“Another Op’nin’, Another Show” is the title of the opening musical number to Cole Porter’s Kiss Me Kate (1948). But as many audience members are well aware, the opening night of an opera or musical theater piece is the culmination of months, if not years, of hard work on the part of countless individuals. New projects always require more than just artistic vision and technical know-how, they also demand a great deal of financial acumen. On August 18, acclaimed New York Times and New Yorker journalist James B. Stewart and Glimmerglass General and Artistic Director Francesca Zambello will shed more light on the financial considerations that are an inescapable part of any creative endeavor.
James B. Stewart is the Bloomberg Professor of Business and Economic Journalism at the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism, Editor-at-Large of SmartMoney magazine and author of nine books, including most recently Tangled Webs: How False Statements are Undermining America: From Martha Stewart to Bernie Madoff (2011). Mr. Stewart was an editor and writer with The Wall Street Journal for many years and received the Pulitzer Prize for Explanatory Journalism in 1988 for his piece on the 1987 insider trading and stock market upheaval. He has reported on the complicated relationship between money and people in power in a myriad of contexts, from medical malpractice to Disney.
Stewart is an award-winning journalist with expertise in all things money, but he’s also no stranger to creating new works for the opera stage. His 2002 book, Heart of a Soldier: A Story of Love, Heroism, and September 11th was made into an opera by Christopher Theofanidis and Donna DiNovelli; Francesca Zambello directed the world-premiere production at San Francisco Opera in 2011. Glimmerglass Young Artists will perform selections from Heart of a Soldier to accompany the conversation. The work is the story of decorated U.S. Army veteran Rick Rescorla, and it is a poignant and moving homage to a hero who never stopped serving others after his military tenure ended. Stewart and Zambello will speak about the lessons learned in crafting this new work and discuss the ways in which arts institutions can plan for success the current cultural landscape.