Just over two months ago, the Florentine Opera Company announced the selection of Maggey Oplinger as its seventh general director; she was chosen from a vigorous national and international field of candidates. In the end, the opera company—which celebrates its 85th anniversary this season—came back home to Milwaukee in choosing Oplinger. “I am thrilled to lead the Florentine in creating great opera in my hometown, setting the scene for a strong centennial,” she says.
Florentine Opera Board President Kathleen Wilson explains that “Maggey is the perfect fit” for the company going forward, adding that she’s “a visionary leader with both opera and business experience, and she understands Milwaukee’s cultural landscape.” As Oplinger says of her goals, “Florentine performances will showcase great artistry and fresh takes on masterpieces new and old. We will build momentum for a traditional art form through unexpected collaboration and challenging what ‘classical’ can be.” I asked her to expound further upon those predicted collaborations, as well as upon the oft-misunderstood and misapplied musical descriptor, “classical,” as she mentioned.
“People tend to follow protocol and historic ‘we’ve always done it that way,’” Oplinger explains. “At two months in, I’m excited to see all of the different ways opera is being produced around the country. If a productive partnership makes a great production, our audience and performers win. So, whether that’s a theater company, a puppet troupe or a visual artist, I’m keeping my ear to the ground for artists who complement our strengths. We’re going to walk before we run, but give me a little more time and we’ll start to grow our roster of potential collaborators.
Stay on top of the news of the day
Subscribe to our free, daily e-newsletter to get Milwaukee's latest local news, restaurants, music, arts and entertainment and events delivered right to your inbox every weekday, plus a bonus Week in Review email on Saturdays.
“I often get a really defensive reaction from people about opera; that it ‘isn’t for them,’” she continues. “But when I probe a bit, it turns out they’ve never actually experienced a performance. The Florentine will be exploring how to expand not only the operatic experience, but also expectations around this art form. At the same time, the operatic canon spans centuries, and it’s full of familiar ‘top-40’ shows as well as buried treasures. We don’t want to neglect either category.”
The Florentine’s “A Night at the Opera” gala concert features many talented vocal artists—three of whom will be making their debut at the event. Soprano Alexandra LoBianco’s recent operatic highlights include title roles in such magnificent gems as Aida (Seattle Opera), Tosca (Minnesota Opera) and Turandot (Des Moines Metro Opera). Mezzo-soprano Elise Quagliata recently sang in acclaimed productions of Flight and Out of Darkness: Two Remain (Des Moines Metro Opera) and regularly appears internationally in the title role in Carmen. Tenor Jonathan Burton has been engaged to sing the quite challenging roles for his voice in U.S. productions of Tosca, Turandot, Aida and La Fanciulla del West.
In addition to the newcomers, Florentine vocalists for “A Night at the Opera” will be baritones Corey McKern and Nathaniel Hill, soprano Nicole Heinen, mezzo-soprano Briana Moynihan and tenor Nicholas Huff. The Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra (MSO) will be on the stage of Uihlein Hall along with the singers.
Nurturing Opera’s Relevance
Oplinger comes to the Florentine from the MSO, where she held the positions of director of community partnerships and director of shared experiences. In those capacities, she was charged with finding economically feasible ways for the orchestra to obtain more of a presence in the city it calls home. At the MSO, Oplinger was instrumental in the doubling of volunteer engagement and increasing the profitability of fundraising events by 21%.
I asked her about the challenges of not just keeping classical music organizations such as orchestras and opera companies financially afloat but of, perhaps, making them thrive in our world of instant gratification, Twitter, Instagram and seemingly ever-decreasing attention spans—all cultural trends (especially among younger generations) that surely must work against art forms that truly require long, quiet contemplation and concentration to be fully enjoyed and understood. It takes about three-six minutes (at most) to hear the latest top-40 pop hit song, but it takes something like six hours (including intermissions) for, arguably, the greatest opera by (again, arguably) the greatest opera composer, Richard Wagner—Parsifal.
“People have been complaining about aging classical audiences for generations, and yet here we are,” Oplinger says in response. “The challenge for us is making this timeless art form relevant. I don’t care if you’re 16 or 90—if you’re excited by what we do and attend, we’re delighted to have you. Opera does not appeal to everyone, but it does resonate with many. How do we expand that touch? How do we modernize the experience? How do you know we won’t experience a backlash, where audiences revel in a refuge from cell phones and the digital bombardment of our age? We’ll have to wait and see.”
A Night at the Opera takes place May 17 and 19 at the Marcus Center for the Performing Arts, 929 N. Water St. For tickets, call 414-273-7206 or visit florentineopera.org.
