Neal Goren, in conversation with Elizabeth Howard, reflects on contemporary opera: the trends, attracting new audiences and how opera can be adapted for the internet. He shares his vision for Catapult, the opera company he recently founded, how he became a conductor and shares with us what he tells music students about their future.
https://www.catapultopera.org/vision
Neal Goren was the founder and artistic director of Gotham Chamber Opera, which popularized and legitimized the formerly ignored genre of chamber opera. Goren’s newest opera venture is Catapult Opera, a new company dedicated to communicating the power of opera through unique internet-based media and world-class live performance. As a recital accompanist, Goren has concertized extensively with Leontyne Price, among others. He is an associate professor at Mannes College, The New School for Music, and a frequent judge of national and international vocal competitions. His writings on opera and the arts have appeared in numerous books and periodicals.
Beyond the Aria: Artistic Self-Empowerment for the Classical Singer: Why You Want It, Why You Have Been Denied It, and How to Achieve. (Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group, Incorporated, 2020). Beyond the Aria provides singers with the tools to develop an inquisitive and analytical mindset about the artistic details found in scores. Neal Goren takes readers through a careful reading of clues provided by the librettist and composer, informed by performance practice, and empowers singers to make their own valid artistic choices. Sample analyses of six standard arias and songs are provided as a guide of characterization.