The Center for Contemporary Opera, of which Eric Salzman is the Artistic Director, has been around for a while. Pocket of New York is relatively new. They both follow the traditional formula for organizing and structuring a music theater company, i.e. they are both corporations with a board of directors, with a artistic and management team, and with a long list of contributors. And yet, the Salzman opera began rehearsals only 5 days before the show and included a last minute replacement for accompanist. It was opera in concert. Done well but done at the last minute with minimal rehearsal. They didn't get into the theater until the day of the performance.
I wonder if all the work required to put together an organization like this is really worth it, artistically speaking. Maybe I'm just jealous. But I think I like the Phil Glass model better. Phil drove a cab and was a professional handy man before he became so famous. He used he money he garnered from his non-musical activities to finance his musical activities and made it big-time after renting out the Metropolitan Opera. Amazing! The reward was that he maintained his independence. No board to please. No collaborators to mollify. Of course, when Phil Glass started writing in the "minimalist" style he figured no one would support it financially anyway. So why bother.
I find myself somewhat in Phil's position. I'm told that Voice Afire's operas aren't operas. I must be doing the right thing.
