This interview was originally recorded on June 24th, 2024.
The Oral History Project is supported by the Arthur F. and Alice E. Adams Charitable Foundation.

Brad Woolbright, arts administrator 

Following receipt of a Bachelor of Science in dance from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, Brad Woolbright interned at Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, leading to an invitation to spend a summer at the Santa Fe Opera. Woolbright retired from the Santa Fe Opera in December 2020, following 43 years with the company, the last several serving as director of artistic administration. During his tenure at Santa Fe, he was involved in the presentation of over 40 American and world premieres, including Jennifer Higdon and Gene Scheer’s Cold Mountain and Mason Bates and Mark Campbell’s The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs, the recording of which won the Grammy Award for Best Opera Recording. Woolbright has served as a judge of numerous vocal competitions, including the Richard Tucker Award and the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions. He currently serves as the artistic director of Sag Harbor Song Festival, which had its inaugural season in September 2022.

Transcript

Marc A. Scorca: Brad Woolbright, thank you so much for taking time on this June afternoon to contribute to our Oral History. 

Brad Woolbright: Well, you're more than welcome, Marc. I appreciate it. It's always great to see you, and I think this is a terrific project that OPERA America has going on. It's really, really fantastic. 

Marc A. Scorca: I appreciate that, and I say to everybody that if they have suggestions of other folks we should capture, please let us know and we'll continue to build this, because it is the story of American opera, as we're trying to make it. You probably know that I ask everybody from the start, to tell me: who brought you to your first opera? 

Brad Woolbright: Actually, I brought myself to my first opera, which is due to the fact that the second job I ever had in my life (after scooping ice cream) was to be employed at the Opera Theatre of St. Louis in 1978, in their third season, as a box office clerk. I really didn't have any knowledge of opera before that point in time. I obviously knew what opera was. I came from a musical theater background, but in terms of who brought me there, I reported for work, and so I brought myself to my first opera.

Marc A. Scorca: Do you remember what the first opera was? 

Brad Woolbright: It's a good first opera, I think many people will agree. The season that year in 1978 at Opera Theatre was La Bohème, with Ashley Putnam, Sheri Greenawald, Vinson Cole and Steve (Stephen) Dickson. But also in that season, they did a piece called The Tree of Chastity. I don't know if the piece has ever been done again. Then, Albert Herring was on the roster that year - quite famous because it was the first opera recorded by the BBC, with Jimmy (James) Hoback, which was great. And then they had Gimi Beni do a compilation of things from the world of Rossini, but it ended up being called Forever Figaro by Gimi Beni and Rossini. Back to your first question, Bohème was my first opera.

Marc A. Scorca: A good start. But Brad, in looking at your bio, a degree in dance?

Brad Woolbright: If I would've looked back and think, "Oh, I'll have a degree in dance", I'd say, "Well, what's that path?" Well, I had always had visions as a young child of being a Broadway singer/dancer/actor. It's something I wanted to do I think, since I was four or five - probably having a little bit to do with the fact that I grew up in a very tiny town of 1,600 people, and I just felt the urge to move on. And it's like, "Wow, Broadway". I mean, it's a big jump from Centralia, IL to Broadway, but I started taking piano lessons when I was seven years old, learning on an old upright piano with no middle C, which absolutely drove my parents batty for about six years. But then they realized I was pretty serious about it, so about six years into my learning to play the piano, I got a new piano with a middle C, so I was very excited. But not to diss my small hometown, they did musicals every year when I was in high school. We had a band, (for) which I tried to play about seven instruments, none too successfully. But that was really the basis and the formation, which really cemented my interest in the arts. But through that, going to college, I was then introduced to dancing. I mean, I took dance classes at Southern Illinois University, and I loved dancing. I was young. It was just, sing, dance or act. I wanted to do all of them. But the reason I have my degree in dance (is) because my counselor at the time- I said, "Should I go for a degree in dance, or should I go for a degree in theater?" He said, "Well, with all your credits, you could graduate with a Bachelor of Science in dance, a quarter earlier than you could with a Bachelor of Arts". I said, "I'll take the quick path". So that's why I have a degree in dance. 

