Gotham Chamber Opera was a professional opera company located in New York City. The company was founded in 2000 under the name of the Henry Street Chamber Opera by Artistic Director Neal Goren and specialized in producing rarely performed

chamber opera Chamber opera is a designation for operas written to be performed with a Chamber music, chamber ensemble rather than a full orchestra. Early 20th-century operas of this type include Paul Hindemith's ''Cardillac'' (1926). Earlier small-scale operas ...

s from the

Baroque era The Baroque ( , , ) is a Western style of architecture, music, dance, painting, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished from the early 17th century until the 1750s. It followed Renaissance art and Mannerism and preceded the Rococo (i ...

to the present. In 2003, it changed its name to the Gotham Chamber Opera (GCO) after incorporating as an independent

501(c)(3) organization A 501(c)(3) organization is a United States corporation, Trust (business), trust, unincorporated association or other type of organization exempt from federal income tax under section 501(c)(3) of Title 26 of the United States Code. It is one of ...

. Its Executive Director was Edward Barnes, who took over from David Bennett. It closed in 2015.

History

Henry Street Chamber Opera

The company first presented the American premiere of Mozart's '' Il sogno di Scipione'' (1771), staged by Christopher Alden in 2001 at the Playhouse at the

Abrons Arts Center The Henry Street Settlement is a not-for-profit social service agency on the Lower East Side of Manhattan, New York City that provides social services, arts programs and health care services to New Yorkers of all ages. It was founded under the ...

, a 350-seat theater on the New Yorks's

Lower East Side The Lower East Side, sometimes abbreviated as LES, is a historic neighborhood in the southeastern part of Manhattan in New York City. It is located roughly between the Bowery and the East River from Canal to Houston streets. Historically, it w ...

. Soon after, the company produced a double bill of

Henry Purcell Henry Purcell (, rare: ; September 1659 – 21 November 1695) was an English composer of Baroque music, most remembered for his more than 100 songs; a tragic opera, Dido and Aeneas, ''Dido and Aeneas''; and his incidental music to a version o ...

's ''

Dido and Aeneas ''Dido and Aeneas'' (Z. 626) is an opera in a prologue and three acts, written by the English Baroque music, Baroque composer Henry Purcell with a libretto by Nahum Tate. The dates of the composition and first performance of the opera are uncer ...

'' (1689) and

Darius Milhaud Darius Milhaud (, ; 4 September 1892 – 22 June 1974) was a French composer, conductor, and teacher. He was a member of Les Six—also known as ''The Group of Six''—and one of the most prolific composers of the 20th century. His composition ...

's ' (1924). Two more American premieres followed in November 2002 with Czech composer

Bohuslav Martinů Bohuslav Jan Martinů (; December 8, 1890 – August 28, 1959) was a Czech composer of modern classical music. He wrote 6 symphony, symphonies, 15 operas, 14 ballet scores and a large body of orchestral, chamber music, chamber, vocal and ins ...

's 1928

Dada Dada () or Dadaism was an anti-establishment art movement that developed in 1915 in the context of the Great War and the earlier anti-art movement. Early centers for dadaism included Zürich and Berlin. Within a few years, the movement had s ...

opera, '' Les larmes du couteau'' (''Tears of the Knife''), and his 1935 '' Hlas lesa'' (''The Voice of the Forest'').

Gotham Chamber Opera

After incorporating as a non-profit organization in 2003, the newly renamed Gotham Chamber Opera (GCO) presented the American premiere of Swiss composer

Heinrich Sutermeister Heinrich Sutermeister (12 August 1910 – 16 March 1995) was a Swiss composer, most famous for his opera '' Romeo und Julia''. Life and career Sutermeister was born in Feuerthalen. During the early 1930s he was a student at the Akademie der To ...

