Opera on Tap, a revolutionary group that presents aria nights in bars and lounges, has brought joy to standing-room-only audiences and performance opportunities to local singers. The two New York-based MDs (Managing Divas) of Opera On Tap, Anne Ricci and Jessica Miller-Rauch, tell CS how it works.
Where did you get the idea for Opera on Tap?
Anne Ricci: The idea stemmed from a conversation I had with Donald O’Finn one night while I was patronizing the bar he works at. He is the booking manager at Freddy’s Bar and Backroom. I was there watching a student of mine, a country singer, perform. In Don, the perfect bartender, I found the perfect witness to my lament about the state of my musical career.
At the time I was working at a local gourmet food shop, making very little money. I had had a long stream of auditions that led to nowhere and was feeling acutely broke and disillusioned. I sat there watching Aaron (my student) having such an incredible time and realized that I hadn’t had fun performing in a very long time.
I began to drunkenly muse on how fun it would be to sing opera in a bar. Don thought it was a good idea and he offered me a gig. The rest is history. That was in 2005.
Jessica Miller-Rauch: I got the epiphany call from Annie when I was still in Berlin. She told me we were going to have Diva Night at Freddy’s and I had to sing. I had my doubts about bar-goers enjoying our loud screechings in the back room, but I was happily proved wrong.
At our first performance, I had only been back in the States for one day. I was still confident that the singing jobs would start rolling in. It’s funny to think how things have changed since then. Now I’m happy to have any kind of job I don’t hate that will pay the bills. We only had one gig a month at that point—[now] OOT has grown many, many tentacles.
AR: We are now a 501c3 organization with more gigs than we can handle, a chapter in New Orleans, a roster of over 40 singers, and a children’s education program that’s snowballing.
Organizing Opera on Tap made me realize that my mind really responded to management activities. I began to realize that I was enjoying running the whole shebang more than pursuing a solo career. There was a whole part of my brain that I had been neglecting for years in pursuit of my singing career. Through OOT I developed the business side of myself—something that I now see I should have had in developing a solo career.
JMR: My favorite part, other than the singing with great people in bars of course, is performing new works and giving young composers more exposure—and brainstorming ideas about everything. We had the best time brainstorming with Christian McLeer, composer extraordinaire, about our theme song for OOT Jr. Even having a hand in creating something is very satisfying.
AR: It’s fun to pull the strings rather than always be the puppet.
JMR: Yes, it’s hard to step away and be objective when you are your own product.
What is OOT Jr.?
AR: OOT Jr. is the education program we are developing. Through one of our board members we were able to connect with the head of Artistic Services at the Jewish Community Center in Manhattan. She gave us the opportunity to develop an OOT format (casual and fun approach) for children. We put together a brain trust of performers in our group who had spent time in the education field to brainstorm a format that would fit our aesthetic.
Hard to match your aesthetic without the booze?
AR: Yes. It’s juice boxes only at OOT Jr. From that session we developed a replicable format that can be applied to any opera we choose to present.
JMR: Our format involves a guide, our flight attendant on OOT Jr. Airlines, who takes children to Operaland, a place where people speak many languages. We wanted it to be irreverent in the vein of Sesame Street and The Muppet Show, not totally Milquetoast and boring. We adapted Carmen and left all the important things in except for the deaths at the end. Instead, Don José has a huge temper tantrum because Carmen refused to get back together with him.
AR: The format is highly interactive for the kids, allowing them at times to feel like they are literally controlling the action of the story. At the same time our OOT Jr. emcee, Carla Fisk, engages them in exercises that teach them basic musical concepts.
JMR: We write each show around one major musical concept like high and low, fast and slow, etc.
What has the response been like?
AR: It’s been fantastic thus far, though the program is still very new.
JMR: The performances at the JCC were very well received. We just need someone to run the program and get it into the public schools.
AR: Karen Sander at the JCC (she’s the head honcho at the JCC) formally worked in educational outreach at the Met. She had very positive things to say about the format and the kids were definitely engaged. We are an idea-oriented staff that needs a few more hands to make them [the ideas] all happen.
JMR: Yes, our amazing board member Donna suggested we start a volunteer program: FOOT. Friend of OOT!
AR: That is set to launch next month.
JMR: Super charming, and also very practical.
So you do opera nights in bars. What is a typical show like?
JMR: Every show is loosely based on a theme to encourage our roster of singers to sing a variety of rep. I say loosely, because our singers introduce their pieces, and a clever justification of a piece is just as good as singing one that fits.
