Michael Ching
My Family and My Cats

The purpose of this project is to provide a collection of transcriptions from the COVID-19 pandemic of 2020. This project seeks to give a platform to all parts of the vocal performing arts to better understand the lived experiences and mentality of those professionals. In collecting stories from the COVID-19 pandemic Michael Ching, composer, discussed the uncertainty and challenge facing opera both during and after the pandemic.

Michael Ching, composer
Interviewed March 18, 2020 

TB: Would you mind sharing a bit about where you are in your career and also your history in the business?

MC: Yes. I am a retired arts administrator and, since 2010, I have been devoting most of my time to composing with a bit of conducting and a little piano. As a result, I have a perspective of running a small- to middle-sized arts organization for nearly 20 years, which is overlaid on my composition experience.

TB: Could you tell me a bit of where you were supposed to be right now and how that is affecting you?

MC: Right now, I was supposed to be in Fargo, North Dakota, conducting their production of Cavalleria Rusticana. They have cancelled it and are not going to reschedule. Supposedly, they will pay us, which is wonderful, but I have mixed feelings about it because I am worried about the long-term health of small- and middle-sized arts organizations. They don't have a lot of cash flow.
      In addition, there are four to six productions of Speed Dating Tonight that are supposed to happen this spring. Some have yet to communicate with me, but a couple have been indefinitely postponed. Speed Dating Tonight at the University of Nebraska Omaha was shut down the day of their performance. They decided to do the show in an empty room and webcast it. They did a beautiful archival video and probably a nicer one than they would have done otherwise. But the first production of Speed Dating that was impacted by the pandemic was supposed to occur in Singapore. They have known about the coronavirus for a while and decided they would do their production in August.
      Clearly, this has been disruptive, but I must say that when I am home and composing, I don't interact with many people. I have my family and my cats. A lot of people in the arts (especially performers) struggle with this because they are extroverted. But I can spend a lot of time at home, and I am fine since I am not extroverted. We like to cook, and our house is comfortable. So while I am not struggling, I am certainly worried about my colleagues and what they are going to do.

TB: I know that you composed Speed Dating Tonight, so has this impacted the financial side of your composing life?

MC: Some of the licenses have been paid already, and some of them have not, so I believe income is definitely going to go away from that. I do think that arts organizations are so used to treating composers as if they are dead. There have been several cancellations I've heard of only because of Facebook. In other words, they have announced to the general public that they have cancelled something but haven't gotten in touch with me directly to inform me of the cancellation.

TB: How is the pandemic impacting the logistical side of your life? Such as with travel when you are conducting or working with an organization?

MC: A lot of small arts organizations in this era rely on homestays. Meaning the artist or performer will be housed with someone in the area. It is something that I actually enjoy versus spending two or three weeks in a hotel where you have to eat out every meal and don't have access to the conveniences of a home. I know there has been some concern expressed with the Savannah VOICE Festival (where I spend a lot of time) about how that will work moving forward because most homestays tend to be with older and more established patrons.  
      Really, I am concerned that this will be even worse than the 2010 recession and that we will have some organizations that don't have the cash flow to weather this. Even if they do survive it, they are going to be spending down their endowments or things like that. I understand that they may have to do that, but they will come out weaker on the farther end. Also, we were just beginning to win back casual arts supporters, and now this happens. If their portfolios drop 30-50% like in the 2010 recession, they will be less generous until that portfolio comes back.

TB: In discussing force majeure or the act of god contract clause, you talked about having a conflicted relationship with being paid money now, but the company is suffering in the long term.

MC: Right, I've known about that force majeure line in contracts for my entire career because even when I first got in the business in the 1980s, I was hiring the chorus at the Florida Grand Opera, and there was that line in the contract. We always thought it was there for hurricanes, earthquakes, and those kinds of things. COVID-19 is the first time that it occurred to any of us that it had to be exercised for this kind of event; a pandemic.

TB: Is this the first time that you've seen a force majeure clause enacted?

MC: I don't think so. But I've never had it exercised on me, and I don't think I have ever exercised it. Organizations have had to use it for events like hurricanes and that type of thing.

TB: Would you say that this amount of clause enactment in our country is unprecedented?

MC: Yes, that is absolutely true.

TB: Could you tell me about how the pandemic has impacted your creative process?