Marc A. Scorca: Let's just think of it as an early sign of your efficiency. So, from Southern Illinois, then probably the closest opera company was Opera Theatre of St. Louis?

Brad Woolbright: It was indeed and, SIUE, (the college where I went) was just across the river from St. Louis, and it really didn't take much to transmigrate there.

Marc A. Scorca: How did you get the job at Opera Theatre?

Brad Woolbright: So in order to complete my degree at SIUE, I had to fulfill an internship. So, I ended up working an internship for a small dance company called Mid America Dance Company, at the time. I don't think it exists any longer. But the lady who ran the box office then, happened to be the box office manager for the Opera Theatre of St. Louis. And she said, "Would you like to come and work in the box office at the Opera Theatre of St. Louis?" It was like, "Who am I to say no?" So I was interviewed by Richard Gaddes. I went to his office at Webster Groves. It was a tiny staff then. And I remember being somewhat timid. I was all of 18 or 19 years old, walked in and met Richard and had maybe a 15 minute interview, and he said, "Okay, you're hired". So I spent the third season with them at Opera Theatre.

Marc A. Scorca: That is just incredible. And of course, opera Theatre at the time was in that little house that no longer exists.

Brad Woolbright: Absolutely.

Marc A. Scorca: Of course, that explains a lot, because there is this connection between Opera Theatre and The Santa Fe Opera, thanks to Richard - and others to come. So, tell us, how did you then get to Santa Fe?

Brad Woolbright: Well, during my time at Opera Theatre St. Louis, which, in those days, was really all hands on deck. I remember being sent out with the then house manager by Richard saying, "Go buy some candles and some white petunias and get them organized under the tent, which Opera Theatre still has. And I was like, "Wait a minute. I thought I was working the box office", but it's like you were just dragged from place to place to place. I did occasionally sell tickets. So during the course of that brief season in St. Louis, I guess about four or five week season in those days, Richard asked me, "What are you doing this summer?" And I said, "I absolutely have no plans. I'm really biding my time". Because, at that point, no one was running up to me and giving me a check to sing, dance, or act. So I decided, "You know what? You better be a realist". So that's when various universities started giving Master of Fine Arts degrees in Arts Administration. So I applied at three very fine ones. I was accepted to them all, but Richard said, "Well, why don't you, if you're biding your time this summer, come to Santa Fe", where he was the artistic administrator; he held down both jobs..."and spend the summer in Santa Fe?" And I was like, "Sounds good to me. Why not?" So Richard Santa Fe.

Marc A. Scorca: And was that the beginning of this 40 year association, or did you actually leave after that first summer and go do other things, and then finally go back?

Brad Woolbright: It absolutely was the beginning of the 43 year association. So I got to Santa Fe that summer. Now, Richard had hired me, but I reported to the box office manager.

Marc A. Scorca: What was your position in Santa Fe that summer?

Brad Woolbright: Box office clerk. I knew how to sell tickets. So Richard said, "You'll come to Santa Fe, and your boss in the box office, the box office manager will be a gentleman named Charles MacKay". So for those listening or watching, those names are sort of historic in terms of the St. Louis/Santa Fe connection. So I reported to Charles; I worked in the box office. It became clear -certainly Richard was very specific about it midway through the summer, (Charles, not quite so much)...but during the course of the summer, John Crosby took an interest in me in terms of my interest in the company. And I think John saw the writing on the wall that his three top lieutenants being Richard, Charles and Jim (James) Kearney, who were really the three top lieutenants to John, were probably going to go on to other places. And so John started talking to me over the course of the summer, and saying, "Might you be interested in an administrative assistantship at The Santa Fe Opera, following the summer?" And I told John, "Look, I've been accepted into an MFA program, and I think that's really where what I should do". And John, well, in hindsight, he was very good. He said, "Look, that's absolutely an option, but before you jump into one of these programs, you should make sure that the faculty that you're going to be learning under, are people who aren't just existing faculty members on the roster, and it's just a new degree". So it was also the way of him really interesting me in joining the company. So about the middle of August - Richard, I think had made it clear to John that he was going to run St. Louis full-time, so he would be leaving soon. I think Charles started hinting at that time, (or John surmised), and Jimmy Kearney was out the door for other reasons, to other places, Spoleto particularly. So by the end of that season, John really had lost, or was about to lose his three top lieutenants. I never forget this. He said, "The one caveat Brad, about working for The Santa Fe Opera, in this position would be that you would have to spend six months in New York City". Well, for someone who wanted to be a singer, dancer and actor on Broadway, I was like, "Which arm do you want to twist?"

