From our agony aunt:
Dear Alma,
I have been conducting a wonderful medium-sized opera company in a solid, comfortable city for over twenty years. As you are most likely aware, opera has been suffering lately, with fewer productions every year. The same with our ballet company. It seems as if the ballet and opera will be merging here, and either I or the other conductor will be out a job. I need to do everything I can to keep this job (and adding in the ballet, of course, as a new element of the job). My family is here, I have kids in school, and I can’t afford to start again.
What can I do to get a leg up on my competition?
Holding on for Dear Life
Dear Holding on for Dear Life,
One thing in your favor is that you may have a jump on your competition with advance notice. That’s not a guarantee, however, and it’s also not for certain that they might wipe the slate clean and start with an entirely new conductor for the joint position. I assume you don’t have a long-term contract, or that yours may be nearing an end.
My advice? Jump on it. Make a plan for what a merged opera/ballet company could look like, put together a sample season which would be attractive to your audience and cost effective, and call a meeting with your management as well as the ballet company.
In the mean time, don’t put all of your eggs in this basket. Look for other opportunities in other cities as well as looking farther afield in your own town. Is there a professorship at a music school that could work for you, for example? Or maybe a summer festival that you can apply for that can supplement your income?
Holding on for Dear Life, don’t just hold on. That’s not good enough. You need to take control of your own future, think outside the box, and inspire others instead of just crossing your fingers.
This could be just the change your life needs!
Questions for Alma? Please put them in the comments section or send to DearAlmaQuery@gmail.com
The post Dear Alma, They are squeezing the life out of my opera company appeared first on Slippedisc.
