They say it takes a village to put a work for the stage on its feet. Composers, librettists, performers, and conductors may get the loudest applause at the end of an evening, but they will also be the first to admit that without the army of men and women behind them sending emails and calling cues, they would not be standing on that stage.
Our village of behind-the-scenes warriors is strong and proud, but it’s far from perfect. Women represent over half of the U.S. population, yet their representation in leadership roles across the classical music field is markedly lower. However, women have been making waves both on and off the stage as of late. Groups such as OPERA America’s Women’s Opera Network advocate for the inclusion and celebration of women’s voices in all parts of the field, and classical music institutions around the country have begun actively working toward addressing this stark gender disparity.
In honor of Women’s History Month, and in keeping with our new commitment to women in classical music, we’ve chosen to highlight a few of the women powerhouses who are taking the classical music world by storm from beyond the wings.
Beth Morrison
Beth Morrison, President and Creative Producer of Beth Morrison Projects, is a dynamic force taking the opera world by storm. It’s Morrison’s job to seek out new and interesting projects that will present subjects both ordinary and extraordinary in novel ways. Some of the works she’s helped bring to the stage include Missy Mazzoli’s Breaking the Waves and David Little’s Soldier Songs, among countless others. Every project that Morrison executes is achingly real and utterly necessary. Breaking the Waves tells the story of a deeply devout woman who is faced with an extreme moral dilemma when her now-paralyzed husband encourages her to go out and seek other lovers in order to preserve their marriage. Soldier Songs is a multimedia performance which combines elements from various musical genres to explore the lives of soldiers.
The website of Morrison’s eponymous company describes its role as that of “an industry disruptor and tastemaker at the forefront of musical and theatrical innovation by commissioning, developing, producing, and touring the groundbreaking new works of living composers and their collaborators, which take the form of opera-theatre, music-theatre, and vocal-theatre.” Indeed, Morrison is a no-frills, boots and leather wearing champion of new works unlike any other. She runs her company from the spare room in her two-bedroom apartment and funnels the money that she saves on office space into new works. Morrison is a powerhouse leading the industry to new heights.
Cori Ellison
Cori Ellison is arguably the most sought-after dramaturg working today. The term “dramaturg” deserves some attention, however, before we crash on into our celebration of Ellison’s myriad contributions to the field. I like to think of a dramaturg as a sort of dramatic consultant. No, not a dramatic, handkerchief-to-the-brow, woe-is-me, diva of a consultant (although what a fun image that is!), but rather a consultant who addresses all things related to the essential drama of any given piece. Ellison defines her role as, “the bridge between the creators, producers, performers, scholars, and audiences of opera,” or, as the late dramaturg of the ENO Nicholas John put it, she is “the conscience of an opera house.” Ellison helps companies make choices that connect with their artistic vision, whether that means choosing repertoire or reconciling differences in dramatic / musical interpretation.
Ellison currently serves as dramaturg for the Santa Fe Opera, with previous credits including both Glyndebourne Festival Opera and New York City Opera. Her dramaturgical work can be seen at venues large and small, and her name can be found in the program books from countless productions across the U.S. Ellison was also instrumental in the development of opera supertitles in the 1990s and early 2000s, working with such organizations as the Metropolitan Opera and New York City Opera to provide audiences with real-time translations. Ellison is a wordsmith with an encyclopedic knowledge of music and a true talent for teaching, which is why she’s one of the go-to powerhouses making waves behind the scenes in classical music today.
Deborah Borda
Deborah Borda, President and CEO of the New York Philharmonic, is a glass ceiling–smashing veteran. She first made waves in the classical music world in 1991 when she was appointed executive director of the NY Phil, becoming the first woman in years to manage a major American symphony orchestra. She then became President and CEO of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, and, after 17 years, caused a commotion once more when she returned to the NY Phil in 2017.
Borda is tasked with the job of leading and advocating for the orchestra both artistically and fiscally. While in Los Angeles, Borda designed a plan which helped rebuild the LA Phil. She increased its budget from $46 million to $120 million, and its endowment to $255 million. She brought in conductor Gustavo Dudamel, and together the two of them founded the Youth Orchestra Los Angeles, which offers free after-school music instruction to school-aged children.
Since her return to the NY Phil, Borda swiftly and efficiently completed a $50 million fundraising project to re-establish the financial stability of the orchestra, which has sustained a deficit for the past decade, and which had to abandon its planned $500 million renovation project in October 2017 for reasons both financial and logistical. Borda is actively working towards restoring the financial health of the orchestra while simultaneously developing initiatives that will hopefully cause a ripple effect across the major orchestras of the country. As just one example, Borda has spearheaded a new concert series initiative dubbed “Phil the Hall.” As part of this discount ticket scheme, the orchestra will present a series of special concerts to NYC’s community and service professionals (including those who work for the FDNY, NYPD, Brooklyn Defender Services, and El Centro del Inmigrante, among others) for the unbelievably low ticket price of $5.
Carleen Graham
Carleen Graham is the director of Houston Grand Opera’s community collaboration and education initiative HGOco. For the past two-and-a-half years, Graham has developed and executed programs that strive to break down the barriers that keep Houston residents from the opera house. She brings opera and classical music to local schools, parks, landmarks, and other unconventional spaces across the city. Particularly noteworthy programming includes a teen Opera Club that is free to join and hosts meet ups throughout the school year, Opera to Go! performances presented for young audiences, an operatic short film broken down into episodes that can be streamed online, and an opera-themed summer camp. Outreach and education are essential facets of being an artist today, and people like Carleen Graham are paving the way for classical music organizations and performers across the United States.
Prior to her position with HGO, Graham served on the faculty of the State University of New York at Potsdam’s Crane School of Music, where she developed courses such as Teaching Opera to Children and Opera, Research, and Advocacy. She championed new works through the establishment of the Domenic J. Pellicciotti Opera Composition Prize, and has been recognized with numerous awards for teaching. Graham spearheads programming that is instrumental in exposing young audiences to the brilliant art forms of opera and classical music.
Molly Dill
While we’re on the subject of Houston Grand Opera, it seems only fitting that we mention Producing Director Molly Dill. Dill began her career as a stage manager, working with such companies as Opera Theater of St. Louis, Glimmerglass Opera, and Lyric Opera of Chicago. She then decided to make Houston her home. Since 2003, Dill has taken on many roles with the HGO, including director of production and general manager. Her appointment to the role of producing director in 2017 allowed her to blend together all of her many talents. She acts as an essential link between the management and the opera production team, which oversees the team putting shows together, from the scenery to the costumes.
Dill is instrumental in bringing the operas on HGO’s stage to life, and ensuring that it is done in a manner that serves and enhances the drama of each and every opera. Next time you go to the opera, take a closer look at the visual spectacle that greets you when the curtain rises. There’s a whole team of people working to make that magic happen, and in Houston, that team just happens to be led by this absolute powerhouse of a woman.
These women are all doing incredible work, but they represent only a tiny sampling of the many women doing jobs both large and small to contribute to the field of classical music. It takes a village, and how lucky we are to have such inspiring female figures as these leading the way.