Franci Neely Explains Why Everyone Can Get Something from Opera

With its powerful vocal artistry, intense emotional connection, and masterful melodies, it’s impossible not to fall in love with the timeless art of opera.

Houston-based philanthropist and art benefactor Franci Neely is so taken with the art form dating back to 16th-century Italy that she’s not only underwriting an opera for creator Jake Heggie; she’s also striving to share her affection with others.

“Opera is so dramatic,” Neely explains. “The feeling you have through the musical instruments, including the human voice, the sets, the emotion that exudes on an operatic stage is something that's just very, very appealing to me.”

How Franci Neely’s Affinity for Opera Took Flight

The opera aficionado admits she’s long been drawn to the dramatic arts and encourages everyone to experience this art form. 

“Anybody can appreciate opera,” Franci Neely says. “It doesn't take studying opera or being exposed to it as a kid. I certainly was not.” While she’s seen myriad operas over the years, including The Magic Flute and The Marriage of Figaro, she says it was something she didn’t have the privilege of enjoying until she was in her 30s. But the arts patron advises it’s never too late — or too early — to give the opera a try.

“I didn't know anything about the operatic tradition. It doesn't take having prior knowledge of it, prior experience with it,” she adds. “It's an art form that really anybody can enjoy.”

Opera, Neely notes, can portray a wellspring of human emotions and can be inspired by anything, including classic literature. The retired trial lawyer cites Billy Budd, based on the Herman Melville novel of the same name. The story, set on a British naval ship during the French Revolution, features the title character as a popular, upbeat sailor placed on trial after a clash with the ship’s master-at-arms.

“I love the novel Billy Budd. I love what it's speaking about, the collective versus the individual,” Neely says. “When is the individual more important than the collective or vice versa? I have seen a memorable production of Billy Budd.”

Neely shares that the secret to delving into the dynamics of opera is just immersing yourself and letting the music overtake you. Whatever preconceived notions you might have about it, Franci Neely recommends approaching it with a fresh state of mind. “Don't be intimidated,” she urges. “And don't start with Wagner. Go to Carmen, go to La Traviata.”

The Rise of Opera as a More Universal Genre

While opera’s audiences typically consist of patrons in their 60s and older, Neely says she believes demographics of all ages should break out of their comfort zone and explore the genre.

“I think people would be surprised,” Neely informs. “Especially at some of these new operas.”

Neely uses Intelligence as a perfect example of how opera is evolving to feature more timely themes. Heggie credits a docent at the Smithsonian Institution with helping him come up with the idea for Intelligence, which is based on the true tale of an enslaved African American woman during the Civil War. Historians are divided on what her name was — some say Mary Bowser, some say Mary Richards, and some say Mary Jane Richards Garvin — but agree she was enslaved at the Confederate home of Elizabeth Van Lew. Atypical for the time, Bowser could read and write, which led to her being sent to the home of Confederate President Jefferson Davis. This brilliant and courageous woman funneled the information she was surreptitiously collecting to the Union, working with Van Lew, the mastermind behind a Union spy ring. 

It’s not the first time Heggie’s taken on powerful themes. His work Dead Man Walking is based on the book by Sister Helen Prejean, which centers on a nun turned spiritual adviser to a convicted murderer. Susan Sarandon won an Oscar for her portrayal of Prejean in the 1995 film. Heggie also created music for multiple pieces relating to domestic abuse including Songs for Murdered Sisters and Again. He clearly isn’t afraid to tackle real subjects with tenacity and grace. 

“I’m drawn to big human themes,” Heggie told Slate. “Big, transformative events that we can all connect with in some way. Things that feel very much of our time and yet are timeless. Things that feel — because I was born and raised in this country — very American, and yet are universal.”

Heggie added that he’s deeply inspired by “intimate stories with large forces at work that are beyond our control.” 

Heggie revealed on the “San Diego Operatalk” podcast that he grew up in Ohio listening to the music of Barbra Streisand, Julie Andrews, Carly Simon, Joni Mitchell, and James Taylor. He admitted he always had a strong affection for music but knew nothing about opera. “I love musical theater because that was much more accessible through movies and television,” he said. “But I played the piano and went to college and during grad school, I developed a focal dystonia where my hands started curling into a ball and I couldn’t play the piano.”

Heggie admitted that suddenly not being able to play the piano after 28 years sent him to a dark place — but it was during that time he discovered he could write about music.

“That’s when I moved to San Francisco and got the job at the San Francisco Opera in the PR and marketing department and it turned out to be the greatest apprenticeship I could’ve hoped for,” he added.

He said his job was to get people excited about opera and draw as many as he could to attend the performances. Now Neely hopes to help carry on Heggie’s mission.

Providing financial backing for Heggie’s latest work was an easy choice for Neely. She’s not alone: The Wall Street Journal described Heggie as “arguably the world’s most popular 21st-century opera and art song composer.”

Neely says she’s thrilled she’ll be in New York City on Sept. 26 at the opening of Dead Man Walking at The Metropolitan Opera. She also plans to attend the Oct. 20 Houston Grand Opera premiere of Intelligence, which runs through Nov. 3. The opera fan is further delighted to have had a sneak peek into Heggie’s latest operatic scores when the composer and his husband stayed with her at her home in 2021 and 2022.

“I've heard the work in progress and the music in progress,” says Neely. “It's just going to be a stunner. It's going to make huge news.”