Opera has long been part of the musical culture of

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans

Louisiana Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a U.S. state, state in the Deep South and South Central United States, South Central regions of the United States. It is the List of U.S. states and territories by area, 20th-smal ...

Opera 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 libre ...

s have regularly been performed in the city since the 1790s, and since the early 19th century, New Orleans has had a resident company regularly performing opera in addition to theaters hosting traveling performers and companies.

Earlier opera houses

Operas were staged at a variety of theaters in the city, the first documented was André Grétry's ''Sylvain'' at the Theatre de la Rue Saint Pierre on 22 May 1796. On 30 January 1808, the Théâtre St. Philippe was opened with the U.S. premiere of Étienne Méhul's ''Une folie''. The U.S. premiere of Luigi Cherubini's '' Les deux journées'' took place at this theater on 12 March 1811. The city's most famous opera venue between 1819 and 1859 was the

Théâtre d'Orléans The Théâtre d'Orléans (English: Orleans Theatre) was the most important opera house in New Orleans in the first half of the 19th century. The company performed in French and gave the American premieres of many French operas. It was located on ...

. That theater was succeeded in 1859 by the French Opera House, located on

Bourbon Street Bourbon Street (french: Rue Bourbon, es, Calle de Borbón) is a historic street in the heart of the French Quarter of New Orleans. Extending thirteen blocks from Canal Street to Esplanade Avenue, Bourbon Street is famous for its many bars a ...

in the

French Quarter The French Quarter, also known as the , is the oldest neighborhood in the city of New Orleans. After New Orleans (french: La Nouvelle-Orléans) was founded in 1718 by Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne de Bienville, the city developed around the ("Old S ...

. Living in a cosmopolitan city, New Orleans' inhabitants, whether high in status or low, imported or indigenous, constituted a highly receptive audience. The French Opera House burned down in 1919, causing severe disruption to opera in the city. When attempts to arrange financing for rebuilding failed, the company disbanded. For a generation, most opera in New Orleans was presented by touring companies at various local theaters.

The modern era

In 1943, the New Orleans Opera Association was formed, and succeeded in securing a resident company in the city. Over the years, many noted singers have appeared with the company (see List of opera singers). Since World War II, various companies have toured to New Orleans. In 1947, the

Metropolitan Opera The Metropolitan Opera (commonly known as the Met) is an American opera company based in New York City, resident at the Metropolitan Opera House at Lincoln Center, currently situated on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. The company is operat ...

visited with their productions of ''Le nozze di Figaro'' (with Ezio Pinza and Eleanor Steber), ''La traviata'' (with

Bidu Sayão Balduína "Bidú" de Oliveira Sayão (11 May 1902 – 12 March 1999) was a Brazilian opera soprano. One of Brazil's most famous musicians, Sayão was a leading artist of the Metropolitan Opera in New York City from 1937 to 1952. Life and caree ...

) and ''Lucia di Lammermoor'' (with Patrice Munsel). They returned in 1972, with ''Otello'' (with James McCracken and Sherrill Milnes), ''Faust'' (with Plácido Domingo and

Ruggero Raimondi Ruggero Raimondi (born 3 October 1941) is an Italian bass-baritone opera singer who has also appeared in motion pictures. Life and career Early training and career Ruggero Raimondi was born in Bologna, Italy, during World War II. His voice matu ...

), ''La traviata'' (with

Anna Moffo Anna Moffo (June 27, 1932 – March 9, 2006) was an American opera singer, television personality, and actress. One of the leading lyric-coloratura sopranos of her generation, she possessed a warm and radiant voice of considerable range and agili ...

) and ''La fille du régiment'' (with Dame

Joan Sutherland Dame Joan Alston Sutherland, (7 November 1926 – 10 October 2010) was an Australian dramatic coloratura soprano known for her contribution to the renaissance of the bel canto repertoire from the late 1950s through to the 1980s. She possessed ...

and

Luciano Pavarotti Luciano Pavarotti (, , ; 12 October 19356 September 2007) was an Italian operatic tenor who during the late part of his career crossed over into popular music, eventually becoming one of the most acclaimed tenors of all time. He made numerou ...

). The Opera Association has presented two world premieres:

Carlisle Floyd Carlisle Sessions Floyd (June 11, 1926September 30, 2021) was an American composer primarily known for his operas. These stage works, for which he wrote the librettos, typically engage with themes from the American South, particularly the Post- ...

