Sixth Annual New York Opera Fest 2021: June-July-August
Hailed as “a remarkably strong and diverse exploration of everything opera can be in the city (The New York Times),” the New York Opera Fest celebrates its sixth season with both virtual and in-person performances by 20+ local, New York City-based opera companies. Presented by the New York Opera Alliance, with support from OPERA America, this annual festival runs for two months May-June 2021 starting with a special kick-off event April 29th. For a complete list of events, fans can turn to NYoperafest.com.
(preliminary schedule in chronological order | subject to change)
*world premiere
WHEN: May 1-June 30, 2021 except when listed with specific dates
WHERE: Streaming online on companies’ respective digital platforms
HOW: Tickets range from FREE-$60. Tickets may be purchased by contacting NYOA at newyorkoperafest.org. Tickets go on sale April 1, 2021.
Regina Opera Company
May 1 – June 30, 2021
Broadcast: Recorded at the company’s Sunset Park theater
Tickets: FREE
Regina Opera presents their “2021 Spring Concert.” This is a half-hour video concert (available to stream for two months) of popular opera arias and songs featuring four of Regina Opera’s soloists, Lisa Bryce, soprano; Galina Ivannikova, mezzo-soprano; Lindell Carter and Hyunho Cho, tenors; accompanied by pianist Dmitry Glivinskiy, recorded in Sunset Park theater on December 13, 2020. Among the selections are arias by Puccini, Verdi, and Massenet.
Hunter Opera Theater
May 1 – June 30, 2021
Broadcast: Pre-recorded
Tickets: FREE
Hunter Opera Theater presents the Richard Burke Pocket Opera at Hunter College. This year’s operas are: The Taxi Driver, libretto and music by Joe Young, The Blue Bird Opera: The Pursuit of Happiness, libretto and music by Alyssa Regent, Panic Room, libretto and music by Deshawn Withers, and Prince Danila Govorila, music by Matthew Sandahl, with a libretto by Alkiviades Meimaris.
New Free Event Added: Celebrate World Music Day with Opera Lafayette
Sunday, June 20, 2021, 8:00 a.m.- 8:00 p.m. EST
Opera Lafayette introduces Fête de la Musique – 12 hours of FREE original classical performances online Sunday, June 20, 2021. Registration required at https://operalafayette.org
Starting from 8 AM until 8 PM, Opera Lafayette will feature music from Bach, Forqueray, and Roussel, behind-the-scenes views into the creation of a production, family-friendly musical programming, as well as performances from Mezzo-Soprano Caitlin Hulcup, Tenor Jean-Paul Fouchécourt, Harpsichordist Justin Taylor, full productions, concert highlights, and many more! We’ll virtually travel across the world to historic Edvard Grieg house in Leipzig, Washington D.C.’s Tregaron Conservancy, Fondation Singer-Polignac in Paris, and more. What began as a singular Fête de la Musique in Paris in 1982, has expanded to millions of musicians participating from more than 120 countries on five continents. Each year on the first day of summer, communities around the world come together to celebrate music with free outdoor concerts.
Fifth Annual New York Virtual Opera Fest Continues June-July-August
Presented by the New York Opera Alliance, with support from OPERA America, the 2020 New York Opera Fest has become the 2020 New YorkVirtualOpera Fest due to the social distancing restrictions put into place by the state government. To help companies navigate the realities of the COVID-19 crisis and also encourage responsible social isolation, NYOA has constructed a comprehensive online center at NYoperafest.com where opera fans can visit for an updated list of virtual events hosted by local, New York City-based opera companies. NYOA will continue to update and share the opera community’s activities throughout its website, social media, and e-blast communication platforms. Leading the vanguard of the local opera community, NYOA continues to monitor the fluid situation around COVID-19 by providing helpful resources for financial aid which may be found at http://OPERAamerica.org/covid19. NYOA is also hosting weekly virtual meetings for NYOA members to discuss, monitor, and provide solutions for the changing landscape for opera in New York.
HERE Arts Center in New York City hosts “HERE@HOME”: a Facebook Watch Party to stream a full-length production every Wednesday at 7:00 p.m. EST. Shows are from the HERE Vault collected over the past 25 years. Following the online premiere, these full-length videos will be available for viewing on Facebook until HERE reopens. FREE. Watch: https://www.facebook.com/hereartscenter.
THU 6.25 @ 12:00 p.m.
Beth Morrison Projects features an “Opera of the Week” released every Thursday at 12:00 p.m. EST on the company’s website and broadcasts for one week. FREE. Watch: https://www.bethmorrisonprojects.org
THU 6.25 @ 6:30 p.m.
City Lyric Opera’s Summer Series of events continues with CLO Retro #ThrowbackThursdays discussing and showcasing past performances on June 25th and August 6th 6:30 p.m. For more information and to tune in visit CityLyricOpera.org. FREE.
