Joseph Volpe (opera manager)

Joseph Volpe (born July 2, 1940 in Brooklyn, New York) was general manager of the Metropolitan Opera from 1990–2006.

Biography

Joseph Volpe grew up in Long Island, New York and opened his own auto mechanic business in high school. After a fire at the garage, he worked as a theatrical carpenter on Broadway. In lieu of college, he joined the Metropolitan Opera in August 1964 as an apprentice carpenter. Volpe became the company’s master carpenter in 1966 and was named technical director in 1978. He was appointed assistant manager in 1981 and served in that capacity for ten years. His accomplishments included managing the company’s re-entry into the commercial recording field.

Volpe became general manager in August 1990. He was the first head of the Metropolitan Opera to advance from within the ranks of the company's management. By all accounts, he ruled the Met with an iron fist and a bluntness that sometimes hurt people's feelings or even frightened some.

Shortly after assuming the post, Volpe fired star Kathleen Battle in 1994 for disruptive behavior. On the other hand, he was accused of pampering his favorites, among them Renee Fleming and Plácido Domingo, with new productions and dream assignments that were criticized as artistically questionable.

Volpe has been a guest lecturer at Columbia University, the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business, and for the past several years, at the "Models of Leadership" course for New York University’s Stern School of Business. For the past four years he has taught a course at Stern entitled "Managing in the Performing Arts."

Volpe was replaced as general manager by Peter Gelb on August 1, 2006. After leaving the Met, Volpe joined Giuliani Partners, the firm founded by the former New York City mayor after he left office, as a senior vice president. His job is to bring in cultural clients, manage noncultural projects, and draw on the many contacts he made through opera.

Volpe was first married at age twenty and has been married three times. He is married to Jean Volpe, a former ballet dancer. Together Joseph and Jean have a girl named Anna. Their family resides in Manhattan.

Volpe's career at the Metropolitan Opera

As general manager, Volpe expanded the Met’s international touring activities. The company visited Spain’s Expo ’92, Germany in 1994, and Japan in 1993, 1997, 2001, and 2006. In addition, under Volpe, frequent tours and recordings of symphonic repertoire by the Met orchestra have been inaugurated, as well as an annual series at Carnegie Hall. The orchestra made European concert tours in 1996 and 1999, and a tour of the United States in 1998. In August 2002, the orchestra gave concerts at the Salzburg, Lucerne, Baden-Baden, and Rheingau Festivals.

Volpe reduced the number of operas repeating from prior seasons and increased the overall length of the season. During his tenure, four world premieres have been given. Another commission made under his aegis, Tan Dun’s "The Last Emperor", was presented in the 2006-2007 season. The Met’s repertory further expanded with 22 works given their Met premieres during Volpe’s sixteen seasons as general manager; more new works than under any general manager since Giulio Gatti-Casazza, who ran the company from 1908 to 1935. Volpe named Valery Gergiev Principal Guest Conductor in 1997.

Although the Met suffered the ill effects experienced by most arts organizations in New York City of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, the Met has stated that sound fiscal management, including marketing initiatives and continued strong fundraising, has permitted the Met to maintain its high musical and production standards. To ensure affordable access to Met performances for a broad range customers, Volpe maintained a wide variety of ticket prices and subscription packages.

In 1998, Volpe instituted an education project for young children in cooperation with the City of New York Department of Education and endowed by the Texaco Foundation. The program, which includes students in kindergarten, first and second grades, emphasizes direct experience with music and opera for students in New York City schools. The children come to the Metropolitan Opera House for backstage tours, followed by attendance at dress rehearsals, and artists from the Metropolitan Opera are frequently sent to participating schools for educational presentations. Volpe also established a partnership with the University of Connecticut that provides students from the music and drama departments with behind-the-scenes access to the creative processes taking place in the opera house. The Met also participates in the "Cultural Passport" program with the City University of New York (CUNY), offering a special program for honors students and teachers-in-training to familiarize them with opera.

Volpe conceived and developed "Met Titles" which were introduced during the 1995-96 season opening night performance of "Otello". This system provides individual title screens on the backs of the seats for those members of the audience who wish to utilize them, but with little distraction for those who do not. In 1998, Volpe initiated the development of a new management software program, called Tessitura. Tessitura uses a single database of information to record, track and manage all contacts with the Met’s constituents, conduct targeted marketing and fund raising appeals, handle all ticketing and membership transactions, and provide detailed and flexible performance reports. Beginning in 2000, Tessitura was offered to other arts organizations under license, and it is now used by a network of more than 80 opera companies, symphony orchestras, ballet companies, theater companies, performing arts centers, and museums in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom.

Labor relations under Volpe’s management were described as exemplary, without significant contract disputes since 1980, the longest period of labor peace in the company's history. Labor agreements are in place with the key unions that extend through 2011.

Memoir

Volpe's 2006 memoir, "The Toughest Show on Earth: My Rise and Reign at the Metropolitan Opera", is published by Knopf. In the book, Volpe describes his spats with colleagues and directors. The book has been described as "A revealing and outspoken memoir written by the master carpenter who became the master impresario of the Metropolitan Opera."

References

* [http://www.nytimes.com/2006/04/30/arts/music/30waki.html?ex=1304049600&en=498d5d022ea1b474&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss (N.Y. Times article, April 30, 2006)]
* [http://www.parterre.com/volpeera.htm (Detailed article analyzing 1st half of Volpe's tenure)]
* [http://www.newyorker.com/critics/music/articles/051226crmu_music New Yorker article, December 19, 2005]