I first became involved with Indianapolis Opera when I relocated to Indianapolis in 1995. It has always been an enjoyable experience, whether singing in the chorus or in preview concerts, filling in for the Opera Ensemble, or singing small roles. When I run into other singers, we still talk about our favorite moments, and which operas were the most fun. For most of the chorus members, it seems that the 1997 production of The Rake’s Progress is still a favorite nominee for most fun on stage. I don’t know whether it was the brothel scene or the insane asylum, or maybe both.
This article has allowed me to take a closer look at Indianapolis Opera and the man behind its artistic vision. James Caraher took up the baton as conductor of Indianapolis Opera in 1981, and as has been artistic director since 1996. A man who in his own words “does not like to talk about himself,” Maestro Caraher was good enough to answer my questions, as well as direct me to others who could comment about their experiences working with Indianapolis Opera.
How did you first become interested in opera?
This may seem hard to believe, but I was out of college before I saw my first opera. I had studied piano since I was 4 years old, and played clarinet since the fifth grade, but I had never seen an opera, and was very sure that I didn’t like it.
I never went to music school or conservatory, except for two years at Eastman in junior high. I have a liberal arts degree from Hamilton College in Clinton, N.Y. While there, I accompanied anyone who needed a pianist, from the college choir, to singers, to violinists, to trumpet players. I probably got to play more than if I had gone to a music school.
After graduation, I went to visit one of my soloist friends, a baritone, who was working at the Tri-Cities Opera in Binghamton, N.Y. The plan was mostly to drink beer, but I was hauled off to a Marriage of Figaro rehearsal first. The accompanist didn’t show up, and they were about to send everyone home, when my “friend” volunteered me to play. So, I sight-read <i.The Marriage of Figaro for the next three hours. It must have gone relatively well, since they asked my to come back the following week, and it turned into my first job.
Later that year, I was put into a soldier costume, given a sword, and sent on stage with the chorus in a Faust production. After that, I was hooked!
Where did you go from there to get your training in conducting?
Most of my training came during my years at Tri-Cities Opera, working with Peyton Hibbitt, one of the founders of the company, and the conductor. Having played in orchestras and bands, [played] a lot of chamber music, and sung in various choirs, under a multitude of different conductors, I had seen a lot of what to do—as well as what not to do—and it didn’t seem all that difficult. However, once I mentioned an interest in conducting, I was told that there were certain things I had to do before I would ever be allowed to pick up a baton. In addition to playing for rehearsals and singing in the chorus, I played harpsichord “recits” during performances, I conducted back stage, I gave cues for special effects that needed to be timed to the music, I played off-stage chimes, I was the body of Uncle Buoso in a production of Gianni Schicchi, and even sang a solo one-liner to get the feel of what it was like to be on the receiving end of a conductor’s cue.
All of this varied experience came in handy later on when I did finally get an opportunity to conduct, which came in 1979, when one of my oldest friends and then boss, Robert Driver, let me conduct a performance of Rigoletto for the Syracuse Opera. It wasn’t at all as easy as I had expected, but knowing what it was like at the other end of the stick gave me confidence as I learned what it was like to be in charge. I would recommend this apprenticeship method to anyone serious about conducting opera. You can only learn so much from going to school and reading about it. There is no better teacher than experience.
Indianapolis Opera has a great relationship with some wonderful singers who have returned to perform many roles, as well as with new singers. What makes you willing to hire a singer you have not worked with previously?
There are obvious factors like voice quality, appearance, personality, and musicianship, but there has to be something else to keep my interest in someone. When I hear auditions, the people that I remember are those that got my attention and had something to say. Dare to be interesting! If a singer says and sings the words with real meaning, the level of communication increases geometrically. Too many young singers worry too much about their technique and sound—not that they aren’t important—but developing a great sound is similar to buying a great Steinway: Now, what are you going to do with it? Words are a singer’s best friend, and what makes singing different from instrumental music. If you aren’t going to use them, and really mean them, you might as well be playing piano, or flute, or violin.
Once I find a singer that I like in an audition, or hear about from a colleague, I try to do a background check with other conductors, directors, or even other singers that I trust and with whom I have a good working relationship. How someone behaves in an audition isn’t always the way they behave in a working situation, and it’s better to find that out early on in the process. And not every company or director has the same taste or priorities, so I like to hear everything for myself, rather than take others’ recommendations as the last word before hiring someone.
Also, when casting a production, I like to keep a balance between returning “family” and new singers. New blood is always good for a company, but once I have developed a working relationship with someone, it would be silly to not build on it in future collaborations. Opera is like a successful sports team: Teamwork and communication are necessary, in addition to talent, for good results.
