After nearly 20 years of innovative curation, Opera Philadelphia President David B. Devan is leaving his post.
But he’s not done just yet, and two of his boldest events are ready to hit the stage — ‘To Sit and Dream,’ a concert featuring Philadelphia soprano Karen Slack on March 17, and the April 25 start of Puccini’s ‘Madame Butterfly‘.
“One of the finest aspects of David’s leadership is his willingness to try the unexpected and push past traditional thinking,” said Veronica Chapman-Smith, VP of Community Initiatives at Opera Philadelphia.
Parting is sweet sorrow – a joyful thing when the someone lost not only created a sense of community worth continuing, but laid out a clear template for an artistic future in their wake.
That’s an apt description of last Saturday, when a sold-out house at the 23rd Street Armory honored Devan — the man behind modernizing this city’s opera company and creating the internationally-beloved O Fest — as he prepares to retire after an 18-year tenure with the company.
With a crowd of 375 attendees (raising $700,000+ for Opera Philadelphia’s New Works) Devan was serenaded by vocalists who’ve performed with Opera Philadelphia including Will Liverman (’10 Days in a Madhouse’), John Holiday (‘We Shall Not Be Moved’), Daniela Mack (‘Carmen’), Ashley Marie Robillard and Joshua Blue (‘La bohème’). While Bearded Ladies Cabaret co-founder Jarbeaux hosted Saturday’s event and riffed on Donna Summer and David Bowie with ‘Love to Love You David’ and ‘Young Canadian’ (Devan is from Canada) with Opera Philadelphia’s Chorus, the legendary Frederica von Stade (‘Sky in Swings’) bid Devan ‘adieu’ with ‘A Little Bit in Love’ from ‘Wonderful Town’, the song she sang to its composer, Leonard Bernstein, on his 70th birthday.
“I had tears running down my face before she even started,” said Devan. “What went through my mind as she sang was how we developed this community of love around opera – with me leading the company – and this crazy, wonderful connection between artists, the city and our patrons. We did a lot of great creative work and forged a new path for opera. That brought people together – that was my mission all along.”
Though Devan will consult Opera Philadelphia and additional local arts companies, he will work as an independent producer — he already has two productions in the works — and has no say in who will follow him in leading Opera Philadelphia. He left due to productions costs and difficulty finding audiences after the pandemic.
“I don’t have a prescription for anyone incoming – if I did, I would have stayed – but this company has a lot of bench strength. The next leader should explore that with Opera Philadelphia’s brilliant staff and committed board. Philly is about people. It doesn’t demand perfection. It does reward effort, heart and hustle, so they should lean into that. If I had the answers, I would’ve stayed. It’s for someone new to take what we started and evolve that.”
Devan isn’t quite done yet.
First, Opera Philadelphia is teaming up with the Wharton-Wesley Faith Ensemble for a concert, ‘To Sit and Dream,’ centered on the poetry of Langston Hughes. Taking place on Sunday, March 17, at Tindley Temple United Methodist Church, 750 S Broad Street, local soprano Karen Slack is the featured guest soloist, and Veronica Chapman-Smith is behind its harmonious blend of opera, community building and empowerment.
“Through these community-centric efforts, opera has the potential to resonate on a broader scale,” she said. “Often, the term “community” can be nebulous, but for us in the community initiatives department, it’s crystal clear. We define our community as the city of Philadelphia, whom we draw inspiration and our name.”
Chapman-Smith and chorus master Elizabeth Braden met with the team behind the Faith Ensemble to craft an event worthy of its Opera Philadelphia’s Sounds of America: Price and Bonds initiative focusing on the legacies of Black classical composers Florence Price and Margaret Bonds. Given the connections both composers had with artists of the Harlem Renaissance, ‘To Sit and Dream’ presents Bonds’ profound relationship with poet Langston Hughes. As for vocalist Karen Slack, Chapman-Smith calls her “a fierce advocate for celebrating the works of Margaret Bonds and Florence Price, both through her artistry and her role as a board member and creative advisor of the organization ONEcomposer.”
Devan called ‘To Sit and Dream’ a synthesis of Opera Philadelphia’s community-based work and performance-based work, “things we do not separate.”
For Devan’s last full production with Opera Philadelphia, he linked together two traditions – Puccini’s ‘Madame Butterfly’ and the Academy of Music – for his grand finale (April 26 to May 5) with his usual twists.
“We’ve always approached the classic repertoire with love and admiration, but also with 21st century hands,” said Devan. “I’m thrilled that we have a full AAPI team that is realizing ‘Madame Butterfly’, telling the story through their lens. And while I’m happy that we’ve pushed opera outside the opera house during my tenure, and commissioned 24 new operas, our last production is at the Academy – I hold our work in that venue close to my heart – and ‘Madame Butterfly’ is at the top of opera’s classic cannon. That’s so appropriate for my departure.”
For additional information and tickets, visit operaphila.org