MC: The first part of this is good news. I was behind on a project that is supposed to premiere this August. And instead of spending the day conducting an existing piece, I've actually been able to spend much of my time composing. I have been averaging a minute to two minutes of new music a day every day since this happened. So, the pandemic has made me quite productive because I am home and focusing. Personally, I am pretty good at compartmentalizing, so I don't let this get me all wound up. And I am not yet ready to say that the sky is falling.  
      That said, I haven't completely absorbed this as an artist. I haven't written anything that is specifically about it. However, I am working on a new project that is a kind of sequel to Rossini's La Cenerentola. We are going to do a version of the Rossini opera, followed by this sequel after an intermission. So, the joke at the end is that a character comes in singing floridly with runs, leaps, etc. It is the only way he can communicate, and the joke is that he has a condition called melisma. And if you sing too much Rossini, you might catch melisma. Illness is on people's minds, and I think if we can laugh at ourselves a bit. It might be the right thing to do if it is something that is in good taste. On the other hand, if millions die...

TB: You mention composing a minute or two of new music per day; how does that compare to normal?

MC: It is above normal because I am really able to focus on it. It is not like I can take a break and buy cat food at the hardware store or have coffee downtown. A lot of it is having to stay home, and as long as I am disciplined enough not to turn on the TV or play a game, then it is turning out to be a very productive time for me, which is good because I am writing the music and the texts on this project.

TB: You also mentioned absorbing this event as an artist. Could you talk a bit more about how you are contemplating that subject?

MC: For me, we have to live through this one day at a time and react to it as it happens. Right now, we are dealing with shelter-in-place and social distancing, which is a "terrible inconvenience." But I have a fully stocked larder, the electricity is on, and the internet is working. So while it is hardship, it is not suffering. Even if the pandemic turns out to be somewhat prolonged but doesn't go beyond what it is now, it will not have quite the same level of impact. But I say that as someone who is very lucky, frankly. Young artists and those who are living paycheck-to-paycheck are those that are going to be really hurting.

TB: In speaking to those young artists, what advice would you give them about living through this crisis?

MC: In this era, many people have been very creative about their day jobs and side hustles. (That's a term I came across a couple of years ago from some younger artists.) Those jobs are going to become very important for a while. We all need to improve our media skills, including editing video and audio and communicating through those mediums. More and more, we have to do this ourselves. We can't just pass that off to someone else because that may be how we communicate with each other for at least the next few months, if not longer. These skills are a healthy byproduct of this situation, and they are important skills for us to gain.
      My audio editing skills aren't bad. My video editing skills are better than nothing, but they will get even better during this. Also, expressing myself on camera for public communication is something that I will have to improve personally. I would much rather edit something and plan it very carefully than speaking like I am doing right now.

TB: In addition to the advice you gave to young artists, what advice do you have for arts organizations?

MC: The main thing I remember from before (during the previous recession) is to be in touch with your key donors: the 10-20 people who are really supporting your organization. They are the people who are going to help you, alongside your endowment boards. There is nothing profound about that. And frankly, I am glad I am not in their shoes.

TB: Yes, I don't think they have an enviable position.

MC: No, it would be really hard to go through the decisions leading to, "Is it better to shut down?" These area administrators are not overpaid, and they need the income as much as the performers. It is really easy to imagine a scenario where everything is semi shut down until there is a vaccine. We will come out on the other end, but this will be pretty hard on many people and many systems. We need to keep in mind that life is precious, and we must take care of those we love.

TB: What is something that you are most grateful for in this experience?

MC: I am just grateful for how kind the field has been so far. I hope it continues. We are a very impatient culture, and it all feels okay for a week or a couple of days. But what will this be like at weeks four and five? I hope we remain patient, generous, and helpful. And I hope we all go to the polls in November.

TB: How do you think this will change the musical landscape in the future?

MC: I have always said that the recession in 2010 was good for opera composers of smaller works. My logic is that an opera company used to be able to afford three lavish Italian, French, or German full-length operas. Suddenly, they realized they could only afford two or two-and-a-half of those, and so to keep their activity going, they ended up producing some smaller operas. Frankly, the small opera repertoire from the 18th and 19th centuries is pretty limited and somewhat insipid from a plot point of view. It is just not all that interesting. But how many productions of The Impresario can we suffer through?  
      So that particular change was good for composers and resulted in many opportunities for smaller works. And as a composer who tends to write things that don't last over 40 minutes, it has been great. In this particular situation, there will be people who perfect the form of moving opera to the web. Also, there will probably be some interesting and important works created, not necessarily in this time of crisis, but due to people learning new skills and then using them both during and after this time.
      Since composing is a solitary activity, I would say that from my point of view, composers may learn some things from the pandemic about what constitutes an audience and how to reach that audience best. I don't know if anyone has quite figured out how to monetize this new form, so that is another challenge. It is all well and good to create something that goes up on the web, but it is much harder to get people to pay for it.

