NYOANext: BRONX 2023
Photo Heather Bobeck Photography
New York Opera Alliance Launches New “NYOANext” Initiative Inviting Audiences to Explore Opera in All Five Boroughs
Series begins in the Bronx April 20, 22 & 23, 2023
Hailed as “a remarkably strong and diverse exploration of everything opera can be in the city (The New York Times),” the New York Opera Alliance (NYOA), with support from OPERA America, today announced NYOANext, a new citywide opera series spotlighting local artists and companies in each of New York’s five boroughs. The initiative begins with a spotlight on the Bronx with a three-day festival April 20, 22 and 23, 2023, celebrating the borough’s vibrant and varied opera community. Opera companies from around the five boroughs, including the 56-year old Bronx Opera, will perform in the Bronx with local artists from the neighborhood Program information and event details will be available in the coming weeks on NYoperaalliance.org. NYOANext plans to spotlight Mid and Upper Manhattan in Fall 2023, Queens in Spring 2024, and other boroughs to be announced at a later date.
“We are thrilled to be launching this comprehensive borough-wide initiative that will encourage deeper exploration throughout the city’s diverse neighborhoods while supporting small opera companies and spotlighting local artists,” explains Marianna Mott Newirth, president of NYOA. “Our aim is to bring this most complex of performing art forms to more and more people who never considered attending opera before. We are here to celebrate, rejuvenate and expand the very meaning of what opera is for all New Yorkers to discover.”
Through shared resources and collaborations, NYOANext is a multi-day event held three times a year in a rotating cycle through all five boroughs. This unique series provides a platform for the entire opera ecosystem to perform, network, and connect to both each other and their patrons.
Each borough-specific series begins with a general audition and showcase for local singers, followed by highlights of upcoming productions, and ends with an opera salon & jam for the participants and neighbors to share resources, music and food.
“After seven years of hosting the New York Opera Festival, we are repositioning our programming to better complement our mission of community building,” explains Newirth. “Our field is changing and NYOANext is our response to the call. Now is the time for our opera community to collaborate and learn how to not only survive, but also thrive, in the present economy. There is strength and power in working together at the community level and NYOANext is a shining example of the benefit that results from it.”
NYOANext: Bronx begins April 20 with a general audition and singers showcase, particularly for unrepresented opera singers seeking to break into the field. It ends with a casual, fun Opera Salon & Jam on April 23. The main stage event is an April 22nd matinee featuring performances by NYOA opera companies including Bronx Opera. In the words of Opera News, “The Bronx Opera's crowd, like the company's enthusiastic, sonorous chorus, is (hearteningly) among the most racially integrated to be seen in New York; encouraging the attendance of so many young people marks a positive contribution to the art form.” Additional program details to be announced in March 2023.
photos Heather Bobeck Photography
About New York Opera Alliance
The New York Opera Alliance (NYOA) is a consortium of New York City opera companies and producers established to enhance and support the vaisibility and viability of opera in NYC. Founded in 2011, NYOA has grown from 13 organizations to 50 strong. Since 2013, NYOA has been fiscally sponsored by OPERA America. NYOA believes that New Yorkers and visitors to New York alike can be better informed about the breadth, range and vitality of New York City’s opera-producing community. NYOA is a community-driven organization; together, they aspire to increase awareness of participating organizations, share ideas and resources, and generate revenue for collaborative projects.
About OPERA America
OPERA America is the national membership organization for artists, administrators, trustees and audiences, dedicated to supporting the creation, presentation and enjoyment of opera. Based in New York City at the National Opera Center, a custom-built rehearsal and performance facility for the opera field, OPERA America is committed to advancing new work, audience engagement, civic practice, artist and leadership development, research, national advocacy and an inclusive industry that moves opera forward in America.
NYOANext: Bronx | Tickets + Programming
Thu Apr 20 @ 11:30-4:30 p.m. Bronx General Audition Showcase
Bronx Music Heritage Center, 1303 Louis Nine Boulevard, Bronx, New York, 10459
Sat Apr 22 @ 2:00-4:00 p.m. Bronx Opera in Performance
Lucius T Wasserman Auditorium at The Bronx House, 990 Pelham Parkway South, Bronx, New York, 10461
Program: New York City-based opera companies and/or artists performing highlights of upcoming opera productions. Participants include two Bronx based companies: Bronx Opera & The Lighthouse Opera Company, plus Manhattan Opera Repertory Ensemble, Little Opera Theatre of NY with Harlem Opera Theater, Encompass New Opera Theatre, International Brazilian Opera Company, Regina Opera, and Opera Praktikos featuring Deaf actress Amelia Hensley (Spring Awakening) in collaboration with mezzo-soprano Shanley Horvitz. Tix + Info: General $25/Seniors & Students $15. [PROGRAM]
Sun Apr 23 @ 2:00-4:00 p.m. Opera Salon + Jam
Bronx Music Heritage Center, 1303 Louis Nine Boulevard, Bronx, New York, 10459
Tix + Info: FREE. Suggested donation $5-$10. Open to the public. Join the Bronx opera community, bring your own sheet music and instruments for an open mic opera jam.
