Stefanos Koroneos
The Million-Dollar Question

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 Stefanos Koroneos, General and Artistic Director of Teatro Grattacielo, spoke with me about the pivot that they have had to make with their season and young artists program.

Stefanos Koroneos, General and Artistic Director of Teatro Grattacielo
Interviewed April 17, 2020

TB: I always like to start on a positive note, so what is the best thing that has happened to you in the last week?

SK: The best thing that happened is that I have been able to switch what was supposed to be happening in-person to online. We started our young artist program, and all the teaching was supposed to happen at OPERA America, but it is now online. People were stuck everywhere—from Israel to Barbados to Florida—so we had to get organized. We have been able to work it out instead of closing everything.

TB: That is really amazing, and I know we will talk more about this move from in-person to online programming. But first, would you mind telling me a bit about your background and what you are doing now?

SK: First, I am a professional singer. I am Greek, but spent half of my life in Italy, and sing character roles. Last year, I became involved with Teatro Grattacielo. It is a company that has existed for 26 years and presents rare Italian operas in concert in New York City. Last year, I was the artistic administrator but had already been hired by the company as a singer—it was interesting having to run the company while performing. At the end of that season, I was offered the General and Artistic Director position, and here I am.

TB: What a season to be the General and Artistic Director! Could you take me back to when you first realized that this pandemic was going to have an effect on your work?

SK: Everything happened when I was working in New York. I was on my way to Virginia for a recital, and it became clear to me that a lot of theaters would have to close. I came to this realization when there were signs. Take, for example, my recital in Williamsburg, Virginia. It was well organized, and the company put a lot of effort and money into it. There were only five people in the audience. Everyone else had cancelled at the last moment because they didn't want to come to the theater. They were afraid. Then the company took me to a Greek restaurant that was totally empty. We were the only ones eating there. Then I knew that we had to all be creative about how we were going to move forward.

TB: Doing a recital for five people had to be hard.

SK: It was hard, but it was 'the show must go on' mentality. I enjoyed it because I was doing something that I really love. So it was fine for me. It was probably much harder for the company. It was a huge disappointment when they put so much effort in, and the return was so low. I felt for them. And that is when I knew something needed to change in the business and the process of all this.  

TB: What were the next steps that you took as the General Director to enable yourself to pivot into having an online platform that could support young artists?

SK: First, the United States' opera companies all have a board of directors and people who donate money. Everything is privately funded. So, the first thing was to reach out to some of the people who support the company. One of our board members is an Italian businessman, Enzo Pizzimenti. He has an enormous passion for opera and has supported us financially for years. I told him my dilemma and asked him for advice. (He had previously pushed me into creating our young artist program called Camerata Bardi—named for the group of intellectuals that started recitativo in opera in Florence.) So he thought about it for a while and came back to me. He said, "Find a way to do it without going crazy. Find ways to put it online." Some of the things that we had planned on doing were not possible online. But doing it right was especially important because this was the first time that Camerata Bardi would put a video out of our young artist concert.
      As a result, I got very busy. I found music tracks and sent them to everybody. They all made videos with their cell phones. Some are good quality, and some are excellent, but everyone just did it with what they had. We sent them to an editor, and now, instead of a concert, we are going to have the debut video concert next Sunday. After that concert, all of these young artists have roles in our next production, Giordano's Fedora. So if I hadn't had somebody who really believed in this program, the company, and me, I would have had to cancel everything.

TB: How do you think it would have affected the company if you had had to cancel?

SK: That is the million-dollar question. I was talking about that with Duane Printz, the founder of Teatro Grattacielo. She was telling me, "It is tough for a company that is not the Met or Munich to stop for a year and come back because of people's interest." But more importantly for me (because I am a singer), it would affect me to think that people who had auditioned for us and been hired would lose their jobs. I know how I felt when I lost all my jobs, and I am still at home like every other singer.
      By making these videos, I was able to keep the singers that I had hired engaged and working. I will do my best to make a real performance happen, and hopefully, I will one day succeed. But in the meantime, these young artists are getting paid. We sent out their checks today.

TB: And that is a really important point. You are making sure that these artists are being paid. Talking about your own artistry, how is the pandemic affecting your creative process?

SK: I have always been a very pragmatic person (perhaps a bit too much sometimes). I also come from very humble beginnings, and I had to make it work since I was very young. As a result, it hasn't affected me a lot. Quite the opposite, actually, as now my brain is full of ideas because of the young artists, Teatro Grattacielo, and other projects. Really, I haven't had a moment to sit down and think about the pandemic.

TB: Correct me if I am wrong, but it sounds like the performer side of your career has enabled you to see the pandemic as a problem that you can overcome. Is that correct?

SK: Absolutely. Because what can we do? It happened, and we have to reinvent ourselves. One of the singers I know was talking about going to her favorite shop and getting a job at a grocery store. I wanted to scream out of happiness because whatever we have to do to reinvent ourselves, we must do!

TB: Looking into the future, is the work you have been doing online something that you can see for Teatro Grattacielo?

