Blog: Blog

Our New Website

Tue, 03 Mar 2009 10:15:00 GMT

Welcome to the new nycOpera.com. Here are some features of the new site we'd like to highlight: Our New Brand With the launch of this site we are rolling out our new graphic identity. You will soon see this new look in our brochures, ...

A Message from our New General Manager and Artistic Director

Wed, 14 Jan 2009 11:04:55 GMT

New York City Opera's Board of Directors has named George Steel as our new General Manager and Artistic Director. You can read the press release here. ...

Antony & Cleopatra Sitzprobe

Fri, 09 Jan 2009 15:12:52 GMT

How do you get to Carnegie Hall? Practice! Arguably the most exciting rehearsal when putting together an opera is the sitzprobe. From the German sitzen: to sit and proben: to rehearse, the sitzprobe is the first ...

Fall Fete 2008

Tue, 25 Nov 2008 14:08:24 GMT

On November 11, City Opera presented its Fall Fete: An Evening of Wine and Song. To give you a taste of how the evening went, please click HERE to view our photo album. For more ways to support City Opera, or to ...

Important News From City Opera

Tue, 11 Nov 2008 13:17:51 GMT

Dear Friend of New York City Opera, Last week New York City Opera and General Manager-Designate Gerard Mortier reached a decision to part ways. The economic climate in which we find ourselves today has caused us both to reconsider proceeding ...

Looking Forward: Staten Island --Video Excerpts

Tue, 21 Oct 2008 11:07:37 GMT

On Saturday, October 4, New York City Opera presented Looking Forward at the St. George Theater in Staten Island. This video features opening remarks from Music Director George Manahan and excerpts from the following works: Benjamin ...

Divas Shop for Opera

Mon, 30 Jun 2008 07:42:17 GMT

On Wednesday, June 18, 250 fashionistas, shoppers, and friends of the Opera gathered at Industria Superstudios in SoHo for the New York City Opera Thrift Shop's "Divas Shop For Opera" event. This event, co-chaired by renowned style ...

This Moment in Opera

Mon, 26 May 2008 10:00:37 GMT

One of the highlights of our new podcast series,This Moment In Opera, comes at the end of each podcast when the artists being interviewed discuss their favorite moment in the opera they're working on. We have extended that feature to our blog, ...

VOX: reviews and photos

Fri, 16 May 2008 09:39:48 GMT

VOX, the New York City Opera program dedicated to showcasing new operas from emerging artists and composers, presented its annual concert this past Saturday and Sunday at the Skirball Center for the Performing ...

Learn more about our VOX showcase of new American operas

Mon, 12 May 2008 10:00:00 GMT

New York City Opera's VOX program offers emerging composers and librettists the opportunity to see their works performed by a full orchestra and excellent singers. On May 10th and 11th, VOX will present excerpts from ten new works by American ...

Spotlight on VOX: Steven Potter

Wed, 23 Apr 2008 10:00:00 GMT

Jamie Bernstein remembers her father's masterpiece, CANDIDE

Fri, 18 Apr 2008 12:00:00 GMT

From an article by Jamie Bernstein, daughter of composer Leonard Bernstein: The history of Candide the musical is as picaresque and convoluted as Voltaire's narrative itself. And I would add that Candide the musical is an excellent ...

What's new on the Student Correspondents' blog

Fri, 18 Apr 2008 10:00:56 GMT

We have created a second blog which features daily reports from our five Student Correspondents. Today, Alex Park discusses his experience at Candide. Here's a short excerpt: "Last Tuesday night was the opening of New York City ...

Backstage at CANDIDE

Thu, 17 Apr 2008 10:00:55 GMT

Leonard Bernstein's Candide, which The New York Post hailed as "beautifully conducted by the versatile George Manahan," has returned to the New York State Theater for a limited engagement through April 20th. This week, the City Opera ...

What's new on the Student Correspondents' blog

Thu, 17 Apr 2008 10:00:42 GMT

We have created a second blog which features daily reports from our five Student Correspondents. Today, Sonia Roubini discusses her experience at Candide. Here's a short excerpt: "I walked into school on Monday morning, the morning ...

Spotlight on VOX: Alice Shields

Thu, 17 Apr 2008 10:00:31 GMT

Photo log: Boys Night at New York City Opera

Thu, 17 Apr 2008 08:21:48 GMT

This past Friday, April 11th, New York City Opera held its first ever Boys Night, a networking event for gay men. Guests of this event enjoyed refreshments and drinks on the Promenade of the New York State Theater before attending the evening ...

