drastic ruptures, and stark controversies in her life and art that haunted and illuminated her fabulous journey.

# 2 Callas gave many fascinating interviews (candid, self-dramatizing, honest, and perhaps dramatically fabricated) but these, with the sympathetic but acute and knowledgeable British opera impresario Lord Harewood, are by a long shot the best! - Dr. von Lyric 

BUTTERFLY GOES to the MOVIES # 2

SAYONARA

1957 starring Marlon Brando, Miiko Taka, Miyoshi Umeki, Red Buttons

Directed by Joshua Logan - screenplay by Paul Osborn from the novel by James Michener

Commentary by BLO Artistic Advisor John Conklin

Hollywood attempts to deal with racism and prejudice, and from beneath the (not unexpectedly) glossy and often glib exterior at a somewhat leisurely pace, an often moving experience emerges. Marlon Brando is as usual almost hypnotically watchable, quiet yet commanding, relaxed but emitting coiled tension, witty, puckish yet deeply committed.

SAYONARA presents in a way two alternative endings to MADAMA BUTTERFLY

a ) Pinkerton and Butterfly get married and live happily-ever-after

or b) they both commit suicide

In a movie about corrosive Western prejudices towards Japanese culture filmed in Japan with Japanese actresses as the two leading women. Why would you cast Ricardo Montalban as a Kabuki actor? (It's Hollywood, Jake)

And then there's Brando own performance (in "yellowface") a year before in THE TEAHOUSE of the AUGUST MOON. Even here in very dubious (and controversial) circumstances you somehow can't take your eyes off him. Is he terrible, embarrassing, or great?

For an interesting and extensive layout of Hollywood's portrayal of East Asian culture, here's a wikipedia link (there seems to be an appropriate air of uneasy confusion and controversy about this article on the part of Wikipedia)

A View from the Crowd: Life in the BLO Chorus

A View from the Crowd: Life in the BLO Chorus is a new series we will bring to you each production. This is a firsthand glimpse of what it is like as a member of the BLO Chorus. Our first guest blogger is Soprano, Dana Schnitzer.

Not from BLO's Production

          "Madama Butterfly will be my second show as a part of the Boston Lyric Opera chorus. I had a blast in Macbeth last season, and I am honored to be returning for this season! On day one, I received a warm welcome from my singer colleagues, and had a chance to catch up with several of them before rehearsal over the tea and delicious snacks that were provided for us. The room was pre-set; the chairs and music stands inviting us to get to work. Chorusmaster Michelle Alexander, with whom I've worked both in the BLO setting as well as in private coachings, was extremely prepared and full of energy as usual. I had the pleasure of meeting coach/accompanist James Myers, who I've heard great things about. We all spoke through all of the text in rhythm before singing, which is always a good idea so as to perfect our Italian diction. Next, as we sang, our group of seasoned professionals made notes and corrections here and there, quickly pulling together the tricky choral sections of the opera. By the end of rehearsal, we sounded really good. I have to say, though, that humming chorus is TRICKY...especially humming on a high Bb, yikes!! In our second rehearsal we "presented our work" to Maestro Andrew Bizantz, and he was quite pleased with us. Maestro is hysterically funny and yet incredibly time efficient and clear with his directions. What I loved most were the specific reasons Maestro explained for making the musical choices that he did; this helped us to commit vocally and will undoubtedly help us commit dramatically onstage. We heard a bit from the principals last night, each one impeccably prepared and vocally perfect for their roles. I am very excited for what is sure to be a beautiful and exciting production!" -- Dana Schnitzer, Soprano

Dana Schnitzer, Soprano, has worked with numerous opera companies including Boston Lyric Opera and Opera Boston. Recent concert highlights include Vaughan Williams’s Sea Symphony with the Metropolitan Chorale and Beethoven's Mass in C at The Tanglewood Festival. Ms. Schnitzer has placed in numerous vocal competitions, and participated in several young artist programs including the Caramoor Bel Canto program, PORTopera and the Britten-Pears Programme in the UK. She holds a MM in Voice Performance from the New England Conservatory, and will complete her DMA at BU in 2013. She maintains a large private voice studio, is Founder/Artistic Director of MetroWest Opera, Assistant Director of the Metropolitan Chorale, and voice teacher/opera coordinator at the BU Tanglewood Institute.　

