November 2, 2023 • 22 mins
Prepare to be captivated as we delve into the enchanting world of opera with the Wilmington Concert Opera. We explore their upcoming performance of Hansel und Gretel, a German opera that's rarely seen on stage but holds a wealth of beauty and emotion. Attendees of the family-friendly performance on November 12th are in for a treat with crafts, snacks, and a gingerbread house building activity. We also delve into the significant benefits of introducing children to opera at a young age, all while enjoying the soothing notes of the famous lullaby from the opera.
This episode doesn't stop at the performance, we draw back the curtain on the larger mission of the Wilmington Concert Opera. With a passionate commitment to diversity, inclusivity, and nurturing new talent, we uncover their strategies for discovering fresh voices in opera. We also discuss their expansion plans, including a virtual recital series and upcoming performances of Diefle der Maus and the Voices of Home Gala in May 2024. Lastly, we turn our attention to the role of creativity and risk-taking in fostering successful careers in opera. This episode is a must-listen for opera enthusiasts and anyone curious about the art form and its future.
The Delaware Division of the Arts, a branch of the Delaware Department of State, is committed to supporting the arts and cultivating creativity to enhance the quality of life in Delaware. Together with its advisory body, the Delaware State Arts Council, the Division administers grants and programs that support arts programming, educate the public, increase awareness of the arts, and integrate the arts into all facets of Delaware life. Learn more at Arts.Delaware.Gov.
Delaware State of the Arts is a weekly podcast that presents interviews with arts organizations and leaders who contribute to the cultural vibrancy of communities throughout Delaware. Delaware State of the Arts is provided as a service of the Division of the Arts, in partnership with NEWSRADIO 1450 WILM and 1410 WDOV.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Andy Truscott (00:10):
For Delaware State of the Arts.
I'm Andy Truscott.
My guests today are from theWilmington Concert Opera.
Wilmington Concert Opera, anexclusively woman and
minority-run company, wasfounded on principles of
diversity, inclusivity andaccessibility.
Annually, they present theworks of dozens of local opera
singers and find ways to bringthem in front of new audiences
(00:33):
statewide.
Upcoming November 10th through12th is your next performance of
Hansel und Gretel.
Let's just jump in.
Tell me a little bit more aboutit.
Dr. Marisa Robinson (00:41):
Well, it is part of our mission to do a
full opera in its originallanguage every year, and so we
will be doing a rarity Hanselund Gretel auf Deutsch, in
German in its entirety.
It's almost always presentedcut down in English.
We're very excited about that.
It's a beautiful work.
Obviously, it has both verybeautiful music for the opera
(01:03):
lover and the person who wouldlike complex and beautiful music
.
But it also has beautiful tunesand a wonderful brother's grim
story.
It is family-friendly.
All of our performances arefamily-friendly, but we're
really excited this time tobring a very specific family
from friendly matinee onNovember 12th at 2.
(01:24):
That is a family-friendly,sensory-friendly performance.
Snacks and digits and agingerbread house building craft
.
At one o'clock before theperformance.
We'll let the gingerbreadhouses set during the
performance.
You can take them homeafterwards.
There's a costume-for-ratedintermission.
(01:44):
There's just all kinds of funthings happening and we really
hope that people will bringtheir children and have a great
time, because we really thinkthis is a great piece to
introduce your kids to opera.
Also, if they already likeopera, you should still bring
them.
Dr. Kirsten Kunkle (02:00):
Yeah, we're also going to be—normally we're
in gowns and tuxedos and thistime we'll be in a little bit
more individualized costume-typewear.
It will still be concertversion and there will be super
titles so that you can readwhat's going on in English, in
case you're worried about theGerman.
If you think you don't know anymusic from Hansel and Gretel,
(02:22):
you do.
It's actually got a very, veryfamous lullaby that you've heard
, probably in commercials or onchildren's toys, things like
that and it's just a beautifulpiece of music.
It's not an extremely longopera.
It's a lot of fun and I thinkthat every audience member will
really enjoy this.
It's something that our singersand pianists enjoy and love a
(02:47):
lot, and I think the audiencealso really just hones in on the
beauty of the music and alsothe fun story.
It's something we all know andlove from our childhoods.
Andy Truscott (02:57):
Talk to me a little bit about how youth and
art started for you both, andthen what you hope performances
like this do to engage and makethem aware of some of the
offerings that are out there forthem.
Dr. Kirsten Kunkle (03:09):
I started out in the arts as young as I
can remember.
I started out in ballet at agetwo and took piano lessons very
young.
My mother played piano and hadbeen a dancer.
I loved musical theater growingup, as I think many of us opera
singers tended to do, and I wasvery active in musical theater.
When I was 12, I started voicelessons and my teacher got me
(03:31):
started on the trajectory ofsinging classical music.
For me that opened that doorand she also got me involved in
my very first opera, which wasjust a gateway for everything
else.
So for me that's how thatstarted.
