10 minute read
Patron Spotlight
HONORING DR. MICHAEL MARSICANO
Each issue, Opera Carolina highlights a patron whose philanthropic work has transformed our company and the community.
By Laura Meyer Wellman
Michael Marsicano defies easy description. The litany of his accomplishments can be found throughout a host of publications citing his leadership of what is now the fifth largest community foundation in the country – in a city that ranks only fifteenth in population.
Name a cornerstone civic initiative in our Charlotte-Mecklenburg region and his imprint is there: “Leading on Opportunity “report; Carolina Thread Trail; Project LIFT; Critical Need Impact Fund; Mayor’s Racial Equity; Veterans Bridge Home; Levine Center for the Arts; Housing Opportunity Investment Fund; Covid Response Fund – the list goes on and on. And then there are the myriad of awards recognizing his contributions that include such words as most powerful person, innovator of the year, vision award, medal of honor in the arts, education hero, distinguished alumnus, businessperson of the year, affordability housing champion, top arts administrator, and most influential nonprofit leader.
So, when our Maestro James Meena asked if I would shift from Michael’s public persona to write a “personal message” for Avanti with observations about this business colleague, mentor, incomparable member of our community, and longstanding friend, I was more than happy to oblige.
The world of opera – for which Michael carries a passion – opens up new ways to talk about the essence of this special person as he winds up a career of relationship building, connection and impact. Consider him as a combination of librettist, impresario, maestro, singer, ensemble member – and the magic of his work comes swiftly to life.
One aspect of Michael’s uniqueness lies in an ability to perform any role with expert timing, whether in an opera buffo or opera serio. In terms of the former, he has a comedic side that appears often without notice via a devilish smile when he’s about to announce a surprise, such as a major gift, a mega initiative or a guest speaker. He is always ready to dress up for an office Halloween party (his Sonny beat my Cher), and when a slip on a floor under restoration, resulted in his being a bit black and blue, it prompted a “you should have seen the other guy” comment as he gamely began a presentation shortly thereafter. His staff witnessed the capitulation of this longstanding believer in suits and ties to a more casual dress protocol at the Foundation offices. His process? Staging a “tie-cutting” ceremony and producing scissors in front of his audience to snip a fellow team member’s cravat in half to signal the new era (drawing internal sighs of “At last” from those assembled).
A more serious side is ever-present as Michael channels a variety of styles to ensure others gain perspective on the criticality of an issue. (continued on page 36)
He has provided our community’s version of a canon – “a single melody, with a rule explaining how different voices should sing it.” But he has added his spin on the puzzle canon – “a single line of music that is presented without restrictions and where performers must figure out the rule before they can successfully sing or play the piece.” Here, he works hard to stand back from defining solutions upfront, instead bringing broad and diverse groups of people together in multiple ways to wade through controversial issues and scenarios to lead towards positive change. He can be at his best when going off script – where he smiles and gesticulates, his passion around a topic or a person or decision apparent. Accompagnato – “accompanied by the orchestra and moving eagerly” – describes Michael’s style as the glimmer of an idea takes hold among a group gathered. And, whether buffo or serio, he embodies the style of a Rossini crescendo – gradual rising of volume in music, with a “softer dynamic level that gets incrementally louder, adding registers and different instruments to create a particularly dramatic or comedic effect.”
Michael embraces every element of an opera – performers, audience, director, theatre space, design – and knows how to create an ensemble number opera, i.e., one “written for multiple voices depending upon the number of peopled needed for a scene.” One simple but highly effective means of accomplishing this was his decision to make all conference rooms available free of charge to nonprofits during business hours, a practice in place from day one of the opening of the Foundation’s stunning signature building, the Luski-Gorelick Center for Philanthropy. (Truth be told, this has included a bit of Machiavellian enjoyment on Michael’s part when groups on opposite sides of the fence find themselves in the Foundation’s hallways or taking the same elevators and thus are forced to meet eye to eye.)
His talents as an impresario manifest in multiple ways. FFTC annual meetings, with overarching themes of philanthropy and civic engagement, are legendary, attracting some 1,700 attendees each year. Front and center on the proscenium each year are speakers from different disciplines offering inspirational, challenging, controversial and/or powerful insights, often with a call to action – renowned public television chef Vivian Howard paired with philanthropist global chef José Andrés; journalist and author Malcolm Gladwell; “Creative Class” professor Richard Florida; composer and director Eric Whitacre being examples of an arsenal of talent and thought leadership.
Michael’s love of producing events extends to celebrating others. His mentors are well known (the names “Hugh,” “Harvey,” and “Ruth” should ring a bell). An extraordinary send-off party for a certain bank executive moving to Paris comes to mind; she temporarily was rendered speechless, given lauding provided in French and English and a live performance by Opera Carolina of Les Misérables’ “One More Day.” As the beneficiary of a special retirement party and having participated in or attended a host of other recognition events led by Michael, I can attest to the power and joy of the moments so carefully designed and orchestrated. Note, while clearly the divo, Michael would be the first to say that is impossible to talk about these extravaganzas or any of the Foundation’s initiatives or contributions without a major shout-out to the all-star ensemble of Foundation For The Carolinas team members, who ideate, challenge, orchestrate and contribute at every step.