Pucciniana #3

In scouring the internet for fun and interesting Pucciniana I took a page out of my friend Dr. von Lyric's playbook and stopped over at YouTube. A French group called L'Opéra imaginaire created some interesting cartoon depictions of popular Puccini arias. Here we have one from Madama Butterfly and another from Tosca. Enjoy! - Amanda Villegas

Butterfly

Tosca



Pucciniana #2

In celebration of rehearsals for BLO's MADAMA BUTTERFLY, we continue our daily look at many various (VERY varied) aspects of Puccini and his works. I have been helped here by loans from the collection of my esteemed colleague Dr. von Lyric (who you know from his contributions to this very blog.) and the work of my co-editor for this series- Amanda Villegas . Enjoy!  - John Conklin

"They say that emotionalism is a sign of weakness, but I like to be weak" - Giacomo Puccini

Puccini - composer, celebrity, world traveler, uxorious husband, lover, serial adulterer, cosmopolitan sophisticate, country squire, yachtsman, gourmet, enormously successful international musical figure, caring friend, implacable enemy, raconteur, wit, and tortured artist.

Be sure to listen all the way to the end!


"Almighty God touched me with his little finger and told me to write for the theater - mind , only the theater." - Giacomo Puccini

"After the piano, my favorite instrument is the rifle" - Giacomo Puccini (on the pleasures of Torre del Lago)

"My life is a sea of sadness, and I am stuck with it" - Giacomo Puccini (after his nearly fatal motoring accident)

"People are sick now of my sugary music" -Giacomo Puccini (between the composition of Madama Butterfly and La Fanciulla del West)

"My opera will be given incomplete, and then someone will come on the stage and say to the public 'At this point thecomposer died.'" - Giacomo Puccini (in anticipation of the first night of TURANDOT)

Dr. von Lyric's "Curious and Amazing Cabinet of Musical Marvels and Miracles"

"This is a most trenchant and probing analytical study of the 19th century cult of the showman-pianist and a poignant and ominous deconstruction of the brutal perils and bruising violence coupled with the disturbing grace and hysterical delicacy latent in pianistic virtuosity."

"Encore! Encore!"

"We will be revisiting this genially brilliant anarchist in subsequent postings." - Dr. von Lyric

Pucciniana #1

Leading up to the Opening Night of Madama Butterfly, we bring you Pucciniana: A look at the world Puccini created and lived in. This is Pucciniana #1 come back each day for more fun!

Above is a video of Puccini playing piano and below a photograph of a very young Puccini.



Young Giacomo Puccini



BUTTERFLY GOES to the MOVIES # 1

"As the BLO production of MADAMA BUTTERFLY fast approaches (it goes into rehearsal today!) we will see many more blog entries connected to Puccini's great piece and our production of it. Today we start a weekly post entitled "Butterfly Goes to the Movies" in which we explore Hollywood's fascination with the tangled and dramatically ambiguous relationship (usually erotically charged between East and West and the complexities of Japan's culture (particularly with the almost obsession curiosity about the world of the geisha.)" - John Conklin, BLO Artistic Advisor

BUTTERFLY GOES to the MOVIES # 1

M BUTTERFLY (1993) directed by David Cronenberg with a screen play by David Henry Hwang based on his play of the same name. With Jeremy Irons and John Lone

"Only a man knows how a women is supposed to act" from "M Butterfly"

A compelling telling (somewhat fictionalized) of the incredible (but true)story of a French diplomat's infatuation with a Chinese opera performer. Believing (or deluding himself?) that Song Liling is a women, he carries on this obsessional affair for 20 years. From the NY Times review by Janet Maslin "...(the film) works best as a fascinatingly cold -blooded assessment of love...This Frenchman views Asians with such condescension that he is deeply gratified by the fantasy of a passive Asian lover. But when the love affair turns to bitterness and betrayal, Gallimard at last tells the unmasked Liling "You're nothing like my Butterfly" "Are you sure?" Liling asks. The film can be seen as a dark, unnerving exploration of that answer.

