“We think of everything so the singers can focus on singing"
“We think of everything so the singers can focus on singing”
by Matthew Brown, 2026 summer associate @ The Crossing
On my first day on the job at The Crossing, Donald explained the role of the production team: we think of everything so the singers can focus on singing. I learned exactly what this meant over the next two months. To make sure the water cups were washed, the music stands were stable, the costumes were on site, and the breaks were shaded, we met and planned and prepared. One of my favorite parts of working for The Crossing was that no meeting was too important for the interns—or too trivial for the leadership.
How to Survive is, in many ways, all about preparation. Suzanne Bocanegra’s lyrics offer practical advice for how to survive natural disasters. (“If you are outside when the tornado comes…find a gully, ditch, or low spot and lie flat.”) The music adds a layer of memorability to these lifesaving tips. “Wildfire” composer Ayanna Woods described preserving the repetitions in the text, so those phrases might become useful mantras during an actual fire. A few months ago, I was totally unaware of the importance of turning on lights, “so firefighters can see inside more easily.” Now it’s something I find myself humming about.
Even as we educate ourselves on natural disasters and prepare our homes and families to respond, there are countless, unseen “production teams” out there, thinking of everything so we can focus on surviving. We remember, “If you are told to evacuate when the hurricane comes, evacuate immediately.” For the rest, we rely on the engineers who designed our roads, the builders who paved them, the civil servants who classified emergency routes, and the good folks—probably summer associates—who posted the signs.
If my career goes according to plan, I won’t always be an intern. But I will maintain that responsibility to the collective. As a composer, I’m inspired by Ayanna’s effort to leave the audience with something useful. And by Shara’s commitment to taking care of the listener, even when presenting intense subjects. As a conductor, I hope to emulate Donald’s sensitivity to the singers’ needs and his proactiveness in ensuring that they’re met.
As citizens, we all have a place on the production team. From minimizing our own impact on the environment to helping neighbors face the harm already done, the ball is in our court. Total strangers are working day and night to help us survive. It seems right that we do the same for them.