TB: That is something we are all struggling with: putting something on the web is great, but eventually, it must support artists.

MC: I hate to say it, but this may drive some people out of the field because they can't endure the economic hardship.

TB: Since you lived through the previous economic recession, would you say that it also happened then?

MC: I am sure it did because it was just too hard to endure. Honestly, the arts still haven't recovered from the 2010 recession. I used to joke in the early 2000s that Opera Memphis didn't need to do a renewal brochure because renewals were going to come in and that we would fill the seats without too much trouble. After 2010, though, it became much more difficult, and we had to perform in smaller theaters. The new normal has become a combination of smaller and larger works.
      I don't know whether this will mean further contraction. But the opera business—in the US—isn’t that old. If you look back at the 50s and 60s, there were only a handful of opera companies, and in the 70s and 80s, more cities were able to have and support their own opera company. Much of this situation depends on how long the pandemic lasts. Because if this is something that only takes three months, we will all be okay. If this takes 9-12 months, that is going to be a whole different situation.

TB: Thank you so much for speaking with me today. In closing up, you mentioned watching TV shows. What is your recommendation while we are all at home?

MC: I am personally rereading the Hilary Mantel series about Henry the Eighth and Cromwell called Wolf Hall. This time is allowing me to read all three books in succession. Then I will be finding a new series to binge-watch because I think that we can do that without the guilt at this point.

TB: Thank you again; it has been a pleasure speaking with you today.

Speed Dating Tonight!
Michael Ching, composer and text
Shelby VanNordstrand, producer
Hal France, music director
Dean Anthony, concept
Aaron Zavitz, video

About Michael Ching

An opera composer/librettist, conductor, and songwriter, Michael Ching is the composer/librettist of the opera SPEED DATING TONIGHT! With  over one hundred productions since its 2013 premiere at the Janiec Opera of the Brevard Music Center, SPEED DATING TONIGHT! is one of the most popular operas of the 21st century. Recent projects include ALL DRESSED UP (No Place to Go) for L'arietta Productions in Singapore, a series of nine quarantine-related songs which are now part of SPEED DATING TONIGHT!.  His newest opera, RSBE, had its premiere at the University of Alabama in 2020. In 2018-2019, two new one act operas had their premieres, THRIVERS, at Palm Springs Opera Guild, and EIGHT WOODS AND A VAN, at the Cedar Rapids Opera Theatre. Additional shorter operas include BIRTHDAY CLOWN at the Savannah Voice Festival, DINNER 4 3 (with librettist Deborah Brevoort) for Fargo Moorhead Opera,  and COMPLETING THE PICTURE for Utah Opera’s commemoration of the 150th Anniversary of the Transcontinental Railroad.  As Composer-in-Residence of Savannah Voice Festival, Michael wrote ALICE RYLEY (2015)  and ANNA HUNTER (2017) two works with Savannah subjects. Other works include SLAYING THE DRAGON and A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM,  opera a cappella, recorded on Albany Records. Michael’s other well known opera is BUOSO’S GHOST.  BUOSO is a comic sequel to GIANNI SCHICCHI. Recently, BUOSO was performed at the Michigan Opera Theatre and OperaDelaware. In 2021, Savannah Voice Festival workshop his CENERENTOLA sequel, A ROYAL FEAST. In 2022, the Towson University will premiere a revised version of his MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM.  

Many of these operas have free downloadable perusals scores through Michael's blog.

Michael works regularly with Amarillo Opera, is Composer-in-Residence at Savannah Voice Festival, and Opera consultant at EC Schirmer. He is the former Artistic Director of Opera Memphis. In 2019, Michael was elected to the Board of Directors of the National Opera Association. Michael studied composition with Robert Ward at Duke University and Carlisle Floyd at the Houston Opera Studio. 

With a lifelong devotion to the craft of operatic composition learned through the success and failure of over a dozen operas, through composition study, and through years of conducting the standard operatic repertoire; and with a strong interest in folk and country music, Michael is a somewhat of an outlier in the world of new music.