Joseph Volpe, who retired as general manager of the Metropolitan Opera in 2006, will give the Tolles Lecture on Sunday, Feb. 18, at 5 p.m. in the Chapel. The lecture, titled "The World of Opera," is free and open to the public.
The Tolles Lecture was established in 1991 by members of the class of 1951 in memory of Winton Tolles, class of 1928 and dean of the college from 1947 to 1972. It brings to the campus distinguished writers in the fields of literature, journalism and theater to lecture and meet with students.
Volpe, who received an honorary degree from Hamilton in 2005, spent 42 years with the Metropolitan Opera. He joined the Met in 1964 as an apprentice stagehand, was promoted to various positions of increased responsibility, and in 1990 became general manager, the first person to rise through the Met's ranks to the No. 1 position in the organization. He retired from the company at the end of July 2006.
As general manager, Volpe greatly expanded the Met's international touring activities. The company made highly successful visits to Spain's Expo '92, to Germany in 1994, and to Japan in 1993, 1997, 2001 and 2006. In addition, frequent tours and recordings of symphonic repertoire by the MET Orchestra were inaugurated, as well as an annual series at Carnegie Hall. The Orchestra made extensive European concert tours in 1996 and 1999, and a cross-country tour of the United States in 1998. In August 2002, the Orchestra gave concerts at the Salzburg, Lucerne, Baden-Baden and Rheingau Festivals.
In 1998 Volpe instituted a new education project for young children in cooperation with the City of New York Department of Education and endowed by the Texaco Foundation. The program emphasizes direct experience with music and opera for students in New York City schools. The children visit the Metropolitan Opera House for backstage tours, followed by attendance at dress rehearsals, and artists from the Metropolitan Opera are frequently sent to participating schools for educational presentations.
Volpe has been a guest lecturer at Columbia University, the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School of Business, and for the past several years, at the "Models of Leadership" course for New York University's Stern School of Business. He also has taught an elective course at NYU's Stern School titled "Managing in the Performing Arts." In addition he has established a partnership with the University of Connecticut that provides students from the music and drama departments with behind-the-scenes access to the creative processes taking place in the opera house. The program includes production internships, lecture-demonstrations, and on-site class visits.
by Caroline O'Shea '07
