Jonathon Field Named Artistic Director of Lyric Opera Cleveland Story by Michael Chipman
			"This is a dream come true," says Jonathon Field, director of Oberlin's Opera Theater program, as he discusses his recent appointment as artistic director of Lyric Opera Cleveland (LOC), Cleveland's summer opera festival. His contract begins in September. "My dream for many years has been to run a chamber opera company in a small theater. That kind of space will allow close attention to detail and intimacy among the characters and the audience. I want to build up a sophisticated audience of people who enjoy interesting works done in experimental ways. Also, this position will make it possible for me to see my wife more often during the summers. It's everything I've been working for over the past 25 years." Last fall, Field read in the newspaper that Gary Race (the current artistic director) would resign this year. "As soon as I read that," says Field, "I had my résumé in the mail to the Lyric Opera board." The LOC search committee interviewed Field in late November and informed him he had been chosen in December. In a recent article in The Plain Dealer, Jana Stone, president of the Lyric Opera board, says Field "won the post because he has worked with major companies, staged diverse repertoire and collaborated with young singers." "The choice of repertoire at Lyric Opera Cleveland attracted me," says Field. "I can't say which specific shows I want to produce until we know where we will be performing, but the kinds of shows I want to do are some lesser-known works by Donizetti, Mozart and small contemporary works. I will focus my repertoire choices between the years 1600 to 1820, and from 1920 to yesterday. After 1820 the repertoire of the romantic era got much bigger and required big orchestras and big voices. Lyric Opera Cleveland does not have the resources do perform the huge romantic works as they were meant to be performed. "Some of the smaller Britten operas would be ideal," he continues. "There are decent chamber operas being written today. I want to include musical theater in the repertoire, but not the shallow kind that drove me to opera. Sondheim is a perfect fit. I want to emphasize the intimacy of the productions and craftsmanship of the music." Field says he has "a good handle on what Lyric Opera Cleveland is all about. I've read all the material from the board and talked with them extensively about the goals of the company." An emphasis on the process of discovery -- learning where each character fits in the tapestry of an opera -- has been a hallmark of past LOC productions. Field says the extent to which he engages in that kind of theatrical process "will be contingent on the piece. Different pieces need different kinds of direction. Some are very external, others are very internal -- it depends on style of presentation. For example, Puccini's 'La Bohème' is about the internal workings of the characters, where a piece like Bernstein's 'Candide' is more external. "The most important decision I will make is who will be the music director," says Field. I get to choose from among those conductors with whom I have worked, and use their particular strengths for specific productions. I've been making them aware that I am here, so they can come work with us in Cleveland." Fields also plans to continue -- and even expand -- the Lyric Opera Cleveland Young Artist Program. "I would like to bring the Young Artists back five or six years after they've done an apprenticeship, to get them on-stage doing big roles. Also, I would like to have a young artist conductor and give a full production to the young artist conductor and singers. If income keeps steady we will be able to make that kind of step." All of these plans will are in addition to Field's many responsibilities as director of Opera Theater at Oberlin, but he believes he is up to the task. "I had great training for this kind of schedule when I was twenty years old while working as the assistant stage director for a complete 'Ring' cycle in Seattle. When you are producing four operas at a time, you learn to budget your time. I picked up a great ability in Seattle to lie down on the floor of the stage, sleep for thirty minutes and wake up completely refreshed. "Unfortunately, I may not have time to do all of the extra-curricular projects that I have done at Oberlin in the past," says Field, "but the students at Oberlin will gain a great benefit from my work at Lyric Opera Cleveland. With me as artistic director, the students here have a great connection."
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