Everything about The New York City Opera totally explained
The
New York City Opera (NYCO) is based in
Philip Johnson's
New York State Theater at
Lincoln Center.
The company was founded in 1944 with the aim of an opera company that would be financially accessible to a wide audience, innovative in its choice of repertory, and a home for
American singers and composers.
The early years
In its early years, the NYCO's home base was the
City Center on West
55th Street. In 1945, the company became the first major opera company to have an
African American performer. This was in the production of
Leoncavallo's
Pagliacci with
Todd Duncan's performance as Tonio.
Lawrence Winters was another notable African American opera pioneer to sing with the company during this period. The first African American woman to sing with the company was
Camilla Williams,
soprano as
Madama Butterfly in
1946. (Southern, 417) Winters and Williams later went on to sing the title roles in the most complete recording made up to that time of
Gershwin's
Porgy and Bess, for
Columbia Masterworks Records in
1951.
The present day theater
On February 22, 1966, it inaugurated its new home at Lincoln Center with a production of
Alberto Ginastera's
Don Rodrigo with
tenor Plácido Domingo. In 1966, the American
soprano Beverly Sills made her major breakthrough as Cleopatra in
Handel's
Giulio Cesare (opposite
Norman Treigle in the title role). While Sills went on to sing at opera houses throughout the world, she remained affiliated with City Opera. Upon her retirement from the stage in 1979, she joined the company as its General Director, replacing conductor
Julius Rudel, who had led the company since 1957. Sills retired as General Director in 1989 and was replaced by conductor
Christopher Keene. Keene was succeeded in 1996 by
Glimmerglass Opera's artistic director, Paul Kellogg. In 2009 Gerard Mortier will begin his first official season as General and Artistic Director of the company.
Ongoing missions
Beverly Sills' success at NYCO is emblematic of NYCO's tradition of championing American singers. NYCO launched the careers of, among others,
Sherrill Milnes,
Carol Vaness,
John Sandor, and
Samuel Ramey. Internationally acclaimed American singers who still call NYCO home include
Carl Tanner,
David Daniels,
Mark Delavan,
Mary Dunleavy,
Lauren Flanigan,
Elizabeth Futral, and
Amy Burton.
NYCO similarly champions the work of American composers; approximately one-third of its repertoire has traditionally been American Opera. NYCO's American repertoire ranges from established works (
for example,
Douglas Moore's
The Ballad of Baby Doe,
Carlisle Floyd's
Susannah and
Leonard Bernstein's
Candide) to new works (
for example,
Rachel Portman's
The Little Prince,
Charles Wuorinen's
Haroun and the Sea of Stories, and
Mark Adamo's
Little Women). NYCO's commitment to the future of American opera is demonstrated in its annual series, VOX: "Showcasing American Composers," in which operas-in-progress are showcased, giving composers a chance to hear their work performed by professional singers and orchestra. NYCO also produces non-traditional operatic repertoire such as works by
Stephen Sondheim and
Gilbert & Sullivan.
In 1983, the NYCO became the first American company to use
supertitles.
In recent years, the works of baroque masters such as
Handel,
Gluck, and
Rameau have gained special prominence in its repertoire, sparking a renewal of interest in these long-neglected works.
The NYCO has extensive education and outreach programs, offering arts-in-education programs to 12,000 students in over seventy-five schools.
Further Information
Get more info on 'New York City Opera'.
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