The film certainly has it's flaws(the pacing is often annoyingly slow, the tone often flat and distancing) but the lead performances are in the end mesmerizing and its direct connection to the themes, story and music of Puccini's opera make it particularly relevant for a viewing now.

'spoiler alert' - this is the shocking and violent (and moving) climactic scene of the film

An interview with the playwright in which he discuses the script's connection to the Puccini. In the DVD extras there is an interesting interview with David Cronenberg (This is in some ways a very untypical Cronenberg film- he is responsible for some of the most elegantly shocking, oddly witty, and truly scary "horror" films - "Dead Ringers", "Scanners", "The Fly")

Although not a very high quality video , in this scene from the Broadway production of the play as performed by John Lithgow and B J Wong on a Tony award broadcast, it is interesting to contrast Lithgow's rather brash, rather "American" take on the part with Iron's cool reserve . And the dialogue exchange has a very pointed connection to MADAMA BUTTERFLY.

Read more here on the "real" Gallimard

MADAMA BUTTERFLY - For Further Study (and Enjoyment!) - Books

There are many, many studies of Puccini's life and work and of BUTTERFLY itself . BLO Artistic Advisor John Conklin recommends a few to start off with...

Biography

PUCCINI - A BIOGRAPHY

by Mary Jane Phillips-Malz

Northwestern University Press Boston 2002

A personal, opinionated, persuasive, illuminating view of Puccini (by the author of the magisterial biography VERDI) Based on previously unexamined correspondence and interviews, it presents Puccini in the intriguing context of his operatically conceived life - his public triumphs (and failures) and his private failures (and triumphs)

GIACOMO PUCCINI
by Conrad Wilson
Phaidon Press London 1997 (20th Century Composers Series)

Well written and organized overview of both Puccini's controversial and often difficult personality and his still rather controversial place in the ranks of the very greatest opera composers. With many very interesting illustrations

PUCCINI WITHOUT EXCUSES (A REFRESHING REASSESSMENT OF THE WORLD's MOST POPULAR COMPOSER)

by William Berger

Vintage Books 2005

A very frustrating book - often appalingly glib and superficial, often surprising insightful and thought provoking . Take your pick.... maybe browsing through it calmly is the way to go? Or... throwing it across the room in a fit of justified annoyance.

Studies of the operas:

THE COMPLETE OPERAS of PUCCINI

by Charles Osborne

Da Capo Press 1982

THE OPERAS of PUCCINI

by William Ashbrook

Cornell University Press 1968

Both books present detailed essays and a broad survey of all of Puccini's operas (production history, musical analysis, etc) with good chapters on BUTTERFLY

PUCCINI HIS LIFE and WORKS

Julian Budden

Oxford University Press 2002

The best. In -depth scholarship, narrative pace , brilliant analytical insight, fascinating research ....but only to be expected from the author of the indispensable THE OPERAS OF VERDI

On BUTTERFLY

MADAMA BUTTERFLY

English National Opera Guides

editor: Nichols John

Riverrun Press NY 1984

Part of the excellent series from the ENO. Historical background and context , japonisme, a study of the extensive "tribulations" that the score went through, the text of the John Luther Long short story (fascinating reading), a musical thematic guide, the libretto in Italian and English....much to savor and ponder

STARCROSSED A BIOGRAPHY of MADAME BUTTERFLY

by Brian Burke-Gaffney

Eastbridge Books Norwalk Ct 2004

If you have time for only one BUTTERFLY read....I'd make it this A compelling study of the opera, its basis in history , the cultural conflicts of East and West, the "legend" of the "real" Butterfly, the role of Nagasaki itself in our Western culture, Japanese performers in the role of Cio-Cio San... etc...all in fascinating detail. Many rarely reproduced photographs.

