Pittsburgh has a long history with opera. Theater has been part of the city's cultural scene since the Fort Pitt days. Pittsburgh Opera as a formal organization has been around since 1939, and other organizations, including Pittsburgh Festival Opera, have been around for decades. Meanwhile, renovations continue at the National Opera House, once a safe haven for Black artists and celebrities.
It hardly needs to be said that opera as an artform isn't the pop-culture mainstay it was during the Baroque Era. However, Pittsburgh is surprisingly rich in ways to enjoy the bombastic vocals, theatricality, and elevated stagecraft opera offers — and that's true whether you want a Baroque-style evening out at the Benedum or simply want to enjoy an aria while you sip beer in sweatpants.
"Every opera has a right-sized venue," Pittsburgh Opera's marketing director Chris Cox tells Pittsburgh City Paper. "Shows that we do in [the Bitz Opera Factory] would feel sparse in a place as huge as the Benedum."
While Pittsburgh Opera has a full slate of large-scale shows, including Wagner's The Flying Dutchman, which opens Sat., Nov. 11, the company has also been offering smaller and, often, more experimental productions in other venues, a practice that predates the COVID-19 pandemic. Cox says there's a wealth of contemporary opera that makes more sense in a smaller space.
Pittsburgh Opera's Bitz Opera Factory is small enough that "even the farthest-back seat is still just mere feet from performers," Cox says. "It can be very powerful, visceral, and in your face." Performances in the Bitz also give audiences a close look at the emerging talent of the company's resident artists.
Opera singers face quite a bit of competition when it comes to getting singing roles, or even opportunities to practice. Smaller-scale performances not only give the public an opportunity to experience their talents in a variety of venues; they also provide artists with a space to sing, iterate, practice, and reach new audiences.
Aria412 is another organization that has provided space for numerous Pittsburgh-based vocalists to bring their talents to more intimate settings. The company began in 2017 with performances in the Hotel Indigo bar and, following the end of COVID-19 lockdowns, relaunched with monthly performances at Hop Farm Brewing. Aria412 recently received 501(c)(3) tax exemption and plans to stage larger productions in 2024.
"Basically, we do opera, musical theater, and some pop songs, and it's all based around a theme," Aria412 co-founder Desiree Soteres tells City Paper. "We always use Pittsburgh-based singers and give them opportunities to perform, try out new repertoire, and be in front of a live audience."
Soteres says their performers run the gamut from recent graduates to seasoned musicians. All are paid for their work. She's hopeful that Aria412 can serve as an introduction to opera for the uninitiated: "We have people [in our audience] who have never been to see opera. They might be brought by a friend, and the [opera] bug bites them, and the next thing you know, they're going to the Benedum to see a full-scale opera."
"We also did a 'twisted concert,' where people sang repertoire that's not in their voice type. The singers were very interested in that," Soteres says. "We're always listening to what people want to hear and just going wherever it takes us."
Next up for the company is the second edition of a James Bond-themed night called Goldsinger 2, which Soteres says will feature a mix of Bond theme music and songs from areas where Bond films have taken place. Aria412 also has a March Madness event planned to coincide with next year's NCAA basketball tournaments and a theme night centered on astrology. It's clear the company is having fun, but ultimately, Soteres says their prime directive is keeping things local.
"Our biggest mission is making opera for everyone and using local talent," she says. "It's about Pittsburgh, by Pittsburgh, and for Pittsburgh."
For other companies, smaller-scale performances are a matter of necessity — Pittsburgh Festival Opera (PFO) has scaled back its plans following anemic attendance during their 2022 season. The company is now "reinventing itself" to focus on a recital series and educational programming while it ramps back up to hiring new staff members. PFO's next show, a rescheduled concert by Hungarian soprano Csilla Boross, will be a one-off in Carnegie's renovated library and music hall on Dec. 1.
Whether it's solo performances, experimental productions, or Wagnerian epics, more opera is good opera, Chris Cox tells CP. That's as true for the singers as it is for set, costume, and lighting designers. He says Pittsburgh Opera has always focused on variety and meeting audiences where they are.
"There are plenty of folks who, when they're at their first opera … are looking forward to a reason to dress up, go out to dinner, and make a whole night out of it," he says. "Other people prefer something that's a little more intimate, maybe something that's a little shorter or more contemporary." Cox cites upcoming productions of Iphigénie en Tauride, a Greek tragedy staged at the CAPA Theater, and Proving Up, an adaptation of a Karen Russell novel staged at the Bitz, as examples of the latter.
"Whatever your personal preference might be," Cox says, "we offer something for you."