Marc A. Scorca: And what was the position that John was offering you, that would have you spend six months in New York?

Brad Woolbright: It was called, I think, an administrative assistant/associate, one of those bottom-line words. He had hired someone to replace Richard, a gentleman named James Dickson, as artistic administrator. So I was basically Jim's assistant. So Jim and I started that fall with John, working at the brownstone here in New York. 

Marc A. Scorca: And you of course, obviously, did a really good job. And after how many years, 'cause I think career building is such an interesting aspect of these conversations, is that readers and young people wishing to learn about the industry and to grow in it - how long was it until you began to have real authority and responsibility at Santa Fe Opera?

Brad Woolbright: That's a tough question, but a very fair question. At what point did I have responsibility? I mean, it didn't take too long because, in these jobs, and it was evident from my experience that if I was asked to do something, and I could do it, and I proved myself easily, then you were handed that responsibility. It's like, "Okay, we're gonna do this, take it on". Now other people who came with me, who I'd mentioned previously, to Santa Fe didn't last quite as long, and I was just sort of the hanger-on, and I would do more and more and more. And John was one of those people who, once he was convinced of your capability, again, gave you more and more responsibility. So that was the fall of '78. By '81 or '82, I was sitting with John Crosby negotiating union contracts. Now, I was learning at the table. I don't wanna say I sat there and negotiated across the table like John did. But John trusted me. He saw me, so he pulled me along. I was so fortunate, you know, I just learned from being at the table, literally. 

Marc A. Scorca: It really is remarkable. And you've mentioned three names who are so important in our industry, and we have the wonderful interviews with Richard from the NEA Opera Honors. We have an oral history with Charles. Of course, we don't have an oral history with John Crosby. And for someone who worked with him and knew him for so long, Brad, what was it like working with John Crosby?

Brad Woolbright: Oh boy; good question. I worked with him for, I think, 25 years. John was a hard nut to crack, if I can put it that way, but once you were able to do that, and he slowly took you into a small circle of people that he trusted, then, that helped the way. He was an extraordinarily gifted businessman who never, ever threw away a piece of paper, ever. He expected perfection and absolute dedication from everyone who worked for him. And given his rather strong personality, he usually got it. If John said no, the answer was no. You work side by side; you did what he wanted, and there was only one time where John sort of questioned - and I'll speak very personally here - my, 'devotion' sounds like a weird word. But he said, "Well, I've made this decision and you've got to stand up for it, and you've got to appreciate it". I was like, "Fine, fine by me". That was the only time that John really sort of like, "I must demand your immediate approval". Otherwise, it just coasted along. And just watching him in action was, you know, "Wow". But we got to a point where, maybe not on the major issues of the day, but on a few, he would invite my comments. He would say, "What do you think if I do this?" He was one of those people who really taught me that in opera, before you make a decision, you need to think ahead of what the ramifications of that decision will be, which I took to heart. And I think I can say with all honesty, in the later years of my career at Santa Fe, you know, you make one decision and you have to tell seven departments. Sure. But John's really the one who said, "You don't just make a decision like that and expect it to pan out". That's what I really learned from him. You had to earn his respect. There was no question it was his company, but once he saw that he had a comrade in people like myself, it was fairly easygoing.

