The History of Toledo Opera, ACT
TWO, Scene Two
by Sally Vallongo
 Could
there have been a more splendid launch for the Toledo Opera
in its 40th year than to move into a performance space
tailored for what it did best: live opera. “We expected
it to be good,” Meena told The Blade. “But
it’s even better than we expected. The Valentine
is as good as all the theaters in Ohio, and better than
most. It’s a first-class facility.” The opening
production, Tosca, with Diana Soviero in the title
role and Gary Simpson as Scarpia, won raves from critics
across the country. This success was followed by Tales
of Hoffman and Magic Flute. Legendary mezzo
Marilyn Horne drew raves at the Opera Gala. But, after
14 years as savior, revolutionary, and innovator – but
never a resident of Toledo – James Meena announced
his departure to become general director of Opera Carolina
in Charlotte. “It’s a wonderful opportunity
for Jim, but a great loss for Toledo Opera,” said
TO president Joseph M. Colturi, as the tenor prepared to
gallop away to new adventures. Meena fulfilled his contractual
duties for the next season while TO officials conducted
a major search for a new artistic director.
Enter the soprano
 Renay
Conlin, the new general and artistic director, ushered
in the next decade of the resilient company. A Juilliard-schooled
singer, teacher, producer, and self-taught politician,
she was then finishing a term as commissioner of the Division
of Culture and History for West Virginia, a $12 million
state agency dealing with culture, history and the arts.
Conlin didn’t travel light. She brought her husband,
Thomas Conlin, the Grammy Award-winning maestro, who conducts
as many of Toledo Opera's productions as his international
guest-conducting travel allows. They made a dynamic
duo for a city that had earned its reputation as a supporter
of opera at its finest. The new director would focus on
outreach, outstanding quality, financial growth, and an
expanded range of programming.
“Toledo Opera is doing everything
right,” she said, shortly after settling in. “We
just need to expand upon what is already in place.” I
would like Toledo Opera to become a household word, not
just in Northwest Ohio, but nationally.
“We have to be not just part of
our community, but fully invested in the community,” Conlin
said. By then, the opera was based in the urban chic headquarters
on the sixth floor of the Secor Building downtown, with
its tricky, bifurcated rehearsal halls and limited work
space. Still, Conlin was determined to cut costs and she
succeeded, reducing production costs for her first season
by 20 percent. In part this helped the company continue
to present productions in The Valentine Theatre.
 One
of the first major changes Conlin made was to hire the
Toledo Symphony to play for all the opera’s performances.
Prior to this time, the orchestra was comprised of freelance
musicians. Conlin felt that not only would the artistic
product benefit from hiring an ensemble that played together
on a regular basis, but it would also strengthen the community
by supporting another local performing arts institution.
Collaboration was and is an important thematic element
for Renay. She has featured both the Toledo Ballet and
Ballet Theatre of Toledo in her productions. She has encouraged
both Bowling Green State University music students and
University of Toledo music students to participate in productions
by either singing in the chorus or performing smaller roles.
The opportunity to perform with a professional opera company
greatly benefits both educational institutions as they
seek to recruit students in a highly competitive atmosphere.
Social groups were formed including the Primo Divos and
OPERAazzi. These social groups plan activities either before
they attend an opera performance or after which provide
an opportunity to socialize and get to know other opera
aficionados. Conlin updated the popular Galas, held in
the Peristyle, turning them from musical medleys to themed
performances featuring the Toledo Opera Chorus, the Toledo
Symphony, and guest stars which resulted in sell-out performances.
At auditions in New York, Conlin played
her own game of Toledo Idol, identifying young singers
at the start of what she deemed to be future high trajectories.
Many of these singers are performing with major opera companies
all over the world. TO continued the Opera on Wheels performances,
bringing in a small company of young singers through national
auditions. The singers live in Toledo for two months, presenting
one-act operas in English with costumes and scenery to
schools throughout Northwest Ohio. The artistic level and
demand for this program have increased each year.
And, the opera built on past innovations.
In 2002, TO produced Benjamin Britten’s The Turn
of the Screw, a chamber opera based on the timeless
ghost story. In the 2002-2003 season Sweeney Todd,
the macabre operetta which drew crowds on both sides of
the Atlantic, was presented between versions of La
Traviata and Cosi fan Tutte.
Not unusual for performing arts organizations,
rising costs exceeded the amount that ticket sales could
raise and by summer, 2003, the red tide was rising again
on the TO books. Moreover, like the Toledo Symphony and
other arts groups, also running losses, the opera was watching
its public funds evaporate like stage smoke. Nonetheless,
the company continued to deliver high-quality performances
highlighted by Don Giovanni and The Crucible in
the 2003-2004 season, and a Barber of Seville and Faust in
2004-2005. Critics from international publications began
to review Toledo Opera performances on a regular basis
where they recognized the exceptional work the company
was producing. By the start of the 2005-2006 season, opera
leadership had reined in costs, and plans were firming
up for the first major fund-drive of the decade. With a
goal of $2 million – half to augment the endowment
and half to further artistic quality – the Crescendo
Campaign took off at “allegro”
speed.
 Meanwhile,
Conlin continued to pursue an eclectic mix of productions,
opening the 2006-2007 season with a personal favorite,
Gounod’s Roméo et Juliette. “I
want it to be great theater,” Conlin said. “Opera
is a living, exciting form of entertainment. It’s
like ‘Sex and the City,’ but we sing it.” The
season continued with Don Pasquale and Tosca. Continuing
his long association with Toledo Opera, Ukrainian basso
Stefan Szkafarowsky was featured in the annual Gala.
The 2007-08 season opened with Carmen in
November, but a mysterious gas explosion at the Valentine
Theatre right after the production wrapped forced changes
for the next show. Il trovatore was performed
with great success, minus sets and much staging – with
the Toledo Symphony – sharing the Maumee Performing
Arts Center stage in early 2008. When Cavalleria Rusticana opened
in late April to close the season, the Valentine was ready.
PHOTOS: Tosca (2007), Sweeney Todd
(2002), Salome (2009), Roméo et Juliette (2006)
Special Thanks to The Toledo Blade
for opening their archives to Toledo Opera for this retrospective |
