Mad Scenes and Exit Arias: The Death of New York City Opera and the Future of Opera in America

Waleson, the Wall Street Journal’s longtime opera critic, narrates the stories of grand visions and failed plans in a gripping history of New York’s City Opera. Drawing on extensive research and reporting, Waleson chronicles the successes and failures of the company from its beginnings in 1943 to its demise in 2013 and its resurrection in 2016. In 1943, Newbold Morris, then president of New York’s City Council, and Morton Baum, a clothing manufacturer, put together a group of 46 movers and shakers—including theater producers, philanthropists, and city officials—to organize the City Center of Music and Drama, and hired the Hungarian-born composer Laszlo Halasz to direct the City Opera. From the late 1950s through the mid-’70s principal conductor Julius Rudel kept ticket prices low and produced innovative operas such as Kurt Weill’s Lost in the Stars. In 1979, Beverly Sills took over as artistic director, bringing her savvy as a fund-raiser and a developer of young singers. George Steel became the company’s general manager and artistic director in 2009 and balanced the opera’s budget by cutting cost. The City Opera nevertheless declared bankruptcy in 2013 after years of struggling to raise money, but it was brought back to life in 2016 by opera producer Michael Capasso and businessman Roy Niederhoffer. Waleson’s in-depth study illustrates the challenges City Opera—and other opera houses—face in the 21st century as they seek to preserve tradition and innovate. [em](Oct.) [/em]