Opera Boston
| Company type | Non-profit organization |
|---|---|
| Industry | Opera, Performing arts |
| Founded | 2003 |
| Defunct | January 1, 2012 |
| Fate | Discontinued operations due to budget deficit |
| Headquarters | Boston, Massachusetts , United States |
Area served | Boston, Massachusetts |
Key people | Winifred Gray (board chairman), Gregory Bulger (president) |
| Products | Opera productions, Opera Unlimited Festival |
Opera Boston was an opera organization located in Boston, Massachusetts, specializing in rarely staged works, contemporary compositions, and premieres. The company also implemented educational and outreach initiatives aimed at children within Boston’s schools and after-school programs.
After operating for eight years, it was declared on 23 December 2011 that Opera Boston would discontinue its activities effective 1 January 2012, citing "an insurmountable budget deficit," as stated by board chairman Winifred Gray and president Gregory Bulger.
The company's primary performance space was the Cutler Majestic Theatre, a Beaux-Arts style opera house built in 1903 and designed by architect John Galen Howard.
Besides its main season, Opera Boston organized the "Opera Unlimited Festival," which presented chamber operas from the 20th and 21st centuries in an outdoor venue with no admission fee. This festival also commissioned new compositions.
Productions
The following dates correspond to the timeframes of Opera Boston’s productions. The list emphasizes works outside the standard operatic repertoire.
- June 2003 Opera Unlimited
- Powder Her Face composed by Thomas Adès
- Full Moon in March by John Harbison
- Touissaint Before the Spirits by Elena Ruehr
- The Cask of Amontillado by Daniel Pinkham
- Garden Party by Daniel Pinkham
- 2003–2004 Season
- Candide created by Leonard Bernstein (November 2003)
- Nixon in China by John Adams (March 2004)
- Luisa Miller composed by Giuseppe Verdi (April–May 2004)
- 2004–2005 Season
- La Vie parisienne by Jacques Offenbach (October 2004)
- Alceste written by Christoph Wilibald Gluck (January 2005)
- The Crucible by Robert Ward (April 2005)
- 2005–2006 Season
- The Consul composed by Gian Carlo Menotti (October 2005)
- L'étoile by Emmanuel Chabrier (March 2006)
- Lucrezia Borgia composed by Gaetano Donizetti (April–May 2006)
- June 2006 Opera Unlimited
- Angels in America by Péter Eötvös (North American premiere)
- 2006–2007 Season
- La clemenza di Tito composed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (October 2006)
- The Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny by Kurt Weill (February 2007)
- The Pearl Fishers created by Georges Bizet (May 2007)
- 2007–2008 Season
- 2008–2009 Season
- Der Freischütz written by Carl Maria von Weber (October 2008)
- The Nose composed by Dmitri Shostakovich (February 2009)
- 2009–2010 Season
- Tancredi created by Giocchino Rossini (October 2009)
- Madame White Snake, a world premiere by Zhou Long (February 2010)
- La Grande-Duchesse de Gérolstein, composed by Jacques Offenbach (April–May 2010)
See also
- Boston Lyric Opera, established in 1976
- Guerilla Opera, Boston-based, founded in 2007
- Odyssey Opera, founded in 2013
- Opera Company of Boston, ceased operations in 1990
- New York City Opera, closed in 2013
- San Diego Opera, faced near closure in 2014