's '' Markheim'' (with Norman Treigle and Audrey Schuh, 1966) and Thea Musgrave's ''Pontalba'' (conducted by Robert Lyall, 2003). In November 1967, the American National Opera Company presented two operas in New Orleans: ''Lulu'' and ''Tosca'' (the latter with Marie Collier), both in productions staged by Sarah Caldwell. In 1975, the New Orleans Opera Association staged the epic ''Les Huguenots'' with

Marisa Galvany Marisa Galvany (born June 19, 1936) is an American soprano who had an active international career performing in operas and concerts up into the early 2000s. Known for the great intensity of her performances, Galvany particularly excelled in port ...

, Rita Shane, Susanne Marsee, Enrico di Giuseppe,

Dominic Cossa Dominic Cossa (born May 13, 1935) is an American operatic lyric baritone particularly associated with the Italian and French repertoire. Biography Born in Jessup, Pennsylvania, Cossa studied with Anthony Marlowe in Detroit, Michigan, Robert Wee ...

, and Paul Plishka heading the cast. As part of the 1984 Louisiana World Exposition, the

English National Opera English National Opera (ENO) is an opera company based in London, resident at the London Coliseum in St Martin's Lane. It is one of the two principal opera companies in London, along with The Royal Opera. ENO's productions are sung in Englis ...

gave performances of ''Rigoletto'' (in Sir

Jonathan Miller Sir Jonathan Wolfe Miller CBE (21 July 1934 – 27 November 2019) was an English theatre and opera director, actor, author, television presenter, humourist and physician. After training in medicine and specialising in neurology in the late 1 ...

's well-known production), ''Patience'' and ''Gloriana''. Also based in New Orleans, though short-lived, The New Opera Theatre (1986–1990) presented two world premieres as well as experimental productions of standard repertory. Their staging of ''Dido and Æneas'' toured to New York (

Symphony Space Symphony Space, founded by Isaiah Sheffer and Allan Miller, is a multi-disciplinary performing arts organization at 2537 Broadway on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. Performances take place in the 760-seat Peter Jay Sharp Theatre (also called Pe ...

), where it was acclaimed. Featured singers with this ensemble included

Cyril and Libbye Hellier Cyril and Libbye Hellier (born January 21, 1952) are identical twins and American operatic sopranos. Natives of Houma, Louisiana, they are the great-grandchildren of the Confederate Colonel John Henry Hellier. The sopranos are graduates of Nichol ...

, Tracey Mitchell,

Natalia Rom Natalia Rom, soprano, was born in Kazan, in the Soviet Union (also the city of Feodor Chaliapin's birth), on May 14, 1950, and graduated (as a conductor) from the Leningrad Conservatory. In late 1976, she emigrated to New Orleans, where she atten ...

, Thaïs St Julien, Phyllis Treigle, and Susannah Waters. In 1992, New York-based Opera Quotannis brought their production of New Orleans-born composer Louise LaBruyère's ''Everyman'' to the Crescent City, with Mitchell in the title role. Hurricane Katrina, in 2005, flooded the Theatre for the Performing Arts and the season was cancelled, but the New Orleans Opera has since returned. On 17 January 2009 the New Orleans Opera, directed by Robert Lyall, performed with Plácido Domingo in a gala reopening of New Orleans'

Mahalia Jackson Theater of the Performing Arts The Mahalia Jackson Theater of the Performing Arts is a theater located in Louis Armstrong Park in New Orleans, Louisiana. It was named after gospel singer Mahalia Jackson, who was born in New Orleans. The theater reopened in January 2009, a ...

. The master of ceremonies was New Orleans native

Patricia Clarkson Patricia Davies Clarkson (born December 29, 1959) is an American actress. She has starred in numerous leading and supporting roles in a variety of films ranging from independent film features to major film studio productions. Her accolades inc ...

.Theodore P. Mahne
"Star Emcee Patricia Clarkson Shares in the Excitement over Tonight's Opera Gala"
in ''The Times-Picayune'' (New Orleans), 17 January 2009, pp. C1, C3.

Seasons

List of opera singers

Over the years many celebrated opera singers have appeared with the Association, including:

References

External links

* ''The Metropolitan Opera Encyclopedia'', edited by David Hamilton, Simon and Schuster, 1987. {{ISBN, 0-671-61732-X
New Orleans Opera
* Finding aid to th
New Orleans Opera Association Archives
at

Loyola University New Orleans Loyola University New Orleans is a private Jesuit university in New Orleans, Louisiana New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans Opera Association Archives
at

Loyola University New Orleans Loyola University New Orleans is a private Jesuit university in New Orleans, Louisiana New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans Opera Association Timeline
at

Loyola University New Orleans Loyola University New Orleans is a private Jesuit university in New Orleans, Louisiana New Orleans ( , ,French Quarter American opera companies Music of New Orleans Performing arts in Louisiana