But I think for us as a teamhere and also as a company, we
realize that if you reachchildren young, that they can
(03:54):
fall in love with anything thatyou put in front of them,
whether it's sports or arts orwhatever that might be.
So we want to at least providethe opportunity for people to
have the experience of beingable to see opera for free in
their own community.
And that's really what is, youknow, the cornerstone of our
mission.
We want to bring professional,quality opera, world-class opera
(04:17):
, to Delaware for free for themasses, and that is really what
it's all about so that they canhave the exposure, to have that
experience and hopefully theywill come away with at least a
great time, if not a newfoundlove of music.
Dr. Marisa Robinson (04:32):
I also definitely was, you know, in the
theater as young as I canremember, but actually from the
backstage side.
My mother costumed theater anddance when I was a small child.
So some of my first childhoodmemories were going to the dance
store and looking for loosesequins on the floor and going
to costume fittings Because Iwas the costumer's daughter.
I made my professional dancedebut at nine because they
(04:55):
needed a child for the moderndance piece and they knew that I
was capable of sitting stillfor 15 minutes, which was really
the main choreographicrequirement for these.
I know I always sang.
I did dance a little as abesides, you know, accidentally
professional dancing.
I did take ballet as a smallchild and then I also started
voice lessons at 12.
And you know that the Phantomof the Opera on Lame is were
(05:18):
such like a gateway for those ofus who were already singing in
the early 90s.
And if you found that that wasa thing that you know suited
your voice, then you knowquickly the voice teachers like.
But which would you like to?
And the answer is yes, I wouldlike to.
I would like to sing that, thatMozart, or that that
Mendelssohn or whatever.
Andy Truscott (05:39):
What are some ways that parents or guardians
can expose their children towhat to expect from the opera
before they arrive?
What do you think are someeffective ways that someone
might let their, their child,know what to expect before they
arrive that day?
Dr. Kirsten Kunkle (05:54):
Well, I think there are your traditional
standard answers.
Right, like there's.
Like they show them a video onYouTube or read the story
beforehand, read the synopsis.
Those are the things that wetell people all the time.
For this particular production,we actually have outreach
events that they can go to.
There are a few events that areactually planned that they could
(06:14):
specifically take their childto.
The most prominent one, I think, is the Halloween Fall Festival
in Spooktacular at PresbyterianChurch of the Covenant, which
is also the location for ourperformances.
That is from two to five onOctober 28th.
It is family friendly, veryfamily friendly, lots of events,
(06:35):
and you can hear snippets fromthe opera so that you can hear
the witches' aria and one ofGretel's arias, and they'll be
explaining what's going on too.
So that's a small taste to seeif it's something that they can
enjoy and sit through.
Also, with our sensory friendlyproduction date of November
12th, if they are just notfeeling it, you can take them
(06:59):
out.
You can go have them, have acool down in the cool down room
and come back, and that's okay.
We're absolutely open to that.
We want it to be accessible,and so I think that that is the
prime goal of November 12th'sperformance.
Yes, we plan to give you afantastic performance as well,
but we want it to be somethingwhere people can feel that they
(07:22):
are having that experience,whether or not the children are
ready to sit through an entireshow or if it's just brand new
to them.
You know, it might be that thisis something that they could be
an older child, but they'venever sat through an opera
before and they might not knowwhat to think.
So, yeah, I think exposure is,or before they come, is great.
(07:45):
If not, that's okay too andit's all right.
We are open to that and we'reperfectly fine.
If there's a rapper in themiddle of the performance, you
know that's okay.
Something like that, somethingthat might be frowned upon at a
bigger theater or a moregrandiose site.
Andy Truscott (08:02):
Something I've heard with sensory friendly
performances is there'ssometimes called relaxed
performances, with the idearight that the rules are relaxed
to air quotes, that if you'rereally excited about what's
going on, you can clap in themiddle of the song.
Everything will be okay, youknow, lights can be up.
Similarly, you can walk out ofthe event to kind of decompress
and come back in without kind ofthat judgment from other
(08:25):
audience members around you, andso I'm thrilled to hear that
it's finding its way deeper anddeeper into some of our
organizations in Delaware.
Hansel and Gretel is the end ofyour 2023 calendar season.
Talk to us about some of thehighlights.
What were some of the greatsuccesses?
What were some of your favoritemoments?
Dr. Marisa Robinson (08:44):
So I mean the highlight of 2023 really is
the realization of this season.
The title of the season all ofour seasons have titles is Back
to Before and for us, as acompany whose mission is both
about bringing opera to newaudiences and also about
supporting local singers, whenwe say back to before, what we
(09:05):
mean is that the two productionswe did this year the Belcanto
Gala and Hansel and Gretel werethe reopening of the contracts
for the productions we did notdo in 2020.
We thought it was reallyimportant to honor the intention
and the contracts for that work, but that was the big.