MADAMA BUTTERFLY - For Further Study and Enjoyment! - Recording

Freni, Scotto, Tebaldi ,Price, de los Angeles ....many are the Butterfly's who in their various ways have broken our hearts, but to me there is none like Callas. The highly charged mature passions of Norma or Tosca or Medea are set aside and what we have here is miraculous presence of a fifteen year old child - a child who through the torment of the betrayal of an unwavering faith grows up... and kills herself.
Sweetness, innocence, depth, pathos, tragedy... the revelation of profound human truth... are all present.


John Ardoin in his valuable book on Callas's recordings ,THE CALLAS LEGACY , points out:

"Callas' voice seems a vessel which can be filled or drained to various levels of intensity at will. What controlled this flow was the text, for Callas when most moving, sang exactly on the word."

Yes, here, every word is considered - musically and dramatically, every nuance expressed and yet, in the accumulation of seemingly small details, the most complex, intriguing and profoundly stirring grand picture of a whole character emerges. Ardoin goes on "Of course, she as always was dependent on the amount of room a conductor gave her to make her dramatic points. Karajan supplies all the musical space needed while retaining a firm musical unity." Before she made this recording in 1955 her only active contact with the work were two of its arias - and she only sang the role on stage for three performances ( in Chicago a couple of months after this recording. ) And yet she seems to have understood everything about Butterfly and, through her, so do we. -John Conklin BLO Artistic Advisor

MADAMA BUTTERFLY with Nicolai Gedda (Pinkerton) and Herbert von Karajan (conductor) chorus and orchestra of La Scala, Milan

recorded in Milan 1955 for EMI Classics  - Buy it here!

Madama Butterfly Timeline - 1904 the year of the premiere





- Leoš Janáček’s Jenůfa premieres in Brno

- Antonín Dvořák (b. 1841) dies

- George Balanchine and Salvador Dalí born

- Freud publishes THE PSYCHOPATHOLOGY of EVERYDAY LIFE

- Work begins on the Panama Canal

- Ernest Rutherford postulates general theory of radioactivity

Rolls-Royce Circa 1904

- Rolls-Royce Limited and IG Farben Chemicals founded

- Helen Keller graduates from Radcliffe College

- Russo-Japanese War breaks out: Russian fleet is virtually destroyed at Port Arthur

- Theodore Roosevelt elected President

Marlene Dietrich

- Anton Chekhov (b. 1860) dies



- Graham Greene and Marlene Dietrich born

- J.M. Barrie writes PETER PAN

- Henry James writes THE GOLDEN BOWL

Madama Butterfly - Who? Where? What? When? (a little background)

Puccini wrote several versions of the opera. The original was in two acts and had its premiere on February 17, 1904 at La Scala, Milan. After the disastrous premiere Puccini withdrew the opera and substantially revised it, this time in three acts. This version was performed on May 28, 1904 at the Theatro Grande, Brescia – and was a great success. A third version premiered at Covent Garden, London in 1905 and in the United States (in English), first in Washington D.C. in October and then in New York in November, by Henry Savage’s New English Opera Company. A version performed at the Opéra-Comique in Paris in 1907 incorporated several additional changes in the vocal and orchestral scores. This has become the more or less “definitive” version, although these various revisions and editions have left companies with the assumed freedom to somewhat create their own versions. 

The BLO production will be played in two acts (in the interest of dramatic and musical cohesion) and incorporates some standard cuts in the wedding scene in Act 1.

The Metropolitan Opera premiere occurred in 1907 with Enrico Caruso, Geraldine Farrar and Louise Homer. While there for the premiere, Puccini attended a production on Broadway of David Belasco’s The Girl of the Golden West.

