Center City Opera Theater (CCOT) is an

opera company Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a librett ...

based in

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

. Founded in 1999, CCOT is the only professional opera company in the United States whose mission it is to create new opera works, guiding works from inception to stage through a series of workshops. CCOT performs at numerous intimate-setting venues throughout the

Greater Philadelphia The Delaware Valley is a metropolitan region on the East Coast of the United States that comprises and surrounds Philadelphia, the sixth most populous city in the nation and 68th largest city in the world as of 2020. The toponym Delaware Vall ...

area, though its main stage performance home is the Perelman Theater at the

Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts is a large performing arts venue at 300 South Broad Street and the corner of Spruce Street, along the stretch known as the Avenue of the Arts in Center City Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It is owned an ...

History

Since its founding in 1999 by General and Artistic Director Andrew Kurtz, CCOT has produced over four dozen operas which include newly commissioned works and traditional operas. Through its Young Artist Program, CCOT provides professional training and performance opportunities for emerging young opera professionals (singers, directors, designers, and instrumentalists). CCOT’s ''OPERAtunities in Education'' in-school program works with multiple partner schools in Philadelphia and surrounding areas. In September 2008, CCOT launched ''ConNEXTions: The Next Generation of Opera'' during the Philadelphia Fringe Festival, presenting the world premieres and workshops of new works. Creative Development Projects (CDP), directed by

Albert Innaurato Albert Francis Innaurato Jr. (June 2, 1947 – September 24, 2017) was an American playwright, theatre director, and writer. Early career Innaurato was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1947. After graduating from the prestigious Central Hi ...

, grew out of ''ConNEXTions'' and is an ongoing series that facilitates the production of new opera works through successive workshops, guiding a work from initial conception all the way to its world premiere. Since 2010, in an attempt to cultivate broader opera audiences through intimate performances, CCOT has increasingly made use of site-specific venues, such as the

Italian Market The Italian Market is the popular name for the South 9th Street Curb Market, an area of South Philadelphia featuring awning covered sidewalks, curb carts, grocery shops, cafes, restaurants, bakeries, cheese shops, butcher shops, etc., many with an ...

and the

Comcast Center Comcast Center, also known as the Comcast Tower, is a skyscraper in Center City, Philadelphia. The 58-story, tower is the second-tallest building in Philadelphia and in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania (after the Comcast Technology Center), a ...

in Philadelphia.

Creative Development Projects

* ''Slaying the Dragon'' by Michael Ching and

Ellen Frankel Ellen Frankel (born 1951) was the Editor-in-Chief of the Jewish Publication Society (JPS) from 1991 until 2009, and also served as CEO of the JPS for 10 years. She retired in 2009 to pursue her own writing and scholarly projects, serving as JPS's f ...

(workshops Jan. & Sept. 2011; world premiere June. 2012) * ''Danse Russe'' by

Paul Moravec Paul Moravec (born November 2, 1957) is an American composer and a University Professor at Adelphi University on Long Island, New York and also a member of the composition department of the Mannes School of Music . Already a prolific composer, he ...

and

Terry Teachout Terrance Alan Teachout (February 6, 1956 – January 13, 2022) was an American author, critic, biographer, playwright, stage director, and librettist. He was the drama critic of ''The Wall Street Journal'', the critic-at-large of ''Commentary'' ...

(workshops Jul. & Nov. 2010, Jan. 2011; world premiere Apr. 2011) * ''Maren of Vardo'' by Jeff Myers and

Royce Vavrek Royce Vavrek is a Canadian-born Brooklyn-based librettist, playwright, dance scenarist, musical theatre writer and filmmaker known for his collaborations with composers David T. Little, Missy Mazzoli, Mikael Karlsson, Ricky Ian Gordon, Paola Prest ...

(workshops Oct. 2010, Feb. 2011) * ''Love/Hate'' by Jack Perla and Rob Bailis (workshops Sept. 2010; Sept. 2011) * ''The Great Blondin'' by Ronald G. Vigue and Albert Innaurato (workshop Sept. 2009)

Commissioned World Premieres

* ''

The Picture of Dorian Gray ''The Picture of Dorian Gray'' is a philosophical fiction, philosophical novel by Irish writer Oscar Wilde. A shorter novella-length version was published in the July 1890 issue of the American periodical ''Lippincott's Monthly Magazine''.''Th ...

'' (chamber orchestra version) by

Lowell Liebermann Lowell Liebermann (born February 22, 1961 in New York City) is an American composer, pianist and conductor. Life and career At the age of sixteen, Liebermann performed at Carnegie Hall, playing his Piano Sonata, op. 1. He studied at the Juilliar ...

, June 2007: Perelman Theater, Kimmel Center. * ''Danse Russe'' by Paul Moravec and Terry Teachout, April 2010; Perelman Theater, Kimmel Center. * ''Slaying the Dragon'' by Michael Ching and Ellen Frankel, June 2012: performance held at both the Prince Music Theater & the Helen Corning Warden Theater,

Academy of Vocal Arts The Academy of Vocal Arts (AVA) is a school dedicated to providing higher education to aspiring opera singers. It is the only tuition-free institution in the world devoted solely to operatic training and performance. The school was founded in 1934 ...

References

External links

Official Website
{{authority control 1999 establishments in Pennsylvania Pennsylvania opera companies Culture of Philadelphia Musical groups from Philadelphia Musical groups established in 1999