This season, while I have asked a lot of my friends to return to sing, most of the leading ladies were new to Indianapolis. Our Rosina, Butterfly, Lucia, and Elizabeth Proctor all made their Indianapolis debuts, but we had such a great time, I now consider each of them part of our “opera family.”
What do you think is the overall personality of the company? What brings singers back?
I think that people like coming back because the personality of the company is quite relaxed and comfortable, but at the same time we do good work. It is a place to learn and try out new roles, or re-think old ones without the fear of being criticized during the process. I think that too many conductors feel it is their mission in life to correct every little mistake along the way, and if they miss something, that people will think less of them. While I try to be as accurate and true to a score as possible, everyone makes mistakes from time to time, or just decides to try something different, and sometimes you find something really interesting, when you let things go for a while.
I know that people, whether singers or orchestra members, aren’t making mistakes on purpose, and will correct most of them on their own. If you give people a little credit for common sense, it gives them freedom to explore and to be more creative. Also, I’ve found that if you are a quiet person, as I am, when you finally say something, people really listen!
Once a rehearsal process is over and only the performances are left, a conductor’s job changes. You go from being a director, to one of the performers, and I look at the conductor’s job as one of interpreting the music, being true to the composer’s wishes, supporting the drama and text, and making the singers as comfortable as possible. It’s my honest opinion that once a singer is on stage, if they are having a rough time, I’m not doing my job. I think that singers appreciate this approach from the pit, and it makes them feel comfortable and secure as they go about doing a rather difficult job.
How did the Indianapolis Opera Ensemble, IO’s young artist program, start, and what is its mission?
The program started about 15 years ago, doing mostly elementary school shows. As I mentioned earlier, I had never seen an opera until I was out of college, and was sure I hated it, so it became one of my missions in life to get to kids before their parents and friends did, and convince them that “opera” isn’t a dirty word. Performances were designed to help kids get over their fear of opera, as well as providing an educational experience for the singers. And sometimes we have even reached a few people that we didn’t even know were listening. Once, after a school residency where Carmen had been performed, we were all walking down a dark hallway towards the front of the school when around a corner came one of the janitors, pushing his broom and whistling the “Toreador Song”!
What sorts of performances do the Opera Ensemble singers do?
We have a two-part season, from early October to Thanksgiving, then from June through early May. We perform a lot for young kids, especially in the first half of the year. My wife, Denise, adapts fairy tales to operatic music, so that kids hear real music—which hopefully they will remember later on in life—but feel comfortable with the theater element. They come away thinking that opera is fun and something that they might like to see more of. In addition, we have a la carte programs for older kids and adults, as well as concerts, residencies, master classes, and some main-stage experience, depending on the season and the group of singers.
Last year we produced Peter Brook’s The Tragedy of Carmen in collaboration with the Butler University Theater Department and the Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra, and this season, we shut down the school shows for two weeks so that all four singers could have a role in our production of The Crucible. We try to have some large project for the group every year, and try to increase educational opportunities for the ensemble each year.
When do you hold your auditions for main-stage roles?
I make my annual pilgrimage to New York for management auditions in December, and then hear singers throughout the year in Indianapolis. If someone is willing to make the trip to Indianapolis to sing, I will always find the time to hear them—and it offers me more time to hear things, and a more relaxed situation for the singers.
I know that a lot of singers think that they are only taken seriously when heard in New York, but my ears work just as well in Indiana as they do in New York, so I really do try to treat everyone equally, regardless of where they sing for me.
What would your advice be to singers who would like to audition for Indianapolis Opera?
My only advice is to be really prepared, be realistic about where you are in your career and vocal development, and then have something to say. I would rather hear someone with a modest voice that communicates something, than the most glorious throat in the world with nothing to say. I hate sitting through auditions where a singer thinks that making pretty operatic noises is what it is all about.
Also, don’t get discouraged. As I mentioned earlier, not everyone has the same tastes and values, so don’t take a rejection too seriously. Just because one person or company doesn’t hire you doesn’t mean that you gave a bad audition. You have to have a thick skin and a lot of confidence to get anywhere—and the competition isn’t getting any less with each passing year!
What do you see as the overall mission of Indianapolis Opera, and where would you like to see the company 10 years from now?
I see our mission as producing the best music-theater possible, whatever the language or style, and to make sure that the music and theater share equal importance. As a part of that mission, I think that we have a responsibility to new works, especially American ones, when possible. This is our language, our culture, our history, and our music, and we need to be giving it its rightful place in the operatic repertory for future generations. Ten years from now I hope to be doing exactly what I am doing now, just more of it! We have a wonderful company in Indianapolis, and as it grows, I hope that it can serve as a model for what a regional, American opera company should, and can be.