The big joy of the season isthat and of course, also that
(09:26):
you know Hansel and Gretel isjust going to be so fun and
multi-layered and exciting andbeautiful and rewarding to sing
and rewarding to listen to andhopefully, as Pearson said, you
know, a joyful and comfortableplace for audiences to be.
We like to think it's always asafe place to say yay in the
middle of the aria.
We would rather have yourjoyful noise than not have you
(09:49):
bring your children and to anyof the performances.
You know, if Sunday doesn'twork for you and you want to
come to this Friday nightperformance and you have your
children with you.
That is also great.
Dr. Kirsten Kunkle (10:00):
Yeah, we actually had a dog bark in one
of our performances for GeronDeans and I remember that that
was a new experience for all ofus.
We didn't expect that Somebodyhad brought their service dog
and it was just kind of like, ohthere's a bark there, you know.
But we were fine, we made itthrough with no problems.
Andy Truscott (10:18):
How do you feel like your artists have kind of
rallied and gathered around youas the organization has grown?
Dr. Kirsten Kunkle (10:25):
I think that , from what I noticed, everyone
was very grateful to have acontract actually followed
through with from 2020.
We were able to increase theirpay from what we initially
planned, which was reallyappreciated Because you know, we
are back, so to speak, but it'sstill rough.
I mean, covid is still verymuch here.
We've got another wave coming,there are things happening, so
(10:49):
trying to do group numbers istricky Because you might lose
somebody at the last minute, andwe have.
We have been in that situationwhere we've lost somebody at the
last minute and had to regroupthe morning of a performance.
You know, so it's it's tricky.
We're still navigating that as awhole, as an industry.
But I think the, the singersand all the musicians I don't
(11:11):
want to just limit it to thesingers have all been grateful
for the work and I don't want tospeak out of term, but I think
that they enjoy working with us.
I mean, I've gotten theimpression that the vast
majority of people I've talkedto have been very happy to work
with us and in an environmentwhere they know they can bring
their child if they can't get ababysitter, or they can come
(11:31):
late if there's a problem withtraffic and we are not going to
Dr Pay.
I think that it's been verypositive overall.
Dr. Marisa Robinson (11:39):
You know, to speak to your the corner of
your question about you know thecaliber of artists.
You know the caliber of.
You know there's obviouslythere's a core of singers.
You know every company hassingers that you you bring back
time and again because they'regreat and you like working with
them.
We're always, always looking tohear new voices and the caliber
of submissions that we receiveand the number of them continues
(12:00):
to increase and frequently theydo come addressed with other
singer friends who has workedwith you who said that I should
apply and it said X, y and Zwonderful things about the
experience of working with you.
Dr. Kirsten Kunkle (12:14):
And we do try to include at least one or
two new people for every concert, even if we are solidly
bringing back a large number.
But we use new people all thetime.
And the other thing is that westill have our virtual recitals
going.
So that's one nice thing thatwe have for both local and
further out distant people, thatthey have opportunities to be
(12:34):
heard that way or bring newrepertoire to our audiences that
we wouldn't have otherwise.
Like, for example, we had had aFilipino recital of all
Filipino music that we would nothave had otherwise if we hadn't
had this virtual recital series.
So it's still something that weare always expanding our singer
base.
Dr. Marisa Robinson (12:55):
For that reason I mean we had a
delightful virtual recital inSeptember.
That was all relatively newmusic, I mean within the last 10
years I think, by livingcomposers who were all friends
with the soprano who programmedit.
That was like a really coolniche lane of things, but it was
(13:16):
all just such fun and she wasclearly having such fun
performing.
It was beautifully sung.
Highly recommend checking itout.
It is on our YouTube channel.
Dr. Kirsten Kunkle (13:25):
That's something people can do with
their children too is if theywant to just get a taste of what
we do.
We do have excerpts from ourbig concerts, but we also have
all these virtual recitals, andmost of them have little
breakaway introductions andthings like that too, just to
kind of set the scene.
Andy Truscott (13:39):
As we look forward into 2024,.
You've got a whole set ofupcoming performances and other
kind of new initiatives coming.
Tell us a little bit about whatwe can expect to see from
Wilmington Concert Opera intothe 2024 year.
Dr. Kirsten Kunkle (13:55):
Well, I think we're really excited about
this season.
We have again our Gala and ourfull opera.
The full opera is Diefle derMaus and that will be.
That is tentatively scheduledfor September of 2024.
And that is an operetta andit's lots of fun.
It's comic and we haven't donetoo many comedic operas, but
(14:18):
this one will be lots of fun.
It's again in German, but wewill do an English dialogue for
that, just to make it moreaccessible.
There's no reason for us to tryto be butchering spoken German
if we don't have to too much.
In that there is a famous ariacalled the Chardash and the
translation for that is, loosely, voice of Home, voices of Home.
(14:39):
So that is the title of ourGala, which will actually happen
before Diefle der Maus.
That will happen in early Mayand that is going to be about a
curated program for Voice forpieces based on the individual
heritages of the differentsingers on the program.
