We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Beth Morrison. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Beth below.

Beth, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. We’d love to hear the backstory behind a risk you’ve taken – whether big or small, walk us through what it was like and how it ultimately turned out.

My decision to start my own company in New York City is by far the biggest risk I’ve ever taken in my life/ career. I didn’t know anyone in NYC and I didn’t have any money, so I was really starting at ground zero with an idea, a dream, and some chutzpah. There have been many hard moments along the journey but the good far outweighs the bad.

Beth, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I am a creative producer and I founded my company Beth Morrison Projects in 2006 and my festival PROTOTYPE in 2013 (co-produced with HERE). Prior to that, I was a singer, voice teacher, and arts administrator. I began my professional life with the intention of being a performer, but I quickly realized that I wanted to have a larger impact. It became clear to me that I was meant to be on the managerial side of things, but I wanted to still use my artist/creative self. I eventually started dreaming of what a new kind of opera could be- something that was telling the stories of our time, in English, with living composers who had a different aesthetic than what I was hearing up to that point. I wanted to create a wholly theatrical kind of opera that used media and sound design. At the time (2002), there really wasn’t anything in this vain, and so I decided I needed to start my own company. I went back to school to learn about production and theater management, and then started my company immediately after moving to NYC. In the years since then, BMP has had a major influence on the field of opera and there are very few companies today that are not doing something with new work. Our super power continues to be the identification of the up-and-coming talent – the stars of tomorrow if you will. We have a composers competition that focuses on young writers, and through this program we are continuously looking for the writers who will bring the art form into the future. I’m most proud of having commissioned and produce two Pulitzer prize winning operas and for having produced a feature film that we call a goth opera.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

My existence is driven by my desire to create a relevant 21st century art form for sung theater. I’m also driven to give artists a home for creation and experimentation. And finally, I’m driven to create a community that is larger then one artist, one producer, or one company.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

As so many companies needed to do, the pandemic forced us to think about how we create and how we bring in income. To that end, we pivoted significantly with the creation of our Producers Academy, a training ground for young producers that is now fully funded by the Mellon Foundation and that continues today. We are seeding the next generation of creative and tour producers and that’s thrilling! Additionally, we made a feature film during the pandemic. I had no idea how to produce a film, so it was fun and enriching to learn. The outcome is something that I’m deeply proud of.    

Contact Info:

• Website: www.bethmorrisonprojects.org
• Instagram: @bethmorrisonprojects
• Facebook: @bethmorrisonprojects
• Twitter: @BMPOpera

Image Credits
Prism- Maria Baranova Aging Magician-Jill Steinberg Dog Days- James Daniel Real Enemies- Noah Stern Weber Angel’s Bone- no credit Acquanetta- Maria Baranova