The New York Opera Alliance (NYOA) will launch a five-borough opera series in New York City. The inaugural event, NYOANext: The Bronx, will highlight the Bronx’s opera community with a public showcase on April 22, 2023. Local Bronx singers will perform alongside several opera companies from around the city, including Bronx Opera, International Brazilian Opera Company, and Opera Praktikos, NYC’s {…}
“Liederabend With Felix Jarrar & Friends” will give a concert at Opera America featuring 14 world premiere pieces. Composer and pianist Jarrar with collaborators mezzo-soprano Jessica Trainor-Tasucu, contralto Allison Gish, tenor Ryan Mangan, and baritone Miguel Angel Vasquez will present a concert of the works written throughout the pandemic. The program includes “Wild West,” song cycles “French Kisses” with texts {…}
OPERA America has announced the departure of its chief programs officer. In an e-blast the company announced that Laura Lee Everett had been appointed to the role of executive director of the United States Institute for Theatre Technology (USITT). She will assume her new role starting on March 21, 2023. “I am thrilled to be joining the team at USITT,” {…}
Image Source: OPERA America OPERA America has been undertaking a project that can be considered a tremendous service to anyone interested in, working in, or studying the opera industry—now and in the future. It’s their Oral History Project, focused on American opera’s progress over the past 50 years and coinciding with OPERA America’s 50th anniversary in 2020. Supported by the {…}
Soundstreams is a semifinalist for the Opera America’s Award for Digital Excellence in Opera. The company was hailed for its production of “Garden of Vanished Pleasures” by composers Cecilia Livingston and Donna McKevitt. The work was directed by Tim Albery and features design by Michelle Tracey, digital projections by Cam Davis, and musical direction by Rachael Kerr. The work is {…}
OPERA America has issued an apology after emails were leaked that showed transphobic comments. In a statement, the organization said, “We apologize. Language used last weekend by participants on one of our listservs, an OPERA America platform, was hurtful, disrespectful, and plainly transphobic. In our statement of response, we did not effectively call it out for what it is. We’re {…}
UPDATE: Since the publication of this article, it has been brought to OperaWire’s attention that the emails as leaked online, were out of order and hence some of the responses, mainly those of Pamela Jones, Laurie Rogers, and Peter Kazaras, were out of context. OperaWire has since communicated with Opera America’s Dan Cooperman who provided the accurate context of the {…}
OPERA America has released a statement about the leaked emails from its “professional development” listserv. The organization said, “this past weekend a series of emails that included disrespectful and harmful language was taken out of context and out of order from a private OPERA America listserv and published on social media. We recognize and deeply regret that material on one {…}
OPERA America (OA) has released its Field-Wide Opera Demographic Report 2021. The first-of-its-kind report provides a snapshot of the demographic landscape of administrators and board members two years after the death of George Floyd, which spurred a flurry of diversity and equity initiatives within the industry. Since this is the inaugural report, there aren’t baseline numbers for year-over-year comparisons. The {…}
OPERA America has announced librettist Stephanie Fleischmann as the 2022 Campbell Opera Librettist Prize winner. Conceived and funded by Pulitzer Prize and Grammy Award-winning librettist Mark Campbell, the prize seeks to raise the profile of librettists, who seldom receive recognition for their work. The award comes with a $7,000 prize to support creative and career development. Fleischmann, an alumna of {…}
Opera America has announced the recipients of its 2022 Repertoire Development Grants. The recipients for the grant include American Lyric Theater, Beth Morrison Projects, Houston Grand Opera, MassOpera, Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Pensacola Opera, OperaDelaware, and Virginia Opera. In sum, the nine companies will receive $225,000 to develop eight new American operas. “Fostering the creation {…}