When you call the Tulsa Opera Box Office or step up to Will Call at a performance, a smiling new face will greet you: Taylor Neill, who recently joined the Tulsa Opera staff in the role of Patron Services Manager. Let’s meet her!
Tulsa Opera: Can you share a little about your background and what brought you to Tulsa Opera?
Taylor: I come from a family of actors, singers, and dancers. They often joked the only way I could “rebel” in my family was by becoming an accountant! I grew up in rehearsal halls surrounded by fantastical costumes and props, watching (and often joining) my parents as they created magic on stage, at renaissance festivals, and even backstage in costume and set shops. If I wasn’t absorbed in my own rehearsals, I was always watching other performances around town. I first started attending the opera around age 15 and just fell in love. I had no idea I’d eventually work with Tulsa Opera, but life has a way of surprising you!
TO: What excites you most about joining the staff?
Taylor: I’m most excited about the ability to make a direct impact on the artistic community that shaped me into who I am today. I believe the arts community in Tulsa is something truly special and it should be nurtured by all those who love art. My position as Patron Services Manager will enable me to get face-to-face with Tulsa art patrons. I’ll be able to form more relationships between the opera and the community. Hopefully my work here will make as real a difference in someone’s life, as the arts have made in mine.
TO: What drew you to opera and the performing arts?
Taylor: The performing arts in all forms have always been so close to my heart. I think it takes such courage and passion to put your energy into creating a performance. Whether it’s dance, opera, theatre, or chamber music, there’s no feeling in the world like being a part of or watching a live performance. During the rehearsal process, you’re surrounded by passionate individuals all united towards a common purpose, motivated by little more than the joy of telling stories. There’s something so essential to human nature about telling stories. It satisfies a vital instinct in us, and art gives us untold ways to tell each other stories.
TO: Do you have a favorite opera or a piece of music that inspires you?
Taylor: My favorite opera has to be the first one I ever saw live, Lucia di Lammermoor. I saw it at Tulsa Opera many years ago. I fell in love when Lucia (spoiler alert), after killing her new husband, is gripped by madness. She sings an aria called “Il dolce suono”. It’s an aria that I had heard before as the piece the Diva sings in my favorite movie, The Fifth Element. It’s a hauntingly gorgeous piece of music, and I had no idea it had come from Lucia. I was told that even as a child I was entranced by that aria. I stumbled bleary-eyed from my nap into the living room where my dad was watching The Fifth Element. The Diva was singing that aria and I was enraptured. I stood wide-eyed in front of the TV through the whole scene and demanded he start the whole movie from the beginning. When I heard it live on stage, it felt as though that moment was given specifically to me by Tulsa Opera singers. I’ll remember it for a long time.
TO: If you could play any role in an opera (even if you don’t sing!), what would it be and why?
Taylor: It would probably be Rosina from The Barber of Seville. I just love the farcical comedy of that show. It seems so high energy and fun, and it’s always such a crowd pleaser. I’ve never been professionally trained as a singer, but I also know most good roles in the opera go to sopranos, so I adore Rosina.
TO: What’s an interesting fact about you that people might not know?
Taylor: On weekends in May, you might see me working at the Castle of Muskogee Renaissance Festival! I love the Ren Fest, and I’ve worked probably a dozen festivals around the country as a vendor, dancer, stage combatant, lane act, you name it! Many of my friends and family work out there as well. Although if you recognize me in my festival plumage, I probably won’t respond to “Taylor”.
TO: When you’re not at the opera, how do you like to spend your free time?
Taylor: When I’m not working at the opera, I enjoy dancing at the local ballroom studios, crocheting, reading sci-fi and fantasy, playing video games, or spending time with my family playing board games.
TO: What are you most looking forward to in your first season with Tulsa Opera?
Taylor: I’m most looking forward to getting to know this amazing staff, and the opera patrons. Everyone on staff is so kind and passionate about what they do. I feel immensely lucky that I’ve been welcomed into the fold. I have so much to learn from my coworkers and from the patrons of the Tulsa arts community. It’s my hope that my first season here teaches me how to be a good steward of this community, and to represent my organization and my city with grace.