The 38th Season
2021

How artists are keeping the music alive in a year like no other

“The show must go on.” We have all heard this saying at one time or another. And it has never been more relevant than right now, as arts organizations and opera companies around the world have been faced with a year like no other. Since the COVID-19 pandemic forced theatres and concert venues to shutter in the first quarter of 2020, the opera world has seen artists innovate and evolve in new and exciting ways, keeping the art form alive and vibrant at a time when we need music more than ever.

Probably the most prevalent and important way that artists have continued performing over the past year has been through digital media. 2020 saw the rise of the “living room recital,” as singers turned their homes into video recording studios, often performing to accompaniment tracks recorded by a pianist on the opposite side of the country. Companies such as Los Angeles Opera, Tulsa Opera, and Opera Theatre of St. Louis all presented these “at home” performances, featuring artists at different points of their career—from emerging artist to seasoned professional.

Here at Pensacola Opera, we launched our series called The Mezzanine, which features a varied series of performances and interviews with our 2020-21 Artists in Residence alongside several company favorites. This newly popular digital stage has allowed for more experimentation and innovation than ever before. It has become clear over the past year that video and digital media will continue to be a vital part of the operatic landscape, even once live performances have fully returned.

With mounting evidence that outdoor gatherings are far safer than being inside theatres, opera companies and orchestras have taken note, staging a plethora of safely distanced concerts and performances for audiences to enjoy. Here in Pensacola, we staged a series of “Al Fresco” concerts, held in local parks and featuring some of our favorite performers. Audiences gathered (safely distanced, of course) under the late afternoon sky and took in the sounds of Mozart, Puccini, and Rodgers & Hammerstein. Other companies such as Opera Santa Barbara, Austin Opera, and San Diego Opera staged “drive-in” style performances, where audience members remained in or around their vehicles to enjoy the show.

One of the first live operas to be performed since the beginning of the pandemic was in Europe, when the Deutsche Oper Berlin staged a reduced version of Wagner’s epic Tannhäuser outside on their parking deck last June. With audiences enthusiastically turning out for these one-of-a-kind performances, it is clear that opera lovers are eager to continue experiencing the magic of live theatre—wherever it may take place.

While alternative media and venues have been vital to opera’s survival through the pandemic, we have also seen companies begin to return to theatres with safely distanced, alternatively staged productions. One of the first indoor performances took place in Madrid at Teatro Real, where a production of Verdi’s La traviata was staged especially with current restrictions in mind.

Singers maintained at least nine feet between each other for the entire opera, each highlighted by their own square of light. A full chorus also appeared behind the principal cast, spaced out in boxed segments of the stage. And in the audience, patrons were seated in a socially distanced configuration, with a limited seating capacity and large gaps between each group of masked attendees. This concept is what inspired our own performances of Carmen this season at Pensacola Opera, as we remain determined to present live opera in a way that is safe and exciting for all.

Whatever the manner of consumption, audiences all over have continued to express their excitement and passion for opera performances over the past year. Now more than ever, our community craves the artistic fulfillment that music brings, which is essential as we continue to heal and bounce back from a devastating year for the arts industry.