Speaking of joy, Michael imbues whatever he engages in with his own version of coloratura – “a rapid and elaborate ornamentation by a solo singer requiring vocal agility and a high and wide range, often requiring singers to improvise.” And in Michael’s case, this correlates to approaching people at a moment’s notice to share his excitement about something on his mind – “Have I shown you the Carolina Theatre plan photos yet?” This also could relate to tulips (a passion growing them in tubs, having done more than 50 at a time at his former home) and reflecting on his awe in visiting the Keukenhof Gardens outside Amsterdam. Or perfect orchids, which he chooses to send to lucky recipients as a thank you. It could be the thrill of seeing spring on the campus of his alma mater, which he, his wife and I share – a reason to bleed Duke Blue.
Or the surprise arrival of a new – often large – piece of art from a prolific donor, where everyone in the office gathers to determine “where it should go.” And then there are the impromptu deliveries in December of whoknows--how-many red solo cups of homemade fudge to friends and neighbors – originally by bicycle with his sons, but now a drive that takes hours to cover.
Attention to detail is constant – from the exact color of the stain on the foyer floor to the precise words in a speech; from the focus on ensuring diverse voices in grant requests to a particular special interest of a donor. Email responses may not be his forte, but his eyes light up when he talks about family (his or yours), and he is fully aware that his wife Leslie, with her own diva role as an academic leader and home orchestrator, is his rock. They have three gifted sons, whose talents he shares with pride, and becoming a grandfather is having its own “special effect.”
At the heart of it all, Michael makes everything – and everyone – better. His libretto ensures that nothing is too small to require attention if it contributes to a stronger whole – and that no one should be left out of a process if they can bring experience or value to collective understanding. He is our community’s version of a tenor spinto – “a voice with extra weight and depth capable of handling large operatic climaxes at moderate intervals.”
To quote famed opera star Maria Callas, “An opera begins long before the curtain goes up and ends long after it has come down. It starts in my imagination, it becomes my life, and it stays part of my life long after I’ve left the opera house.” This period in time may be Michael’s finale amidst a community ensemble, but we know it really is only an interval in his storied opera. Stay tuned for his book(s) – and who knows what else – to follow…
I recently learned that the expression toi toi toi (with “toi” pronounced oddly as “toy”) is an operatic way of saying “break a leg” in Italian. But as Michael heads off on a new journey, I will leave with a thanks for this opportunity and, to my friend,
Grazie mille e bravo, Maestro Marsicano!
Laura Meyer Wellman
By Dasia Hood
Co-Editor & Creative Consultant
“Wow, you’re so exotic,” heard every person of color in America. One thing about melanin, or colloquialism, is it seasons the unseasoned eye and ear, and better yet, it sells. Imagine it is 1935, the Nazis are running rampant in Europe enacting the Nuremberg Laws, Mussolini invades Ethiopia, President Roosevelt progresses his New Deal, and 20% of the U.S. population is unemployed. In the midst of it all, George Gershwin introduces Black folk idiom to classical opera after an “inspiring” trip to South Carolina with the author, DuBose Heyward.
If you’ve read the synopsis, you know precisely the context of Porgy and Bess. But, if you read between the lines, you might find a conversation about how to sell live performance tickets at a time when everyone in America was flat broke, bored, segregated, and depressed. Of course, Porgy and Bess was not a commercial success when it premiered in 1935 and did not genuinely succeed as an American classic until 1976 in Houston, well after the passing of Gershwin and Heyward. But, I can’t help but consider Porgy and Bess an example of Black exoticism.
It’s tempting to take the beautiful Gullah dialect in Heyward’s story of Porgy’s romance, poor Black community dynamics, and jazz music to curate something “revolutionary.” But for whose revolution? Certainly not the descendants of slaves deprived of education, but people who bought opera tickets from 1935 to 1976. One could easily imagine Gershwin creating a synthesized piece that rewrote the story and dialect of “Porgy” to fit the standard operatic repertoire and stylings of the time to allow classically trained Black singers to tell their story, albeit less Bohemian.
What could make Porgy and Bess revolutionary is Gershwin and Heyward’s choosing not to cast Blackface singers and creating opportunities for casting born-Black singers; however, how it must have felt to finally have an opportunity to showcase Black education, hard work, skill, passion, and vocal training just to get on stage and call your fellow, “brudder.”
The shadow side of the libretto is I do not believe Gershwin created the opportunity concerning the needs of the Black art community. Instead, the life force required to make the energy of Porgy and Bess “work” comes from more than black paint. It comes from the melanin, humility, talent, and great spirit of the Black artist.