THU 6.25 @ 7:00 p.m.
Every Thursday night at 7:00 p.m. EST, No Dominion Theatre Company hosts a Virtual Story Slam! On its Facebook page. Co-hosted by Art House Productions, this new virtual Story Slam series celebrates the power of live storytelling, resilience of the arts and human connection during tough times. Free. Suggested donation: $5. Watch: Zoom via https://www.facebook.com/NoDominionTheatre/.
FRI 6.26
HERE Arts Center in New York City hosts “#stillHERE Friday Artist Livestream Schedule: June 26: Nia O. Witherspoon. FREE. Watch: https://www.facebook.com/hereartscenter.
WED 7.01 @ 7:00 p.m.
HERE Arts Center in New York City hosts “HERE@HOME”: a Facebook Watch Party to stream a full-length production every Wednesday at 7:00 p.m. EST. Shows are from the HERE Vault collected over the past 25 years. Following the online premiere, these full-length videos will be available for viewing on Facebook until HERE reopens. FREE. Watch: https://www.facebook.com/hereartscenter.
WED 7.08 @ 7:00 p.m.
HERE Arts Center in New York City hosts “HERE@HOME”: a Facebook Watch Party to stream a full-length production every Wednesday at 7:00 p.m. EST. Shows are from the HERE Vault collected over the past 25 years. Following the online premiere, these full-length videos will be available for viewing on Facebook until HERE reopens. FREE. Watch: https://www.facebook.com/hereartscenter.
THU 7.09 @ 6:30 p.m.
City Lyric Opera’s Summer Series of events continues with a live Falling Flat Happy Hour July 9th 6:30 p.m. featuring live performances and stories of live mishaps on stage. For more information and to tune in visit CityLyricOpera.org. FREE.
WED 7.15 @ 7:00 p.m.
HERE Arts Center in New York City hosts “HERE@HOME”: a Facebook Watch Party to stream a full-length production every Wednesday at 7:00 p.m. EST. Shows are from the HERE Vault collected over the past 25 years. Following the online premiere, these full-length videos will be available for viewing on Facebook until HERE reopens. FREE. Watch: https://www.facebook.com/hereartscenter.
WED 7.22 @ 7:00 p.m.
HERE Arts Center in New York City hosts “HERE@HOME”: a Facebook Watch Party to stream a full-length production every Wednesday at 7:00 p.m. EST. Shows are from the HERE Vault collected over the past 25 years. Following the online premiere, these full-length videos will be available for viewing on Facebook until HERE reopens. FREE. Watch: https://www.facebook.com/hereartscenter.
THU 7.23 @ 6:30 p.m.
City Lyric Opera’s Summer Series of events continues with a Holding Space virtual salon conversation for the opera community to have honest and vulnerable COVID-related dialogue about, by, and for the field’s members on June 11th and July 23rd 6:30 p.m. For more information and to tune in visit CityLyricOpera.org. FREE.
HERE Arts Center in New York City hosts “HERE@HOME”: a Facebook Watch Party to stream a full-length production every Wednesday at 7:00 p.m. EST. Shows are from the HERE Vault collected over the past 25 years. Following the online premiere, these full-length videos will be available for viewing on Facebook until HERE reopens. FREE. Watch: https://www.facebook.com/hereartscenter.
THU 8.06 @ 6:30 p.m.
City Lyric Opera’s Summer Series of events continues with CLO Retro #ThrowbackThursdays discussing and showcasing past performances on June 25th and August 6th 6:30 p.m. For more information and to tune in visit CityLyricOpera.org. FREE.
ONGOING (Dates Not Specified)
American Opera Projects American Opera Project is broadcasting past productions including Three Way, Harriet Tubman, and As One, with more to be released soon. They may be watched exclusively on AOP’s website. FREE. Watch: AOPopera.org.
The Indie Opera Podcast
To stay up to date with what the movers and shakers of the opera scene, listen to Indie Opera Podcast. Their insightful, in-depth shows have changed to a streamed video platform for the opera community. It’s a great way to stay up to date with developments given the unusual times that the industry is facing. Tune in to hear the experts discuss what our beloved art form is doing to weather COVID-19. FREE. Watch: http://indieopera.com.
The little OPERA theatre of NY
The little OPERA theatre of NY has launched a company YouTube channel featuring highlights from last season’s New York premiere of Benjamin Britten’s OWEN WINGRAVE. They will be adding new content to this channel on a rolling basis starting in June. In collaboration with New Vintage Baroque, little OPERA is creating a series of short streaming opera videos featuring excerpts from Mozart’s The Shepherd King.
Music of the Americas
Music of the Americas presents two new online series to bring its performances into homes across the world: En Casa (At Home), featuring original performances from musicians from around the Americas who frequently perform with the society, and Recuerdos (Memories), weekly releases of memorable past performances at the Americas Society, some for the first time. FREE. Watch: as-coa.org/music.