It's hard out there for a sheep

Wed, 16 Apr 2008 10:00:53 GMT

If you've seen City Opera's poster art for Candide, you may have noticed the inclusion of a sheep wearing a tiara in the left-hand corner of the image. While at first glance this may seem a bit odd, the sheep of El Dorado are part of ...

What's new on the Student Correspondents' blog

Wed, 16 Apr 2008 10:00:47 GMT

We have created a second blog which features daily reports from our five Student Correspondents. Today, Daniel Jones discusses his experience at the opening night performance of Candide. Here's a short excerpt: "When I entered ...

Spotlight on VOX: Scott Davenport Richards

Tue, 15 Apr 2008 10:00:23 GMT

What's new on the Student Correspondents' blog

Tue, 15 Apr 2008 10:00:08 GMT

We have created a second blog which features daily reports from our five Student Correspondents. Here's an excerpt from Frances Dewey's latest entry: "Recently, I sat down with Katherine Benfer and Beth Pensiero, two of City Opera's ...

What's new on the Student Correspondents' blog

Mon, 14 Apr 2008 10:00:21 GMT

We have created a second blog which features daily reports from our five Student Correspondents. Today, Emil Narciso discusses his trip to the City Opera thrift shop and his excitement about going to see Candide. Here's a short ...

Backstage at CANDIDE

Mon, 14 Apr 2008 10:00:01 GMT

Who's afraid of contemporary opera?

Fri, 11 Apr 2008 12:48:12 GMT

No need to fear new music when it comes to VOX, City Opera's free annual showcase of new American operas. Visually exciting and informative video introductions precede each new work performed at VOX, giving the audience a rare chance to see ...

"It's grand to see City Opera's CANDIDE return..."

Fri, 11 Apr 2008 12:00:00 GMT

Candide opened on Tuesday evening and the good reviews have begun to pour in -- full of praise for this ultimate revival of what Anthony Tommasini of The New York Times called "Leonard Bernstein's richest musical theater work": "It's grand ...

A Big Band Social story

Fri, 11 Apr 2008 10:00:18 GMT

This Sunday, April 13th, New York City Opera presents the final "Big Band Social" event of the season. Following the matinee performance of our critically acclaimed production of Candide, patrons can enjoy an unforgettable ...

What's new on the Student Correspondents' blog

Fri, 11 Apr 2008 10:00:02 GMT

We have created a second blog which features daily reports from our five Student Correspondents. Today, Alex Park discusses Madama Butterfly and why he loves City Opera debut artist Yunah Lee. Here's a short ...

What's new on the Student Correspondents' blog

Thu, 10 Apr 2008 10:00:15 GMT

We have created a second blog which features daily reports from our five Student Correspondents. Today, Frances Dewey posts about Madama Butterfly and her experience discussing the opera with other patrons attending the ...

A discussion with CANDIDE's Richard Kind and Judith Blazer, part 2

Thu, 10 Apr 2008 08:37:17 GMT

Harold Prince's acclaimed production of Leonard Bernstein's Candide has returned to City Opera for a limited run, now through next Sunday, April 20. This is part 2 of a two-part interview with the production's stars, Richard Kind ...

A discussion with CANDIDE's Richard Kind and Judith Blazer, part 1

Wed, 09 Apr 2008 10:00:50 GMT

Candide opened yesterday to an enthusiastic audience at The New York State Theater. The production plays 13 more performances through April 20th. Recently, we spoke with two of the production's stars, Judith Blazer (The ...

What's new on the Student Correspondents' blog

Wed, 09 Apr 2008 10:00:12 GMT

We have created a second blog which features daily reports from our five Student Correspondents. Today, Daniel Jones discusses Verdi, the origins of Falstaff, and how he felt about the 2008 City Opera production. Here's a short ...

Spotlight on VOX: "Eleni" composer Cary Ratcliff

Tue, 08 Apr 2008 10:00:23 GMT

This Moment in Opera: CANDIDE's Jennifer Piacenti

Mon, 07 Apr 2008 10:00:05 GMT

One of the highlights of our new podcast series, This Moment In Opera, comes at the end of each podcast when the artists being interviewed discuss their favorite moment in the opera they're working on. We have extended that feature ...

What's new on the Student Correspondents' blog

Fri, 04 Apr 2008 10:00:41 GMT

We have created a second blog which features reports from our five spring 2008 Student Correspondents. Please click HERE to see today's entry. ...

Spotlight on VOX: Veronika Krausas

Fri, 04 Apr 2008 10:00:10 GMT

New York City Opera's VOX program offers emerging composers and librettists the opportunity to see their works performed with a full orchestra and excellent artists. On May 10th and 11th, VOX will present excerpts from ten new works by ...