So that is based on bothheritage and ethnicity.
(15:03):
We have a nice variety ofsingers scheduled for that of
all different types of heritages, which is really exciting for
us.
We're going to be able tofeature music that we wouldn't
be able to feature otherwise,and I'm working specifically
with each singer to try to makesure that we are honoring their
heritage as they feel is done ina sincere and honorable way.
(15:27):
So we have all sorts ofdifferent types of people.
We have a Filipino singer, wehave Native American singers, we
have African American singers,we have singers of Jewish
heritage.
We have all sorts of differentsingers.
So they will all be doingthings that are either, if they
only have one heritage that theywant to showcase, we will be
(15:47):
focusing on that, whether it'swith a composer or a poet, and
we will also be dealing withpeople who have multiple
heritages and with those theywill be showcasing some or all
of their heritages, based onwhat they feel they want to
feature.
And then, additionally, we willbe throwing in some things about
(16:10):
home and homeland that can openup the variety of pieces for
ensemble work.
One specific example that weplan to do is journey on from
ragtime, so that will besomething that we can do that
features the idea of going homeor coming to a new home.
Anthem from Chess will be onthere, and specifically, I know
(16:30):
we're looking at Opatria and Miafrom Aida as well.
So those are all things thatare not specifically about
someone's individual heritage,but they talk about homeland as
a whole, so that ties theprogram together as well.
We're very excited about that.
We think the audiences willlove it.
It's different from anythingwe've done before, and I know
that our musicians are extremelyexcited about the prospect of
(16:53):
showcasing who they are on adifferent level.
Andy Truscott (16:56):
Can you share some personal anecdotes or
stories that illustrate theimpact of these diversity and
inclusivity efforts for theorganization?
Dr. Kirsten Kunkle (17:04):
Specifically to me Marissa and I are both
women.
Obviously, marissa has a Jewishbackground.
I am Native American.
So, right there, we are notyour stereotypical CEOs, if you
will.
We bring a differentperspective, just based on who
we are, and I think that that issomething that we have always
(17:26):
acknowledged as part of who weare.
As far as diversity andinclusivity, from the onset of
the organization, that wasalways the goal was to be as
inclusive as possible andaccessible, so accessible to the
audiences.
Specifically, we wanted tobring in the biggest number of
(17:47):
types of people.
Backgrounds, levels of income,where people lived, it didn't
matter to us.
We wanted to be able to reacheveryone.
So that was always, from dayone, one of the most important
things to us as far as beinginclusive.
As far as our performers, wewanted to make sure that, no
(18:07):
matter what your background is,if you're a great singer, you
can be featured.
If you're a good colleague, youcan be featured, and that's
never been something we've everhad any issues with.
It's something we want tofeature more of, so that we are
dealing with people of all ages,disabilities, races,
backgrounds, cultures, religions.
(18:28):
So, in and of itself, because Ithink we are coming from it
from a perspective of beingpeople who have been judged our
whole lives as singers.
But also the fact that we arewomen, that we are coming from
backgrounds that are notnecessarily the biggest majority
of people, that makes us muchmore aware, and so we've tried
(18:53):
to make sure our board isdiversified, that we get
different perspectives, that weask our audience what do you see
that you like?
What are you seeing that couldimprove On a regular basis?
So I think that that may be abroad answer, but I think that
that's really we come from that,so we try to embody that.
Dr. Marisa Robinson (19:14):
It's sort of hard to narrow down because
it's so profoundly what we do.
Andy Truscott (19:18):
As you look to engage this younger generation,
do you have any advice for youngaspiring opera singers who may
be considering a career moveinto this field?
Dr. Marisa Robinson (19:28):
Question whether those gatekeepers really
have authority over you.
Are the people who are tellingyou know people whose opinions
you would actually respect ifthey were talking about anyone
else?
And do you love it?
Is this what you wake up within your heart every day?
Then that's what it is, that'sthe thing for you.
Dr. Kirsten Kunkle (19:47):
Yeah, I think that I'm that person that
someone says I can't, so I finda way to do it just to spite
them.
I think that doesn't inspireit's actually hard, but, yeah, I
think that there's a lot to besaid for that.
If you don't love practicing,if you don't love it and enjoy
that and have that be a respitefor the rest of your stresses,
it's going to be a very hardcareer.
(20:09):
I would say that more thananything, in addition to what
Marisa said, which I absolutelyagree with be open to whatever
opportunities come your way,even if it's not something that
was in your plan.
My career has beenexceptionally varied and gone in
ways that I never, ever, couldhave anticipated.
I don't think either of us everhad a goal of opening and
(20:29):
starting a company.
It happened because the pieceslined up so obviously to us that
we fell into it, and then wefell into it full force because
we realized the need for it butalso the love that we had for it
.
Everything that I've done in mylife career-wise that has been
really positive has been becauseI've taken a leap into
(20:52):
something I didn't know if Icould actually do.
