CommentJuly07 - Page: 1 of 1

Who says that opera and everything cultural is going to the dogs? That’s not going to happen in L.A.

The San Fernando Valley is the suburban part of Los Angeles where approximately 2 million people hang their hats and call home. The area is so vast that there have been repeated attempts to split the community from the city of Los Angeles in order to create a separate city. To a lesser extent, there have also been attempts to simply split Valley schools from the Los Angeles Unified School District to create a separate school district. If successful, both actions would have depleted Los Angeles of funds. But so far, none of that has happened.

The Valley consists of Sherman Oaks, Encino, Studio City, Reseda, North Hollywood, Northridge, Woodland Hills and more, but all of these communities are part of L.A. The Valley is no longer a bedroom community where everyone travels to the metropolis to work. Many never leave, although most find that if they want to attend a concert or opera, they have to drive an hour in traffic to the Music Center or Disney Concert Hall, or, farther yet, to the Orange County Performing Arts Center.

But times are a changing. It has been on the books for some time now that a new performing arts center will be housed on the campus of the California State University, Northridge (CSUN). Last month (June 14), Los Angeles County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky contributed $2 million from the county coffers toward that aim. More than half of the $100-million tab for the arts center will be funded by a state bond measure, while the remainder will be paid for by private donations.

The center will include a 1,700-seat performance hall to accommodate concerts, full-scale Broadway productions and opera, plus broadcast studios, an art gallery, a lecture hall, a studio theater and rehearsal space. Groundbreaking is set to begin in the fall with the venue’s opening at the end of 2009.

But that’s just the tip of the iceberg. CSUN and the county-owned Music Center, which includes Los Angeles Opera, are beginning a partnership that will include shared performances between both venues, more performances, expanded arts education for student teachers and teachers, and K-12 outreach programs.

So now, not only will Valley residents have easier access to the arts and to opera, but youngsters will be exposed as well.

In addition, at the beginning of 2007, Los Angeles Opera announced that it would be renovating the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in 2011 or thereafter. The press release stated that more productions would occur before the renovations that season, and that the “company also will look for other southern California venues for special projects during the closure.”

It appears that the new Valley performing arts center might fit the bill. Although the main performance hall will roughly seat only half the number of people the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion accommodates, the new venue would still be a perfect spot to take up some of the slack, at least for subscribers.

In addition, L.A. Opera often presents international artists in recital at the Pavilion, when a smaller venue might be more fitting. Now L.A. Opera will have another option, and it will have an opportunity to reach more people.

What a wonderful prospect! [By Carie J. Delmar]

We have noted in previous Commentary that although it’s hard for young singers, especially, to move forward in the highly selective field of opera, it’s not only possible, but is happening every day in regional opera houses around the country and world.

As the “greats” retire, or retire roles that are no longer suited for their voices, openings occur and other new, younger singers step in to fill the void. This is the way it was in the past, it’s the way it is now, and it will likely be that way in the future.

The lucky ones will get the big breaks and will be solicited for CDs and DVD opportunities; they’ll be on the rosters of New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, to name a few, and steady work for them will be the norm. They’ll benefit from the celebrity status that marks them as a “star” and life will be good, if not easy; others will miss that chance, but go on, nonetheless, to make a living singing the local venues, working recitals, coaching, teaching etc. Many will travel to Europe and find employment in opera houses there, and shuttle living will be a way of life for a while anyway.

It probably drew more than one envious sigh when, in the July edition of “Opera News” soprano Anna Netrebko commented on the number offers she received for roles she couldn’t or wouldn’t sing, noting, “thankfully, I learned to say ‘no’ early in my career and can wait for the right roles at the right time.”

How many singers sit and wait for the phone to ring and wish they had such a problem?

But, as we alluded to earlier, and to borrow from William Shakespeare, there really is “a tide in the affairs of men, which, taken at the flood, leads on to fortune . . .” the same can be said for fortune and singers. Every once in a while, a singer’s star shines and for that brief moment, an opportunity presents itself and the chance to rise above all the rest and be noticed for a unique ability presents itself. That time is here for one singer we write about this month.

This month, we feature mezzo-soprano Kirstin Chavez, who we have seen her on stage four times, and each time we see her she electrifies with her voice and presence. But more importantly, she has been able to identify with a role that so defines it when she sings it that it’s hard to imagine anyone else singing it after. It’s a gift and a rare opportunity for those who scout new talent to pick again from the wide field and elevate one above all the rest.

The new breed has to come from somewhere and sooner or later has to move to center stage s. We believe the time is ripe for Ms. Chavez. She has the “IT” so many singers wish for and opera so desperately needs.