Conductors on an opera resume

[sievep]

Most of my work has been done in opera, and I've always included the Maestro in my resume with the director.  I'm considering taking the conductors off my resume, as it will save an incredible amount of space and I can reformat my resume.  However, I do lose some VERY famous conductors (and some not so famous) if I do this.  I can always put those important conductors names in my cover letter, but then I risk looking like I'm name dropping.  Thoughts?

[Mac Calder]

Tailor your resume to the task. If it is purely a "Hey, I am out here" resume mailout, then sure, drop them, and put the Maestros in the cover letter (you are expected to name drop in that sort of application). If you are applying for a specific position, where you think listing the Maestro would be handy, but you don't want to appear to name drop, then format it into your resume.

[Jessie_K]

I suggest you chose (per opera) which name to show.  If on certain operas you want both the director and conductor, only put both for that particular and chose just for the other operas.

Ex:
Tosca           Opera Co #1     Dir: Name
Turandot       Opera Co #2     Con: Name
La Boheme     Opera Co #3     Dir: Name/ Con: Name
                               or       Con: Name

That way you are not wasting space on names you don't "need"

[LisaEllis]

I was on the flip side of this a while ago...I used to only list the directors.  A couple years ago I got the suggestion that the conductor's name is also helpful to someone who's hiring.  I suppose it depends on the company you're applying to.

So I reworked mine, and now I have:

COMPANY   SHOW    DIRECTOR   CONDUCTOR   YEAR

I have them grouped SM and ASM, so that saves the "Position" column.  Under that, I keep them grouped by company.

I think keeping the Director's name is important, because that's who we work more closely with.  But the Conductor's name could be omitted if you like having the space.

[ljh007]

I always include director and conductor. First initial, last name for each (C: J. Doe, D: J. Smith).
Even without considering "name dropping", it is important information and could lead to the perfect networking opportunity, which is - let's face it - often what getting a job is all about.

[Maribeth]

i include the director and conductor- mine is structured like this:

PRODUCTION      DIRECTOR             THEATRE/ARTISTIC

the theatre/artistic category lists the company name and if there was any other info i wanted to include- conductor's name, music director's name, if it was a world premiere, etc. that way i don't have to separate out theatre from opera. i have SM and ASM positions in two separate categories.

i do agree with what's been said- that it wouldn't be unreasonable to put it in a cover letter. i just like having as much info as possible on the resume itself.       

[ljh007]

If your resume is mainly or all opera, I would include the conductor over and above the director. Old-skool opera tradition would hold the music over the stage action. This is why I list my conductors first.

[LisaEllis]

If your resume is mainly or all opera, I would include the conductor over and above the director. Old-skool opera tradition would hold the music over the stage action. This is why I list my conductors first.

Again, I think it depends on the company you're applying with.  Production Managers are more likely, I think, to call a director they know than a conductor.  Or someone else at a company you've worked at.  The director's name may also tip them off about the complexity of a show.

But if you're being hired by the Artistic Director, who is a former singer/conductor/musician, then he/she may call other music staff, or be more impressed by those names.

In practice, I still agree that the music trumps all.  If they can't be heard, it will be restaged after Orchestra Dress #1.  But for hiring practices, I think the conductor's name may or may not hold any water with the person reading your resume.

[sievep]

Thanks, everyone, for your input.  I took a bit of advice from almost everyone.

I ended up with:

COMPANY   PRODUCTION   POSITION   DIRECTOR/MAESTRO

Everything is in chronological order, but can easily be rearranged to tailor the document to whatever I'm applying for, if it's specific.  I did abbreviate director/maestro first names.