A note from the Executive Director

As we prepare for what is to be our biggest and most exciting season yet, there is a question which my colleagues and I are getting quite frequently. Why? Why run an opera company now?

It’s a good question; an important question. In the current artistic climate we are experienceing the effects of the graying of the opera audience paired with the loss of music education in our public schools. We are witnessing our heralded operatic institutions, the pillars of our art form in America fight to stay afloat. There are battles between unions and administrations and a youth that no longer sees opera’s relevance to their culture.

These obstacles facing opera in America today are the very reasons we at New Voices Opera are here. We are excited by what the next generation of American composers will accomplish and contribute to the repertoire of American opera. They are imaginative, daring, and unafraid to push past seemingly immovable boundaries as if they never existed. NVO is on the cutting edge of what contemporary American opera will look like in the coming decades, and we must maintain our position as a beacon to the country, and indeed to the composers and musicians who are intimidated and disheartened by the news propagating the artistic community.

We here at NVO are ready to take on the challenges of this new world, and are inspired by the artists that make our productions a reality. This new generation is energetic, ambitious, dedicated, and frighteningly intelligent; and each one is intent on the impact they will make on our world. The world is changing yes… but we will be there leading the charge into a new frontier, a world that none of us can imagine now.

Join us this year for what is sure to be an inspiring season. If you believe in our mission, please consider contributing to our cause here. A donation of any size will help make our dream a reality, and you will be an integral part what we do here at New Voices Opera.

Sincerely,

Benjamin Smith

Executive Director