(Credit: Paulo Barcellos Jr.)

A person, claiming to be a representative of the Opera Company of Brooklyn, recently contacted a New York City-based artist and offered a position for an upcoming production while also making questionable requests for photos of the singer without clothing.

The artist in question reached out to OperaWire, requesting to remain unnamed in this article out of fear of retribution from the individual, but with the hope of warning others who might potentially experience similar behavior from a person (or persons) who is preying on the desperation of artists experiencing limited working opportunities due to the ongoing spread of COVID-19.

The artist presented OperaWire with a series of screenshots of text messages from the exchange with the person who used the name “Elaine Bedford.”

“Bedford” claimed to be a representative of Opera Company of Brooklyn, an organization founded in 2000 and led by Jay Meetze, who passed away on June 19, 2020.

The artist received a message on Thursday, Oct. 29 from an unknown phone number addressing her by name (and showing a very comprehensive knowledge of her background, colleagues, and career development) and offering a role in upcoming productions with significant compensation for involvement. “Bedford” even added that the production would be directed by Diane Martindale, the former Artistic Director of Dicapo Opera. OperaWire reached out to colleagues of Martindale and was informed that the director is no longer actively working (the artist was not familiar with Martindale’s work prior to the conversation with “Bedford”).

“Bedford” asked the artist to send along specific body measures to accommodate for “costume fitting” and eventually asked for photos of the artist with minimal clothing on to be able to see “specific dimensions.”

While the artist started sensing that something was off, she complied with the requests and sent four photographs in sportswear, covering her face with emojis.

“At that moment, because of my desire to get back to work after this COVID-19 crisis, I felt that it was a very rare and precious opportunity. This person seemed to remember me from a previous panel and I was very thankful to be given a shot, especially in these unstable times,” the artist told OperaWire.

But “Bedford” was not finished, requesting new photos with a bare chest and minimal covering around the lower body.

When the artist refused this request for what she deemed to be “nude photos,” “Bedford” employed a wide array of pressure tactics, claiming that the request was normal in the context of the company’s past work (“Bedford” referenced a previous “Don Giovanni” production); offering more money for the performances by means of a donor who admired the artist’s work (a donor who the artist has met before); claiming that Martindale was on a deadline and turning up the pressure; questioning the artist’s integrity; and even threatening to tell others in the “small opera industry” that the artist was difficult to work with.

Even when the artist requested a formal contract and to continue the conversation via telephone or email, “Bedford” deflected and accused the artist of being confrontational toward the organization. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

“We are not here to negotiate,” “Bedford” wrote at one point when the artist refused to send over the nude photos. “You are trying to compromise and make us do what you want. That is not how it works.”

“This isn’t high school. This is the big leagues. Please be Professional,” read another text message.

“Bedford” continued to make demeaning statements about the artist for the duration of the conversation until the artist eventually stopped engaging and decided upon reaching out to others on the matter.

OperaWire was unable to confirm “Bedford’s” involvement with the Opera Company of Brooklyn because the organization’s website (or the only functioning one connected with Opera Company of Brooklyn) contains no information of its team; the website, aside from a non-functioning phone number and an email for Meetze, serves no other purpose other than to request donations.

Additionally, per several industry professionals consulted for this story, Opera Company of Brooklyn has not been operating for several years.

When the artist asked “Bedford” why there was no functioning website for the organization, “Bedford” noted that the website was being updated for the upcoming season and referred the artist to the company’s Wikipedia page (a look at this webpage reveals that among its artistic trustees are Steuart Bedford and Elaine Malbin, the only such instance where the names Elaine and Bedford are linked with the company in any way).

The artist told OperaWire that she felt ashamed of how things had developed and realized that she should not have gone along with the conversation.

“Of course, I was very careless. Right now I feel disappointed and frustrated,” the artist stated.

The artist has filed a complaint with the police, but was told that the actions of the individual were “not a crime” and that the department would not investigate further. The police did register the phone number used by “Bedford” to contact the artist.