's 1935 ' (''The Black Spider''). Gotham's February 2005 production of

Handel George Frideric (or Frederick) Handel ( ; baptised , ; 23 February 1685 – 14 April 1759) was a German-British Baroque composer well-known for his operas, oratorios, anthems, concerti grossi, and organ concerti. Born in Halle, Germany, H ...

's ''

Arianna in Creta ''Arianna in Creta'' ("Ariadne in Crete", HWV 32) is an opera seria in three acts by George Frideric Handel. The Italian language, Italian-language libretto was adapted by Francis Colman from Pietro Pariati's ''Arianna e Teseo'', a text previously ...

'' played to full houses and drew favorable reviews. That summer, in a co-production with the Lincoln Center Festival and

Spoleto Festival USA Spoleto Festival USA in Charleston, South Carolina, is one of America's major performing arts festivals. It was founded in 1977 by Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Gian Carlo Menotti, who sought to establish a counterpart to the Festival dei Due ...

, the company performed

Ottorino Respighi Ottorino Respighi ( , , ; 9 July 187918 April 1936) was an Italian composer, violinist, teacher, and musicologist and one of the leading Italian composers of the early 20th century. List of compositions by Ottorino Respighi, His compositions ra ...

's fantastical '' La bella dormente nel bosco'' (''Sleeping Beauty in the Woods''), featuring the puppetry of

Basil Twist Basil Twist is a New York City-based puppeteer who is known for his underwater puppet show, "''Symphonie Fantastique''". He was named a MacArthur Fellowship recipient on September 29, 2015. Personal Life and work Originally from San Francisco, B ...

. In the spring of 2006,

Benjamin Britten Edward Benjamin Britten, Baron Britten of Aldeburgh (22 November 1913 – 4 December 1976) was an English composer, conductor, and pianist. He was a central figure of 20th-century British music, with a range of works including opera, o ...

's only comedy, ''

Albert Herring ''Albert Herring'', Op. 39, is a chamber opera in three acts by Benjamin Britten. Composed in the winter of 1946 and the spring of 1947, this comic opera was a successor to his serious opera '' The Rape of Lucretia''. The libretto, by Eric Cro ...

'', received its first professional staging in New York in more than 30 years, and in the winter of 2007,

Rossini Gioachino Antonio Rossini (29 February 1792 – 13 November 1868) was an Italian composer of the late Classical and early Romantic eras. He gained fame for his 39 operas, although he also wrote many songs, some chamber music and piano p ...

's ''

Il signor Bruschino ''Il signor Bruschino, ossia Il figlio per azzardo'' ''(Signor Bruschino, or The Accidental Son)'' is a one act operatic farce ( farsa giocosa per musica) by Gioachino Rossini to a libretto by Giuseppe Maria Foppa, based upon the 1809 play ''Le ...

'' received its first major professional New York staging in more than half a century. In the 2007/08 season, the company presented New York City's first staged production of

Astor Piazzolla Astor Pantaleón Piazzolla (, ; March 11, 1921 – July 4, 1992) was an Argentine tango composer, bandoneon player, and arranger. His works revolutionized the traditional tango into a new style termed '' nuevo tango'', incorporating elements fr ...

's 1968

tango Tango is a partner dance and social dance that originated in the 1880s along the Río de la Plata, the natural border between Argentina and Uruguay. The tango was born in the impoverished port areas of these countries from a combination of Arge ...

opera ''

María de Buenos Aires ''María de Buenos Aires'' is a tango opera (''tango operita'') with music by Ástor PiazzollaSCP 2005. and libretto by Horacio Ferrer that premiered at the Sala Planeta in Buenos Aires on 8 May 1968. The first part of the surreal plot centers ...

