The responsibility to invest in audience development does not lie solely with opera companies themselves, but also with us as artists. We all have many personal connections with people who are not only interested in the arts, but interested in us as artists. How can we build these connections to gain new audience members?
Getting negative feedback is tough! It is difficult to remember that this person only had an extremely brief look at us as an artist; their opinion isn't gospel and we shouldn't take all of their words to heart. Sometimes this keeps us from truly understanding what their feedback is and how it can benefit us.