The legend of Madame Butterfly perhaps originates with a semi-autobiographical novel, Madame Chrysanthème (1887) by Pierre Loti. An elegantly cynical story (set in Nagasaki) of the liaison of a French sailor with a Japanese geisha, it was enormously popular, tapping into the West’s growing fascination with the exotic culture of Japan (Japonisme). 

The theme was taken up by the American Lawyer and writer, John Luther Long (1861-1927). His short story, Madame Butterfly based in part on the recollections of his sister who had been to Japan with her missionary husband, appeared in The Century Magazine in 1898. Long called himself “a sentimentalist, and a feminist, and proud of it.” Interestingly, in Long’s story, Butterfly does not go through with her suicide – she, Suzuki and the child flee.

In 1900, Madame Butterfly: a Tragedy of Japan, a one act play by David Belasco, (adapted from the Long story – but with Butterfly’s suicide now accomplished) premiered at the Herald Square Theatre in New York City.

Puccini saw the Belasco play in London. Belasco tells the story: “He rushed up and enthusiastically embraced me – and begged me to let him use my play as a basis for an opera. I agreed on the spot and told him he could do anything he liked with the play. It is not possible to discuss business arrangements with a volatile and impulsive Italian who has tears in his eyes and both arms around your neck. I heard later he understood barely a word of English. I rather believe he never “saw” Butterfly that night – he only heard the music he was going to write.”

Dr. von Lyric's "Curious and Amazing Cabinet of Musical Marvels and Miracles"

"Sometimes as I stroll down the brilliant, crowded, sometime gaudy streets of Internetcity , I turn into a side street... quiet, almost deserted. I hear from a widow above me a distant voice...

or a scrap of music...

or I pass a boarded- up theater ....torn posters flapping in the wind ....if I listen closely I can almost hear the fabulous echo of a long gone era within.

Sometimes I see the flickering of some old movie images projected on a crumbling wall...

... and so, sunk in the wonders and mysteries of the past, I look and listen and think how time and art can fold in on themselves. For more I further direct your attention to an interesting article about the legendary Anna Pavlova with some more evocative video clips. Journey on!" - Dr von Lyric

Gala News: Joyce Kulhawik interviews John Conklin

  

Joyce Kulhawik



Boston Arts and Entertainment Critic Joyce Kulhawik has interviewed legends of screen and stage. This time, she set her sights on BLO’s Artistic Advisor, John Conklin. Conklin created the artistic program for this season's Fall Gala, Cantiamo, a Grand Serenade to Opera, and Joyce, who will be the MC of the elegant evening on October 13, got the scoop on John’s creative process.

Joyce: John, what was your inspiration for the program this year? It seems quite different from the themes of the past several years.

John: “If I cannot sing, let me fly” I came across this evocative quote from Stephen Sondheim somewhere, and it became more or less the source point and inspiration for the 2012 BLO Gala. It has been used in many of the printed materials we have sent out. I have worked on the programming of this festive event for the past four years. This year, I made a conscious effort to make the event feel different than in the past. It is often linked to an opera in the season, but this year, our program is entitled “Cantiamo” and, rather than focusing in on one opera, it celebrates the very essence of all opera—singing and song.

Joyce: It sounds like a lovely celebration of song, voice and opera. Tell me about how you will bring that inspiration to life.

John Conklin, Artistic Advisor

John: Eight singers, drawn from our Emerging Artists and from leading singers in this season’s operas, will perform an ever-changing collage of operatic excerpts. Mixed in with serenades, ballads, prayers, barcarolles, and lullabies will be soaring poetry (from the likes of Shakespeare, Shelley, and Whitman), which also revels in the power of the singing voice and the eloquence of song.

Joyce: How is creating the program for the Gala different than something you would create for the stage of a theatre, like the Shubert Theatre where BLO performs most of its season productions?