Marc A. Scorca: I met John on a number of occasions, but once I did a long interview with him for OPERA America and found him so multifaceted, that once he opened up to the interview and the conversation - so multifaceted, such a deep thinker about whatever it was that we discussed, all the while smoking cigarettes in his office. But one really got a sense of the scope of the intellect as that interview unfolded. Quite remarkable.

Brad Woolbright: Well, you talk about the scope of the intellect, but when one thinks - I mean, I know everyone's talked about this - to have the fortitude and the thought to create an opera house on those cliffs in New Mexico all those many years ago, and then to pull it off. Wow.

Marc A. Scorca: So true. And a tale of the founders of so many companies in the United States. There's that founder vision and energy, dedication is really quite something. At Santa Fe Opera, you worked with dozens, hundreds over the years of young artists, and you worked with some of the most celebrated artists in the world, and there must have been such a range of experience in nurturing the young, and supporting the famous and established. Did you enjoy a particular part of that spectrum more than another? 

Brad Woolbright: Well, the interesting thing about the young singers....when I started at Santa Fe Opera, I was 20 years old. So, I was the same age as the apprentice artist, if not younger. So, as the matter of time went on, I got older and the apprentices got younger. Disconcerting for me, but at least I had the experience to deal with them. But when I look back, and this is not to be a name dropper, 'cause I'll leave out many names, but the people who I got to work with...the short list is, I mean, Susie (Susan) Graham, Natalie Dessay, Elisabeth Söderström, Tatiana Troyanos, Flicka (Frederica) von Stade, Jerry Hadley, Jim (James) Morris, Larry (Lawrence) Brownlee, Marilyn Horne, Lorraine Hunt Lieberson... I mean, the list could go on, but, again, I don't wanna sound like a name dropper. But to be around those people, who are really at the peak of their careers, and seeing their dedication to the craft. And to know these people, quirky as some of them could be…  But the majority who I've just mentioned, the most sincere (people).  It would never occur to someone who didn't have the luck to work with them like I did, (or you are familiar with), that these people are really nice people. But to see their dedication was, I mean, it was just an eye-opener. And I was so blessed all that time.

Marc A. Scorca: Given, of course, in order to be a great singer, there has to be the dedication, the natural instrument that you were somehow born with - not only the vocal apparatus, but the innate musicianship to be a good singer. But is there a non-vocal quality from your experience with literally hundreds of apprentices and some of the greatest artists of the day…is there a non-vocal quality that is really, really important for the singer to think about as they rise through their career?

Brad Woolbright: That's a tough question. Obviously, a great singer has to have a beautiful, or a distinctive voice. But a beautiful voice without being able to inhabit a character is just a beautiful voice, to me. So, I don't know how to define the whole package. What do you say about Elizabeth Söderström? Unique voice, dedication, the characters - evoking all that, involving all that, delivering all that. How they do it? I have no idea. I really wish I could answer your question with like - 1, 2, 3: here's how you do it. Obviously the voice is a gift, but the practice and the learning of characters, the learning of the repertory - it's so hard to pinpoint how do you do it?

Marc A. Scorca: It is, it is. And everyone has those gifts in a different balance that makes them unique.

Brad Woolbright: Absolutely; absolutely.

Marc A. Scorca: And then this track record with new work. At The Santa Fe Opera, you were a part of dozens - I counted that it was about 40 American premieres, world premieres - where you were shepherding a piece from the page, with wet ink, to the stage. And that blended in with works from the inherited repertoire, of course. What were the unique demands on you, as someone who's producing new work?

