American Opera Company News

A celebration of New York City Opera's 75th Anniversary, which will also be the finale to Bryant Park Picnic Performances, presented by Bank of America, will feature NYCO chorus and soloists Lisa Chavez, Glen Seven Allen, Mark Rucker, Brandie Sutton, Won Whi Choi, Kristin Sampson, Christopher Job, Jessica Fishenfeld, Inna Dukach, and Megan Picerno, accompanied by a 30-piece orchestra, and narrated by Michael Capasso, General Director of the company. The performances will be led by a quartet of conductors: Carolyn Kuan, James Meena, Gil Rose, and James Lowe.

New York City Opera (NYCO), under the direction of Michael Capasso, General Director, has announced that it will celebrate its 75th Anniversary with a free concert in Bryant Park on Monday, September 9 at 6pm. The anniversary concert, which will be the finale to Bryant Park Picnic Performances presented by Bank of America, will feature soloists Michael Chioldi, Lisa Chavez, Glen Seven Allen, Mark Rucker, Brandie Sutton, Won Whi Choi, Kristin Sampson, Mark Delavan, Inna Dukach, and Megan Picerno, backed by a 30-member chorus, accompanied by a 30-piece orchestra led by a quartet of conductors: Carolyn Kuan, James Meena, Gil Rose, and James Lowe. The celebratory concert will be narrated by Mr. Capasso.

New York City Opera, under the direction of General Director Michael Capasso, has announced it will return to Bryant Park's highly popular free summer performing arts series with three concert performances: Puccini's La Boheme on Monday, May 20; a special Pride in the Park concert on Wednesday, June 12; and Bizet's Carmen on Monday, August 26.

Pride in the Park will feature a diverse program of selections from opera and musical theater sung by stars of City Opera's Pride Series, including a sneak peak of their upcoming world premiere, Stonewall, playing June 21-28 at the Rose Theater at Jazz at Lincoln Center. Commemorating the 50th Anniversary of the event, Iain Bell and Mark Campbell's Stonewall is a moving and explosive new American opera that captures the rage, grit, humor and, finally, hope of the LGBTQ community's uprising in a Greenwich Village dance club on one hot night in June 1969.

Acclaimed Broadway performer Corey Cott and rising star Mikaela Bennett will headline Lyric Opera of Chicago's premiere of Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim's groundbreaking American musical West Side Story, presented from May 3 - June 2, 2019 at the Lyric Opera House, 20 N. Wacker Drive, Chicago (press opening May 4, 2019).

Be transported to the Latin Quarter of 19th century Paris without leaving Bryant Park as you bask in the lush melodies of Puccini's La Bohème. Hear the stars of New York City Opera sing some of the most famous melodies in opera, all from the comfort of your very own blanket!

Twenty of the finest young opera singers in the United States will be competing in the 31ST Annual Dallas Opera Guild Vocal Competition presented, jointly, by The Dallas Opera and The Dallas Opera Guild.

A season filled with unforgettable music, riveting stories, thrilling singers from around the world, and stirring productions goes on sale by subscription Friday, January 25, at 10am. Six new and new-to-Chicago productions including three Lyric premieres and three performances of the Ring cycle will engage and entertain audiences from late September 2019 through June 2020.

Acclaimed Broadway performer Corey Cott and rising star Mikaela Bennett will headline Lyric Opera of Chicago's premiere of Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim's groundbreaking American musical West Side Story, presented from May 3 - June 2, 2019 at the Lyric Opera House, 20 N. Wacker Drive, Chicago (press opening May 4, 2019).

It was previously reported that the Lyric Opera of Chicago had reached deals with four unions following ongoing negotiations with many of the opera's stakeholders. The opera had reached agreements with Stagehands Local 2, Wardrobe Local 769, Hair and Make-Up Local 476 and Treasurers and Ticket Sellers Local 750, according to Lyric Opera and the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE).

It was reported yesterday that the Lyric Opera of Chicago had reached deals with four unions following ongoing negotiations with many of the opera's stakeholders. The opera had reached agreements with Stagehands Local 2, Wardrobe Local 769, Hair and Make-Up Local 476 and Treasurers and Ticket Sellers Local 750, according to Lyric Opera and the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE).

