Earlier this year, Kentucky Opera’s CEO and general director, Barbara Lynne Jamison, stepped down from the role, and a national search is underway for a permanent replacement.
For now, longtime professional opera singer and Minnesota native Peggy Miller is serving as interim director. Miller has spent the last decade on the business side of the opera industry in Ohio and Virginia.
She spoke with LPM’s Giselle Rhoden about the opera’s future in Louisville.
This interview was edited for clarity and length.
You were a professional opera singer for about 25 years, what made you want to transition into a more executive position?
Peggy Miller: I was a soprano. I did it for a very long time, and it's really hard when you have these beautiful young artists ready to jump in, and I just felt like it's time to support them. And I've always loved education and mentoring and things like that. So when an opportunity came, I jumped because I felt like leading a nonprofit organization, an arts organization, you have such a great impact in your community, and that was appealing to me. In Columbus, I had a position, the opera company was dissolving and I was there for like eight, nine years and then I retired [from] singing during that time. And then I went to Virginia Opera, and I was there just over four years, and got a call from Barbara Lynne Jamison the outgoing general director of Kentucky Opera, and she's a good friend and an incredible colleague. And asked me if I'd be interested in an interim position, and I had been at home eating bonbons for six months. So it was time.
What is the Kentucky Opera focused on now in this new phase of leadership?
I think to carry on Barbara's legacy. Kentucky Opera really reflects the community and serves the community. She established so many wonderful programs. I'm actually excited, and I've talked to different arts leaders, even though I've only been here a month, here in town, at the ballet and the symphony, everyone is willing to work together and eager to work together and positive. So that's huge. And I think moments like this in a city — and I've experienced it in Columbus — when the leadership is wanting to lift each other up, as opposed to compete with each other. It provides so much opportunity, and I have already experienced that. I'm a champion for the artist. So that is a unique position to come in as a general director, as having a history of being an artist. So although the business side is very important — it's crucial, especially now with arts funding and all of that. But also I can talk very freely and consistently and passionately about the arts, because that has been my whole life, and I can easily do that here.
What foundation do you want to build for the new CEO and general director?
Funding for the arts is taking a shift nationally, statewide, even in Louisville. The problem with scaling back funding for the arts is it will take so long to recover, so it's not like, “Oh, we'll bounce back in a few years when other areas of our sector get stronger.” It's going to be so difficult, and we're still coming back from the COVID shutdown of the arts. Also I'm not worried, because a new when a new general director comes in, and we're hoping to have to bring in a star, you know, and we certainly have the opportunity to do that, that's going to be a shot in the arm for the arts, for funding, so I see it more as an opportunity in that way.
What are you excited for going into the rest of the season?
The Christmas production. It's “All is Calm,” and it's a group of 11 men, and they sing a capella. So there's no orchestra or piano. It's just the most beautiful music. It's a lot of holiday music, and it talks about, in World War I, where troops from the British troops and the German troops came together as a truce to celebrate Christmas. And what a wonderful show. They're all kind of shortened too, so like 90 minutes you can expect to be there. I'm looking forward to seeing that.
