PSU Magazine Fall 2004

Opera in English. lt's an old concept that has given new inspiration to two PSU graduates. Jason Ogan '98 and Angela Niederloh '99 recently launched the newest opera company in the nation. The nonprofit endeavor, christened the Oregon Lyric Opera Association (OLOA), will hold a gala fundraiser in Portland this month and present Verdi's La Tmviata in English at the Crystal Ballroom in February The muse Lo create a company of their own hit a year ago, as Ogan and , Niederloh contemplated whether Lo move from their Houston home to New York City or back home to Oregon. "l simply threw out the idea to Angie on a whim," says Ogan. "What if we produced an opera in English in Portland 7 Angie thought it was a good idea and the next thing we knew, we had stayed up all night on the com– puter typing out possible mission statements, who we would want to be involved, possible shows, and where we could perform." It took the pair only 10 minutes to arrive at the name Oregon Lyric Opera; they liked the OLO acronym. By the next week they had a Web site up and a board of directors and staff were soon to follow. "By singing in English we can meet our audience halfway," explains Ogan. "I read a survey by Opera America that focused on audience development, including how to attract a new, younger audience to opera. One of the main reasons people stay away from opera is that the language barrier intimidates them. They think that they will not understand the story even with the help of surtitles (words on a screen above the stage rather than sub-below). "Our idea is to present opera in English in an intimate setting, bringing the audience into the drama, and mak– ing it accessible and innovative." Ogan and Niederloh expect to accomplish this by taking advantage of nontraditional opera venues such as the Crystal Ballroom and the Newmark Theater. The transition from performing in operas to staging their own has come quickly for the singers. After gradt1ating