Boston Singers' Resource News Bulletin October 15 , 2003

A staple in the Boston regional opera scene, Scott Brumit and Longwood Opera celebrate their 17th year with a production of TALES OF HOFFMAN by Jaques Offenbach October 31 - November 9 (details below). In his interview, Mr. Brumit, shares with us his tireless energy for pursuing his many interests (such as directing, singing, languages, and martial arts, to name a few) as well as a steadfast passion
for nurturing the young singers in this community (over 700 in the past 17 years, to be exact.)

AN INTERVIEW WITH SCOTT BRUMIT,
DIRECTOR AND FOUNDER OF LONGWOOD OPERA

LS: I get the feeling that you do not like to be idle...so many interests! How does your family keep up?

SB: My son is now at UMass Amherst and my daugher just moved in with her boy friend. My wife Charlotte (of 32 years) is as much of a workaholic as I am!

LS: So it looks like this is your first "Hoffman" directing experience. Excited?

SB: Yes, very excited! I am very familiar with Hoffmann. Offenbach died prior to completing the work, so no one knows his true or final intentions. Many years ago I sang all four of the "devil" roles for Boston Summer Opera Theatre (BSOT), in a version that is most frequently done. Later I was able to be part of the ensemble in Sarah Caldwell's production with the Opera Company of Boston. She of course sliced and diced and the ending result intrigued me greatly.

In 1993, I began research on a unique version, based on all published and unpublished materials I could get a hold of that Offenbach created towards his only operatic production. Longwood mounted this, but as I was off directing for Hawaii Opera Theatre, I left this first attempt to other directors - Nancy Ranier and Teva Regule. This was our last performance "in the round" and the result was a great success.

After hearing 250 people sing for us this last year, Jeffrey Brody and I decided we certainly heard sufficient talent to complete two separate casts. I spent this past spring and summer creating a second revision. We have added some more music, deleted a few measures here and there and I have made substantial new word changes, from the French. The end result is yet another totally unique version! And indeed is my first opportunity to direct it!

LS: What was your first directing experience?

SB: I was John Moriarty's Assistant Director at the Boston Conservatory for five years. I learned so much from him and he has been a great influence on me as a performer and director. I was Sarah Caldwell's Artistic Administrator for a season and helped her in productions of Hansel & Gretel, Madam Butterfly and Turandot. Again an incredible learning experience. My first complete opera, as a director, was Die Fledermaus for Lowell House at Harvard University

.LS: I didn't know that Longwood once put on performances in the round.

SB: We did everything in the round until 1994. ToH (first one we did) was our last round production. I love the round, but as the audiences grew, they could not see the playing area if they were 3-4 rows back, so we moved to proscenium. Also in the early years, we used a Kurzweil synthesizer! Speakers were setup up in the four corners, behind the audience seated in the round (or square as it really was). I programmed the keyboard, so the pianist played the piano vocal score and we had a complete synthesized orchestra and many great effects - humming chorus for Butterfly, canons, gun fire, church bells for Tosca, harpsichord for Rossini recit, etc. But the owner took the machine back and we had to return to piano.

LS: And, I see that ToH is a travelling show, as it is with most of your other productions (Needham, Littleton, Arlington, Cambridge.) Have you always played so many venues? Who is your set/lighting designer?

SB: Yep we have always toured. In the early years we went to many more places, but the audience turn outs were poor. So we went from 10-12 performances in that many locations to 6 performances - 3 at our home base at Christ Church and then 3 other locations for the second weekend This is our first time in Littleton and a return to Arlington after a couple of years off. We used to have locations on the North shore, but lost the sponsors, when they decided to move on. I am the prop, set and lighting designer and my dear wife helps me greatly
with everything and does costumes. Rule of thumb - if it does not fit in the back of my Windstar it does not tour!

LS: 250 LO auditioners this year. Wow, that is a lot.

SB: yeah it was overwhelming! We heard about the first half of these at your annual BSR auditions. Longwood then had 2 days of additional auditions and 2 days of call backs - about another 120. We then heard about another 15-20 here and there.

.LS: Any advice for future auditioners?

SB: Auditions dos and don'ts:

* DO have your music in a 3 ring binder and carefully marked with tempi, cadenzas, cuts, etc. The pages must be easy to turn for the accompanist.

* DO NOT spend a lot of time talking with accompanist "explaining" stuff.

* DO NOT tell everyone how sick you have been. It is irrelevant. If "too" sick, don't sing.

* DO smile and breathe deeply

* Remember that the people listening are in hopes that you are the person they have been waiting to hear.