'', as well as ''Scenes of Gypsy Life'', a fully staged evening of

song cycle A song cycle () is a group, or cycle (music), cycle, of individually complete Art song, songs designed to be performed in sequence, as a unit.Susan Youens, ''Grove online'' The songs are either for solo voice or an ensemble, or rarely a combinat ...

s by Janáček and Dvořák, and ''Ariadne Unhinged'', a retelling of the Ariadne myth through the music of

Monteverdi Claudio Giovanni Antonio Monteverdi (baptized 15 May 1567 – 29 November 1643) was an Italian composer, choirmaster and string player. A composer of both secular and sacred music, and a pioneer in the development of opera, he is considere ...

Haydn Franz Joseph Haydn ( ; ; 31 March 173231 May 1809) was an Austrian composer of the Classical period (music), Classical period. He was instrumental in the development of chamber music such as the string quartet and piano trio. His contributions ...

, and Schoenberg. And in 2009, Mark Morris directed the U.S. stage premiere of Haydn's ''

L'isola disabitata ' ( English: ''The Uninhabited Island''), Hob. 28/9, is an opera (') by Joseph Haydn, his tenth opera, written for the Eszterházy court and premiered on 6 December 1779. The libretto is the only one by Metastasio set by Haydn. The libretto ha ...

''. Gotham presented Haydn's ''

Il mondo della luna ' (''The World on the Moon''), Hob. XXVIII:7, is an opera buffa by Joseph Haydn with a libretto written by Carlo Goldoni in 1750, first performed at Eszterháza, Hungary, on 3 August 1777. Goldoni's libretto had previously been set by six other ...

'' at the

Hayden Planetarium The Rose Center for Earth and Space is a part of the American Museum of Natural History in New York City. The Center's complete name is The Frederick Phineas and Sandra Priest Rose Center for Earth and Space. The main entrance is located on the ...

of the

American Museum of Natural History The American Museum of Natural History (AMNH) is a natural history museum on the Upper West Side of Manhattan in New York City. Located in Theodore Roosevelt Park, across the street from Central Park, the museum complex comprises 21 interconn ...

in January 2010. The production, staged by

Diane Paulus Diane Marie Paulus (born 1966) is an American theater and opera director who is currently the Terrie and Bradley Bloom Artistic Director of the American Repertory Theater at Harvard University.Colleen Walsh"Paulus reaches beyond boards" ''Harvar ...

, featured

NASA The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the federal government of the United States, US federal government responsible for the United States ...

-generated moon travel projections on the planetarium's 360-degree dome. In October 2010, GCO with

Tectonic Theater Project Tectonic Theater Project is a stage and theater group whose plays have been performed around the world. The company is dedicated to developing works that explore theatrical language and form, fostering dialogue with audiences on the social, poli ...

presented the U.S. premiere of

Xavier Montsalvatge Xavier Montsalvatge i Bassols (; 11 March 1912 – 7 May 2002) was a Spanish composer and music critic. He was one of the most influential figures in Catalan music during the latter half of the 20th century. Biography Life Montsalvatge was bor ...

's ' (''Puss in Boots''). The production was directed by

Moisés Kaufman Moisés Kaufman (born November 21, 1963) is a Venezuelan American theater director, filmmaker, playwright, founder of Tectonic Theater Project based in New York City, and co-founder of Miami New Drama at the Colony Theatre. He was awarded the ...

, with

bunraku is a form of traditional Japanese puppet theatre, founded in Osaka in the beginning of the 17th century, which is still performed in the modern day. Three kinds of performers take part in a performance: the or (puppeteers), the (chanters) ...

puppetry by the Blind Summit Theatre of London. The opera premiered at the

New Victory Theater The New Victory Theater is a theatre (building), theater at 209 42nd Street (Manhattan), West 42nd Street in the Theater District, Manhattan, Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City, near Times Square. Built in 1900 as the Republ ...

in New York City. In November 2010, Gotham Chamber Opera, Music-Theatre Group and

Opera Philadelphia Opera Philadelphia is an American opera company based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Formerly known as the Opera Company of Philadelphia, the company is the only artistic company in Philadelphia that produces grand opera. The company produces o ...

announced the commission of a new American opera, '' Dark Sisters'', composed by

Nico Muhly Nico Asher Muhly (; born August 26, 1981) is an American contemporary classical music composer and arranger who has worked and recorded with both classical and pop musicians. A prolific composer, he has composed for many notable symphony orchestra ...

with a

libretto A libretto (From the Italian word , ) is the text used in, or intended for, an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata or Musical theatre, musical. The term ''libretto'' is also sometimes used to refer to th ...