SK: I am hoping not. I hope that we go back to normality. But our future is what our donors will allow us to do. This [being online] is a temporary alternative until there is a permanent solution—if I can keep convincing people to do it online. Festivals and companies will not go on programming anything until they know when they will open. The same thing goes with us. Right now, we are in a position where we are waiting to find out if the theater that we book every year for performances will even be open. 
      So, I am hoping we go back to normality. But if not, I hope the board of directors will support this, because we don't deal with the state as in Europe. And the fact is, they will not be in the theater watching the performance that they paid for—they'll be watching it on the computer instead.

TB: It sounds like you are thinking about how you could better engage the traditional opera patrons and make them feel more confident in the online platforms?

SK: The opera patrons that come to our company are hardcore opera lovers. Because [at Teatro Grattacielo] they don't have the visual aspect. Ours are concept performances. They [our patrons] are people who really love opera and voices. Whatever happens, they will make it happen and see that performance even if they connect to a satellite in Kathmandu. 
      Obviously, other companies might have problems. But two weeks ago (I will never forget), I saw a performance of Carmen from Paris Opera. They live-streamed it without the public, and it was wonderful. And I get it when many people say that live performances are better than computer performances. But a computer performance is better than no performance.

TB: Drawing on your experience so far, what would you say is the hardest lesson you have had to learn?

SK: Compromise. I had an idea of what I originally wanted to do, and I really had to compromise with everyone from the young singers to the faculty and those who supported the whole idea. It is all a compromise. That was my hardest lesson.

TB: Looking back to the past, how different was your life six weeks ago?

SK: Six weeks ago, my life was crazy busy. I am a very outgoing person and am always doing something. I have my whole schedule for the week where I will be running around like crazy between coachings and masterclasses. Then I was leaving right away to go to Virginia to do Alcindoro in La Bohème. It was pretty full of movement. It is still full of movement now, but movement that is within the house.

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

SK: When all of this happened, my first concern was the fact that many young singers, who were about to have opportunities or were about to start their careers, would lose these opportunities, and they would never come back. The other day someone very important talked about how they were afraid that a whole generation of singers would be wiped out because this is not something that you can recoup quickly. Another director today talked about how they would have to hire the same people for a few years because he felt he owed them.
      These are things that were in the back of my mind because Teatro Grattacielo uses seasoned singers for the big difficult roles. But we also have singers getting their first opportunities to be heard at an important company in New York. I then decided that for these few singers that I have, I was going to try my best to get them as much exposure and opportunity as possible.

TB: What is your sense of this affecting other companies and relying on more young artists?

SK: First, I feel for everybody who is an administrator right now. It is a challenging moment. Until I went into this role, I had always seen the world of opera through a singer's eyes. But there are some amazing people doing amazing work, like today at NYIOP. There are so many amazing people, and they care so much.
      I talked today about how I am lucky that I don't have to deal with costumes or scenery. But I also said that if a company has to cut down instead of doing a full production, they do a wonderful concert performance, I say go for it. People appreciate it either way. All of these companies that exist right now are companies that attract people to them. So they may come to hear the opera done in concert too.

TB: Is there any other advice that you would give to the musical community?

SK:. I can only provide the musical world and young artists with my unconditional love and support. The only thing that I can say is to be flexible and not get stuck on what was happening in the past. This comes from somebody who is 50 years old. So it is important to live in the moment, take that moment, and make something out of it.
      If the result of this is scaling down, that is ok. For instance, in Madrid some years ago, the orchestra went on strike during a performance. The theater then decided to put a pianist on, so they could go on with the performance. Now that performance is in the history books because it was so beautiful and emotional. The singers gave so much that nobody in the audience cared about the lack of an orchestra. Should this be the norm? No, of course not. But we don't live in ordinary circumstances right now.

TB: I very much appreciate that. Is there anything else that you would like to add to our discussion?

SK: The only thing I want to say is to just keep going. And let's try our best to make something out of this trouble. I know how difficult it is for so many people, and I send my love to all of them.

TB: In closing up, what is your video binge recommendation?

SK: Yesterday, I just finished a very good Italian series called The Trial. I loved it. I thought it was a great story. Even though I am Greek, I lived half of my life in Italy. So maybe it was hearing the language but definitely watch it.

TB: Thank you so much for your time and work on behalf of our community.

Addendum:
March 5, 2021

Since we spoke, Mr. Kornoneos has accomplished several notable achievements amid a pandemic. Camerata Bardi Vocal Academy was incredibly successful in helping train young artists and display their talents to the opera community. In fact, their young artists were announced at the end of February. This increases their young artist program to 25 artists. Additionally, Teatro Grattacielo has demonstrated an interest in expanding on their concertized performances of operas by employing three resident artists: Malena Dayen, director, Sangminin Chae, video and art director, and Jon de Gaetano, lighting designer.
      Fedora by Umberto Giordano represented a milestone for many in the performing arts. This opera was recorded at the Target Margin Theater in Brooklyn in October 2020. At that point, the pandemic was still growing and would not reach its peak for a few months. Yet, Mr. Koroneos and Teatro Grattacielo found a way to proceed. They listened to their artists and to healthcare workers to develop protocols that ensured safety and comfort. Having such a success, Teatro Grattacielo has expanded its season and current fundraising efforts to produce two major works, in addition to their young artist program. Stay up to date with their next steps here: https://grattacielo.org/.