Today we’d like to introduce you to Bethany Mamola and Agostina Migoni, the founders of DB Project.
Dr. Mamola and Ms. Migoni met in music school almost a decade ago and have since founded DB Project, an organization created by artists to support artists. Both women strayed from the limited, traditional career options for opera singers and created their own path, one that gives them and other artists an avenue to create. Since its inception, DB Project has partnered with the National Repertory Orchestra, been the recipient of the Breckenridge Creative Artist Residency in Colorado, and the TX Studio Artist Residency in Dallas, Texas. DB Project has participated in the Cherry on Top Creatives Festival in Marfa, Texas, regularly tours throughout the United States, and has been invited to perform and speak at a number of universities.
Learn more about their origin story here.
Has it been a smooth road?
Yes and no. It has been smooth in the sense that once we decided to break free from the traditional path laid out for us, our creativity came flooding back. We started producing and creating opera and classical music the way wanted to enjoy it as audience members. Once we started creating art and music in order to give others a voice, we never looked back. On the flip side, the learning curve for figuring out how to monetize each production in order to pay the artists who collaborate with us what they are worth has been challenging. We have experimented and collectively learned a lot in the past two years about the different models for arts funding, and are currently figuring out what works best for our organization. You can learn more about what goes into producing our shows here.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the DB Project story. Tell us more about the business.
DB Project is a collaborative arts company based in Dallas, Texas. We create musical storytelling productions that break the barriers associated with classical music in order to highlight the beauty of this valued repertoire. We push the boundaries of traditional performance practices by producing our shows in unconventional spaces and collaborating with creatives across a wide spectrum of mediums including, but not limited to sculpture, textile, painting, photography, video production, music, dance, acting, and the culinary arts.
The project was founded with a mission to support cultural innovation and creative thinking for our communities through artistic collaboration and education, with the goal of inciting positive change and creating sustainability in the world of performance art. We accomplish this through collaboration, which empowers artists to present their work, while simultaneously merging ideas, networks and audiences. Keeping the project grassroots allows it to move forward despite financial limitations for the arts. Touring helps us reach a greater and more diverse audience. Lastly, and most importantly, ditching the ego and balancing our expertise with experimentation, enables our curiosity and creativity to continue producing art that is exciting and relevant to our social climate.
How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
We hope that over the next decade, the opera and classical music industry will challenge it’s hierarchy and become more inclusive. Opera and classical music will not survive if it continues to only serve the ‘elite’ and more fortunate. Younger generations are investing in sustainability, health and technology, not so much in art, and definitely not in opera. Therefore, we believe in producing works that are relevant to our social climate- just like when opera was gaining popularity centuries ago. Art has always been a reflection of what is happening in society and current classical music companies should still be producing shows that do that. Lastly, we hope that opera and classical music organizations will begin to invest and advocate for multiple and diverse identities, histories, and communities by empowering them and giving them a voice, not only in a performance setting, but in administrative and directorial positions.
Opera singers have been subsidizing their own industry for decades which is why we created DB Project. We wanted to build solutions within the classical music industry by giving power back to the artists and creating paid opportunities for them. We are passionate about collaborating with local businesses and engaging within our communities. We are aware that opera and classical music, like everything else, is a business. However, it will not survive if the industry does not respect, nurture, pay and build platforms for artists to create and express. We hope that through collaboration we can help bridge this gap and create sustainability in the years to come.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.dasblumeleinproject.org/
- Phone: 469-583-2847
- Email: info@dasblumeleinproject.org
- Instagram: @d.b.project
- Facebook: @dasblumeleinproject
Image Credit:
Jorge Martinez, Kyle Steiner, and Doug Klembara
Suggest a story: VoyageDallas is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
