Am I normal?

Allison Swenson
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Suggested in a recent meeting: “People think opera is pretentious. We should solicit testimonials from normal people who like opera.”
Familiar feedback for opera professionals, but I left the meeting wondering something more personal… am I normal?

I’m 41 years old. I’ve been married 11 years, and I have a very old dog and a very bad cat. I spend too much money on clothes, and I don’t eat enough protein. I’m watching The West Wing for the first time, and I read at least 10 pages a day of a real, physical book that I hold in my hands.

I even go to football games!

I’m also the General Director of Opera Omaha, one of the 20 largest opera companies in the United States.

My parents were both music teachers, and my dad established a Metropolitan Opera Guild membership in my name when I was born. I have no position on nature vs. nurture, but I gotta say, nurture was pretty heavy handed.

“A new musician in town.”

My parents weren’t trying to steer me toward the finer things. We lived in a 1,000 square-foot house in a rural college town where pretentiousness was all but nonexistent. They just wanted me to like what they liked.

Piano six hands.

That said, I did not like my first opera at age 11. It was a touring production of The Marriage of Figaro in English. I fell asleep on the armrest, and I was horrified to learn about something called a second intermission. What do you mean it isn’t over yet?

But by the time I was a teenager, I was hooked on singing in choruses and musicals. And making friends in a show? If there is anything better than that, I haven’t experienced it.

Soprano activities.

The path to Opera Omaha began first at Ithaca College, and then the Glimmerglass Festival and the Santa Fe Opera, where I learned how to be and how not to be in life and at work.

Mary Tyler Moore vibes.

So am I normal?
It’s probably not my place to say, but in the spirit of the original prompt, I think yes.
When I was hired in Omaha, and before my colleagues met me, they heard a rumor that I spend my time bouncing between yachts and private planes (!).
I am not sure the origin of this misapprehension, but the last time I was on a boat was the Maid of the Mist during a high school marching band trip.

I got seasick.

I know what my purpose is and I always have. That kind of knowing may not be normal. And while I approach my work with a joyful heart, I am nothing if not diligent.
The rest is standard fare. I believe the correct ratio of frosting to cake is 2:1. I have been trying to grow my hair to “Kate Middleton length” for 10 years. I regret not wearing my retainers. I love opera. Normal.

This is a candid record of my life and work in Omaha, my opera travels, and things I like to write about. I plan to post twice a month, and I hope you’ll subscribe, leave comments, and be in touch generally. The core of opera is the people who give it meaning, and it would be wonderful to hear from you.