First Contact
Opera Orlando’s Vincent Connor
by Charlie Griffin
Vincent Connor, the new General Director of Opera Orlando, appeared
on my WPRK radio show, Zero Crossings, to talk about Opera Orlando,
their One Voice Orlando concert on September 11, and Opera Orlando’s upcoming season. What follows is an excerpt from a two-hour
conversation.
got my master’s degree at the University of Arizona. I loved the desert
landscape, I loved the heat, I loved everything about Arizona. I was
there for three years. I started focusing on directing as well as singing.
Knowing that the life of a singer was a tough one, I wanted to get educated in two realms.
Charlie Griffin: You’re the General Director of Opera Orlando,
and it’s a bit of a phoenix story. Tell me about the genesis of the
newest incarnation of opera in Orlando.
Vincent Connor: Yes. Yes! We rose from the ashes! Opera is very dear
to my heart. I grew up here, in Winter Park, and came back here after
twelve years. I grew up with Orlando Opera, which was the prominent
opera company at the time, and saw magnificent productions there.
They did more traditional opera. I can arguably say that the reason I
went into opera was because of Orlando Opera. They closed in 2009
during the recession. In its place grew up the Florida Opera Theater,
which had been growing by about 20% every year. Some of the board
members reached out to me, because they had been following my career and knew that I was from here. I had been directing and singing
opera and they contacted me about this opportunity.
Is there not a benefit to be a male singer, though? There’s a lot
less competition.
Yes, there is. It doesn’t take away how hard the lifestyle is, though. The
formula is scary—there are about ten women auditioning for every one
male at Opera Orlando. It’s a tough business.
Going on, where were you when the board members from Florida Opera Theater recruited you?
After Arizona, I went to the University of Missouri at Kansas City for
my doctorate. After I finished my coursework, I moved to Philadelphia
to teach voice and opera at the University of Delaware. It was while I
was in Philly that I got the phone call.
Why do you think that Orlando Opera didn’t survive the recession?
From a business perspective, there were some poor administrative and
So they actively recruited you. That must feel good.
Yeah! It’s always great to be able to go back where home is. So many fiscal decisions made, regarding their endowment. From an artistic
directors and singers and professors of opera never get the chance to standpoint, Orlando Opera had taken a more traditional approach, and
work where they grew up. To come home was like dream come true, it can be argued that they weren’t willing to change with the times. Opera America (a national service organization that supports opera and the
after I’d been performing all over the world.
musical arts internationally with education and awareness programs) is
so wonderful. I just got back from a two-week seminar in New York.
Where had you gone during those twelve years?
I went to Florida State University in Tallahassee for my undergrad and And Opera America is all about really learning your audience; what
Vincent Connor interviews with Charlie Griffin’s Zero Crossings on WPRK, September 12, 2016. photo by Mariana Mora
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