I thought I could, I thought Imight be able to, but because I
trusted it myself enough that Icould said okay, I'm going to
try it and see where it goes.
It has opened so many moredoors.
So I think if you're set, I'monly going to sing If I can
perform at the Met.
This is not the career for you.
(21:12):
If you want to sing because youlove singing, then it might be
the career for you If you'rewilling to make all those
sacrifices and do all thosethings and also realize there is
not one clear-cut path foreveryone.
It's all very different,especially nowadays.
Andy Truscott (21:26):
You can learn more about Wilmington Concert
Opera at their website,wilmingtonconsertoperacom, and a
reminder that their nextupcoming performance of Hansel
and Gretel is November 10ththrough the 12th Ladies.
Thank you so much for joiningme and I look forward to seeing
kind of all the exciting thingscoming now through the end of
2024.
Music.
For Delaware State of the Arts.
I'm Andy Truscott.
My guests today are from theWilmington Concert Opera.
Wilmington Concert Opera, anexclusively woman and
minority-run company, wasfounded on principles of
diversity, inclusivity andaccessibility.
Annually, they present theworks of dozens of local opera
singers and find ways to bringthem in front of new audiences
(00:33):
statewide.
Upcoming November 10th through12th is your next performance of
Hansel und Gretel.
Let's just jump in.
Tell me a little bit more aboutit.
Dr. Marisa Robinson (00:41):
Well, it is part of our mission to do a
full opera in its originallanguage every year, and so we
will be doing a rarity Hanselund Gretel auf Deutsch, in
German in its entirety.
It's almost always presentedcut down in English.
We're very excited about that.
It's a beautiful work.
Obviously, it has both verybeautiful music for the opera
(01:03):
lover and the person who wouldlike complex and beautiful music
.
But it also has beautiful tunesand a wonderful brother's grim
story.
It is family-friendly.
All of our performances arefamily-friendly, but we're
really excited this time tobring a very specific family
from friendly matinee onNovember 12th at 2.
(01:24):
That is a family-friendly,sensory-friendly performance.
Snacks and digits and agingerbread house building craft
.
At one o'clock before theperformance.
We'll let the gingerbreadhouses set during the
performance.
You can take them homeafterwards.
There's a costume-for-ratedintermission.
(01:44):
There's just all kinds of funthings happening and we really
hope that people will bringtheir children and have a great
time, because we really thinkthis is a great piece to
introduce your kids to opera.
Also, if they already likeopera, you should still bring
them.
Dr. Kirsten Kunkle (02:00):
Yeah, we're also going to be—normally we're
in gowns and tuxedos and thistime we'll be in a little bit
more individualized costume-typewear.
It will still be concertversion and there will be super
titles so that you can readwhat's going on in English, in
case you're worried about theGerman.
If you think you don't know anymusic from Hansel and Gretel,
(02:22):
you do.
It's actually got a very, veryfamous lullaby that you've heard
, probably in commercials or onchildren's toys, things like
that and it's just a beautifulpiece of music.
It's not an extremely longopera.
It's a lot of fun and I thinkthat every audience member will
really enjoy this.
It's something that our singersand pianists enjoy and love a
(02:47):
lot, and I think the audiencealso really just hones in on the
beauty of the music and alsothe fun story.
It's something we all know andlove from our childhoods.
Andy Truscott (02:57):
Talk to me a little bit about how youth and
art started for you both, andthen what you hope performances
like this do to engage and makethem aware of some of the
offerings that are out there forthem.
Dr. Kirsten Kunkle (03:09):
I started out in the arts as young as I
can remember.
I started out in ballet at agetwo and took piano lessons very
young.
My mother played piano and hadbeen a dancer.
I loved musical theater growingup, as I think many of us opera
singers tended to do, and I wasvery active in musical theater.
When I was 12, I started voicelessons and my teacher got me
(03:31):
started on the trajectory ofsinging classical music.
For me that opened that doorand she also got me involved in
my very first opera, which wasjust a gateway for everything
else.
So for me that's how thatstarted.
But I think for us as a teamhere and also as a company, we
realize that if you reachchildren young, that they can
(03:54):
fall in love with anything thatyou put in front of them,
whether it's sports or arts orwhatever that might be.
So we want to at least providethe opportunity for people to
have the experience of beingable to see opera for free in
their own community.
And that's really what is, youknow, the cornerstone of our
mission.
We want to bring professional,quality opera, world-class opera
(04:17):
, to Delaware for free for themasses, and that is really what
it's all about so that they canhave the exposure, to have that
experience and hopefully theywill come away with at least a
great time, if not a newfoundlove of music.
Dr. Marisa Robinson (04:32):
I also definitely was, you know, in the
theater as young as I canremember, but actually from the
backstage side.
My mother costumed theater anddance when I was a small child.
So some of my first childhoodmemories were going to the dance
store and looking for loosesequins on the floor and going
to costume fittings Because Iwas the costumer's daughter.
