Yesterday I was designated driver for a carload of Rising Artists to perform a series of promotional pop-ups on the Mornington Peninsula. A practical attempt to drive awareness of our events in the region as part of our upcoming unique and ground-breaking international Festival of Opera and Song. (Which, because we don’t have funding AKA advertising budget, is not selling as fast as we’d like...)
I listened to their conversations with genuine interest, and at some times concern: with more criticism of the landscape, the companies/potential employers, and multi-faceted dissatisfaction than the sector itself should probably bear. Not confined to the artists in the car, but rather more generally, the vibe of “feeling hard done by” because of self-belief in a particular talent is not healthy for morale - nor does the focus on what’s perceived as missing - money, time, attention - encourage the broader community support we all need.
The opera sector is currently navigating turbulent waters, and, as young people step into forging their careers, it's vital to understand the landscape - because bitterness can easily become the default. Opera companies worldwide are grappling with significant financial pressures that directly impact their ability to pay artists at hey-day 1980-90s levels. The people in leadership positions, with the exception of government-funded institutions are usually working for minimum wages - or less. They’re not sitting back making a profit off young talent talent - usually, they are invested in sustainability and vibrancy for their chosen, beloved art form - despite every sensible reason they should do something else (for more money).
Over the past two decades, or more, government funding for opera in Australia has significantly decreased in real terms. Simultaneously, box office revenues are on a downward trend as audience numbers dwindle. To compound these issues, rising costs are outpacing income growth for most companies. These financial constraints have forced opera companies to make difficult decisions, including budget cuts, reduced programming, and workforce reductions.
There's a pressing need to make the people around us care about art, artists, and their careers - and face the reality of paid career development in opera has changed dramatically. Companies simply cannot afford to fully fund the career development of every talented graduate. The number of available roles and opportunities is limited, and competition for positions is fierce, even for chorus roles. If an emerging artist is not working regularly with OA, then they need every possible stage performance experience they can get, without feeling dissatisfied.
It's crucial to understand that opera companies are not deliberately exploiting young artists. Many are struggling to survive themselves, and are grappling with systemic challenges that are not easily solved. Maintaining morale and motivation requires acceptance: that building a sustainable career may take time and persistence, that graduating doesn’t necessarily make you job-ready in this career - and that maintaining a professional career in opera will always require many more hours than you will be paid to do. Art is work - but more than a lot of it - practice, skills development, learning, coaching, rehearsing, research - is unpaid.
The opera world needs unique passion and talent, but it also needs understanding of current realities. By approaching careers in the 21st century with realistic expectations and a willingness to adapt, belief in the value of contributing to the art form's future while working towards building a fulfilling professional life can underpin the hard and often poorly compensated work. The face-value injustice of which fades into insignificance, when a transformative exchange - which a single could not have achieved on their own - between art, artist and audience takes place.