Bill Dickinson, left, interviewed with ElPaso Opera in March. Board member Wilma Salzman, center, had a reception in his honor, just days before Dickinson was chosen for the job. At right is Raymond Harvey, a longtime conductor with the opera company, who is its new artistic director.
Bill Dickinson is El Paso Opera's new general director. He was most recently the director of the Lake Wales Arts Council in Florida and is a former general director of Opera Colorado in Denver. Dickinson, who has been on the job since April 1, said he's seen strong support by El Pasoans for opera.
Bill Dickinson has never backed away from a challenge. It's not that he's a self-proclaimed superhero. He's just realistic when it comes to the world of the arts.
"It takes a lot to scare me. I've never known of any arts company that doesn't go through problems." That's good news for El Paso Opera.
As the company's new general director, he joins the opera at a time when it's recuperating from a financial crisis, the cancellation of its spring opera and disagreements with city officials. Dickinson, 65, replaced longtime director Prentice Loftin, who left his post to focus on other music projects. While Dickinson took the position April 1, he has been in and out of El Paso tying up loose ends with his previous job as the director of the Lake Wales Arts Council in Florida.
But now that he's fully on board, he has had time to study the company's past 14 years and to start thinking of the new direction El Paso Opera needs to take. "I have felt such strong support for opera here," said Dickinson, who is no stranger to opera companies. He was the general director of Opera Colorado in Denver from 1991 to 1996.
"I'm excited to be back in the opera world. This is my first love. I've already started resurrecting some of my opera contacts," he said.
Unlike his predecessor, who acted as both the administrative and artistic director, Dickinson will worry only about the business side of El Paso Opera. When Loftin announced he would be leaving, the board decided to hire conductor Raymond Harvey as the company's artistic director. The first thing Dickinson did after going through the company's records was to solidify the cast for the fall production of "Aida" with Harvey.
He then began meeting city officials and directors of other arts organizations. Most recently, he hired El Pasoan Cecilia Philips as director of development and marketing. He is now looking for a bookkeeper to hire.
Michael White, the opera board of directors' immediate past president, said Dickinson has already started making necessary adjustments to move the company forward. We're very confident with him and the experience he brings to El Paso. He has so much knowledge and experience in opera," White said.
"Right off the bat, he started making changes to put the organization in a more professional position. He's created a structure to track all of our donors and to see how the community can help us." It was last spring when the opera's financial troubles made headlines.
Opera officials announced that the company would have to cancel its spring 2007 production of "Die Fledermaus." Also, for the first time in its 14-year history, the company was in debt and would have to fold if enough money was not raised. Since then, however, the company has been able to raise enough money to stand on solid ground.
"We are financially stable." White said. "In fact, this is the strongest position we've ever been in and it's because of the support we received from the community.
" When the opera had to cancel its spring production, season ticket holders were given the option of a refund or the opportunity to donate that money to the company. Dickinson said more than 85 percent of ticket holders decided to donate their money. In addition, through a public fundraising campaign, several individuals and businesses gave donations.
That money went toward matching a $50,000 challenge grant offered by the city. Dickinson said he was never shielded from any of the problems the company faced. One of the differences Prentice Loftin had with the city dealt with the issue of competing productions that were booked on the same nights as the opera and within a two-block radius.
Loftin told the El Paso Times in February that the opera lost an estimated $55,000 in ticket sales when its "Tales of Hoffman" went up against "Riverdance" in March 2006. Then, he estimated the company lost an additional $40,000 in ticket sales for "La Traviata" when comedian Carlos Mencia performed across the street at the Abraham Chavez Theatre. In the months leading up to his departure, Loftin continued talks with city officials about the issue.
Dickinson said he felt comfortable working with the city concerning show dates. "City officials have told me they want the opera to succeed. I think we can cooperate with the city.
I think they also see it as their obligation to help us," Dickinson said. Also, after presenting one opera in the newly renovated Plaza Theatre, the opera board decided to move its productions back into the Abraham Chavez Theatre because of concerns about sound quality and the comfort of the seats. The Chavez Theatre also offers close to 500 more seats than the Plaza.