Brad Woolbright: So obviously, as we all know, Santa Fe has a track record of producing many world premieres and many American premieres. In the case of world premieres (and) my experience in Santa Fe, it was rather like the chicken or the egg. I mean, we would find interest in a composer. I remember a number of times, very accomplished composers would bring librettos or subject matter to us. Some were discarded, some mulled over, and some finally accepted, bearing in mind, that the cost of doing a new piece is off the charts, literally. The difference between, it goes without saying, a world premiere and an American premiere? Doing an American premiere, you have the piece in your hands, and you can either hire a new production team to do a different (production) et cetera, et cetera. Far less complicated than a world premiere. But to get to your question of what I did?  Negotiate the contract with the publisher. And once that contract is signed, a myriad of questions from the composer, almost daily, for two years, involving instrumentation, rehearsal time, decisions of casting, how would they be involved; having the singers be involved. The questions just keep coming and flying at you. You tell 'em what we can do, and you tell 'em what we can't do. And hopefully you come up with something that's worth all the effort.

Marc A. Scorca: In my lectures at the Brooklyn Academy of Music, when I'm doing a lecture for a new opera, I tell the audience what I think about when I judge whether a new opera is successful or not. Are there a few qualities you look for in a new work, in order for it to be successful in your estimation?

Brad Woolbright: Well, obviously, do you like the music? Is it something you want to listen to? Is the subject matter of interest? How compelling is it? How many people will feel the same way that you do?  During the time I was doing it, and I would think, perhaps, it's a fact that it's still this case, but for all the premieres that I was involved in, particularly world premieres, there were some that I would look back at and think, "What were we thinking?” It's like, you got a great production, but boy, that music... As Richard Gaddes famously said, "Sounds like broken crockery".  “What were we doing?” So, it's a crap shoot. I don't know how better to describe it as that, but over the course of time, the number of times you do it, if a composer has a true track record of success, those are the ones you look at.  It's a different time now, obviously, as time marches on, and I'm glad I'm not in the room anymore doing it - looking at composers, who are just getting started. But it's an interesting process. To take one example, our Chorus Master at the time asked me, "Do you know a young composer named Mason Bates?" He said "He's starting to write music. He spins records in LA. He's a disc jockey, but he's got really interesting music”.  And I met Mason when he was probably 24/25, and he gave me some cassette tapes of his music and what he was working on. And I don't wanna sound like I'm the one who discovered Mason Bates, but I thought this kid has an opera in him. You know, it might not be today, but I just feel it in my gut. I didn't quite convince Richard Gaddes of that. Richard was like, "Yeah, fine", but I laid the tapes on Charles' desk and I said, "You should listen to this". And he goes, "Oh, I've actually heard of him". And I said, "Well, why don't you go to LA and meet him?" And by that time, Mason had a lot more than just cassette tapes. And we ended up producing his first major main opera, The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs, which just happened to win a Grammy. 

Marc A. Scorca: And still being performed currently around the country.

Brad Woolbright: Exactly. So, you know, it's all a gamble. I mean, opera's a gamble. 

Marc A. Scorca: And that came from a cassette tape handed to you by your Chorus Master?

Brad Woolbright: Correct.

Marc A. Scorca: Wow, that's remarkable. You know, when you look at resumes these days and you see that people do two years at this position and three years at that position and four years at another position, and they're moving all around by the time they're 30.  Here, you were for 43 years at The Santa Fe Opera. And what would you say is the benefit of remaining at the same company for your career?

Brad Woolbright: Well, the benefit for me was being able to grow in my position, to have some authority, and be totally trusted and run with it. I had the luxury of not having to look for any other job in any other company, because I was so happy with where I was and all the general directors for whom I worked held me in high regard. So why would I go looking for another job? So, I was very fortunate. I think maybe one or two times someone said, "Would you be interested in moving?" It's like, "No, why would I be interested in moving?" But even though I'm not in the business anymore of people going from company to company, my gut reaction to people who ask such a question, is that, (and again, only my opinion, which sounds old fashioned), if you look at a resume of where someone's worked - they worked one year here, they worked two years here, they worked one year here, they worked three years there. That doesn't evoke a real dedication to the place that you're working for at the time. Now, I wouldn't suggest to younger people to take that advice, and stay at one company that you don't like, or you don't see hope of progressing in your career. Again, it's a double-edged sword, I think.

