Opera’s Next Act: 5 Questions on the Future of Opera with BLO Artistic Director Nina Yoshida Nelsen

As opera continues to evolve in response to cultural, technological, and society shifts, BLO remains at the forefront, reimagining classic repertoires, integrating bold contemporary works, and making opera more accessible to everyone in our community. We love opera for where it’s been and where we’re going.

In our series, Opera’s Next Act, BLO’s artistic leadership will share in their own words what excites them about opera’s past, present and future— beginning with our Artistic Director, Nina Yoshida Nelsen.

About Nina

Nina Yoshida Nelsen was named BLO’s Artistic Director in January of 2024, and is at the forefront of opera’s next generation of leaders. As a celebrated mezzo-soprano (you may have seen her on the BLO stage as Mamma Lucia in Cavalleria Rusticana or a singer and storyteller in the filmed documentary-concert, B.), Nina brings a multi-faceted perspective to her leadership. Before being named Artistic Director, Nina was BLO’s Artistic Advisor, participating in artistic discussions and decisions. She is also the Co-founder and Board President of Asian Opera Alliance, a network of Asian-identified opera professionals working together to advocate for Asian representation in opera and for broader industry-wide equity.  Her innovative ideas, artistic advocacy, commitment to excellence, and familiarity with BLO’s creative landscape made her a natural fit to take the helm in 2024.

What made you want to take on a leadership role in opera?

After I founded the Asian Opera Alliance in 2021 and started working with leadership at companies in a different way than I had as a singer, I started to realize how important it is to have singers, and more specifically BIPOC singers, in decision-making positions at opera companies. We are the people who present the art on stage. We are the people who travel from company to company and community to community. We see firsthand what is working, and what is not. We experience the successes and failures of the art form in real time.

Through the Asian Opera Alliance, I realized that my voice mattered, and I began to see that I could affect opera in more substantial ways in a leadership role. I also got a taste of what it was like to advocate for the singers who are coming after me. I want to make our industry a better place for all, and the only way to really do this is as a leader, leading by example, advocating for all, and making incremental lasting changes.

During the pandemic, I also started to think about my own future in the industry. Something that matters most to me is my family. As I looked at my family, what I wanted for my future was to be more present physically for my children. I could picture myself being on the road nonstop until my kids leave for college. This made me incredibly sad to think about. BLO gives me the opportunity to stay in the industry, affecting change while also being present for my family.

How have you seen opera change in the past 10 years?

I think opera has changed drastically in 10 years. During the pandemic, when the industry shut down, we had time to think, dream, examine and reflect. We started to talk about what opera in America should and could be. We began to consider more strategically how we can weave together beloved classics with new voices, expanding who is telling stories and whose story is told. At the same time, the pandemic helped us realize how foundational community is to our success on the stage – critical for paving our way forward. We really examined what it means to be a nonprofit organization in service of our community, and thus, we started to see change in the way we were bringing people into our organizations, trying to create inclusive spaces and art. We have started to see much more consideration about the stories we’re telling, and how and why we’re choosing to tell them.

I am so excited to see what the next 10 years bring!

Why should audiences care about opera/classical music?

I recently heard a great quote: “Where words fail, music speaks.”  I absolutely love that! But what if we take it a step further and say, “opera speaks when words fail”

We are telling diverse stories that words aren’t enough to tell.  Wouldn’t you want to consume art that is that moving? I know I do!

There is often a misplaced perception, often reinforced in movies and other works of fiction, that opera is only for the rich – elitist, exclusionary, and inaccessible. In actuality, our artform is relatable, accessible, and often incredibly moving to many people. It’s our job to reframe expectations and tell that story. When you think about it, opera is the combination of all art forms. It includes, visual, music, dance, theater, cinema, architecture, and literature. Why not come see it all in one place?

What is your vision for the future of opera?

I envision a stage that tells the stories we need right now – stories that matter deeply, from the familiar classics I cherish to groundbreaking new stories and musical languages, all told by a beautiful, diverse group of artists. We know that classics – operas written in the last few hundred years – can still be accessible, inclusive, and deeply meaningful for our society today. And we know that opera is a living art form, with operas being written every single year. So let’s let opera be what it is – all of those things, all together, for everyone.

A question I’ve been asking myself recently is, “When we look back in 100 years, what do we want to see that the tradition of opera in America became?”  We have a great opportunity to create opera stories for our time, our audiences, and our space that live far beyond us.

What is your favorite opera?

I have lots of favorite operas for lots of different reasons. If you ask me to choose just one, I will say An American Dream by Jack Perla and Jessica Murphy Moo.  I’ve performed this opera since its premiere at Seattle Opera in 2015.  The aria in it was written specifically for me after the creators interviewed my grandma about her experiences being incarcerated in WWII, as a Japanese American.

Every time I’m on stage telling this story, I’m sharing a part of my grandmother and her story.  The honor and responsibility of doing this is not lost on me. It’s the greatest gift I both receive and give as an artist.

You can learn more about Nina and our leadership team here!