Stephen Karam Stephen Karam (born ) is an American playwright, screenwriter and director. His plays '' Sons of the Prophet'', a comedy-drama about a Lebanese-American family, and '' The Humans'' were finalists for the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 2012 and 2016, ...

, to be conducted by Neal Goren, and directed by

Rebecca Taichman Rebecca Taichman is an American theatre director. In 2017, she received the Tony Award for Best Direction of a Play for '' Indecent''. Life and career Taichman attended McGill University, Montreal, and graduated from the Yale School of Drama. Sh ...

. The world premiere took place in November 2011 at the Gerald W. Lynch Theater at

John Jay College The John Jay College of Criminal Justice (John Jay) is a public college focused on criminal justice and located in New York City. It is a senior college of the City University of New York (CUNY). John Jay was founded as the only liberal arts col ...

in New York, one of the first works to be presented at the theater following the creation of a new lobby at the space. ''Dark Sisters'' was also presented in June 2012 as part of Opera Philadelphia's chamber opera series at the Perelman Theater in the

Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts is a large performing arts venue at 300 South Broad Street and the corner of Spruce Street, along the stretch known as the Avenue of the Arts in Center City, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It is owned an ...

. Gotham scheduled two workshops and orchestra readings, in November 2010 and March 2011, for the new work. Gotham Chamber Opera included appearances on

WNYC WNYC is an audio service brand, under the control of New York Public Radio, a non-profit organization. Radio and other audio programming is primarily provided by a pair of nonprofit, noncommercial, public radio stations: WNYC (AM) and WNYC- ...

, displays at

Bergdorf Goodman Bergdorf Goodman Inc. is an American luxury department store based in New York City, founded in 1899 by Herman Bergdorf. , it operates a women's store and a men's store across the street from each other on Fifth Avenue in Midtown Manhattan. ...

and

Prada Prada S.p.A. (, ; ) is an Italian luxury fashion house founded in 1913 in Milan by Mario Prada. It specializes in leather handbags, travel accessories, shoes, ready-to-wear, and other fashion accessories. Prada licenses its name and branding ...

SoHo SoHo, short for "South of Houston Street, Houston Street", is a neighborhood in Lower Manhattan, New York City. Since the 1970s, the neighborhood has been the location of many artists' lofts and art galleries, art installations such as The Wall ...

, annual collaborations with the

Gagosian Gallery The Gagosian Gallery is a modern and contemporary art gallery owned and directed by Larry Gagosian. The gallery exhibits some of the most well-known artists of the 20th and 21st centuries. As of 2024, Gagosian employs 300 people at 19 exhibiti ...

, and performances in various Manhattan venues. The company's activities also included school residencies, workshops, and free rehearsals. GCO was a member of the professional organization

OPERA America __NOTOC__ Opera America (stylized as OPERA America) is a New York–based service organization promoting the creation, presentation, and enjoyment of opera in the United States. Almost all professional opera company, opera companies and some semi-pr ...

. On October 1, 2015, Gotham Chamber Opera announced it would close due to previously undiscovered debts.