Marc A. Scorca: You know, you're right. And of course, your great luxury was that you were at a company of such quality, and a company of such renown, and that the two places you were forced to reside were Santa Fe and New York for six months a year each place. So that's so true. And sometimes people starting a career wind up starting it in a city that they don't necessarily wanna make home forever, or they want to produce more opera, or opera of a higher quality. But I also think there is something to be said for longevity and what you said, the growing trust and the growing responsibility that you have when people trust you, and know you and believe in you, there's something very special about that. 

Brad Woolbright: Well, speaking personally - of course, it's the only way I can speak, but you asked about John, and this goes to the question of why did I stay at Santa Fe? Because the two successors under whom I worked most closely…obviously after John was Richard Gaddes (who) had the unenviable task of following JOC's footsteps, following the founders. And Richard was one of those gentlemen, like Charles, who like bent over backwards to recognize all of us, with whom he worked. He would always say "They're the ones doing it all", which takes a lot from a leader to say. He was a deeply supportive general director and a master fundraiser, and really a remarkable human being.  Forgive me if I'm babbling again, but why did I stay there?   I remember Richard on cold, rainy nights, always like after the fact, would be taking elderly attendees out to the parking lot with an umbrella, and asking them to come back again. There's one thing that I will never forget about Richard, and that was how pragmatic he was, because, the day after 9/11, I was called along with another colleague to Richard's office, and we had planned a new production, to be conducted by John the next year, of one of John's favorite Strauss pieces, Die Liebe der Danae - a new production. And literally, as we all knew on 9/11 or 9/12, planes weren't flying. I didn't know how long I was gonna be in Santa Fe. And Richard said, "We've gotta dump Danae".  And I said, "Well, what are we gonna do?" And Richard said, without a blink, "Well, I think we have a Traviata in the basement". So that was like forward thinking. And, of course, if I may continue in my kudos to the general directors under whom I work most closely…Obviously, when Richard decided to retire, it seemed inevitable. And thank goodness the search committee and the board fully agreed that there was only one person to succeed Richard, and that was Charles. So, it continued that lineage of us all working under John. Charles is such a gentleman. He always made everyone feel that they were a part of the product, and it wasn't fake. He always said, "This place can't be run by myself alone".  And like Richard sheltering patrons under the umbrella from rain, the number of times that I can remember Charles on cold nights passing out blankets and warm down vests to people. I mean, what general director does that? I was really blessed to see that in action.

Marc A. Scorca: Well, and here you are taking all of those lessons into a new venture, at the Sag Harbor Song Festival, and I know that you've been throwing yourself into it and that people who've been able to attend enjoy it enormously. Will you tell us what it is, and why you started it, and how is it going?

