Artistic Director
With Production Designer Peter Werner
I’ve been privileged to serve as Artistic Director for two fine American companies (Tulsa Opera and Cincinnati Opera), a new company in Hong Kong (More Than Musical, Ltd.) and an exciting training program (The A.J. Fletcher Opera Institute). I find it thrilling to collaborate with a large group of people in forging a specific, powerful vision for opera within a community. The opportunity to entertain, astonish, challenge and ignite the emotions of an audience through the extraordinary event we call opera is one that I relish. During my years in both Tulsa and Cincinnati, I reported directly to the Board of Directors, which gave me fiscal and managerial responsibilities as well as the normal artistic ones. Whether as Artistic or General Director, I look forward to leading another fine company in the future.
CINCINNATI OPERA (1996-2005)
“Under his tenure, Cincinnati Opera has grown into one of America’s most forward-looking companies.“
– Erica Jeal, London OPERA, 2003
“Cincinnati has embraced him from the get-go. During his first five seasons in Ohio, he has galvanized the company and the city with his thoughtful, minimalist productions of lesser-known fare, beginning with a revelatory Jenůfa. and continuing with The Turn of the Screw, Pelléas et Mélisande and Nabucco”
– Rebecca Paller, OPERA NEWS, November, 2002
Catherine Malfitano in “La voix humaine”
In 1996 Nic was appointed Artistic Director of Cincinnati Opera Association, which boasts an impressive heritage of opera — founded in 1920, it is the second oldest company in America. COA is a summer festival, presenting four productions during the months of June and July in Music Hall (an historic theater seating 3,400) and collaborating with the Cincinnati Symphony, which plays for all its productions.
Lauren Flanigan & Lado Atanelli in “Nabucco”
Cincinnati Opera experienced meteoric growth during his tenure, including a doubling of the company budget, expansion of the repertoire, creation and presentation of new productions and the successful completion of The Festival Campaign, a $12 million fundraising effort. He forged a new relationship with the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music, which has subsequently blossomed into an endowed program called Opera Fusion; he began a community-wide, very popular lecture series called Opera Rap which continues to this day; in his first year on the job he spearheaded a $1 million campaign for technical improvements to the theater and state-of-the-art lighting equipment; he re-instated and revitalized a Young Artists Training Program. Profiles in every major opera journal (Opera News, OPERA, Opernwelt, Opera Now, International Arts Magazine) all attest to the impressive growth and quality under his leadership.
Opera Raps at Cincinnati Opera
Company premieres: Brundibár, Different Fields, Jenůfa, The Turn of the Screw, Brundibar, Pelléas et Mélisande, Bluebeard’s Castle, Erwartung, Nabucco, Dead Man Walking, Elektra, La voix humaine, Die sieben Todsünden, Medusa (world stage premiere), Der Kaiser von Atlantis, The Maids (U.S. premiere) and Margaret Garner (world premiere).
New Productions: Brundibár, Different Fields, Don Giovanni, Faust, The Turn of the Screw, Salome, Nabucco, Elektra, La voix humaine, Die sieben Todsünden, Medusa, Der Kaiser von Atlantis, The Maids and Margaret Garner.
The Juniper Tree
TULSA OPERA 1988-1993
As Artistic Director of Tulsa Opera his mandates were to raise the national profile of the company and to introduce a more contemporary and vital artistic/visual aesthetic. In this capacity, he reported directly to the Board of Directors. During his tenure there, he produced and directed two American premieres: Verdi’s Le Trouvère (the French version of Il Trovatore) and Rossini’s Armida, both of which were broadcast on National Public Radio’s “World of Opera” series and were part of production consortiums (Seattle Opera/Houston Grand Opera and Minnesota Opera, respectively).
“Fidelio” from The Spanish Trilogy
In addition, he produced numerous company premieres: a new production of The Juniper Tree by Philip Glass and Robert Moran, La Cenerentola, HMS Pinafore, La Fanciulla del West and Fidelio.
He produced and directed a highly successful and controversial new production of La Traviata, which was purchased by New York City Opera and presented during their 1991 and 1992 seasons. Another innovative project was The Spanish Trilogy: Carmen, Fidelio, and Il Barbiere di Siviglia integrated into a cycle through a single concept and scenic design. These productions were subsequently presented in Dallas, Baltimore, Edmonton, Columbus, Nashville, and Winnipeg.