When Creativity Takes Center Stage: Portland Opera's Surprise Performance at the Cascadia Creative Awards

When I first spoke with Kent about my community work and board service with NextNW, he shared avision: Portland Opera singers surprising people with a flash mob, ideally set to Queen’s “BohemianRhapsody.” A few months later, as planning for the Cascadia Creative Awards got underway, that idearesurfaced when Alena asked what Portland Opera might contribute.

Fortunately, Portland Opera’s Associate Director of Education Outreach, Alexis Hamilton, excels at creating memorable experiences on tight budgets and timelines. Together, we developed a plan that would showcase Portland Opera’s talent, fulfill Kent’s flash mob dream, and generate excitement for our upcoming season. We landed on “Libiamo” (“The Drinking Song”) from La Traviata and recruited a small group of singers from Opera a la Cart’s rotating cast.

To make the surprise work, we created a fictional creative agency called “Brunhilde,” named after the Valkyrie from Wagner’s Ring Cycle. The singers attended the event posing as agency staff, complete with assigned roles and a backstory explaining their presence. Alexis played the agency owner, while one particularly outgoing soprano became the social media expert.

The ruse worked perfectly. As the singers mingled among attendees, each appeared just as surprised as everyone else when the performance began. Watching one singer after another stand and join in was a delight.

One of my favorite things is seeing collaborators form new connections with each other. This partnership between NextNW and Portland Opera was a wonderful example, and I hope the relationships sparked at this year’s awards lead to many more creative collaborations—and surprises—in the future.

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