Your season planning for Opera Orchestra of New York, cher public, looks a lot more interesting than what the company’s own artistic adminstration is likely to come up with. Thus far, La Cieca has heard one date for certain:  that Eve Queler default choice Rienzi, this time with Elisabete Matos—presumably in the not very interesting role of Irene—on February 29, 2012.  Meh.  The best of your choices after the jump. 

The Most Plausible season was devised by Operacat, offering a mix of standard and offbeat repertoire, with casting balancing artistic merit and box office appeal. Sign this cat up, OONY.

The Campiest season evoked a number of wild-eyed responses, but perhaps the most bizarre was Unfaithful Zerbinetta‘s notion of asking Placido Domingo to show up and sight-read five random scores, including one in drag.

U.Z.’s season was also in the running for Most Demented, which just goes to show you that one man’s meat is another man’s, well… let’s let that adage lie, shall we? La Cieca is overjoyed to announce that the competition for Most Demented was so very fierce that the panel of crack experts (who also know quite a bit about opera) were forced to declare a tie.

Dementia shall be shared, then, then, between Grimoaldo‘s “après moi, le déluge” cavalcade of superstars and Killian‘s banquet of Francophone amuse-bouche, either of which would guarantee a lifetime of queenly screams of, “oh, but my dear, you should have been there!”

Congratulations to all four winners, who should be watching their inboxes for news of lavish prizes!