(Photo credit: AVA)

In preparation for the “BrAVA Philadelphia! 90th Anniversary Celebration and Gala,” Scott Guzielek, President and Artistic Director of the Academy of Vocal Arts (AVA), talked with OperaWire about the institution’s dedication to the arts for close to a century and its upcoming celebratory events.

Guzielek started with the Academy in 2019 as Vice President and General Manager. In 2023, he took over his new charge following K. James McDowell’s retirement after nearly four decades. Prior to working at AVA, Guzielek was the Director of Artistic Operations of Palm Beach Opera and Artistic Administrator of Washington National Opera. He has served as a judge for the Metropolitan Opera’s Laffont Competition and other competitions around the country.

OperaWire: Talk to me about AVA’s 90th anniversary celebrations.

Scott Guzielek: The big celebration is Friday, March 21st, at Marion Anderson Hall at the Kimmel Center in Philadelphia. It features alumni spanning 35 plus years, from the early 90s to recent alumni and current resident artists. The concert will feature opera’s greatest hits with a 60-piece orchestra, showcasing composers like Verdi, Puccini, and Rossini. It should be a wonderful night of music and a part of the legacy, reaching back for a significant portion of AVA’s history.

The gala portion that evening comes with a dinner and reception afterwards, but then the rest is open to the public. We have tickets starting around $25 in all sections, because I want opera to be accessible to everyone. I think it is an art form for everyone even if they may not know it. There’s so much opera in our world, and I think people don’t even realize that they’re listening to opera – I mean pick any number of commercials on TV. I hope that if people are curious about opera and want to experience it for the first time, that they come. This is actually a great way to do that, because you’ve got a wonderful mix of composers and styles of music with orchestra, the concert lasts only about two hours, and it’s affordable.

OW: Will there be any modern works performed?

SG: The concert will feature the classics. Throughout the history of AVA, thus far, we’ve had a significant focus on training young singers through the Bel canto repertoire. Certainly, we’ve done new music from time to time, and that’s something we will look to for the next 90 years. The job here is to celebrate what’s come before. But, I think with anniversaries it’s also equally important to look ahead.

OW: Is there a particular event you are most looking forward to?

SG: It’s really been the past few days. Alumni has been coming back into town and coming back to AVA, which I think that’s a very special moment to be able to welcome singers back who studied here, graduated from here, and have gone on to have wonderful careers across the world. It’s so special that they’re coming back, giving their time and their talent and to join this program. Also, we’re planning a small private reception with alumni and the current seniors which I think is a beautiful way also to connect who’s here now to who’s come before, because at some point they’ll become alumni and the cycle continues. So for me, that’s I think the most exciting part. I’m also excited by the next three days of rehearsal, I think it will make for a very fresh and exciting program.

OW: What do you believe goes into running an arts organization like AVA for nearly a century?

SG: I think the key is keeping it a small organization. We are purposefully smaller and we always have been. Currently, we have 22 resident artists, we’ve been as high as 30 in years past, but we’ve never been the size of a major conservatory. We have a faculty of about 20 that are in the mix of full time and part time and the staff is about 16 people, and the board is about 33. So, it’s wonderful because everybody here is invested in seeing the singers that we train succeed, and I know that’s true of all arts organizations, but it becomes very personal I think for everybody here.

OW: What advice do you have for arts administrators looking toward legacies like AVA’s?

SG: I think the reality is, it’s an incredibly challenging time to be running an opera company, or any arts organization, but the world needs music and dance, symphonies, the visual arts, and all genres. I think there’s nothing better than a great night of opera in the theater, leaving completely full of emotion. Whether it’s a great night of comedy and you leave happy, or it’s a cathartic piece and you got to have a really good cry, I think the world needs that. So that’s my advice; we are important, and sometimes even if it may not seem that way, I really do feel that we are important and we’ve got to keep going – it’s non-negotiable.

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