These words are the basic tenets behind AZOOMA, the Arizona Opera Orchestra Musicians Association.
They are intertwined with our spirit and our mission.
Expression
Performing in the Arizona Opera Orchestra is the result of much hard work and practice. To the audience our music may seem something quite like magic.
The music in opera moves an audience on a completely different level than in symphonic music alone. The lights go down, the audience hushes, the orchestra tunes and then the disembodied music rises from the pit and transports listeners to a different time and place.
The music we opera musicians produce transcends mere sounds being made; it becomes an integral part of a drama unfolding onstage. AZOOMA musicians, in both a concrete and abstract sense, do feel part of something larger and bigger than ourselves.
This is indeed magical.
Imagine a popular movie like Star Wars without any music. George Lucas (the creator of Star Wars) maintains much of Star Wars' success relied not on advanced visual effects, but on the simple, direct emotional appeal of its plot, characters and, importantly, music. Star Wars is in fact, quite operatic in this regard.
In the opera orchestra our responsibilities to the stage are taken quite seriously. Of course it really isn't magic, it is talent and skill.
Playing opera music requires specialized and unique skills; keenly listening to other musicians and closely watching the conductor is an absolute must. If a singer does something drastically differently from the night before, a musician has to be paying close attention to make adjustments and follow the conductor.
Typically in Arizona Opera, there are two different casts for the lead roles. Different singers will turn phrases differently, so we musicians must always remain "on our toes."
An opera musician overall then, is flexible in their expression. We are large part of what makes the drama happen onstage yet need to be able to switch gears -- from loud to soft dynamics, fast to slow tempos, for instance -- at a moment's notice.
Another aspect of our "expression" tenet is this blog you are reading right now.
With this blog AZOOMA is expressing itself over a vast network. We do this to raise awareness of ourselves, and to reach out to the community in support of the Opera and our colleagues.
With this blog, we have an excellent platform for an alternative mode of expression outside of the music.
Experience
A unique feature of the Arizona Opera Orchestra is that the musicians represent the company's history.
While not the primary "product," the pit musicians have a strong and vested interest in the company and its future. Singers and conductors, managers and directors come and go, while some members of the orchestra have been around since the inception of the company in the early '70's.
On average, each musician has been playing in the Opera Orchestra for more than 10 years. The Arizona Opera Orchestra’s musicians have been playing their instruments for an average of 35 years, a total of more than 1500 years collectively.
That's a lot of experience.
Being a musician requires this experience. It requires devotion and dedication. This is something that everyone -- musicians, the Opera and the community -- can be proud of.
Excellence
The Arizona Opera Orchestra consistently receives excellent reviews from local media, including:
"The orchestra was every bit as important a player as the principals..."
"[The production uses] the company's excellent orchestra..."
"...and the [Arizona Opera] orchestra...is as smooth and beautiful as you could want."
"...the [Arizona Opera] orchestra...was smooth, nuanced and well paced."
Musicians in the opera orchestra are held accountable to high playing standards. Those failing to meet these high standards may be demoted or released from their contract for artistic reasons.
Each member of the orchestra had to pass a rigorous audition process and must maintain high-standard performance abilities through regular daily practice on their instrument.
We possess and maintain high standards of excellence.
The Three X's
AZOOMA musicians are vested in Arizona Opera and this is an integral part of the AZOOMA mission. Sharing our love of music is our promise and commitment to the Opera and to our community.
To keep this promise we maintain the highest professional standards.
We do this because our audiences deserve nothing less than the "magic" they have grown to expect.
Resources:
In a previous article, some of the hazards of playing in an opera pit were briefly mentioned.
Continue reading ""Opera is Hot""
The New York Times once called him "the most affable megalomaniac in opera." In Seattle, he was known as "the P. T. Barnum of opera."