* DO NOT try to second guess what the listeners are actually listening for. Singers are often so hard on themselves! "I sang so well, why didn't I get the part?" You never know what the panel is looking for! I love to tell the story where I was directing a Faust and the tenor dropped out about 3 weeks prior. We flew down to CAMI in NYC and had 5 tenors in the $2K per performance range ready to audition. We knew the Marguerite was 5'11" - so our main criteria was to get a taller tenor. They all sounded great! There was only one over 6' tall. He got the job.

* DO NOT sing "long pieces" unless auditioning specifically for that role - i.e. Regnava, Zerbinetta, Constanza, etc.

* DO NOT sing esoteric unusual pieces - I spend the entire time listening to the piece and not the singer. I would rather hear 5 people sing Quando m'en vo in a row - as I can rank them 1-5

* RESUME should have a clear contact phone AND e-mail. E-mail is more and more the normal way of contacting people. Check your
e-mail regularly! I have singers who say they only check now and then or once a week. That is not a good strategy. I am frequently processing information after regular rehearsals or performances, which means midnight and later, or super early in the morning (6am). E-mail is easy to do at those times. Phoning is not.

* DO NOT lie on your resume. I once was handed a resume where the person had listed a role they had performed with Longwood Opera. I did not recognize the singer and LO had never produced this opera. Needless to say this lead to a very awkward moment for the singer.

* REMEMBER the THREE Ps of SUCCESS:
Polite
Punctual
Prepared

LS: I love your comparison of Longwood to the "minor leagues." Along this analogy, do you do any "scouting" for the opera majors?

SB: I think a lot of the major companies know who we are and what we do, as we have had a great number of singers move on to these companies. I do get phone calls from some of the companies asking me about a singer and what I think of them.

LS: You have always been so generous with double casting your leading roles. This is such a great opportunity for audiences as well as the singers. Have you always done this?

SB: No we have cut back! In the early years of Longwood Opera we set up triple casts! I almost died with one of our early Carmens, watching the three casts rehearsing the quintet simultaneously in a fellowship hall! So I cut it back to only two casts at a time! This in itself is a scheduling nightmare! However this is an important mission of ours. The Boston region has the finest institutions on the planet, training opera singers! There must be an opportunity to allow this talent to be nurtured, to grow and then take flight. In our 17 years, we have had over 700 singers work with us.

LS: I know from past experiences of my own, that double casting can be tough to direct. Any advice to those directors who should be encouraged to try it but may be hesitant?

SB: The key is to create an environment of trust and sharing. All cast members are equal and we work together as an ensemble. I try to create an atmosphere of comraderie and a safe platform for honing singing and acting skills. Frequently the casts end up mixing and matching who sings with whom. This is much more fun and more typical of what a singer encounters in the real performing arena. Organizational skills and being flexible is very important in making a double casting system work well.

LS: You've enjoyed a busy musical life singing, directing, and producing. Do you prefer one over the other or do you enjoy the mix?

SB: I love the mix! I was really enjoying singing full time and working on and performing Olin Blitch (Susannah) after my early retirement as a software engineer. Over the summer I even cut a few cds - voice overs, opera arias and songs of faith. I am currently working on yet another CD, to be kicked off with a duet recital with my good friend and colleague, Roger Mansen. But now I am completely immersed in directing and producing ToH.

LS: Where can we purchase your CD's? Has LO been recorded?

SB: My CD's can be purchased by contacting me at:
JSB@brumit.org

We have made numerous recordings and videos of LO productions. Some can be purchased, others not, as they are not in public domaine. For a list of what is available send a note to: Louder@LongwoodOpera.org

Louder = Longwood Opera Universal Digital Electronic Recording - "Just think LOUDER!" We have excellent CD burning equipment and have an arrangement to use the Mason Hamlin piano and the sanctuary at Christ Church to make CDs. So we can charge reasonable prices for creating demo cds for singers and instrumentalists. For more info: Louder@LongwoodOpera.org

LS: And all the while Longwood Opera was taking off, you lived a dual life as a "techie" for Lotus. But, music was your college major - where did software development enter your life?

SB: I was lucky to fall into the software business, as it began to take off in the late 1980s. The story is long, funny, but this is the shorter version. I knew Lotus 1-2-3 releases 1 and 2 very well and sent in a macro command that won the tip of the month from :Lotus. A friend and fellow singer (Michael Morizio) was a manager there and brought me in as a Quality Assurance contractor. I spent the next 15 years rising up through the ranks, converting to a full time employee. Then IBM bought Lotus - another story. The apex of my career was the wonderful position of Senior International Product Manager, responsible for just about all of the non English releases of the Lotus software brand! Who would think that my years refining languages for opera would have led me here!

LS: Before this article, I didn't know anything at all about your martial arts background! (Though, I see I could have witnessed it in several of
your past theatrical productions.) How did you become interested in martial arts?