A discussion with CANDIDE cast members (part 2)

Thu, 03 Apr 2008 10:00:44 GMT

Our acclaimed production of Candide returns next Tuesday for a 2-week run. This is the second part of a 2-part discussion with Candide cast members Lauren Worsham (Cunegonde #1), Lielle Berman (Cunegonde #2), Jessica Wright (Paquette), and Kyle ...

Our student correspondents at MADAMA BUTTERFLY

Thu, 03 Apr 2008 07:17:14 GMT

We have created a second blog which features daily reports from our five spring 2008 Student Correspondents. Today's entries feature Sonia Roubini and Daniel Jones talking about their experiences at Madama Butterfly. Please click HERE ...

A discussion with CANDIDE cast members

Wed, 02 Apr 2008 11:44:00 GMT

Our acclaimed production of Candide returns next Tuesday for a 2-week run. Recently, we sat down with some of the show's cast members -- Lauren Worsham (Cunegonde #1), Lielle Berman (Cunegonde #2), Jessica Wright (Paquette), and Kyle ...

A student's perspective on FALSTAFF

Wed, 02 Apr 2008 09:47:00 GMT

We have created a second blog which features daily reports from our five spring 2008 Student Correspondents. Today's entry features Frances Dewey talking about her experience at a performance of Falstaff. Please click HERE to ...

Spotlight on VOX: Robert Manno

Tue, 01 Apr 2008 10:00:35 GMT

Candide sneak peek video

Tue, 01 Apr 2008 08:49:28 GMT

Last Monday, composer Leonard Bernstein's daughter Jamie talked about the creation of Candide to a packed house at the Lincoln Triangle branch of Barnes & Noble. She was joined by singers Daniel Reichard (Candide) and Lauren Worsham (Cunegonde) ...

Spotlight on City Opera student correspondents

Mon, 31 Mar 2008 15:32:25 GMT

City Opera has invited five students to write about their experiences seeing our spring 2008 productions. Selected both for their love of opera and their individual writing abilities, these correspondents will be featured on ...

eShop staff pick of the week: Rigoletto on DVD

Sun, 30 Mar 2008 11:10:00 GMT

Verdi's delightful Falstaff graces our stage this month, and that prompted our eShop staff to think about some of his other great operas that we have available for sale on CD and DVD. This week's staff pick is the ever-popular ...

A Chat With TOSCA's Raul Melo

Fri, 28 Mar 2008 10:00:54 GMT

Yesterday, we spoke with Tosca's Anna Shafajinskaia, whose interpretation of the doomed opera singer has already won over City Opera audiences. [Please click HERE for the link to her interview.] Today, we're speaking ...

A chat with TOSCA's Anna Shafajinskaia

Thu, 27 Mar 2008 10:00:16 GMT

Tosca, the classic Puccini tragedy which opened March 22nd at the New York State Theater, stars acclaimed singer Anna Shafajinskaia as the passionate but doomed Floria Tosca. Recently, Anna sat down with City Opera to discuss the ...

This Moment in Opera

Wed, 26 Mar 2008 10:02:19 GMT

One of the highlights of our new podcast series, This Moment In Opera, comes at the end of each podcast when the artists being interviewed discuss their favorite moment in the opera they're working on. We have extended that feature ...

Spotlight on VOX: David T. Little

Tue, 25 Mar 2008 10:00:45 GMT

Spotlight on VOX: composer Sorrel Hays

Mon, 24 Mar 2008 10:00:36 GMT

New York City Opera's VOX program offers emerging composers and librettists the opportunity to see their works performed with a full orchestra and excellent artists. On May 10 and 11, 2008, VOX will present excerpts from ten new works by ...

A chat with FALSTAFF's Jan Opalach and Heather Johnson (part 2)

Fri, 21 Mar 2008 10:00:00 GMT

This is part two of a 2-part interview with two of the pricipal singers from New York City Opera's production of Falstaff: Jan Opalach and Heather Johnson. To read part 1 of this interview, please click HERE. photo: Carol Rosegg What ...

A chat with FALSTAFF's Jan Opalach and Heather Johnson (part 1)

Thu, 20 Mar 2008 10:00:15 GMT

Verdi's Falstaff -- which opened last night to an enthusiastic audience at New York City Opera -- is a comic romp full of secretive plotting, romantic trickery, jealous spouses and cross-dressing. Two of Falstaff's principal singers ...

From kindergarten to Lincoln Center

Wed, 19 Mar 2008 12:00:00 GMT

photo: Carol Rossegg Tyler Christopher Backer is not your ordinary six year old. This New Jersey native is currently receiving standing ovations at New York City Opera in the vital role of Sorrow, Madama Butterfly’s son. Vivien ...