The Future of Opera in Steamboat
Last month, Opera Steamboat named Julie Maykowski as their new general director and CEO. Julie returns to her home state after working at several of the nation’s leading opera companies, including Florida Grand Opera, Kentucky Opera, Sarasota Opera and Arizona Opera, among others. “I’m a Colorado native and am very excited to have an opportunity to marry my two passions together; opera and Colorado,” Julie says. “ I look forward to producing thrilling opera and vocal theater works in the home state that I love so deeply. I am definitely a mountain woman at heart.”
Steamboat Magazine caught up with Julie to learn more about her vision for Opera Steamboat.
Steamboat Magazine: What’s in store for Opera Steamboat in 2024?
Julie Maykowski: We are going to shake things up. After spending some time with the Board of Trustees benchmarking against the opera industry and doing some thoughtful strategic planning, we are exploring an entirely new business model. The first major change is that instead of a summer festival, we are going to be planning programmatic activities year-round. Twenty years ago, when the company was founded, the summer model was terrific. But now there is so much going on in Steamboat in the summer, it makes sense to explore programming at different times of the year. This is possible because I live here in the community which is a first for Opera Steamboat. Being connected to the community and here year-round allows for a deeper connection to Steamboat. We are also exploring deepened partnerships within the community. I hope to find ways to partner with a wide variety of local organizations to create interesting experiences to enhance each of the productions we present. We are revamping the artist training program for a deeper connection to our education and outreach programming. The Emerging Artist Program will now be connected to the Opera in Schools touring program. We also hope that by doing programming year-round, we will be able to start bringing students to the dress rehearsals for our performances. The in-school programs are amazing but bringing kids to the theater to experience a show takes it to a whole new level.
SM: Tell us more about “Welcome to the Madness,” your first production with Opera Steamboat.
JM: “Welcome to the Madness” has been in the works at Opera Steamboat for several years now. It is the first time this company has commissioned a work to be built from the ground up. It is composed by Leanna Kirchoff with a libretto by Rachel J. Peters. I would describe it as a roaming vocal theater adventure about Charlotte Perry, Portia Mansfield, and the founding of the Perry-Mansfield Performing Arts School & Camp in Steamboat. The audience will travel from building to building in this immersive, indoor/outdoor vocal theatre experience. I think the word “opera” brings with it a lot of stereotypes and stigmas of an elitist and stuffy art form. In reality, the genre is moving in an entirely different direction with new works that tell interesting stories in new ways. I think this type of work will have a broad appeal to everyone in this community. We are partnering with Perry-Mansfield to bring this production to life and are thrilled to have Dagny McKinley with us as the dramaturg for this piece. It is going to be extremely entertaining and fun for the whole family – there is nothing stuffy or elitist about this production!
SM: What do you envision more broadly for the future of Opera Steamboat and what it will bring to the community?
JM: Partnerships, partnerships, partnerships! I would like to see the organization become part of the fabric of the community by exploring interesting, unusual, and ongoing relationships within the community. I am a firm believer that all ships rise with the tide and by holding each other up and helping each other out, the entire community benefits. I also have a vision of exploring new works and new commissions as part of a balanced season. Ideally, we will do some standard repertoire in interesting ways along with works by living composers. I am hopeful we can build on this year’s commission and continue to create new works that tell current, relevant and interesting stories that will appeal to a younger and more diverse audience. This is the path to the future of opera.
SM: Do you have a favorite opera?
JM: On any given day my favorite opera changes but there are a few that remain consistently in my top five. “Der Rosenkavalier” by Richard Strauss is always a favorite. If the last trio and duet of that opera don’t get your blood flowing, I don’t know what will. I wrote my doctoral dissertation on “Dialogues of the Carmelites” by Francis Poulenc and so it is very near and dear to my heart. I really love a lot of modern works. “In My Daughter’s Eyes” by Du Yun is absolutely heartbreaking and beautiful. I really enjoy the works of Jake Heggie and am currently on a new composer adventure exploring the works of the next generation of extremely talented and diverse composers.