El Paso Opera: Art Will Overcome The Economy
By ABC-7 Reporter Daniel Marin
EL PASO, Texas – The curtain will soon rise on the El Paso Opera’s spring production of Mozart’s “The Magic Flute,” a huge undertaking given an economy that, right now, is anything but magical.
“We have the most exciting production to ever be seen in El Paso,” said William Dickinson, general director of the El Paso Opera.
His pitch for the show made him sound a bit more ‘salesman’ than ‘art connoisseur.’
Easy to understand with the stakes so high for the financially troubled opera non-profit.
“Even if we sold every ticket, we couldn’t break even,” Dickinson told ABC-7. Still, selling “every ticket” is the objective with “The Magic Flute.”
Dickinson says the economic hit to the stock market has hit a lot of his biggest donors. Ticket prices for the opera this time around range from $15 to $90.
Pricey, but worth it if you ask opera marketing director Cecilia Phillips.
“What people might not think about is what impact the El Paso Opera has on the community, on the economy of the city.”
Phillips estimates the opera brings in about one million dollars for the Sun City with each production when you account for the hotels and rental cars for the performers and even the dinner most opera attendees will eat before the show.
And there are the jobs.
“Between 200 and 250 people are hired per performance between the orchestra, the stage and behind the stage,” explained “Magic Flute” director David Grabarkewitz.
“In times such as these, you don’t demand that people spend their money; you offer up your product and see whether or not they have an interest,” he said.
“The Magic Flute” will play at El Paso’s Abraham Chavez Theatre Thursday, March 12th and Saturday, March 14th.