UrbanArias has announced that it will be suspending activities in the near future.

The company took to social media to make the announcement with co-founder and General Director Robert Wood, and President Susan Derry writing an open letter about the decision.

The letter notes that the company is taking a break to “search for a new model for our company, a model that can advance our mission amid the challenges we face.”

“Our values will not change during this period. UrbanArias believes in the power of contemporary opera to tell vivid stories of our lives,” the post continues. “For more than a decade, we have shown how new works can bring the world around us to life – and we have been in the vanguard of this mission. We are so proud to see other companies, large and small, increasingly respond to our leadership and acknowledge the importance of new works in their programming. Composers and performers are excited by the challenges and opportunities of this mission and love working with us; audiences are moved by how music can animate stories that capture modern life.”

However, Derry and Wood note that due to the growing media and entertainment landscape, smaller companies like UrbanArias are struggling to spread awareness and fill performances. However, “we still believe in our mission of telling the stories of our lives through opera. We still believe that no other medium has the same power to tell these stories. We still believe in the composers and performers that share our dream. But, for now, we want to take some time to try to find solutions to some of the practical challenges that we face, and then to come back stronger.”

The letter ends with Derry and Wood thanking “enthusiastic audiences, donors, and sponsoring organizations” for their support.

Read the full post here.