I made my professional dancedebut at nine because they
(04:55):
needed a child for the moderndance piece and they knew that I
was capable of sitting stillfor 15 minutes, which was really
the main choreographicrequirement for these.
I know I always sang.
I did dance a little as abesides, you know, accidentally
professional dancing.
I did take ballet as a smallchild and then I also started
voice lessons at 12.
And you know that the Phantomof the Opera on Lame is were
(05:18):
such like a gateway for those ofus who were already singing in
the early 90s.
And if you found that that wasa thing that you know suited
your voice, then you knowquickly the voice teachers like.
But which would you like to?
And the answer is yes, I wouldlike to.
I would like to sing that, thatMozart, or that that
Mendelssohn or whatever.
Andy Truscott (05:39):
What are some ways that parents or guardians
can expose their children towhat to expect from the opera
before they arrive?
What do you think are someeffective ways that someone
might let their, their child,know what to expect before they
arrive that day?
Dr. Kirsten Kunkle (05:54):
Well, I think there are your traditional
standard answers.
Right, like there's.
Like they show them a video onYouTube or read the story
beforehand, read the synopsis.
Those are the things that wetell people all the time.
For this particular production,we actually have outreach
events that they can go to.
There are a few events that areactually planned that they could
(06:14):
specifically take their childto.
The most prominent one, I think, is the Halloween Fall Festival
in Spooktacular at PresbyterianChurch of the Covenant, which
is also the location for ourperformances.
That is from two to five onOctober 28th.
It is family friendly, veryfamily friendly, lots of events,
(06:35):
and you can hear snippets fromthe opera so that you can hear
the witches' aria and one ofGretel's arias, and they'll be
explaining what's going on too.
So that's a small taste to seeif it's something that they can
enjoy and sit through.
Also, with our sensory friendlyproduction date of November
12th, if they are just notfeeling it, you can take them
(06:59):
out.
You can go have them, have acool down in the cool down room
and come back, and that's okay.
We're absolutely open to that.
We want it to be accessible,and so I think that that is the
prime goal of November 12th'sperformance.
Yes, we plan to give you afantastic performance as well,
but we want it to be somethingwhere people can feel that they
(07:22):
are having that experience,whether or not the children are
ready to sit through an entireshow or if it's just brand new
to them.
You know, it might be that thisis something that they could be
an older child, but they'venever sat through an opera
before and they might not knowwhat to think.
So, yeah, I think exposure is,or before they come, is great.
(07:45):
If not, that's okay too andit's all right.
We are open to that and we'reperfectly fine.
If there's a rapper in themiddle of the performance, you
know that's okay.
Something like that, somethingthat might be frowned upon at a
bigger theater or a moregrandiose site.
Andy Truscott (08:02):
Something I've heard with sensory friendly
performances is there'ssometimes called relaxed
performances, with the idearight that the rules are relaxed
to air quotes, that if you'rereally excited about what's
going on, you can clap in themiddle of the song.
Everything will be okay, youknow, lights can be up.
Similarly, you can walk out ofthe event to kind of decompress
and come back in without kind ofthat judgment from other
(08:25):
audience members around you, andso I'm thrilled to hear that
it's finding its way deeper anddeeper into some of our
organizations in Delaware.
Hansel and Gretel is the end ofyour 2023 calendar season.
Talk to us about some of thehighlights.
What were some of the greatsuccesses?
What were some of your favoritemoments?
Dr. Marisa Robinson (08:44):
So I mean the highlight of 2023 really is
the realization of this season.
The title of the season all ofour seasons have titles is Back
to Before and for us, as acompany whose mission is both
about bringing opera to newaudiences and also about
supporting local singers, whenwe say back to before, what we
(09:05):
mean is that the two productionswe did this year the Belcanto
Gala and Hansel and Gretel werethe reopening of the contracts
for the productions we did notdo in 2020.
We thought it was reallyimportant to honor the intention
and the contracts for that work, but that was the big.
The big joy of the season isthat and of course, also that
(09:26):
you know Hansel and Gretel isjust going to be so fun and
multi-layered and exciting andbeautiful and rewarding to sing
and rewarding to listen to andhopefully, as Pearson said, you
know, a joyful and comfortableplace for audiences to be.
We like to think it's always asafe place to say yay in the
middle of the aria.
We would rather have yourjoyful noise than not have you
(09:49):
bring your children and to anyof the performances.
You know, if Sunday doesn'twork for you and you want to
come to this Friday nightperformance and you have your
children with you.
That is also great.
Dr. Kirsten Kunkle (10:00):
Yeah, we actually had a dog bark in one
of our performances for GeronDeans and I remember that that
was a new experience for all ofus.
We didn't expect that Somebodyhad brought their service dog
and it was just kind of like, ohthere's a bark there, you know.
But we were fine, we made itthrough with no problems.
