The Opera Company of Brooklyn (OCB) is an opera company founded in 2000 which performs in a variety of venues in New York City. It is a non-profit organization operating under Section

501(c)(3) 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 ...

of the Internal Revenue Code.

History

Opera Company of Brooklyn is led by American conductor, Jay Meetze. Other artists who have worked with the company include

Gerard Alessandrini Gerard Alessandrini (born November 27, 1953) is an American writer, director, lyricist and composer, best known for creating the off-Broadway musical revue '' Forbidden Broadway''. He is the recipient of Tony Honors for Excellence in Theatre, f ...

Thomas Pasatieri Thomas Pasatieri (born October 20, 1945) is an American opera composer. Life and career Pasatieri was born in New York City, United States. He began composing at age 10 and, as a teenager, studied with Nadia Boulanger, although his main teachers ...

Joseph Rescigno Joseph Rescigno (born October 8, 1945) is an American conductor best known for his work in opera in North America and Europe. He served as Artistic Advisor and Principal Conductor of the Florentine Opera Company of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, WI for 3 ...

, and Adam Silverman. The company also has an educational outreach program as well as a Resident Artist Program (RAP) for singers, coaches, pianists and conductors. Artists who have worked with students on the RAP include

Lucine Amara Lucine Amara (born Lucine Tockqui Armaganian; March 1, 1925 – September 6, 2024) was an American soprano who was chiefly based at the Metropolitan Opera in New York. Biography Lucine Tockqui Armaganian was born in Hartford, Connecticut, on M ...

Harolyn Blackwell Harolyn Blackwell (born November 23, 1955) is an American lyric coloratura soprano who has performed in many of the world's finest opera houses, concert halls, and theaters in operas, oratorios, recitals, and Broadway musicals. Initially known f ...

Catherine Malfitano Catherine Malfitano (born April 18, 1948) is an American operatic soprano and opera director. Malfitano was born in New York City, the daughter of a ballet dancer mother, Maria Maslova, and a violinist father, Joseph Malfitano. She attended the ...

Ashley Putnam Ashley Putnam (born 10 August 1952) is an American soprano from New York City. Her professional singing career began in 1976 and has spanned over 30 years. Early life and career Ashley Putnam began her music career playing the flute. Her mother ...

and Thomas Pasatieri. OCB was featured on the ''

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'' quiz show, ''

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'' with

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and

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. Other coverage include numerous reports on radio:

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's '' Day to Day'',

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's ''

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'',

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's ''Overnight Music'' and ''

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'', and reviews and articles (some front-page and full-page) in the ''

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'', ''

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'', ''

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'' and ''

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'', ''

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'', ''

American Record Guide The ''American Record Guide'' (''ARG'') is a classical music magazine. It has reviewed classical music recordings since 1935. History and profile The magazine was founded by Peter Hugh Reed in May 1935 as the ''American Music Lover''. It chan ...

'', ''

Opera News ''Opera News'' was an American classical music magazine. It was published from 1936 to 2023 by the Metropolitan Opera Guild—a non-profit organization, located at Lincoln Center, that was founded to promote opera and support the Metropolitan ...

'', ''Classical Singer'', and ''

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''. The company has also performed new works like Thomas Pasatieri’s ''La Divina'', an opera about the last days of a famous diva supposedly based on Maria Callas. Meetze recorded the opera where internationally renown soprano Sheri Greenawald, now the head of San Francisco Opera, Merola Young Artist program, performed. The company's CD on

Albany Records Albany Records is a record label that concentrates on unconventional contemporary classical music by American composers and musicians. It was established by Peter Kermani in 1987 and is based in Albany, New York. In May 2024, Albany Records wa ...

and featuring music by American composer, Thomas Pasatieri was named one of the "Best of the year" by Metropolitan Opera's ''Opera News'' magazine.

Artistic trustees

Martina Arroyo Martina Arroyo (born February 2, 1937) is an American operatic soprano who had a major international opera career from the 1960s through the 1980s. She was part of the first generation of black opera singers to achieve wide success. Arroyo first ...

Steuart Bedford Steuart John Rudolf Bedford (31 July 1939 – 15 February 2021) was an English orchestral and opera conductor and pianist. He was the brother of composer David Bedford and of singer Peter Lehmann Bedford and a grandson of Liza Lehmann and H ...

