News & Blog
From the Desk of Darren #1
Date: 10/16/2012 By Darren K. Woods
Greetings,
This correspondence is the first of many that I will be sending to you directly. Fort Worth Opera and I believe that patrons and donors are more than just faces in the crowd. You are our family. So in the spirit of family bonding, I have created a series called From the Desk of Darren . Think of these letters as the 21st century version of a fireside chat where you will learn about what goes on in the life of a general director when the spotlight of the Festival isn't shining. I am choosing to start these chats in the place where my heart lies, in the education and cultivation of new and emerging talent.
Many of you may not know that I spend some of the summer months in upstate New York at the Seagle Music Colony. Seagle is one of the best and most prestigious training program for young opera singers in the United States, and in the twelve years I have been in Fort Worth, it has had a unique place in the lives of our own opera family. Many of the artists you see on our stage got their start with me in that little rustic place. People like Ava Pine, Sean Panakkar (who will be Rodolfo in our Bohème this season and has already debuted at the Met and many other international houses), Wes Mason, and many others. All of them came to Seagle while they were still studying at a university or conservatory.
Each year, we audition about 1,500 singers for Seagle, but we only bring 32 to the Colony! These singers show the most potential and are the best young artists in the country (or at least I like to think so!). There, they spend nine weeks working on their craft, including class with me most every morning at 9:00 a.m.! Classes focus on audition techniques, strategic planning, how to be a good colleague, tax preparation as a single business owner, and even navigating a business dinner. The rest of the morning is given over to private voice lessons, acting lessons, and coachings (where singers work one-on-one with a vocal coach on one specific song or aria). In the afternoon, rehearsals for one of the six productions go from 2 - 5 p.m. and from 7:30 - 11:00 p.m., and then we do it all over again the next day. The singers live, work, and dine right there on Charley Hill Road at the Colony. We like to say that we take them out of their lives so they can focus on one thing - whether or not this is the career for them.
Working with singers at the beginning of their career is a huge passion for me. I guess it is because so many wonderful artists took an interest in my career when I was starting. I love watching a young singer wrap their minds and voices around a concept. I love encouraging them to look beyond what the character is saying and really live the part - to truly uncover WHY someone is doing something. I love the look on their face when they realize the mountain they have just climbed and how they feel empowered when they perform it for their colleagues, who cheer them on as if they had just invented fire. I love picking them up and supporting them when it doesn't go well because even that is a learning tool. I love the fact that our motto at Seagle is "there is no failure, except the failure to try!" We give them the freedom to risk and make mistakes and learn from it.
We are proud that our artists grace the stage of Fort Worth Opera, and you can find our graduates at the Metropolitan Opera, New York City Opera, Santa Fe Opera, Glimmerglass Opera, virtually every opera house in the United States, and many in Europe. This past summer, we could identify between one and four Seagle grads at every summer opera festival in the United States - every festival!
Believe it or not, I began my singing career at Seagle in 1980! It is a place that teaches not only how to sing, but also how to prepare for life in this business. It is the perfect "finishing school" for an opera career, and this year, when you look at the stage, you'll see many of my former "kids" taking their places in the world and on our stage. I am proud that Fort Worth Opera is at the forefront of new and important operatic works, and through our relationship with Seagle, we are at the forefront of creating artists to interpret them.
Opera is, and always will be, a collaborative art form. We collaborate with other companies for sets and costumes. We collaborate with the Fort Worth Symphony and Bass Performance Hall to give you great shows, and now you know about another collaboration in which we help to grow artists.
Just as producing opera here in Fort Worth feeds my soul, so too does working with young singers. There is nothing like watching anyone master something, and when they go out into the world, a little part of me goes with them. When they make that wonderful noise and are changing the world, a little part of me is still singing too.
Date: 10/16/2012 By Darren K. Woods
Greetings,
This correspondence is the first of many that I will be sending to you directly. Fort Worth Opera and I believe that patrons and donors are more than just faces in the crowd. You are our family. So in the spirit of family bonding, I have created a series called From the Desk of Darren . Think of these letters as the 21st century version of a fireside chat where you will learn about what goes on in the life of a general director when the spotlight of the Festival isn't shining. I am choosing to start these chats in the place where my heart lies, in the education and cultivation of new and emerging talent.
Many of you may not know that I spend some of the summer months in upstate New York at the Seagle Music Colony. Seagle is one of the best and most prestigious training program for young opera singers in the United States, and in the twelve years I have been in Fort Worth, it has had a unique place in the lives of our own opera family. Many of the artists you see on our stage got their start with me in that little rustic place. People like Ava Pine, Sean Panakkar (who will be Rodolfo in our Bohème this season and has already debuted at the Met and many other international houses), Wes Mason, and many others. All of them came to Seagle while they were still studying at a university or conservatory.
Each year, we audition about 1,500 singers for Seagle, but we only bring 32 to the Colony! These singers show the most potential and are the best young artists in the country (or at least I like to think so!). There, they spend nine weeks working on their craft, including class with me most every morning at 9:00 a.m.! Classes focus on audition techniques, strategic planning, how to be a good colleague, tax preparation as a single business owner, and even navigating a business dinner. The rest of the morning is given over to private voice lessons, acting lessons, and coachings (where singers work one-on-one with a vocal coach on one specific song or aria). In the afternoon, rehearsals for one of the six productions go from 2 - 5 p.m. and from 7:30 - 11:00 p.m., and then we do it all over again the next day. The singers live, work, and dine right there on Charley Hill Road at the Colony. We like to say that we take them out of their lives so they can focus on one thing - whether or not this is the career for them.
Working with singers at the beginning of their career is a huge passion for me. I guess it is because so many wonderful artists took an interest in my career when I was starting. I love watching a young singer wrap their minds and voices around a concept. I love encouraging them to look beyond what the character is saying and really live the part - to truly uncover WHY someone is doing something. I love the look on their face when they realize the mountain they have just climbed and how they feel empowered when they perform it for their colleagues, who cheer them on as if they had just invented fire. I love picking them up and supporting them when it doesn't go well because even that is a learning tool. I love the fact that our motto at Seagle is "there is no failure, except the failure to try!" We give them the freedom to risk and make mistakes and learn from it.
We are proud that our artists grace the stage of Fort Worth Opera, and you can find our graduates at the Metropolitan Opera, New York City Opera, Santa Fe Opera, Glimmerglass Opera, virtually every opera house in the United States, and many in Europe. This past summer, we could identify between one and four Seagle grads at every summer opera festival in the United States - every festival!
Believe it or not, I began my singing career at Seagle in 1980! It is a place that teaches not only how to sing, but also how to prepare for life in this business. It is the perfect "finishing school" for an opera career, and this year, when you look at the stage, you'll see many of my former "kids" taking their places in the world and on our stage. I am proud that Fort Worth Opera is at the forefront of new and important operatic works, and through our relationship with Seagle, we are at the forefront of creating artists to interpret them.
Opera is, and always will be, a collaborative art form. We collaborate with other companies for sets and costumes. We collaborate with the Fort Worth Symphony and Bass Performance Hall to give you great shows, and now you know about another collaboration in which we help to grow artists.
Just as producing opera here in Fort Worth feeds my soul, so too does working with young singers. There is nothing like watching anyone master something, and when they go out into the world, a little part of me goes with them. When they make that wonderful noise and are changing the world, a little part of me is still singing too.