New Camerata Opera (ongoing)
NCO is hosting a handful of online events including: #theivesproject – an acclaimed series short film adaptations of Charles Ives songs, the release of CamerataWorks’ upcoming opera film, “Julie” on June 4th at 7:00 p.m. EST, and the popular handwashing aria series #20secondariachallenge, in which arias are sung to ensure one washes their hands sufficiently. Watch streamable content, here: https://www.facebook.com/newcamerataopera/ and “Julie” premiere here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCda0kpVTKpZjci4fRP1hnYg?view_as=subscriber.
Regina Opera
Regina Opera, which is celebrating its 50th season of great opera in Brooklyn, has curated a collection of its best performance videos to help ease the strain of these difficult times. It includes a complete performance of La Traviata; excerpts from Aida, Don Giovanni; Il Trovatore, and Hansel and Gretel; and the complete February 2, 2020 Winter Concert, featuring operatic and popular favorites as well as the world premiere of a quartet by 14-year-old composer Julian Raheb. FREE. Watch: www.ReginaOpera.org/onlineperformances.htm.
Rhymes with Opera (July-August 2020)
Join Rhymes with Opera online for a FREE series of contemporary chamber operas, community-building events, exciting new works, artist interviews, and some rockin’ parties.Upcoming schedule includes July (date TBA) Release Party of recording Rumpelstiltskin; and August (dates TBA) Soap Operas provides a platform for RWO artists to perform arrangements of your favorite songs. For more info and reservations for all RWO events, visit RhymeswithOpera.org.
Untitled Theater Company #61: A Theater of Ideas The Untitled Theater Company is making videos of past performances and workshops available on its website for free viewing. FREE.Watch: http://www.untitledtheater.com
Victor Herbert Renaissance Project
Despite having to cancel their entire season, VHRP continues to connect with its fans by broadcasting past performances on its social media platforms regularly. FREE. Watch: https://www.facebook.com/vhrplive/.
The Next Festival of Emerging Artists 2020 Goes Online with Free Events Open to All, June 9 – July 2
Participants Include: Ashley Bathgate, Derek Bermel, Fred Child, Anthony Davis, Rob Deemer, Vijay Iyer, Wang Jie, JACK Quartet, Aaron Jay Kernis, Anne Leilehua Lanzilotti, Jessica Meyer, Joshua Roman, S. Ama Wray
Festival faculty & guest artists Wang Jie, Lisa Bielawa, S. Ama Wray, Vijay Iyer, James Dargan, Ashley Baccus-Clark
Adapting to address the needs of a greater community of artists, The Next Festival of Emerging Artists 2020 is a four-week series of workshops, mini-courses, and collaborative projects taking place online June 9 – July 2, with most of the festival events, featuring over 20 guest artists and speakers, accessible online and open to the public. This year’s festival’s student participants – young musicians, composers, and choreographers – have had their tuition waived.
A unique contemporary music festival founded in 2013 by composer, conductor, and bassist Peter Askim, The Next Festival of Emerging Artists normally takes place over two weeks in May and June at Music Mountain in Connecticut as well as at National Sawdust and NYU Center for Ballet and the Arts in New York City, with 35 young musicians, composers, and choreographers taking part in lessons and chamber music coaching, rehearsals, masterclasses, and talks – culminating in performances and recordings of new works. In addition to offering a wide slate of talks and workshops, this year’s festivalwill culminate in performances by the festival musicians of new works created by remote collaboration.
Open to the Public (through Eventbrite registration via www.next-fest.org and Facebook Events.) Most of these events will be recorded and archived within 48 hours for viewing through the Next Festival website and YouTube channel.
World premiere arrangement for chamber orchestra of Tchaikovsky’s beloved collection of piano vignettes The Seasons and Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons will be performed at Carnegie Hall on Saturday, January 25, 7PM
Jessie Montgomery and Jannina Norpoth’s world premiere arrangement of Tchaikovsky’s endearing collection of piano miniatures The Seasons is paired with Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons, performed by violinist Vadim Gluzman with the insight and warmth that make him one of Orpheus’ favorite collaborators.
Program:
TCHAIKOVSKY arr. Jessie Montgomery and Jannina Norpoth: The Seasons, Op. 37a
VIVALDI: The Four Seasons
Tickets start at $25 | Student tickets are $15 | Groups of 8 or more save 25%
Hailed as “a remarkably strong and diverse exploration of everything opera can be in the city (The New York Times),” the New York Opera Fest celebrates its sixth season with both virtual and in-person performances by 20+ local, New York City-based opera companies. Presented by the New York Opera Alliance, with support from OPERA America, this annual festival runs for two months May-June 2021 starting with a special kick-off event April 29th. For a complete list of events, fans can turn to NYoperafest.com.
