“The next two years will be crucial ones for the recently merged Sacramento Philharmonic and Sacramento Opera,” writes Edward Ortiz in Sunday’s (6/30) Sacramento Bee (California). Ortiz interviews Robert Tannenbaum, general director of the new Sacramento Region Performing Arts Alliance, about his plans for the new organization. “The orchestra and the opera are both in a place where they’re trying to develop a new, stable base, financially and artistically,” says Tannenbaum in the article. “We need to be in a phase of good old-fashioned consolidation—which means sticking to tried-and-true repertoire…. Beethoven, Brahms, Haydn, Mozart and Schubert. … [To capture the interest of new audiences] I really want to use the satellite series to go far deeper into uncharted territory than the mainstage season. One of the things I’ve been talking about with (Music Director) Michael Morgan is looking for cutting edge California contemporary composers…. European society and cities know that cultural offerings are a part of what makes a city strong. Therefore, a city and a region are responsible for helping those things survive and prosper…. The arts are a part of what makes a city strong, and therefore it’s a civic responsibility.”
Posted July 1, 2013
