Tuesday, February 28, 2012

"Spotlight on Paula Winans" by Erika Crane Ricketts

This article is from the January 2012 issue of KC Stage

When Paula Winans asks people what they liked doing most when they were little, most of the time they'll say something similar to what they're doing now. Often looking back to her own childhood, Winans refers to memories of producing her own music reviews on the back porch of her home in Sharon, Pa.

"I had all the neighbor kids be in it. Figured out how to put up a curtain on a rope," she says. "For some reason I found expression in that. And then, it's not work – it's play. That's how I feel a lot of the time. Sometimes I don't. Sometimes it's really work, but when you're actually in it, and it becomes, what my mentor called, an aesthetic experience, where you want to do it again."

Her love of music helped her gain a job during high school, where she conducted a children's choir. "I've always wanted to work with kids. And when I had my own two kids, I even had a greater respect for children. I've always loved kids." Her children are now grown, but she retains that respect for all children she works with. "It's a precious thing that has been entrusted to me. I've always felt that way. But I'm also – what would you say – stern. You know, no nonsense. And then loving after that. It's about what's best for them."

Winans received her undergraduate degree from DePauw University in Greencastle, Ind., and her graduate degree in music education and voice from Eastman School of Music in Rochester, N.Y. After completing her studies, she found herself in the public education field. "I taught public school music for 15 years in Montana, Oregon, and Minnesota, and conducted a lot of children's choirs. I did a little stage directing, which I found out wasn't my thing, I wasn't very good at it," she says with a laugh. "It's a lot harder than helping children sing – it's a lot harder. But my professional life has always been about helping children find their voice. There's so much you can learn when you study singing about yourself."

Helping children grow through music continued to be a part of her life. When the Lyric Opera advertised an opening for an education director, Winans was busy with her family and was therefore a little hesitant to apply. "I wasn't sure I really wanted to work full time. So I cut out the little ad in the paper. I was an artist-in-residence at the time, for the state of Kansas." She smiles as she recollects how she felt. "I put it on the ledge of the sink, wondering if I would apply. And finally I did apply. And I'm glad I did. Because all of the really, really close friends I've made, I've made through the opera company. And they live all over the world, and all these families are friends. I just feel . . . I don't know, I don't feel lonely. I feel like I have a family, in addition to my two great kids."

Her kids, Joe and Jenn, are both aspiring opera singers, working on their craft in Kansas and Germany respectively. Not only has she cultivated their music-enriched lives, but she has also reached over 576,000 young people through the programs at the Lyric Opera. There's the opera targeted to families and school audiences, which her department presents every two to three years. On alternate years, they produce One False Move, an opera on girl bullying. There's the Lyric Opera Express, a touring production that reaches schools, community centers, and correctional facilities. There's the Ginger Frost High School Honors Artists, a program that provide students with special training. There's spring break camp. Summer break camp. Operas that she and Joe write for the camps. Winans realizes that, "I always neglect to say that I'm the music director. So I think some people, when I talk about what we do, maybe think that my job is to administer it all – and it is, but we create the education materials that go with every program, and I music direct it." She explains further that yet another aspect of her job is to train any young person that performs on the main stage. There are so many aspects to her job that she relies on "good people" to help her with the work. "If I had to do all of it . . . . Sometimes I feel like my head's going to do circles."

Although she admits to being a little weary from time to time, she says that people, especially children, inspire her. The easiest part of her job is "getting immersed in the music with them. And that's what I love the most about it. I love making music with them." She provides an example from her current work: rehearsing for the family opera, The Giver. "It has very difficult music – some of it's in 4 parts. It has a huge Greek chorus, and we have twenty-eight young people in it from seven years old, clear up to eighteen years old . . . . It's not to have them learn it just by rote, but I help them figure out how they're really going to count it. That's my job. It's not to hope it just comes together, but it's to also to be teaching those who haven't had the experience and lessons in reading music, to learn how to do that and feel good about doing that . . . . . I love that challenge."

Three years ago, Winans and composer Susan Kander were looking to do a family opera based on a book. "We always do it on something that is well-known." They looked at books that would grab Kansas City audiences, like Anne of Green Gables and Tom Sawyer. "And Susan started interviewing friends of her grown children, and The Giver kept coming up, I think," Winans recalls. They contacted author Lois Lowry's agent and found out that the Minnesota Opera also inquired about doing an opera on the same book. Long story made short, the two opera companies got together and obtained the rights for the first-ever opera on the much-loved novel. Winans excitement bubbles as she tells of an idea that came to her while she went on a walk one day. In addition to hearing the author speak after every performance of The Giver, audiences will be able to hear Lowry's voice throughout the opera, as the character of The Speaker. She exclaims, "Lois Lowry is actually going to be in our show!"

Having been the first and only education director of the Lyric Opera in Kansas City, Winans is ecstatic to be honoring individuals who have donated their time to the education department, which is celebrating its 20th anniversary. On January 8, the opera will present a public performance at Rockhurst High School, with whom they have a partnership. "Kids from the past and the present are going to sing. Our children are also doing a fundraising project this year, and I'm working really hard on it too, and all the parents – everybody is trying to raise money for education. Anyone that has done it for all of the twenty years are the ones we are honoring," she says. Those receiving nods include Susan Kander, set designer R. Keith Brumley, director Linda Ade Brand, and philanthropist Ginger Frost.

When thinking of how the world was hurt by the crumbling economy a few years ago and how we are still feeling the effects now, Winans is thankful for people who have supported the education department of the Lyric. "When we wanted to do The Giver it was when the economy was at its worst. People on the board, our general director, and Ward Holmquist (the artistic director of the Lyric) – they understand what we do . . . . It was a lean time. And they said it was important to do. And they didn't need to. But they saw that it was important. Especially my education committee, they are amazing."

For those artists and arts organizations that are struggling, Winans says that communication is key to spreading word about your work. She says that over the years, she has come to understand that some people do not fully understand the depth of the work. She recognizes that being in a constant struggle for funding can be stressful, but also believes that a confident outlook on life is important. "I try to be optimistic and positive, so I think when you're that way, people and resources kind of fall in line and they appear, when they need to appear. That's been my experience."

It's that kind of optimism that keeps Winans looking forward to the future. She's already forming ideas for the 25th anniversary celebration and names people she hopes will work with her, and even has a possible title for the next children's opera. "I'm feeling good about what we're doing . . . . We should always be busy, and we are."

More information about the education department of the Lyric Opera can be found on the company's web site, www.kcopera.org, or by calling Paula Winans at (816) 471-4933. In addition to school matinees, there will be one public performance of  The Giver on January 14 at 2 pm at Rockhurst High School.

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