Nashville Opera takes creative financial approach

Moving beyond the stage has helped put the Nashville Opera on firm financial footing.

Nashville learned last year about the pitfalls facing fine arts groups when the Nashville Symphony found itself in financial turmoil.

Since its mortgage was paid off in 2012 — an occasion the Nashville Opera marked with a celebratory burning of its mortgage note — the organization has shifted its focus to its artistic endeavors and serving the community.

From a unique set-rental arrangement to the recording of a rare Carly Simon opera, the Nashville Opera has taken a creative approach to its finances.

Earlier this year, the Opera used a specially designed set for its 2014 production of "La Boheme" so that it could rent the set to other opera companies in the future.

That decision will help generate a new revenue stream for the Opera, located in the Sylvan Heights neighborhood in West Nashville. The Opera also brings in extra revenue by utilizing its facility as an event space, which Chief Operating Officer Noah Spiegel said generates the equivalent of about 10 percent of the Opera company's operating budget.

Spiegel said the production of the "La Boheme" set was paid for with a $125,000 grant. New York firm Center Line Studios and designer Peter Harrison constructed it so the entire set could fit into one 53-foot truck trailer. That will make it more affordable to other opera companies wanting to perform "La Boheme."

Spiegel said transportation costs are one of the first factors companies consider when deciding whether to rent a set. After the financial downturn in 2008, many opera companies sold their sets, which has created a void in the market, he said.

He said the Nashville Opera has been able to take such creative approaches to generating revenue and programming because a weight was lifted off the company after its mortgage was paid off and the organization found itself on firm financial footing.

"It changed our focus because instead of soliciting support and investments from people looking at this as a building with an opera company, we're an opera company that owns and operates a successful facility built to the right size for the right audience for the right purposes," Spiegel said.

'Romulus' revival

The Opera has also taken a unique approach to its programming, including the decision to take on rarely performed works such as "Romulus Hunt," written by singer-songwriter Carly Simon.

The cast recorded the entire production at Ocean Way Studios earlier this month. John Hoomes, the Opera's general and artistic director, said it is the first time every note of music, all of the text and the entire scope of the opera has been recorded in its entirety.

"I feel that this show is just one of those works that seems to have slipped through the cracks years ago," Hoomes said. "We hope by our production and the new recording that there will be a revival of interest in the show."

The goal is for the full recording of "Romulus Hunt" to be available for purchase by the end of next summer. All of the Nashville Opera's performances of "Romulus Hunt" sold out — the company set a record by reaching 106 percent of its ticket sales goal.

"After the opera's premiere in New York City in 1993, Carly Simon went into a studio and made a recording of the opera with the original cast," Hoomes said. "This was not a complete recording but featured highlights and ensembles from the original production. It is a wonderful recording in its own right, but we were looking to create something different."

Reach Nate Rau at 615-259-8094 and on Twitter @tnnaterau.

Nashville Opera

• After paying off its mortgage in 2012, the Nashville Opera has expanded its creative focus.

• Using a grant, the Opera paid for the construction of a specially designed set for "La Boheme," so it could rent the set to other opera companies.

• Earlier this month, the Opera recorded the Carly Simon-penned production "Romulus Hunt," which is the first such recording of the work.