Productions

* 2001: ''Il sogno di Scipione'' (1771) by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, directed by Christopher Alden at The Abrons Art Center (U.S. stage premiere) * 2002: ''Dido and Aeneas'' (1689) by Henry Purcell, directed by

Laurence Dale Laurence Dale (born 1957) is an English tenor, artistic director and conductor. Biography Laurence Dale studied singing at London's Guildhall School of Music and Drama with Rudolf Piernay and the Mozarteum in Salzburg. Early leading roles i ...

at The Abrons Arts Center * 2002: ''Les malheurs d'Orphée'' (1924) by Darius Milhaud, directed by Laurence Dale at The Abrons Arts Center * 2002: '' Les larmes du couteau'' (1928) by Bohuslav Martinů, directed by Ned Canty at The Abrons Arts Center (U.S. premiere) * 2002: '' Hlas lesa'' (1935) by Bohuslav Martinů, directed by Ned Canty at The Abrons Arts Center (U.S. premiere) * 2004: ''Die schwarze Spinne'' (1935) by Heinrich Sutermeister, directed by Robin Guarino at The Abrons Arts Center (U.S. premiere) * 2005: ''Arianna in Creta'' (1733) by George Frideric Handel, directed by Christopher Alden at The Abrons Arts Center (U.S. stage premiere) * 2005: ''La bella dormente nel bosco'' (1922) by Ottorino Respighi, directed by Basil Twist at Lincoln Center (U.S. stage premiere) * 2006: ''Albert Herring'' (1947) by Benjamin Britten, directed by David Schweizer at The Abrons Arts Center * 2007: ''Il signor Bruschino'' (1813) by Gioachino Rossini, directed by Robin Guarino at The Abrons Arts Center * 2007: ''María de Buenos Aires'' (1968) by Astor Piazzolla directed by David Parsons at Jack H. Skirball Center for the Performing Arts, New York University * 2007: ''Scenes of Gypsy Life'' a cautionary tale featuring music of Antonín Dvořák (1880) and Leoš Janáček (1919), directed by Eric Einhorn at the

Morgan Library The Morgan Library & Museum (originally known as the Pierpont Morgan Library and colloquially known the Morgan) is a museum and research library in New York City, New York, U.S. Completed in 1906 as the private library of the banker J. P. Morg ...

* 2008: ''Ariadne Unhinged'', music by Claudio Monteverdi (1608), Joseph Haydn (1789) and Arnold Schoenberg (1912) directed by

Karole Armitage Karole Armitage (born March 3, 1954) is an American dancer and choreographer currently based in New York City. She is artistic director of Armitage Gone! Dance, a contemporary dance company that performs several times annually in New York City as ...

at The Playhouse, Abrons Arts Center (World premiere) * 2009: ''L'isola disabitata'' (1779) by

Joseph Haydn Franz Joseph Haydn ( ; ; 31 March 173231 May 1809) was an Austrian composer of the Classical period (music), Classical period. He was instrumental in the development of chamber music such as the string quartet and piano trio. His contributions ...

, directed by Mark Morris at the Gerald W. Lynch Theater at John Jay College (New York stage premiere) * 2010: ''Il mondo della luna'' (1777) by

, directed by Diane Paulus at the

* 2010: ''El gato con botas'' (1946) by

, directed by

at the New Victory Theater (U.S. stage premiere)Production details and photos from ''El gato con botas'' on the company's website
/ref> * 2011: ''Dark Sisters'' (2013) by

(World premiere) * 2012: ''Il sogno di Scipione'' by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, directed by Christopher Alden at the Gerald W. Lynch Theater at John Jay College (10th anniversary production) * 2012: Gotham @

(Le) Poisson Rouge (Le) Poisson Rouge (often referred to as LPR) is a music venue and multimedia art cabaret in New York City founded in 2008 by Justin Kantor and David Handler on the former site of the Village Gate at 158 Bleecker Street. The performance space was ...

: ''Orientale'' (Monteverdi,

Rameau Jean-Philippe Rameau (; ; – ) was a French composer and music theorist. Regarded as one of the most important French composers and music theorists of the 18th century, he replaced Jean-Baptiste Lully as the dominant composer of French opera a ...