SB: This is another funny story. Sarah Caldwell called me up and asked me to be the executioner in her production of Turandot with Eva Marton in the title role. She had me go to Yao Li's Kung- Fu studio to study the Kwando (a very large sword!). I got hooked and here it is 20 years later. I still study and teach T'ai Chi and Kung-Fu.

LS: The singers around here are so grateful for your dedication to opera and music theatre students of all ages. You are a pioneer and great leader of regional opera production in the Boston area and community spirit as evident by your years of service to Longwood opera, Needham High School and Christ Church. Yet, you have had many opportunities to work with the bigger Union houses both as a director and a performing artist. Why stay with Longwood and Needham HS?

SB: What is a sign of a successful singer/director? One who lives out of a hotel room 52 weeks of the year! This is an arduous and difficult life. Moving from production to production is both a joy and a hardship. Relationships that are created during a production are all of a sudden gone, or just a memory. Or worse yet - "let's keep in touch." Sometimes it is true. I enjoyed working in the larger union houses, but at the end of the day I love coming home. I love watching the talents come, grow and spread their wings and take off. I love being the minor league (the Pawtuckett) of opera. Without the minor league you have no way to feed the majors! I have the advantage of working with many people, but I do not have the inconvenience of travel.

I love working with the High School level. 10% of the student population comes together for 3 months to create a production at Needham High School. Unlike sports (I have nothing against sports!), all walks of life can be involved in this effort - dancers, singers, actors/actresses, instrumentalists, painters, wood workers, photographers, people who sew, write articles, hang lights, run sound, etc. etc. One of the few HS experiences that allows this opportunity. Needham is a wonderful town in providing this to all 9-12 grades. I feel as a resident it is my duty and joy to share as much as I can. On a greedy note, these kids could very well be the next generation of attendees or sponsors because of this experience. The sense of educating early to make the future a possibility is imperative in the music industry!

LS: Absolutely. As we were taught at Crane in the music ed. dept. - "You are not necessarily training the next Marilyn Horne, you are educating future ticket buyers!"



LS: What is up next for you and Longwood?

SB: I am looking forward to returning to Turtle Lane Playhouse later this year to direct EVITA, with my good friend and colleague Wayne Ward as the Musical Director. I had taken a few years off from TLP and I look forward to working with this great group again. And of course, I am returning to direct my 14th Needham High School Musical - title of show still a secret!

If we have any money left after ToH, we hope to produce another spring production, which is traditionally a contemporary offering. This is an expensive undertaking, but it is imperative that opera companies support contemporary composers and librettists. In our 17 years we have commissioned 2 works and produced a good amount of other contemporary pieces.

LS: I could not agree more.

SB: Then, we will definitely be back next summer for our 14th annual Summer Concert Series at Christ Episcopal Church in Needham. Without the continued support of Christ Church we would not exist! This is our home base where we rehearse, audition and perform!

LS: Yes, and we are so looking forward to hosting our next BSR Annual Audition at Christ Church! Thank you so much for introducing the church to us and acting as liason. The space is lovely and the clergy, staff, and members are all so wonderfully supportive. I encourage all the singers to come to ToH to see/hear for yourself!



TALES OF HOFFMAN By Jacques Offenbach
October 31 through November 9
Performances in Needham, Littleton, Arlington, and Cambridge.
Fully costumed, staged, and in English, with piano accompaniment
Music Director: Jeffrey Brody
Asstant Music Director: Wayne Ward
Director: J. Scott Brumit
* For a complete cast list, venue locations and ticket prices, please see below or visit the website: www.home.earthlink.net/~brumit

ABOUT SCOTT BRUMIT:

For over 30 years, J. Scott Brumit has been evangelizing opera and musical theater as a culturally vital and unique art form. Since 1971 he has been performing, directing and producing opera throughout the United States.

Mr. Brumit attended Occidental College in Los Angeles, where he received his B.A. in music with an emphasis in vocal performance.. He was the president of the Occidental College Glee Clubs and studied voice and choral conducting with the renowned Dr. Howard S. Swan. He received his M.M from the New England Conservatory in 1973, where he studied with John Moriarty and
Margaret Hoswell. In 1974 and 1975, he was an apprentice in the Wolf Trap Summer Opera program in Virginia, where he created the role of the Magistrate in Thomas Pasatieri's world premiere of Signor Deluso. He was fortunate to be able to study acting and improvisation with Wesley Balk both summers. More recently he studied voice with Gregor Shelkan.

From 1975 to 1980, he was the assistant director of the opera department at the Boston Conservatory, working closely with John Moriarty on scenes programs and 10 major productions, including the U.S. premiere of Marschner's Der Vampyr. He also taught acting, performance technique and improvisation. From 1978 to 1979, he was a member of the voice faculty at Anna Maria College in Paxton, MA.