John: The Gala is an elegant evening of excellent food and drink, old friends and new acquaintances, good conversations, glamorous outfits and musical entertainment that is up close and personal. We try to weave the performance elements throughout the course of the evening, creating a theatrical flow in and around the gala atmosphere.

Joyce: In addition to the eight performers you mentioned previously, it seems that there are some special guests this year. Can you tell us more about them?

John: Well Joyce, we are thrilled that you will join us as host, as well as join in the theatrical programming of the evening by reading some of the beautiful poetry I mentioned earlier. In addition, we are excited to welcome PALS Children’s Chorus who will join us in one of the performances of the evening. And our Guest of Honor, acclaimed baritone Sherrill Milnes, will join us and lend his expertise and experience to our fund-a-need to support BLO’s Emerging Artists. It promises to be a rich mix indeed.

Joyce: John, can you tell me more about BLO’s Emerging Artists and their role in the Company and in the Gala?

John: The Gala gives recognition to, and raises invaluable financial support for, our important program for Emerging Artists. Boston Lyric Opera’s Emerging Artists are selected annually by invitation resulting from their presence at Company auditions or in BLO performances. Later in the program, we will highlight the Emerging Artists and ask the guests at the Gala to show their support in the form of donations that will keep this program going throughout the season and for many seasons to come.

Joyce: It sounds like an evening that is not to be missed. And I, for one, am looking very forward to October 13. John, are there any parting words you would like to share with us about the Gala?

John: In closing I would like to share a quote from Shakespeare: “Here will we sit and let the sounds of music creep in our ears; soft stillness and the night become the touches of sweet harmony.” I hope many of you will join us for some of that sweetness and some of that harmony.

  To purchase tickets or for more information about Cantiamo visit our website at www.blo.org or contact Renee Dunn, Manager of Special Events and Corporate Sponsorships at 617.542.4912 x264 or rdunn@blo.org

Dr. von Lyric and his "Curious and Amazing Cabinet of Musical Marvels and Miracles"

Anne Sofie von Otter sings Schubert's Erlkönig with conductor Claudio Abbado

"A whole evening's worth of fear, wonder, seduction and horror - all in under 4 minutes" - Dr. von Lyric

For an English translation of the text click here.

Dr. von Lyric's "Curious and Amazing Cabinet of Musical Marvels and Miracles"

 "Don't you do exactly this (or long to) in the privileged privacy of your bedroom or satisfyingly echoing bathroom shower? ( Go ahead ...admit it.) I love this guy - undeniable passion, intensity, an appropriate air of completely joyful 　operatic nuttiness... and that dog! Enjoy ...and sing along if you must" - Dr. von Lyric

Dr. von Lyric's “Curious and Amazing Cabinet of Musical Marvels and Miracles”

"You may have seen this before (after all it's had over 12 million hits on Youtube!) but whenever I look at it again I am struck anew with its quite brilliant and haunting manipulation of images so suavely allied to the Bach cello accompaniment. " - Dr. von Lyric

CASTING CALL: UPDATE! Children’s role in Madama Butterfly (age 3-7 and 11-14)

Looking for a unique and exciting opportunity for your son, daughter, niece, nephew, or grandchild? Know any kids whom you might describe as being “born for the stage” or “a real character”?

Well, guess what…

Boston Lyric Opera will hold auditions for the roles of Sorrow and Teenage Sorrow in our upcoming production of Puccini’s Madama Butterfly. These auditions are planned for October 2nd from 6:00pm-7:30pm. In the opera, Sorrow is the child of Madama Butterfly and Lieutenant Pinkerton, and although the roles are very important to the story, the parts (non-speaking, non-singing) are not too demanding – perfect for young performers!


The audition is open to children between the ages of 3 and 7 as well as 11 and 14. The child playing Sorrow is meant to appear as a 3-year-old on-stage, so auditioners’ heights will be limited to 3’6”, or 42”. There are no restrictions beyond age for those auditioning for Teenage Sorrow.

