New York City Opera cancels 2013-2014 season

[best12bars]

Posted: 10/1/13 at 9:23am

I admit I am completely out of the loop on this and had no idea it was happening and even attempts on Kickstarter had been made, but after 70 years, the NYC Opera hasn't the funds for a season. This is a copy of an email received by a friend via Facebook:

Project Update #8: Thank you
Posted by New York City Opera
It is with much regret that we announce the end of our fundraising campaign on Kickstarter and the cancellation of the 2013-2014 Season. New York City Opera did not achieve the goal of its emergency appeal, and the board and management will begin the necessary financial and operational steps to wind down the Company including initiating the Chapter 11 process. It makes me very sad.

For seventy years, since Mayor Fiorello La Guardia established it as “The People’s Opera,” New York City Opera has introduced generation after generation of young singers who are stars in the making, brought the public exciting new works and compelling, fresh interpretations of classics, acted as a champion for American composers and performers, and ensured that every New Yorker can experience the live art of opera. We thank you for your continued support over the years and for making New York City Opera truly “The People’s Opera.”

[NYadgal]

Posted: 10/1/13 at 9:26am

There are many reasons why it came to this - but all that matters, in the end, is that it's a great loss.

A great loss.

[best12bars]

Posted: 10/1/13 at 9:30am

It makes me sad to live in a nation that embraces Honey Boo-Boo while the NYC Opera goes under.

And just a big reality check for me about my own generation and younger generations, and the massive shift in tastes and cultural awareness.

EDIT: And Addy, I'm sure there were many other reasons besides popularity (such as management issues) that affected this outcome. A lot of it is people who are simply unwilling to accept changing times, not just changing tastes. Adapting is the key to staying afloat. I can't think of anyone who can stay afloat with a "business as usual" attitude today.

Updated On: 10/1/13 at 09:30 AM

[D2]

Posted: 10/1/13 at 9:36am

I started going to the opera because of City Opera, and in the glory years of the 70s, 80s and 90s I vastly preferred it to the Met. It was an exciting, vital and joyful company, and I got to hear so many up and coming stars -- Carol Vaness, Catherine Malifitano, Samuel Ramey, June Anderson, Jerry Hadley, Gianna Rolandi, to name a few -- when they were young and in great voice. To say nothing of the late, great Beverly Sills, who was as instrumental in building that company off stage as she was on.

I was there for the final performance of ANNA NICOLE on Saturday, and I couldn't help thinking about all those wonderful nights spent with this company, and how sad it was the curtain was coming down on the soprano in a body bag.

And it wasn't RIGOLETTO.

[Addison D.]

Posted: 10/1/13 at 11:33am

"I started going to the opera because of City Opera, and in the glory years of the 70s, 80s and 90s I vastly preferred it to the Met. It was an exciting, vital and joyful company, and I got to hear so many up and coming stars -- Carol Vaness, Catherine Malifitano, Samuel Ramey, June Anderson, Jerry Hadley, Gianna Rolandi, to name a few -- when they were young and in great voice."

^^^ All this.

When I lived on the LES in the 1980s/90's I tried the Amato, but I found the performances there, in general, to be sub-par--although many of my friends would rave about the world-class talent that they "discovered" there.

At the opposite end of the spectrum were the performances my Mother would take me to at the Met, but it struck my young self as too rigidly formal and retrograde. City Opera--despite the enormous handicap of performing in a space specifically designed to deaden noise from the stage--was my perfect blend of talent, experimentation and substance.

I will never forget several nights at NYCO in the immediate aftermath of 9/11. Before the Patriot Act and Homeland Security and phony WMD, we were just a city devastated by loss and destruction and clouds of smoke and posters of missing loved ones fluttering on every street light. I took a dear friend who had lost her husband in the attack to see the 'Mikado' at NYCO, and we had a few hours of joy amidst all that sorrow--the collective sense of community and support between the audience and the players was a palpable and beautiful thing that still gives me chills to remember. I imagine many people who attended opera/theater/etc. events in those early days had similar experiences, but for me it happened at NYCO, and I'm so sorry to see them go.

On a brighter note, check out Gotham Chamber Opera--they have been consistently excellent and they are performing more and more frequently. I hope that they will prove that Bestie's dire lament re: the low-brow taste of our generation will prove to be--somewhat--premature.

[PalJoey]

Posted: 10/1/13 at 11:52am

This makes me sad and angry. But mostly sad. But angry too.

[NYadgal]

Posted: 10/1/13 at 11:58am

Agree. On all of it.

And, I didn't meant to imply anything other than pure sadness at the loss of this great institution in my first post. It is heartbreaking that the NYCO, with it's rich tradition, vibrant performances and artistic promise has come to this.

The email I received this morning from George Steele (I've been a supporter for years) broke my heart.

[NYadgal]

Posted: 10/1/13 at 12:00pm

The email:

Dear Addy ,

It is with much regret that we announce the cancellation of the 2013-2014 Season. New York City Opera did not achieve the goal of its emergency appeal, and the board and management will begin the necessary financial and operational steps to wind down the Company, including initiating the Chapter 11 process.

For seventy years, since Mayor Fiorello La Guardia established it as “The People’s Opera,” New York City Opera has introduced generation after generation of young singers who are stars in the making, brought the public exciting new works and compelling, fresh interpretations of classics, acted as a champion for American composers and performers, and ensured that every New Yorker can experience the live art of opera.

We thank you for your continued support over the years and for making New York City Opera truly “The People’s Opera.”

For questions regarding your subscription, please call 212.870.5600.

For questions regarding contributions, please call 212.870.5626

For questions about the City Opera Thrift Shop, please call 212.684.5344.

For any other questions, please call 212.870.5620.

Best wishes,
George Steele

[Gothampc]

Posted: 10/1/13 at 12:12pm

Unfortunately this is a sign of the times in which we are living and you will probably see more of this happening. The Federal Government, NY State and NY City are unable to get the economy moving. Without jobs, people can't pay their rent and they certainly can't afford the luxury of entertainment. It's a sign that the middle class is becoming extinct in New York.

[Addison D.]

Posted: 10/1/13 at 12:23pm

I'm not certain that I blame the government for this, but I suppose it **might** have some culpability...Maybe?

Updated On: 10/1/13 at 12:23 PM

[GavestonPS]

Posted: 10/2/13 at 5:19pm

I am another who learned to love opera from City Opera in the 70s and 80s. How terribly sad!

[winston89]

Posted: 10/2/13 at 9:35pm

Same here. My first opera that I ever attended was their production of Boheme a few years ago at Lincoln Center. It's a shame that they're gone.

[EricMontreal22]

Posted: 10/3/13 at 2:46am

For some reason this has been quite well covered by Canadian media. It's too bad--they always seemed to work hard to do at least a few shows the Met never did. Perhaps that was the problem of their last few smaller seasons where they focused on that exclusively--but I can't think of a revival of Bernstein's A Quiet Place (flawed as it is) anywhere else in at least 20 years, and their past few seasons have seemed, if anything maybe, too contemporary.

[WestVillage]

Posted: 10/3/13 at 1:30pm

Yes, it is indeed very sad news. Back in the 80s, when I was a struggling young actor, I had the good fortune of being a "super" for 3 seasons when Beverly Sills was running the company. It was unbelievable and so exciting to be in a rehearsal room and on stage with the likes of Samuel Ramey, George Hearn, Jerry Hadley. One of my fellow "supers" was none other than Aaron Sorkin, who was writing a play at the time which we all thought "good luck with that." The play: A Few Good Men, and the rest is history.

NYCO will be greatly missed.