AR: The themes are chosen in a wee bit of a cheeky way. It provides a nice latch for the press to grab onto.
JMR: GMD [General Managing Diva] Anne Ricci emcees all the events
AR: Jessica writes our press releases and has garnered a lot of success in getting us noticed.
What’s the best aria-to-theme justification you’ve ever heard?
JMR: Hmm, good question.
AR: When Cameron Russell sang a Bach cantata aria for our “Hot and Steamy” August show last year, she basically described herself as hot and steamy for Jesus. It was an amazing presentation, however. She performed it with our fabulous pianist, Kevin Winkler, and the equally fabulous cellist Kate Spingarn.
It was really moving.
JMR: And steamy, in a Christian sort of way.
AR: I think that’s what’s great about our show. We can be jocular and irreverent, but the music really speaks for itself.
JMR: Unexpected things happen and move people.
AR: And I’d say that I’ve had countless moments where I’ve been moved by Opera on Tap performances.
JMR: Traditional opera at the Met feels so safe.
AR: Well, it’s actually rehearsed.
JMR: People are paying lots of money to make sure they’re not surprised. They want to hear what they’ve been hearing for 60 years.
AR: They want to laugh in the same places as they have for 60 years.
JMR: When more challenging productions come through, the company gets tons of crap from donors.
AR: I love going to the Met, but I really do believe that companies like ours need to sprout all over this country in order to reinvigorate the art form. The art form needs to progress in order to stay alive. That requires an understanding that there need to be moments where the controls set forth a thousand times over can be thrown away in order to discover something new. Every other performing art form has that privilege.
JMR: Audience participation is an important element in our shows as well. We like people to yell, comment, [or] ask questions of the performers. And we have at least one sing-a-long chorus per show where we invite the audience to sight-read through something theme-appropriate with the singers.
AR: Doing these shows for three years now has made us realize that outreach for adults is very similar to outreach for children. People love the intimacy and the interaction. Everyone likes to be a part. They love to be actively engaged in the experience.
JMR: I think the ownership aspect of actually doing something rather than passively listening makes a big impression on people. That is why OOT is a great solution for promoting opera to new audiences.
AR: The big reason the popularity of classical music is deteriorating in this country is due to the fact that people aren’t actively engaging in it anymore on a hobby-level.
Do you feel you have brought new people to opera?
AR: Yes.
JMR: Yes.
AR: We’ve had many people come up to us saying just that.
JMR: At least every month, I’ll have someone come up to me at one of our shows and confess that they had never been to the opera before.
AR: That being said, we also have plenty of fans who are huge opera lovers. The best comment I ever heard came from Adam Wasserman at Opera News about attending one of our shows as an opera lover. He said that coming to our shows he was able to experience elements of opera that he would never get at Lincoln Center. I think we add another dimension to the art form for aficionados.
JMR: Two young guys came with one of our staunch fans and they were blown away by the experience. People also mention the “back-stage” atmosphere of singers getting ready and rehearsing as being really fun to experience.
AR: Yes. The imperfection of our shows is definitely a draw.
JMR: To a point.
AR: Ha ha. Yes, nobody wants to listen to an absolute train wreck. That’s happened, too.
JMR: The music is still my favorite part.
AR: Me, too.
JMR: Some nights, being in the audience, I feel so thankful and full of all the best things music can be: beauty, community . . .
You are based in New York City but you mentioned you have a branch in New Orleans.
AR: Yes. Our first official chapter launched in New Orleans last year. It is sponsored by the New Orleans Opera.
JMR: In collaboration with Loyola University’s voice department. They use it as a marketing tool to highlight their season and reach new audiences.
AR: They also use it for community outreach.
JMR: It’s been such a success that they added it to the company’s official season calendar.
AR: Post-Katrina, the opera company staffers really felt the desire to reach out to their communities. They also wanted to give a fresh face to their company. Opera on Tap New Orleans has done much to accomplish just that.
Are you open to branches opening up in other cities?
AR: Absolutely. We are actively seeking interested parties in that endeavor.
JMR: We’ve had a lot of interest in Chicago and San Francisco.
How would interested people go about starting a branch of Opera on Tap?
JMR: On our website [www.operaontap.com], we have guidelines for our National Chapter program.
AR: I love watching our OOT performers having a great time on stage. Working with other singers to create a community, a business, and a charity organization has been the most rewarding part of my career as an artist.
For more information visit www.operaontap.com.