Brad Woolbright: Well, it certainly was not on my radar when I retired at the end of 2020. But in the spring of 2022, I was approached by an extraordinary lover of music, a lovely lady, named Lena Kaplan. She's the widow of the late Gil (Gilbert) Kaplan. And Lena missed music, as we all did during the pandemic. And she got to me, and said she had this idea to start a little festival out in the Hamptons, called Glorious Voices. And she said, would I be interested in coming on board and being its artistic director? And, you know, she brought me to her home for a lovely lunch and stuck out her hand. And I said, "Wait a minute, I need to think about this". But I thought about it, and the first thing I did immediately was to say that I had to have a music director, and having had all these years behind me in Santa Fe, there was only one person that I thought of, and that was Bob (Robert) Tweten, who is the head of the music staff, has been at Santa Fe for a number of years, a long time colleague. I hired Bob Tweten at The Santa Fe Opera a zillion years ago. So, Bob said yes. So, we got to work in March of 2022, and we were then under the auspices of the most amazing place, which is called The Church. It's a deconsecrated church in the heart of Sag Harbor, which was bought by two wonderful people, April Gornik and Eric Fischl - wonderful artists, and has been turned into this major cultural place. When I first walked into The Church and saw what would be phenomenal acoustics, I thought, “This is crazy good, really wonderful”. So, Bob and I set about hiring six wonderful singers, (if I may say so) in our first year. And we did a festival that lasted four performances: Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday, at that point in time. And it just flew. I mean, it was wildly successful. We then, because of the success, (if I may say so), of that, became our own 501(c)(3), which we are now. So last year we produced a second roster, three performances instead of four. But I was incredibly proud of the roster that year. The musical programs are different every night (ending with a matinee): opera, operetta, musical theater, Lieder, the whole nine yards. Basically, Bob and I go to the singers that we've chosen and say, "Send us what you want (to sing)", and then we pick and choose and put together a program. And it was very successful.  Our roster's been announced for this coming fall, and the rep is going to finally be posted in a couple weeks. So, it's really a labor of love, Marc.  I didn't know that I was ready to dip my toe back into music, and it brings a lot of joy. However, I have learned that - it's not as easy sitting here at my computer producing all this stuff (and I'm computer-inept and challenged). I couldn't do a spreadsheet if you put a gun to my head.  And in the old days, I would just yell for one of my colleagues. It's like “Adam/Nicole?”, but now there's no one that comes running. But it's been really successful and really rewarding.

Marc A. Scorca: And it takes place in mid-September?

Brad Woolbright: It's the third week in September. It's 20, 21, and then a matinee on the 22nd. We really whittled in on that specific weekend because we sort of saw it as a segue between the summer festivals being over and the start of the bigger season starting. For example, I think The Met starts in the next day or two.

Marc A. Scorca: Well, that's just wonderful. And, at some point I will catch up with you. You always do it over my birthday weekend, so I have to think about when I'm gonna spend it in Sag Harbor.

Brad Woolbright: Well, we'll light some candles for you.

Marc A. Scorca: So, Brad, you must be approached by young people wanting to have a career in artistic planning, artistic leadership. What's at the heart of Brad Woolbright's advice to young people wanting a career like his?

Brad Woolbright: Well, first of all, I can't say my phone's ringing off the hook from people looking for advice.

Marc A. Scorca: But these conversations usually happen in lobbies and places like that.

Brad Woolbright: Well, that's true.  But from those with whom I've had past associations, certainly I get questions and, I harken back to your question about jumping from company to company. I'm fully aware that I was at a place that gave me everything I wanted to do. The few times that I've been asked advice about the question at hand from former colleagues, and this sounds really oversimplistic, I say, "Go with what your gut tells you.  Does this feel right to you? Does it not feel right? Weigh the balances". I mean, particularly if someone is weighing a company versus another company - "Where do you see yourself at this new company in three years? Where do you see yourself if you stay at this company, where you've been for seven years?" I just put the onus back on people. I can't make that decision for them. I can only speak about my own personal experience. My advice to them too, not that I'm asked too often, but I frequently say, "You really don't get ahead in this business by cutting corners". When I was working at Santa Fe towards the end of my career, or when it was like 24/7 during the season, nonstop, you just kept going, kept going, kept going. There were many days where I would say to myself, "Why are you doing this? Why, why, why? You're just like forcing yourself". But it's not so much I taught myself; I think it was instinctive, not to flatter myself.  But you don't get ahead by cutting corners in this business. You don't get ahead by looking at the clock, and it's five o'clock and time to go home. So, I just think if you follow that mantra, when that drive becomes apparent to those people to whom you report, you'll be noticed in the field, and you'll either advance at the place you're currently working, or other opportunities will come knocking. I mean, at least that was my experience,

Marc A. Scorca: Brad, that's just great advice, and I applaud that. I agree completely. Thank you, Brad, for this time today. I really wanted to make sure that we captured you and some of your history, and some of your core work ethic and work values. I wish you such good success with Sag Harbor this September and can't wait to see you around. But in the meantime, again, thank you for your lifetime of work in opera, for all that you have done, and will do. And thanks for the time this afternoon.