, Delibes and others) * 2012: '' Eliogabalo'' (1668) by

Francesco Cavalli Francesco Cavalli (born Pietro Francesco Caletti-Bruni; 14 February 1602 – 14 January 1676) was a Venetian composer, organist and singer of the early Baroque period. He succeeded his teacher Claudio Monteverdi as the dominant and leading op ...

, staged at

The Box Soho The Box Soho is a cabaret nightclub located at 11-12 Walker's Court in Soho, London, on the premises formerly occupied by the Raymond Revuebar. Opening and ownership Opened on 9 February 2011, it bills itself as a "theatre of varieties" and is a ...

* 2012: '' La hija de Rappaccini'' (1991) by Daniel Catán * 2013: ''

La descente d'Orphée aux enfers ''La descente d'Orphée aux enfers'' H. Wiley Hitchcock, H.488 (English: ''The Descent of Orpheus to the Underworld'') is an incomplete chamber opera in two acts by the French composer Marc-Antoine Charpentier. It was probably composed in early ...

'' (1686) by

Marc-Antoine Charpentier Marc-Antoine Charpentier (; 1643 – 24 February 1704) was a French Baroque composer during the reign of Louis XIV. One of his most famous works is the main theme from the prelude of his ''Te Deum'' ''H.146, Marche en rondeau''. This theme is st ...

* 2013: ''

Baden-Baden Baden-Baden () is a spa town in the states of Germany, state of Baden-Württemberg, south-western Germany, at the north-western border of the Black Forest mountain range on the small river Oos (river), Oos, ten kilometres (six miles) east of the ...

1927'', music by

Milhaud Darius Milhaud (, ; 4 September 1892 – 22 June 1974) was a French composer, conductor, and teacher. He was a member of Les Six—also known as ''The Group of Six''—and one of the most prolific composers of the 20th century. His compositions ...

, Toch,

Hindemith Paul Hindemith ( ; ; 16 November 189528 December 1963) was a German and American composer, music theorist, teacher, violist and conductor. He founded the Amar Quartet in 1921, touring extensively in Europe. As a composer, he became a major ad ...

and Weill * 2013: ''

Il combattimento di Tancredi e Clorinda ''Il combattimento di Tancredi e Clorinda'' (''The Combat of Tancredi and Clorinda''), SV 153, is an operatic ''scena'' for three voices by Claudio Monteverdi. The libretto is drawn from Torquato Tasso's '' La Gerusalemme Liberata''. It was fi ...

'' (1624) by Monteverdi; ''I Have No Stories to Tell You'' by Lembit Beecher (World premiere) * 2013: ''The Raven'' by

Toshio Hosokawa is a Japanese composer of contemporary classical music. He studied in Germany but returned to Japan, finding a personal style inspired by classical Japanese music and culture. He has composed operas, the oratorio '' Voiceless Voice in Hiroshima' ...

(based on the poem of that name by Edgar Allan Poe) (U.S. premiere)

References

Notes Sources *Michael Cooper
"Rare Arias on a Lean Budget: Gotham Chamber Opera Has Rare Works and Many Venues"
''The New York Times'', 24 December 2013 *

Anthony Tommasini Anthony Carl Tommasini (born April 14, 1948) is an American music critic and author who specializes in classical music. Described as "a discerning critic, whose taste, knowledge and judgment have made him a must-read", Tommasini was the chief c ...

"An Emperor in Drag and Other Decadencies: Cavalli's ''Eliogabalo'', by Gotham Chamber Opera, at the Box"
''The New York Times'', 18 March 2013.

External links

* *George Grella
"For now, Gotham Chamber Opera is happy to remain small yet significant"
interview with Director David Bennett on newyorkclassicalreview.com. February 24, 2014 {{authority control New York City opera companies Musical groups established in 2000 2000 establishments in New York City Musical groups disestablished in 2015 2015 disestablishments in New York (state) Arts organizations established in 2003 Arts organizations disestablished in 2015