He served as the Artistic Administrator for Sara Caldwell at the Opera Company of Boston for the 1985-86 season. He worked closely with Ms. Caldwell on numerous productions including Hansel & Gretel, Madame Butterfly and Turandot.

With John Balme, Mr. Brumit co-founded Longwood Opera in 1985. He has served as the General Director since 1988, producing and directing over 75 operas, including the commissioning and directing of two world premieres (Friends and Dinosaurs by Charles Shadle and The Measure of Love by Jeffrey Brody). He founded and has been producing the popular Longwood Opera annual summer Tuesday Evening Concert Series at Christ Episcopal Church in Needham since 1990.

Mr. Brumit has performed over 70 operatic roles with companies such as: Opera Company of Boston, Boston Lyric Opera, Artists Internationale of Rhode Island, Providence Opera Theatre, Opera New England, New England Regional Opera, Vermont Opera Theatre, and Wolf Trap Opera.

He has directed opera throughout the United States for companies such as: Boston Lyric Opera, Hawaii Opera Theatre, Fort Worth Opera, Opera Theatre of Rochester, Ash Lawn Highlands Opera, Lake George Opera Festival, Merrimack Lyric Opera, Opera League of New Hampshire, Palm Beach Theatrical Agency, Miami Opera Theater, Longwood Opera and Turtle Lane Playhouse, to name a few. He has directed the annual Needham High School musical since 1990. In 1994, he received the Jacopo Peri award for excellence in opera from the New England Opera Club.

Mr. Brumit is also a private dramatic coach and voice teacher, as well as a martial arts instructor.


LONGWOOD OPERA:

Founder and General Director: J. Scott Brumit
Music Director: Jeffrey Brody
Asstant Music Director: Wayne Ward
Website: www.home.earthlink.net/~brumit/

Scott Brumit and John Balme founded Longwood Opera in 1986 to give locally-based performers a chance to establish themselves as professional artists. Mr. Brumit, the co-founder and current general director of Longwood Opera, compares the training of an opera singer to that of an athlete: "Both must learn by doing." He adds, "The Boston area has plenty of conservatories and universities with excellent music programs - but provides few opportunities for young singers to practice and gain experience in their art." Longwood achieves its commitment to local artists by using a cooperative system. Many of the roles in each production are double- or even triple-cast, allowing several singers to perform the same role. As a result, over the past seventeen years more than 700 singers have had an opportunity to practice their craft as members of the company. Many of the singers have moved on, of course, but some have kept their local ties and continue to perform regularly with Longwood Opera. As a result, audiences can enjoy a performance cast with singers drawn from several generations of the Longwood roster.

Longwood opera's repertoire list includes many operas from the standard repertoire as well as an impressive list of contemporary operas and new works. In the spring of 2001, Longwood premiered "The Measure of Love" composed by Longwood Opera music director, Jeffrey Brody.

TALES OF HOFFMAN:
By Jacques Offenbach

October 31 & November 1, 2 at 7:30 PM
Christ Episcopal Church
1132 Highland Avenue, Needham, MA

November 8 at 7:30 PM
Camilla Blackman Hall at
Indian Hill Music Center
36 King Street, Littleton, MA

November 7 at 7:30 PM
Regent Theatre
7 Medford Street, Arlington, MA

November 9 at 2:30 PM
First Baptist Church of Cambridge
5 Magazine Street, Cambridge, MA

Adults - $20.00 Students - $12.00
Seniors - $15.00 Children 10 and under - $10.00

Fully costumed, staged, and in English, with piano accompaniment

Music Director: Jeffrey Brody
Asstant Music Director: Wayne Ward
Director: J. Scott Brumit

The cast:

Olympia - LIANE GRASSO*, NILI RIEMER

Hoffmann - TROY CURTIS, ROBERT MCNAMARA

Antonia - ROCHELLE BARD*, MEREDITH HANSEN SKINNER*

Nathanael, Spalanzani, Franz - PHILIP C. PIERCE, E. MARK MURPHY*

Giulietta - SANGEETHA APPAVOO*

Hermann - RAY BRADY

Andrès, Cochenille, Pittichinaccio, Stella - EMILY BOONE, LINDA PATTERSON

Lindorf, Dappertutto - JAMES LAMBERT*, ANTONY ZWERDLING*

Muse, Nicklausse - TARA HOCHHAUSER, WENDY WEILER

Luther, Crespel, Shlemil - BENJAMIN COLE*, DANIEL KAMALIC*

Antonia's Mother - PENNY RUBINFIELD*

Coppélius, Dr. Miracle - WINFIELD FORD, MILES RIND*

FOR MORE INFORMATION AND TICKETS: www.home.earthlink.net/~brumit/
(781) 455-0960, encore@longwoodopera.org