Rehearsals for the production begin on October 15, 2012 and continue until October 31, with performances on November 2, 4, 7, 9, and 11. We plan to limit rehearsals to weekday evenings and Saturdays before 5:00pm, with no more than 3 rehearsals per week. Any interested parties should feel free to contact Boston Lyric Opera for more information, or to apply, using the details below.

Don’t miss this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see that special kid in your life onstage and in costume!

Jordan King

Artistic Associate
617-542-4912 ext. 239
jking@blo.org

Dolce and Gabbana take on the Opera world!

Not new to the opera scene, Italian fashion moguls, Dolce & Gabbana have tossed their hat in the ring in a totally new way. Thanks to the duo the Metropolitan Opera's Met Titles will now feature Italian translations in addition to the current offerings of English, Spanish, and German.

According to OperaChic, an American blogger living in Milan, the fashion house presented a Maria Callas themed runway show in 2009. Read more on this pairing here!

In honor of Fashion Week currently happening in NYC: What designer would you like to see collaborate on an opera? Comment on this post and you could win a BLO 2012 Madama Butterfly T-Shirt. (These shirts are only available as online prizes!) 

Behind the Scenes - Summer Intern Kim Curhan

BLO is an organization that thrives not only due to the hard work of its administrative and artistic staff but through the incredible efforts of volunteers and interns! This summer, Kim Curhan a student at Boston University interned in our Development department, this is her story.

Thank you for all of your hard work Kim!

Touring the BLO office on my first day, I could not help but notice how genuinely all the employees smiled at me. Although a smile is often impulsive during a greeting, the employees at BLO smiled jovially and contagiously, and they got me thinking about how the act of philanthropically gifting the community with art teaches the meaning of heart-warming, altruistic work. It is this generosity that first attracted me to a career in arts management. In fact, working to preserve and share with others the enchantment of art does not sound like work to me at all. My final month of summer this year could have been filled with pool parties and internet surfing, but I chose to spend it here making a difference in the Boston community!

At college, I am a proud History of Art and Architecture major and Communications minor, and I firmly believe that the performing arts are extremely valuable. Growing up, I took singing lessons, trained in ballet, and performed with theatre groups. I painted, conquered artful photography, and taught myself how to play the guitar. If art gives me such a strong sense of purpose and happiness, I am confident that it can have the same effect on others. Hence, it is not a surprise that my constant involvement with art, growing up, furthered my professional passion to retain a rich arts culture in my community. My passion for sharing art with the masses shines openly, especially since I launched an art history blog during my free time in June.

When the opportunity arose to intern with BLO in development, I was thrilled to learn about the inner workings of a non-profit performing arts organization. Under the incredibly helpful supervision of Ceceilia Allwein, I designed and implemented processes and data entry templates to organize the sea of due dates for fundraising publications throughout the artistic season. It became clear how important monetary support from donors is and how essential voicing gratitude is to sustaining longstanding relationships with opera lovers. Branching out into the marketing side of development, I compiled a report of my analysis on which fundraising techniques will work most efficiently and which ones will work best for Boston Lyric Opera’s patrons. Most importantly though, I have grasped an understanding of fundraising principles and actively created efficient, organizational tools that I can take with me to my future career in non-profit, arts management work.

With my new-found knowledge, I am much more aware of the relationship between supporters and art-makers. Unfortunately, this alliance is often overlooked when one is merely an occasional ticket buyer. My experience here has ensured my future involvement with non-profit arts organizations as a donor. After all, without the support of the community, BLO and other arts organizations that rely on contributions in addition to ticket sales would no longer function. And although this terrifies me, since so much seems to depend on so little, it also inspires me. I could not be happier working with a staff that dedicates its time, energy and creativity to keeping opera and the arts in the Boston community.

Have you volunteered or interned at BLO? If you want to share YOUR story email avillegas@blo.org!