Chelsea Opera

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For the opera group with a similar name in UK see Chelsea Opera Group

Chelsea Opera is an opera company located in New York City, founded in April 2004 by Leonarda Priore and Lynne Hayden-Findlay, both singers, who sought to create more performance opportunities with chamber orchestra within the tri-state areas of New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut. Initially the company's musical direction was provided by conductor Carmine Aufiero.

The company's range of performances includes many from the "standard repertoire", but also extends to modern works such as the November 2010 production of Tom Cipullo’s Glory Denied, based on the oral biography of Tom Philpott, which garnered an outstanding review from Allan Kozinn in The New York Times[1] and Opera News[2] as well as This is the rill speaking and vocal chamber piece, Bermudas. Both celebrated the 85th birthday of American composer Lee Hoiby. More recently, in November 2012, the company presented the world premiere of The Mark of Cain by Matthew Harris and Terry Quinn. The Manhattan premiere of A Distant Love: Songs of John and Abigail Adams by Gary Fagin and Terry Quinn followed in June 2013.

Each season now includes multiple offerings within its concert series, Chelsea Opera presents…, a series of thematic concerts featuring the company’s principal singers and guest artists, whose number now exceeds 400 who have performed principal roles, sung in the ensemble, been involved in design/production, and played in the Chelsea Opera Chamber Orchestra (“COCO”).

Performances

Chelsea Opera’s performances to date have included Suor Angelica, Amahl and the Night Visitors (also given an encore presentation in November 2009), Cavalleria Rusticana, Pagliacci, Don Giovanni, Gianni Schicchi, The Ballad of Baby Doe, The Scarf, and The Bear. Its first production of Le nozze di Figaro was performed in June 2010. The 2011-2012 season included Gian Carlo Menotti’s The Medium, celebrating this composer’s 100th birthday, and Puccini’s Madama Butterfly, featuring tenor Daniel Rodriguez singing his first Lt. Pinkerton.

As part of the company's current and 10th season, the New York premiere of Ballymore - Part One: Winners by Richard Wargo was presented with Seymour Barab's La Pizza con Funghi in October 2013

Funding

Chelsea Opera was recently accepted as a Full Professional Member by OPERA America and is a founding member of the New York Opera Alliance (NYOA). The company has received funding from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs and the New York State Council on the Arts as well as from several private foundations including The Bettina Baruch Foundation, The Tow Foundation, The Banfi Vintners Foundation, The Barbara Bell Cumming Foundation, The Joyce Dutka Arts Foundation, and The NYU Community Fund. Chelsea Opera was a WNYC Star Initiative recipient and in 2011 was awarded a media sponsorship from radio station WQXR which provided the company with on-air promotional announcements on both New York City public radio stations, WNYC and WQXR. Chelsea Opera is also the recipient of a Google AdWords grant.

References

Notes

  1. ↑ Allan Kozinn, "A Soldier’s Torment in Vietnam and at Home", The New York Times, November 12, 2010
  2. ↑ "Glory Denied, Chelsea Opera", Opera News, 11 November 2010. by subscription

External links

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