That's a decision Dickinson is happy with. The seats in the Plaza are too small and the acoustics are not good for opera. Many of our patrons are seniors, and it's important to them to be able to park at the theater and be comfortable.
It's something our patrons wanted very much," Dickinson said. The road to El Paso Dickinson was born in the small town of Cadiz, Ohio, the birthplace of the late actor Clark Gable, Dickinson said. He attended college at the Conservatory of Music in Cincinnati.
He stayed in Cincinnati for the next 41 years teaching music in elementary, middle and high schools. He was also the founding principal of the Cincinnati School for Creative and Performing Arts for 18 years. Then, he retired for the first time.
Dickinson was then approached by Opera Colorado in Denver to lead the organization. It was an easy choice, he said. "My wife was from Colorado," he said, adding that she had breast cancer at the time and later died as a result of the disease.
After five years in Colorado, Dickinson decided to retire for the second time and join his parents in Florida. But, once in Lake Wales, Fla., Dickinson became the director of the Historic Bok Sanctuary (a national historic landmark with a 60-bell singing tower, botanical garden and historic mansion) for three years and then then the executive director of the Lake Wales Arts Council, where spent the past seven years.
Earlier in the year, he announced to the arts council staffers he would retire at the end of April to move to El Paso with his daughter, son-in-law and two grandchildren. Life, however, had other plans for him. It was while in El Paso for a Christmas trip that he learned of the troubles El Paso Opera was facing.
Having had experience with opera companies in the past, he decided to offer his help. "I asked to meet with Prentice and told him, 'What can I do to help?'," Dickinson said, adding that he didn't intend to take the reins of the organization.
"Then, I got a call in March asking me if I would be interested in interviewing for the position of general director. I came out for the interview, and then I was offered the job." Everything seemed to fall into place, because Dickinson was already planning to move to the Sun City.
Retirement would have to wait, yet again. "One of these days I will take that retirement pill so it could stick," he said. He quickly sold his home in Lake Wales and just as quickly found a home on in West El Paso.
Dickinson brought his parents with him to El Paso and is hoping his other daughter, who lives in Phelps, N.Y., will also consider moving to El Paso so the whole family can be together.
Future of the opera Dickinson said it's too soon to make major changes to the company, such as adding a third opera in the season. But he already has ideas of what he'd like to do, given the opportunity. For starters, he'd like to increase the opera's endowment fund so that it could carry the organization if it ever faces another financial crisis.
He'd also like to bring back many of the educational outreach programs that have been cut for financial reasons. "We're going to definitely continue our puppet operas in the schools and our youth nights at the opera, but I want to restore the Opera-on-Wheels, which I understand was very successful," he said. He also would like to bring back the residency program, which offered housing and vocal training to up-and-coming opera singers from around the country.
For the more immediate future, Dickinson wants to start selling tickets for "Aida," which is scheduled for Sept. With just over two months to go, Dickinson wants to ensure sellout performances. "I need to sell 5,000 tickets," he said.
Season tickets are already available by calling the opera office, he said. Dickinson said El Paso Opera has built a reputation for presenting some of the best known operas that are crowd favorites. While that tradition will continue, he said, he and Raymond Harvey have discussed introducing newer operas down the road.
The possibilities include George Gershwin's "Porgy and Bess" and the Spanish opera "La Vida Breve" by Manuel de Falla. Though Dickinson had originally decided to move to El Paso to retire, he said he's committed to running El Paso Opera for the next two years. "I won't leave until I know the company is financially sound and prepared to grow for the next 50 years," he said.
"But if I'm having a good time and my health is good, who knows -- I may stay longer." Maribel Villalva may be reached at mvillalva@elpasotimes.com; 546-6129.
What: El"Paso Opera presents "Vegas Night Out With the Stars." to midnight Saturday. Bill Dickinson, left, interviewed with ElPaso Opera in March.
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