Simon Estes Simon Estes (born March 2, 1938) is an operatic bass-baritone of African-American descent who had a major international opera career beginning in the 1960s. He has sung at most of the world's major opera houses as well as in front of president ...

Carlisle Floyd Carlisle Sessions Floyd (June 11, 1926September 30, 2021) was an American composer primarily known for his operas. These stage works, for which he wrote not only the music but also the librettos, typically engage with themes from the American So ...

, Denyce Graves-Montgomery, William Hicks, Rhoda Levine,

Elaine Malbin Elaine Malbin (born May 24, 1929) is an American soprano who had a prolific international career singing in operas, musicals, and concerts from the 1940s through the 1960s. She made her Town Hall debut at the age of 14. She appeared in a number of ...

, Jane Marsh,

, Barry Tucker,

Frederica von Stade Frederica von Stade (born 1 June 1945) is a semi-retired American classical singer. Best known for her work in opera, she was also a recitalist and concert artist, and she recorded more than a hundred albums and videos. She is especially associa ...

, David Walker.

Collaborations/venues

Art/NY's Fort Greene Auditorium,

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater Founded in 1958, the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater (AAADT) is the largest modern dance company in the United States.Dance Data Project (October 2024) 2024 Largest Contemporary and Modern Companies Report Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater ...

- The Joan Weill Center for Dance,

Bargemusic Bargemusic, formally known as ''Bargemusic, Ltd.'' is a classical music venue and cultural icon in Brooklyn. Founded in 1977, until 2025 it was housed in a converted coffee barge moored at Fulton Ferry Landing on the East River near the Brooklyn ...

Barnard College Barnard College is a Private college, private Women's colleges in the United States, women's Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college affiliated with Columbia University in New York City. It was founded in 1889 by a grou ...

, Brooklyn Bar Association: Annual Dinner at Marriott,

Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce The Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce serves as an advocate for member businesses across the New York City borough of Brooklyn, and also operates a nonprofit economic development arm known as the Brooklyn Alliance. History The Brooklyn Chamber of ...

Christmas Party, Brooklyn Heights First Unitarian Church,

Brooklyn Museum of Art The Brooklyn Museum is an art museum in the New York City borough (New York City), borough of Brooklyn. At , the museum is New York City's second largest and contains an art collection with around 500,000 objects. Located near the Prospect Heig ...

: Eternal Egypt Exhibition, Brooklyn Public Libraries: Main Branch and Brooklyn Heights, CAMI Hall, First Street Gallery,

Columbia University Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...

, Freeport Memorial Library - Long Island, Consulate General of the Federal Republic of Germany, Good Shepherd Catholic Church, ICO Art & Music Gallery, Katonah United Methodist Church, Liederkranz Club,

Marymount Manhattan College Marymount Manhattan College is a private college on the Upper East Side of Manhattan. As of 2020, enrollment consisted of 1,571 undergraduate students with women making up 80.1% and men 19.9% of student enrollment. Columbia University Masters ...

: Adult Continuing Education course in opera, Metropolitan Community United Methodist Church, Northside Piers, NYC College of Technology's Voorhees Theatre and Klitgord Auditorium,

New York City Public Schools The New York City Department of Education (NYCDOE) is the department of the government of New York City that manages the city's public school system. The City School District of the City of New York (more commonly known as New York City Publ ...

, Phillipa Schuyler Middle School, Plymouth Church,

Pratt Institute Pratt Institute is a private university with its main campus in Brooklyn, New York. It has an additional campus in Manhattan and an extension campus in Utica, New York at the Munson-Williams-Proctor Arts Institute. The institute was founded in 18 ...

: Student Welcome Week, Science Skills Center High School, St. Ann's Episcopal Church, Saint James Church, St. Teresa's Church, Studios 353, The Young Women's Leadership School

References

Reviews

''American Record Guide''
November/December 2003

November 2003

Friday, 7 November 2003, p. A1

Tuesday, August 12, 2003, p. 36

October 1, 2003

December 1, 2000,

External links

* {{authority control New York City opera companies Musical groups established in 2000 Culture of Brooklyn 2000 establishments in New York City