It was reported yesterday that the Lyric Opera of Chicago had reached deals with four unions following ongoing negotiations with many of the opera's stakeholders. The opera had reached agreements with Stagehands Local 2, Wardrobe Local 769, Hair and Make-Up Local 476 and Treasurers and Ticket Sellers Local 750, according to Lyric Opera and the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE).

Lyric Opera of Chicago and representatives of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) announced today that Stagehands Local 2, Wardrobe Local 769, Hair and Make-Up Local 476 and Treasurers and Ticket Sellers Local 750 entered into multi-year labor agreements. Each of these agreements was unanimously ratified by the membership of each IATSE local.

Dan Novak, director of The Patrick G. and Shirley W. Ryan Opera Center, the professional artist development program at Lyric Opera of Chicago, is pleased to announce that soprano Mathilda Edge, mezzo-soprano Kathleen Felty, and bass Anthony Reed, have been accepted into this prestigious program for its 2019/20 Ensemble.

New York City Opera, 'The People's Opera,' brings The Barber of Seville, Rossini's great comedic opera, to Bryant Park for the fourth and final performance from City Opera in Bryant Park. Don't miss this chance to hear Rossini's sparkling opera and the the hijinks of Figaro, opera's most famous barber.

A star-studded array of vocal talent with deep ties to Chicago gathers on stage at Lyric Opera to pay tribute to the city's wide-reaching influence across blues, jazz, rock, folk, hip-hop, gospel, opera and classical music in Great Performances: Chicago Voices, premiering nationwide Friday, August 10 at 10 p.m. on PBS (check local listings) and streaming the following day on pbs.org/gperf and PBS apps. Hosted by four-time Grammy-winning soprano Renée Fleming, the multi-genre concert special features performances by Fleming, Tony-winner Jessie Mueller (Waitress, Beautiful: The Carole King Musical), Grammy-winning rapper Lupe Fiasco, three-time Grammy-winning folk legend John Prine, Grammy-winning pop and gospel singer Michelle Williams (Destiny's Child), Grammy-winning jazz singer Kurt Elling and many more in a celebration of Chicago's rich and diverse vocal music legacy.

The third of four extraordinary hour-long performances produced by New York City Opera in Bryant Park this summer, La Traviata (or 'The Fallen Woman') is Giuseppe Verdi's tragic and revered opera about courtesan Violetta Valéry. New York City Opera, 'The People's Opera,' brings La Traviata, one of the most beloved operas of all time to Bryant Park. Grab a blanket (and a tissue) and find the perfect spot to enjoy a one-hour adaptation of Verdi's classic that inspired Moulin Rouge, with instantly recognizable tunes famously featured in Pretty Woman.

Houston Grand Opera's (HGO) managing director, Perryn Leech, has been named one of Houston's most admired business leaders in the nonprofit category by the Houston Business Journal, (HBJ). A panel of judges chose 35 for-profit leaders and 13 non-profit leaders to receive this new inaugural award. The 48 individuals will be recognized in a special edition of HBJ in the Aug. 24 issue and at a luncheon on Aug. 23 at the Hilton Americas Hotel downtown.

See stars from New York City Opera's Pride Series productions (Brokeback Mountain and Angels in America) and other City Opera cast members, this concert includes music from West Side Story, La traviata, Il Barbiere di Siviglia, Rigoletto, La boheme, and a special guest appearance from Stonewall librettist, Pulitzer Prize-winner Mark Campbell, as well as Eric Marcus, chair of the Stonewall at 50 Consortium. Featured singers include Michael Chioldi, Glenn Seven Allen, Brandie Sutton, Sarah Heltzel, Victor Starsky, Ken Overton, Lianne Gennaco, Michael Weyandt, and more!

The first of four extraordinary hour-long performances produced by New York City Opera in Bryant Park this summer, watch passions flare in this adaptation of Carmen, one of the world's most beloved operas. The innkeeper Lillas Pastia narrates the tempestuous story of the irresistible seductress Carmen and her hapless lover Don José in this hour-long presentation of highlights from Carmen, Bizet's beloved opera, from New York City Opera. Offered to the New York public free-of-charge, this presentation is a perfect introduction to opera for newcomers of any age.