Andy Truscott (10:18):
How do you feel like your artists have kind of
rallied and gathered around youas the organization has grown?
Dr. Kirsten Kunkle (10:25):
I think that , from what I noticed, everyone
was very grateful to have acontract actually followed
through with from 2020.
We were able to increase theirpay from what we initially
planned, which was reallyappreciated Because you know, we
are back, so to speak, but it'sstill rough.
I mean, covid is still verymuch here.
We've got another wave coming,there are things happening, so
(10:49):
trying to do group numbers istricky Because you might lose
somebody at the last minute, andwe have.
We have been in that situationwhere we've lost somebody at the
last minute and had to regroupthe morning of a performance.
You know, so it's it's tricky.
We're still navigating that as awhole, as an industry.
But I think the, the singersand all the musicians I don't
(11:11):
want to just limit it to thesingers have all been grateful
for the work and I don't want tospeak out of term, but I think
that they enjoy working with us.
I mean, I've gotten theimpression that the vast
majority of people I've talkedto have been very happy to work
with us and in an environmentwhere they know they can bring
their child if they can't get ababysitter, or they can come
(11:31):
late if there's a problem withtraffic and we are not going to
Dr Pay.
I think that it's been verypositive overall.
Dr. Marisa Robinson (11:39):
You know, to speak to your the corner of
your question about you know thecaliber of artists.
You know the caliber of.
You know there's obviouslythere's a core of singers.
You know every company hassingers that you you bring back
time and again because they'regreat and you like working with
them.
We're always, always looking tohear new voices and the caliber
of submissions that we receiveand the number of them continues
(12:00):
to increase and frequently theydo come addressed with other
singer friends who has workedwith you who said that I should
apply and it said X, y and Zwonderful things about the
experience of working with you.
Dr. Kirsten Kunkle (12:14):
And we do try to include at least one or
two new people for every concert, even if we are solidly
bringing back a large number.
But we use new people all thetime.
And the other thing is that westill have our virtual recitals
going.
So that's one nice thing thatwe have for both local and
further out distant people, thatthey have opportunities to be
(12:34):
heard that way or bring newrepertoire to our audiences that
we wouldn't have otherwise.
Like, for example, we had had aFilipino recital of all
Filipino music that we would nothave had otherwise if we hadn't
had this virtual recital series.
So it's still something that weare always expanding our singer
base.
Dr. Marisa Robinson (12:55):
For that reason I mean we had a
delightful virtual recital inSeptember.
That was all relatively newmusic, I mean within the last 10
years I think, by livingcomposers who were all friends
with the soprano who programmedit.
That was like a really coolniche lane of things, but it was
(13:16):
all just such fun and she wasclearly having such fun
performing.
It was beautifully sung.
Highly recommend checking itout.
It is on our YouTube channel.
Dr. Kirsten Kunkle (13:25):
That's something people can do with
their children too is if theywant to just get a taste of what
we do.
We do have excerpts from ourbig concerts, but we also have
all these virtual recitals, andmost of them have little
breakaway introductions andthings like that too, just to
kind of set the scene.
Andy Truscott (13:39):
As we look forward into 2024,.
You've got a whole set ofupcoming performances and other
kind of new initiatives coming.
Tell us a little bit about whatwe can expect to see from
Wilmington Concert Opera intothe 2024 year.
Dr. Kirsten Kunkle (13:55):
Well, I think we're really excited about
this season.
We have again our Gala and ourfull opera.
The full opera is Diefle derMaus and that will be.
That is tentatively scheduledfor September of 2024.
And that is an operetta andit's lots of fun.
It's comic and we haven't donetoo many comedic operas, but
(14:18):
this one will be lots of fun.
It's again in German, but wewill do an English dialogue for
that, just to make it moreaccessible.
There's no reason for us to tryto be butchering spoken German
if we don't have to too much.
In that there is a famous ariacalled the Chardash and the
translation for that is, loosely, voice of Home, voices of Home.
(14:39):
So that is the title of ourGala, which will actually happen
before Diefle der Maus.
That will happen in early Mayand that is going to be about a
curated program for Voice forpieces based on the individual
heritages of the differentsingers on the program.
So that is based on bothheritage and ethnicity.
(15:03):
We have a nice variety ofsingers scheduled for that of
all different types of heritages, which is really exciting for
us.
We're going to be able tofeature music that we wouldn't
be able to feature otherwise,and I'm working specifically
with each singer to try to makesure that we are honoring their
heritage as they feel is done ina sincere and honorable way.
(15:27):
So we have all sorts ofdifferent types of people.
We have a Filipino singer, wehave Native American singers, we
have African American singers,we have singers of Jewish
heritage.
We have all sorts of differentsingers.
So they will all be doingthings that are either, if they
only have one heritage that theywant to showcase, we will be
(15:47):
focusing on that, whether it'swith a composer or a poet, and
we will also be dealing withpeople who have multiple
heritages and with those theywill be showcasing some or all
of their heritages, based onwhat they feel they want to
feature.
