Article: Opera New Jersey"Grand Opera Finds a Home in New Jersey: One Couples’ Quest to Fill a Void in the Garden State’s Performing Arts"New Jersey Savvy Living (Brian Scott Lipton) Lisa Altman can point to the exact moment when she knew what she wanted to do professionally. “I was a college freshman and I went to see this production of La Boheme starring Jose Carreras at the Chicago Lyric Opera,” she recalls. “It was grandiose and lush and the music put me in an element like nothing else ever had before. And right then, I knew I wanted to offer that kind of music to other people.” That is exactly what Altman and her husband Scott, an opera singer, have accomplished since they created the New Jersey Opera Theater (NJOT) in 2002–two years after the couple became husband and wife. Scott has performed with the New York City Opera, the Chicago Lyric Opera Center, the Opera Company of Philadelphia, and many regional companies. NJOT began with a mission of providing opera education to both singers and schoolchildren, and that is still one of its three pillars. It offers Master Classes throughout the year to emerging singers, and also tours schools throughout the state to teach youngsters about the importance of this art form. “We want kids to know not just what opera is, but that there are even opportunities for them to be in opera,” says Lisa. To that end, the company even sponsors a three-day kids’ day camp in July in which youngsters can learn about costume design, lighting and stage management, as well as see a dress rehearsal of a production. Equally important, NJOT has become one of the state’s foremost performing arts institutions. It recently concluded its beloved SummerFest season at the McCarter Theatre’s 380-seat Berlind Theatre in Princeton, during which it offered three different professional programs—Mozart’s Cosi fan tutte, Donizetti’s L’Elisir d’Amore and a double bill of Puccini’s Gianni Schicci and Michael Ching’s Buoso’s Ghost—along with a series of student concerts. In March, the company will continue its tradition of presenting full-length operas with two performances of Puccini’s Turandot, starring international renowned soloists Sharon Sweet, Allan Glassman and Raymond Aceto. One performance will be at the State Theatre in New Brunswick and the other will be at the McCarter’s 1,100-seat Matthews Theatre, a new venue for the company. “It’s important that we do the show in both places, because each gets a different audience,” says Scott, who functions as the company’s artistic director. Lisa is the executive director. “New Brunswick seems to be some sort of line for travelers, so we think we’ll get more folks from northern New Jersey at that performance. The McCarter is our home base and we plan to maintain that foothold, but we’re always eager to expand and give other people the opportunity to see our work.” OPERA FOR EVERYONEIndeed, according to a recent survey by NJOT, about 14 percent of the company’s audience comes from outside New Jersey, primarily Pennsylvania and New York. “Our goal was always to be a regional opera company,” says Lisa. “But when we formed NJOT, we decided that our name had to include New Jersey in the title. Every other state but ours seemed to have a representative company. But the idea we really want to get across is that opera is for everyone. We’re trying to transcend the idea that opera is this elitist art form. Opera is for anyone who likes music.” That sentiment is echoed in the company’s reasonable ticket prices; the top ticket for the State Theatre engagement will be $65, a fraction of what a prime seat at the Metropolitan Opera would cost. (A $90 ticket will include a VIP reception.) One of the main reasons Scott and Lisa founded the company is they felt that there was a lack of opera in the state on a year-round basis. While there were nearly two dozen opera companies in New Jersey, they all concentrated on summer performances. When one of those companies, OperaFestival, went out of business in November 2003, they were able to take over its summer slot on the Princeton University campus. When those performances sold out, they felt emboldened to move into the Berlind. “It’s an unusually intimate space for opera,” says Scott. “You can be no more than 20 feet away from the stage.” NJOT had undeniably modest beginnings, starting with a budget of only $25,000. Lisa and Scott, who live in West Windsor, worked night and day to get their message across. “Word of mouth is always the best marketing there is,” says Lisa. “In the early days, I went to as many seminars and conferences as I could to spread the word and to network. One of the best votes of confidence we received was in 2004, when the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation gave us a $5,000 grant. It wasn’t just the money; their letter said they were excited by our enthusiasm. The Dodge Foundation really scrutinizes information and does a lot of follow-through in meeting people within the organization. They even visited the rehearsals for our children’s productions.” SPENDING WISELYThis year, the NJOT’s budget is $900,000, but the Altmans are prepared to spend it wisely. “Advertising is very expensive, so we tend to limit it to local papers and radio stations,” says Scott. “It would be wonderful if the bigger papers gave us discounted rates, since you can blow a couple of thousand dollars in a heartbeat. We do post-card mailings, and we count a lot on getting good reviews; we’ve been very lucky that the regional papers have given us raves. We even got one in the Philadelphia Inquirer.” As Scott points out, Turandot is a financially smart choice even if they do have to pay a small fee to the Puccini estate. (Many other older operas are in the public domain and are therefore free.) “Yes, it’s done often, but that’s because it’s such a favorite of opera lovers. But it’s also very accessible for the novice opera-goer,” he says. “What’s exciting is that it’s never been done with this cast. Sharon Sweet is practically coming out of retirement to do this production. We’re lucky that the stars we get are willing to work for half as much as they might get elsewhere to support our mission. I like to think that our version of spectacle is the vocal pyrotechnics you can hear. Sets can be really costly, so we’d rather put our resources into the talent. For Turandot, we’re going to have a chorus of 150 people, of which 120 come from the Mendelssohn Club in Philadelphia. They’re working just for an honorarium.” Right now, Scott is thinking way ahead, planning the company’s repertoire through 2011. “You have to look into the feasibility and budget structure, and great singers can be booked years in advance,” he says. Adds Lisa: “We do tend to look at other companies across the country for repertoire and for inspiration, but you also have to be aware that what works in Tennessee may not work in New Jersey. Unfortunately, with two young children at home, we don’t get a chance to really travel and look at other companies. But technology, like DVDs, allows us to keep up with what’s going on with the rest of the company.” In fact, the biggest challenge the Altmans face is separating their work and home lives. “There are definitely pluses and minuses to working with a spouse,” says Lisa. “I have a good idea of what he’s thinking, which helps.” Adds Scott: “It’s definitely a mixed blessing. I think we’re doing a better job of leaving some things at the office, but when you’re running a company and working this hard, there’s simply no way you’re just going to drop it all at 6 pm. And there can be advantages to being just two feet away from each other at night, so we can discuss the direction of the company if something hits us. But we’re learning to take a break and just watch a movie. |
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