Interview with our new Board President, Jeff Bonin

What inspired your journey into the performing arts, and how did it lead you to Loveland Opera Theater?

Jeff Bonin: I’ve been an arts fan for my whole adult life, and I really credit my very artistic wife for that. But my journey to arts leadership roles comes through my son’s interest in music. I started volunteering on the board of the Longmont Youth Symphony when he was in middle school and became the President there a few years later.  I find a lot of joy in seeing the kids, families, and friends live this exciting musical experience and knowing that all the hard work the kids put in, and we put in on the board, pays off.  When the opportunity to work with LOT presented itself, I was really interested in seeing what else I could do to continue my work in another part of the arts community.

How would you describe what makes LOT special to your friends and family?

JB: The talent that’s on stage is really, really impressive. I’ve seen a lot of music performances over the years, and to see we have this type of experience in our own backyard is simply incredible.

Can you share a significant moment when music or theater deeply impacted your life, and do you have a favorite opera or composer?

JB: There’s a lot! But the one that’s most personal for me is seeing my son play 2^nd horn on Mahler's Symphony #1 when he went to Tanglewood in high school.  The horn solo in the first minute or so of the symphony still brings a tear to my eye when I listen to him play it!  I love some of the majors like Mahler and Tchaikovsky, but also some great pieces by Florence Price and modern compositions by David Maslanka and Anna Clyne are fun to listen to.  

What are some surprising facts about yourself, including your background, family, and interests outside of opera?

JB: I grew up in Wisconsin, went to school in Des Moines (where they have a great opera company!), and moved to Colorado in 2003.  I’ve been married to my high school sweetheart, Nancy, for almost 33 years now!  Our son, Nate, is a junior French horn performance major at CU Boulder and the 2nd horn at the Wyoming Symphony.  My career has been in technology: building tech products, leading development teams, etc.  I’ve travelled a lot, for work and pleasure, racking up over 1.2 million flight miles to over a dozen countries.  The most surprising fact about me is that I’m tall.  6’ 7” tall!  So if you see a really tall guy at our next LOT performance, it might be me!

How do you enjoy spending your free time, and what hobbies do you pursue beyond the performing arts?

JB: I love to cook.  I love to travel and experience new places and people. And I know the question was “beyond” performing arts, but I recently took up learning to play the clarinet.  The jury’s still out on how well this is going, but I’m optimistic.

As President, what excites you most about this new chapter for LOT?

JB: This organization is thriving, and I’m excited to take the helm at this point in its history.  But that said, there are a lot of challenges in today’s non-profit environment and I want to help make sure that we weather them well and set us up for continued success.

How do you balance honoring opera’s rich traditions while also helping the art form feel vibrant and accessible today?

JB: I think what LOT does well is balancing traditional opera with the accessibility of musical theater in general.  And doing fresh takes on a traditional operatic piece, like we’re doing with Die Fledermaus this season, is a way of accomplishing that. 

What do you believe is LOT’s most important role in Northern Colorado’s cultural landscape?

JB: Northern Colorado has a lot to offer culturally. From the influence of CSU and UNC, to the Fort Collins and Longmont Symphony, to the acts booked at The Lincoln Center, Blue FCU Event Center, and Union Colony Civic Center…there’s a ton of opportunity for the arts. LOT needs to make sure its voice is heard among all the arts dollars being spent in the area and make sure the community sees us and understands what we do and why they need to spend time with us.

LOT is deeply rooted in the community. What does “community engagement” mean to you in practice?

JB: As I said, there are a lot of arts and cultural opportunities in the area.  We need to be very in-tune with what our community wants to see, and where they want to spend their money. The other way of engagement is through collaborations and partnerships, and I think those can be very impactful for making the community more aware and appreciative of the things LOT does.

How do you hope audiences, artists, and volunteers will feel when they walk into a LOT performance?

JB: I hope they feel that they know what they’re getting.  If you’re coming for the first time or the hundredth, we should be clearly communicating through our marketing and outreach about the experience and professionalism.  More important is how I want them to feel when they leave.  I’d like them to leave feeling they got much, much more than they expected, that we over-delivered.  

Are there community partnerships or outreach efforts you’re especially passionate about growing?

JB: I’d love for us to push our relationships to our southern neighbors in Longmont!  The outreach programs LOT currently has with the schools in the Thompson School District would be great to see expanded to the St. Vrain Valley School District.  I’d love to see us collaborate with the Longmont Symphony on an operatic piece or two.  The same could be said for a collaboration with the Fort Collins Symphony.

What is one goal you hope LOT achieves in the next year, and one dream you have for the longer term?

JB: From the operations side of the house, I’d love us to find at least one new major sponsor, donor, or grant that will help us to drive some of our initiatives. In the longer term, dreaming big, I think being able to sustain another mainstage production each year would be great.

How do you see LOT continuing to evolve while staying true to its mission?

JB: The core of our mission is “to tell stories through music” and there are a lot of ways to do that.  Our two approaches to that are opera and musical theater.  We need to balance those two things, listen to our community, and evolve with those ideas in mind. If that evolution includes another mainstage production, we can conceivably tackle both of those pillars each year.  The organization has done a good job of balancing that over the last 20 years, and we just need to keep it going.

What opportunities do you see for new audiences to discover opera through LOT?

JB: I think if we look to our colleagues in symphonic music, they seem to tackle this well.  Symphonic collaborations with mainstream artists, movie music play-alongs, and pops productions are all ways to reach across music genres to generate interest in the Symphony.  LOT does some of this today already with our summer productions and collaborations in the community.  What other ways are there for us to showcase the incredible talent at the Theatre and entice new audiences to join us?  That’s something to focus on.

What message would you like to share with our patrons, donors, artists, and community as you step into this role?

JB: I couldn’t be more excited to join this team, and all of you, on this musical journey!  If you’re reading this, you already know how great LOT is and the joy it brings to you and others.  So spread the word!  Share our posts on social media, forward our newsletters to friends and family, and tell others about us. This is YOUR Loveland Opera Theatre!  If you have feedback for us, let us know.  If you know of a business or community leader we should connect with, tell us about them.  If you can volunteer your time in some way, send us a note.  I can’t wait to see you all at one of our performances!