William Boggs On Bringing Music to Life
By Leslie McBride, communication director for Opera Project Columbus
William Boggs joins Opera Project Columbus (OPC) as their conductor for the company’s upcoming Summer of Musicals featuring HMS Pinafore and Naughty Marietta. Boggs is a two-time Grammy winner who led OPC to sold-out audiences during their Summer 2024 performances.
Leslie: Tell us a little about your musical background and how this developed into a career.
William: As a small child my family spent Sunday afternoons with family friends. My father played bass and his friends played guitar. It was a concert every week and you either played an instrument or sang. It just seemed natural to learn guitar. As a youth I was playing with bands in campus bars. I also sang in choir and had the world’s greatest high school choir director, Dr. Robert Petty. He instilled musicality, and drive for beauty and expression. I attended The Ohio State University as one of the first recipients of the Battelle Scholars scholarship. Maurice Casey, head of choral activities, gave me incredible opportunities at OSU so I stayed on as his teaching assistant for graduate work. I then attended the Juilliard School in conducting.
The Columbus Symphony produced opera before Opera Columbus was born and they needed a chorus master; I was chosen to lead the only professional chorus at the time.
I frankly thought opera was stupid. People screaming each other in Italian was not what I envisioned for my musical life. I thought real music was in Latin, probably by Palestrina. My first opera changed my life. Music that dramatic, sung by glorious voices, was a revelation. And assisting world-class conductors like Silipigni, Copolla, Armenian, and Xander, I learned how to conduct opera. I loved watching the artists use all their technique to bring the composer’s drama to life. It’s really quite thrilling.
Leslie: You have joined OPC as a conductor before and last June’s performances were sold out shows. Tell us how it feels preparing for a full house, the excitement that is leading up to the shows and backstage, and does that come with extra pressure?
William: My first experience with Opera Project Columbus was with a concert version of Verdi’s Un ballo. It was a late ask and I needed to learn the piece in three weeks. I had conducted La Traviata, Il Trovatore, Rigoletto, MacBeth so I knew Verdi, just not Un ballo. When Eric Gibson was appointed executive director, we spoke of repertoire and discovered we both had a deep love of operetta. I had served as conductor and eventually general director for Columbus Light Opera. Summers of humorous love stories (where no one gets stabbed, or jumps off a turret) was perfect. I think Columbus missed this kind of show. I think it’s a good balance with Opera Columbus’ offerings.
We sold out last summer and it was a blast. I don’t feel pressure on a production other than to get the best performance possible from the cast and orchestra. Pressure comes with world premieres and recordings. I can’t hurt the reputation of Carmen or Butterfly, but a first performance of a new work can hurt the chances of it getting future performances. Pressure is bringing a composer’s “baby” to life. I’m lucky to have three commercial recordings of Robert Aldridge and Carlisle Floyd with five Grammy nominations and two Grammy awards.
Leslie: What have been some of your favorite memories or experiences when working with OPC?
William: I really respect that they search for a few high school and college students to play in the pit alongside wonderful professional players. The only way to learn the style is to be in a focused, intense setting. I also love the use of local talent. When a former ensemble member graduates to leading roles, like Bart Smith, Ben Bunsold or Carolyn Redmon, it brings me joy.
Leslie: What is something about opera that you think may appeal to someone who has never experienced it before?
William: Operetta is the perfect introduction to staged opera. It’s in English, it’s funny and really is the precursor to musical theater. The stories are silly and entertaining with great singing and dancing. Perfect for the novice as well as the highly cultured music lover.
Leslie: Do you have anything to add?
William: Get your tickets early! Last year I intended to have a young guitar student and his sister come to the show. By the time I looked into it we were sold out. Where else will you hear “Ah Sweet Mystery of Life” or an admiral suggest “stick close to your desk and never go to sea, and you all may be rulers of the Queen’s Navy?”
Leslie: If someone was visiting Columbus for the weekend, what are your top recommendations to them?
William: Eat at any of the Cameron Mitchell restaurants. They are all incredible! Go to a performance at one of our spectacular theaters. CAPA has done a brilliant job refurbishing the Lincoln, Southern and Palace theaters. And the Ohio was expanded to accommodate the tour for Phantom of The Opera. It’s a real gem. If you’re a shopper, Easton is a lovely place to spend a day.
One of our jewels is The Ohio State University. So many productions of dance, theater and music. (Oh, and they have some sports teams, too.) It keeps the city vibrant with students and faculty from around the world. The diversity of its population adds such richness to our culture.
Opera Project Columbus presents A Summer of Musicals this June at the Lincoln Theatre, featuring HMS Pinafore (June 6-8), a classic light opera by the renowned duo Gilbert and Sullivan, and Naughty Marietta (June 13-15), the beloved operetta by Victor Herbert and Rida Johnson Young.
This article is part of a bi-weekly column brought to you by the Greater Columbus Arts Council as part of the Art Makes Columbus campaign. Explore a calendar of events, public art database and artist stories at columbusmakesart.com. To learn more about GCAC grants visit gcac.org.