Conrad L. Osborne: “The Art of Jussi Björling”
A Zoom Presentation for JBS-USA on Tuesday, October 25 at 7:30 pm ET
Repeated on Saturday, October 29 at 12 noon ET
JBS-USA members in good standing will receive a free link to the presentations by registering on our website, and will also have the opportunity to send in questions for the concluding Q & A segment. Members of the Swedish Jussi Björling Sällskapet and the Jussi Björling Appreciation Society UK will also receive a free link to the October 29 presentation by registering here.
Non-members may receive the link by signing up now through the website, where they will be required to pay a $35. access/member fee.
Are you a Vocal Arts Member? Members of Vocal Arts DC will receive a $5 discount by registering here.
Conrad L. Osborne to Speak on “The Art of Jussi Björling”
JBS-USA is privileged to present the American master of opera critics in a special Zoom presentation for the Society on Tuesday, October 25 at 7:30 pm ET., which will be repeated on Saturday, October 29 at 12 noon ET.
As part of his presentation, Mr. Osborne plans to talk about Jussi's technique, specifically, his "functional technique," which is to say the hows and whys of his voice's makeup. Those are the things that account for the actual sound of the voice, and which made possible Jussi’s extensive command of what Osborne will call "executive technique"—both of which set Jussi apart from so many other fine tenors. Osborne will be using some recorded fragments, of both Jussi’s singing and that of others, to help clarify.
There is probably no one more qualified to pursue this topic than Conrad L. Osborne. In his early years, he did a good bit of professional performing, as both singer and actor, and subsequently has taught voice for 55 years. Those experiences, according to him, “really underlie everything else.”
Mr. Osborne’s career is of course legendary, as an opera critic, teacher, singer, actor, performing arts consultant, and acclaimed author.
His first published writings in 1959 were articles and performance reviews for Opera News, and recordings reviews for High Fidelity. Over the years since then, he has written for Musical America, Musical Newsletter, Opus, Keynote and the Sunday New York Times. For several years, he was also the New York music critic for London’s Financial Times, filing a couple of columns per month during the season.
Opera as Opera
The summation of this lifetime of accumulated knowledge, experience and critical exposure to thousands of recorded and live performances, may be found in Osborne’s masterwork, Opera as Opera, The State of the Art. According to the publisher, the author argues that we cannot solve the [current] problem unless we recognize and define it, and that we cannot hope to envision the artform’s future unless we first come to terms with its past. Osborne examines all elements of recent operatic practice as revealed in performance --“Performance,” he declares, “is our text.” He asserts that with renewal of the repertory long at a virtual standstill, we have tried to substitute auteurial production methods and cultural revisionism in its place, with disastrous results.
Accordingly, Opera as Opera, The State of the Art, draws on performances encountered over an eighteen-year period to first analyze styles and techniques of production (direction and design), and then to trace, in copious detail, the developments in the performing disciplines of conducting, singing, and acting that have loosened our connection to the canon. “The masterworks,” it flatly states, “are not before us.” 1
Glowing reviews of the book from his enthusiastic colleagues are many:
“Without question, the most important book ever written in English about opera in performance . . .a cri de coeur, documenting the devastation of a single precinct of Western high culture in modern and postmodern times. . . It is hardly an exaggeration to suggest that the fate of 21st-century opera partly hinges on the fate of the bristling insights delineated and pondered in this singular megabook.” Joseph Horowitz, The Wall Street Journal
Not to be overlooked is Mr. Osborne’s career as an arts administrator and consultant, focusing on the challenges of support and development in the arts, particularly classical music. He was five years as an Associate of the Martha Baird Rockefeller Fund for Music. He also served on the boards of two important service organizations, Affiliate Artists and the National Opera Institute; and for several years was under contract to Douglas Richards, Inc., a consulting firm that conducted field studies for the National Endowment for the Arts.
Access to Mr. Osborne’s bi-weekly blog, “Osborne on Opera,”, much more information, and the opportunity to purchase his indispensable book, may be found on Mr. Osborne’s website, www.conradlosborne.com.
Having Mr. Osborne share his insights is an exciting and exceptional opportunity for our Society. The Board of Directors invites you to join us!
REGISTRATION DEADLINE: MONDAY, OCTOBER 24, 2022
Your link to attend this Zoom presentation is free to 2022 JBS-USA members in good standing, and will be sent to you by email in October. All questions will be considered by the panel of moderators, and selections will be made according to time constraints. The panel will present the questions to Mr. Osborne during the Question and Answer segment following the presentation.