Timothy Long is a recognized conductor, pianist, and composer who is the Artistic and Music Director of Opera at the Eastman School of Music at the University of Rochester and an assistant conductor at the Metropolitan Opera.

Throughout his career, he has attempted to redefine opera for modern audiences by breaking traditional stereotypes and making performances shorter, more diverse, and highly relatable.

OperaWire had a chance to speak with Long regarding modern audiences, merging cultures, and education.

OperaWire: Opera is always searching for new audiences. What is the key to bringing audiences to performances?

Timothy Long: First, we have to remember what makes opera what it is, and that is great singing. This is the hallmark of all the most historic operatic experiences and we cannot lose sight of this for any reason. I read and hear comments that there are no great singers anymore and that is completely untrue. There are many fantastic singers out there who may not be at the Met on the night you go, may not have recording contracts, or may not have social media presence. But, they are there! Beyond that, we need to offer a variety of stories, musical styles, and durations so we make it possible to fit into anyone’s schedule. Lastly, we must be proactive about it.

OW: Why do you think shorter is the answer? Broadway shows are sometimes longer and there are longer movies today. Why does opera need to be shorter?

TL: Our season at Eastman is full of shorter pieces. Personally, I don’t care what the length of an operatic performance is as long as I’m engaged. But there are things to consider. In 2025, attention spans vary greatly. Many more people have quick expectations and the longer operas might seem daunting to them. On TV, we now have options of longer movies, shorter TV shows, or even 15 minute mini-shows. Depending on the amount of time I have in a day, I enjoy all of these. With the newer works we’ve done at Eastman, I have found that audiences have taken in great detail from the shorter works. “Silent Light,” by Paola Prestini and Royce Vavrek, was just under 90 minutes. It’s a challenging piece with its sound world and plot and we received the best audience reception we’ve had in years.

OW: Tell me about why you feel commissions are a way of innovating. Do you feel that traditional works can be innovative as well?

TL: It’s TERRIBLY important to be doing commissions. It is how our art form evolves, and it must evolve in the same way that humans must evolve (although we seem to be digressing at this point in time). Innovation is an interesting word. It implies change. But humans, by nature, do not like change, even though we are changing in every second that we live. Music is similar. Whether a composition is seen as innovative or not, it is creating progress, however small or large, in moving opera toward the next piece that will suddenly be noticed as innovative. Therefore, not all works need to be seen as innovative to be good. I do love those works that push boundaries and vocal styles, but we must again remember the importance of also creating works that use great singing as the communicative device. There is no other art form that pushes the human voice to this stage of development and presence. Although I enjoy edgy productions of traditional works (I suppose this is called innovative), I simply want a deep connection with the characters who hopefully understand the layers of meaning that these masterpieces have.

OW: How has your journey as both a Native American and a classical musician evolved? How have you merged your two traditions?

TL: My journey has changed tremendously. For the first few decades, they were not merged at all. This was partially because I was trying to figure out my own identity. Imagine my childhood experience as a 100% Native American boy in a small town who was listening to Kempff, Brendel, and Karajan perform Beethoven. That already jostles the idea of what a Native person is, or what an American is, or what is important in one’s own mind. The other reason they weren’t merged was because society didn’t care. In 2020, our nation’s capital had a celebrated sports team called the “Redskins.” If you change that to black or yellow, people become horrified. But it was okay for it to be red. This country, possibly out of ethical necessity, had/has to ignore what happened to us in order to keep the idea of American exceptionalism alive. My ability to merge these worlds came with the opera, “Missing,” by Marie Clements and Brian Current. It is about the 5000 missing and murdered Indigenous women in Canada. The cast was half Indigenous, the story was partially in the Gitxsan language, and we would always do private performances for the families of the victims. No one had told their story, they had no representation in the world and so there would be sobbing throughout the performances. It was incredibly powerful, but what changed me was the fact that they looked and acted like me and my family. It could so easily be me in that situation. I realized my great privilege and that my only choice moving forward was to represent and call attention to the 630 First Nations in Canada and the 574 Native American nations in the U.S.. There are also the Inuit and Métis. We are a gigantic continent of Indigenous nations.

OW: Do you think we are in a new era of opera?

TL: Who’s to say? Eras are only established in retrospect and I don’t like to create musical boundaries anyway. I think we are in an adventurous time in opera in terms of creativity and potential. The industry has not fully recovered from the pandemic and that is a constant concern. The new administration’s clamp down on what the NEA finds acceptable (and the Kennedy Center) will potentially be damaging to all art forms and we must find ways to keep moving forward despite these changes.

OW: How can we educate the next generation so they can learn to love classical music and opera?

TL: Great singing and accessibility. The real answer is having strong music programs in public schools, but these have been disappearing for a while. Learning methods are evolving (my niece learned piano through a computer program), but it is deeply important that we pass on the skills of score study, discipline, thought, synergy, and expression. This is what classical music is.

OW: What about education isn’t working today? What is your hope for opera in the future?

TL: The lack of music in schools will change who we are as people. This is a big problem. My hope for opera is very personal. From the moment I first played for an opera as a young violinist, I was changed. From the first moment I heard the humming chorus from “Madama Butterfly,” I was changed. On a very deep level, I know how this incredible art form can educate, comfort, transport, and UNITE people. I want others to have this transcendent experience. In 2025, we need this more than ever.