And then, additionally, we willbe throwing in some things about
(16:10):
home and homeland that can openup the variety of pieces for
ensemble work.
One specific example that weplan to do is journey on from
ragtime, so that will besomething that we can do that
features the idea of going homeor coming to a new home.
Anthem from Chess will be onthere, and specifically, I know
(16:30):
we're looking at Opatria and Miafrom Aida as well.
So those are all things thatare not specifically about
someone's individual heritage,but they talk about homeland as
a whole, so that ties theprogram together as well.
We're very excited about that.
We think the audiences willlove it.
It's different from anythingwe've done before, and I know
that our musicians are extremelyexcited about the prospect of
(16:53):
showcasing who they are on adifferent level.
Andy Truscott (16:56):
Can you share some personal anecdotes or
stories that illustrate theimpact of these diversity and
inclusivity efforts for theorganization?
Dr. Kirsten Kunkle (17:04):
Specifically to me Marissa and I are both
women.
Obviously, marissa has a Jewishbackground.
I am Native American.
So, right there, we are notyour stereotypical CEOs, if you
will.
We bring a differentperspective, just based on who
we are, and I think that that issomething that we have always
(17:26):
acknowledged as part of who weare.
As far as diversity andinclusivity, from the onset of
the organization, that wasalways the goal was to be as
inclusive as possible andaccessible, so accessible to the
audiences.
Specifically, we wanted tobring in the biggest number of
(17:47):
types of people.
Backgrounds, levels of income,where people lived, it didn't
matter to us.
We wanted to be able to reacheveryone.
So that was always, from dayone, one of the most important
things to us as far as beinginclusive.
As far as our performers, wewanted to make sure that, no
(18:07):
matter what your background is,if you're a great singer, you
can be featured.
If you're a good colleague, youcan be featured, and that's
never been something we've everhad any issues with.
It's something we want tofeature more of, so that we are
dealing with people of all ages,disabilities, races,
backgrounds, cultures, religions.
(18:28):
So, in and of itself, because Ithink we are coming from it
from a perspective of beingpeople who have been judged our
whole lives as singers.
But also the fact that we arewomen, that we are coming from
backgrounds that are notnecessarily the biggest majority
of people, that makes us muchmore aware, and so we've tried
(18:53):
to make sure our board isdiversified, that we get
different perspectives, that weask our audience what do you see
that you like?
What are you seeing that couldimprove On a regular basis?
So I think that that may be abroad answer, but I think that
that's really we come from that,so we try to embody that.
Dr. Marisa Robinson (19:14):
It's sort of hard to narrow down because
it's so profoundly what we do.
Andy Truscott (19:18):
As you look to engage this younger generation,
do you have any advice for youngaspiring opera singers who may
be considering a career moveinto this field?
Dr. Marisa Robinson (19:28):
Question whether those gatekeepers really
have authority over you.
Are the people who are tellingyou know people whose opinions
you would actually respect ifthey were talking about anyone
else?
And do you love it?
Is this what you wake up within your heart every day?
Then that's what it is, that'sthe thing for you.
Dr. Kirsten Kunkle (19:47):
Yeah, I think that I'm that person that
someone says I can't, so I finda way to do it just to spite
them.
I think that doesn't inspireit's actually hard, but, yeah, I
think that there's a lot to besaid for that.
If you don't love practicing,if you don't love it and enjoy
that and have that be a respitefor the rest of your stresses,
it's going to be a very hardcareer.
(20:09):
I would say that more thananything, in addition to what
Marisa said, which I absolutelyagree with be open to whatever
opportunities come your way,even if it's not something that
was in your plan.
My career has beenexceptionally varied and gone in
ways that I never, ever, couldhave anticipated.
I don't think either of us everhad a goal of opening and
(20:29):
starting a company.
It happened because the pieceslined up so obviously to us that
we fell into it, and then wefell into it full force because
we realized the need for it butalso the love that we had for it
.
Everything that I've done in mylife career-wise that has been
really positive has been becauseI've taken a leap into
(20:52):
something I didn't know if Icould actually do.
I thought I could, I thought Imight be able to, but because I
trusted it myself enough that Icould said okay, I'm going to
try it and see where it goes.
It has opened so many moredoors.
So I think if you're set, I'monly going to sing If I can
perform at the Met.
This is not the career for you.
(21:12):
If you want to sing because youlove singing, then it might be
the career for you If you'rewilling to make all those
sacrifices and do all thosethings and also realize there is
not one clear-cut path foreveryone.
It's all very different,especially nowadays.
Andy Truscott (21:26):
You can learn more about Wilmington Concert
Opera at their website,wilmingtonconsertoperacom, and a
reminder that their nextupcoming performance of Hansel
and Gretel is November 10ththrough the 12th Ladies.
Thank you so much for joiningme and I look forward to seeing
kind of all the exciting thingscoming now through the end of
2024.
Music.
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