NYCO’s George Steel has “…a vision of gradually increasing productions, arriving at 10, with 40 performances…. the company would reach the 10-production benchmark by 2025…. Only about 10 percent of revenue this season is predicted to come from the box office, with the rest mainly provided by donors. The ratio does not change much over the…

on November 11, 2011 at 9:17 PM

Open your eyes, sleepyheads! In the news this morning, our own JJ raves about Satyagraha at the Met (“a masterpiece of musical and visual art”); the ever-articulate Nico Muhly takes aim at the Met’s production values (“Mercedes Bass or Anne Ziff paid for the opera. What do you think is going to happen?”); and NYCO’s…

on November 07, 2011 at 10:23 AM

“The New York City Opera is at an exciting and critical junction in its approach to opera and its ability to connect to audiences in the broader New York City community. City Opera’s new innovative programing presents an opportunity to re-imagine and re-conceive current fundraising efforts for a budget of $13.7 M.” Yes, NYCO is…

on October 26, 2011 at 11:21 AM

La Cieca was cced the following letter sent by a “long-time patron of NYCO” in response to “the recently received Subscription Renewal Brochure.” She has withheld the patron’s name by request.

on August 16, 2011 at 11:28 AM

UPDATE: Complete press release after the jump! You know La Cieca will be following NYCO’s press conference starting today at 1:00 pm. The Twittering community will carry live updates from the event, and you, the cher public, can follow the tweets after the jump. 

on July 12, 2011 at 11:46 AM

Avid scoopster Dan Wakin just couldn’t wait until next Tuesday like the rest of us, and so he’s spilled enough details about NYCO’s “next” season to make it bleeding obvious 2011-12 will also be the last. A “new” “production” of La traviata by the undead Dr. Jonathan Miller and the U.S. premiere of the dreck Prima…

on July 06, 2011 at 8:47 PM

BREAKING! New York City Opera has just announced that they are going to announce their 2011-2012 season. The by-invitation-only press conference is set for Tuesday, July 12 at 1:00 PM at New York’s trendy Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum. Thanks to her eerie ability to see into the future, La Cieca already has film of this…

on July 06, 2011 at 5:09 PM

Appearances to the contrary, La Cieca can’t be everywhere at once, so she’s relying on you, cher public, to share your impressions (written, not vocal) of the Rufus Wainwright/George Steel extravaganza last night at the World Financial Center. (Extra points for the use of the word “travertine.”)

on June 29, 2011 at 8:27 AM

Which NYCO board member—who haunted the company’s Lincoln Center venue for many years—has just taken a walk, resigning in sympathy with the unions?

on June 24, 2011 at 12:09 PM

La Cieca’s spy attended today’s confab between George Steel (representing NYCO) and 29 singers and production personnel (AGMA) and 24 orchestra members (Local 802). The spy’s observations after the jump.  

on June 21, 2011 at 4:16 PM

La Cieca is informed that the New York City Opera and AGMA are meeting today for discussions relating to the company’s 2011-12 schedule—which, by the way, is supposed to be announced sometime this week, but La Cieca isn’t holding her breath.

on June 21, 2011 at 8:23 AM

La Cieca congratulates the marketing department of the heretofore flailing New York City Opera, who seem finally to have hit upon a strategy that will get a response from the company’s understandably confused subscribers. The latest appeal, after the jump.

on June 17, 2011 at 12:19 PM

Briefly, according to Zachary Woolfe: “No one came.” More elaboration, plus speculation on “What That Means,” in the New York Observer.  And for those of you with a taste for hash, the subject is revisited as well in the New York Times.

on June 14, 2011 at 10:01 PM

Julius Rudel writes: “I cannot sit by and watch as the legacy that was built by a company, if not a family, of talented, dedicated people is cast aside.”  [NYT]

on June 07, 2011 at 9:59 AM

NYCO’s director of artistic planning Ed Yim is leaving the company to to serve as a consultant at the New York Philharmonic. [NYT]

on June 02, 2011 at 12:36 PM

The multi-slashed Manuela Hoelterhoff (Bloomberg editrix/spouse to disgruntled New York City Opera intendant manquée Francesca Zambello/grouch emeritus) dipped her goose quill in venom this morning once again to take on her favorite subject, i.e., how NYCO has gone to hell in a handbasket ever since they didn’t hire her girlfriend to run the place. 

on May 31, 2011 at 10:24 AM
And the Pubies go to… And the Pubies go to…

At long last, the most closely guarded secret of 2011 (besides, you know, everything about what’s going to happen to City Opera) is about to be revealed. Ladies and public, the Second Annual Parterre Cher Public Choice Awards!

on May 26, 2011 at 10:29 PM

At a time when New York’s opera companies are supposed to be going into estivation (I mean, Peter Gelb is in Vietnam, for heaven’s sake!) there’s certainly no lack of breaking news about New York City Opera. Today’s heart-rending roundup, after the jump. 

on May 24, 2011 at 11:03 AM

Now Anthony Tommasini has gone rummaging for the good news (“a place that could set the cultural tone for its neighborhood, much the way the Public Theater defines the life of its East Village environs”) so completely obscured by the dark clouds of recent reports from NYCO. But even a cockeyed optimist like Tommasini has…

on May 22, 2011 at 2:34 PM

UPDATE: A full story of NYCO’s woes, including distressing quotes from George Steel is now online at the New York Times.

on May 20, 2011 at 8:17 PM

Heads are about to roll at New York City Opera, probably including George Steel‘s—though given the troupe’s bizarro history for the past few years, who can say? This is in the wake of a letter leaked to the Wall Street Journal from singers and production staff of the embattled company, which includes this chilling statement:…

on May 19, 2011 at 10:06 AM

La Cieca has been advised not to expect any sort of announcement  about the New York City Opera’s 2011-2012 season, even whether there will be such a season, until after a meeting of the board of the company on May 19. In the meantime, AGMA has announced they will not pursue a job action against…

on April 29, 2011 at 5:09 PM

AGMA  has warned the agents representing Lauren Flanigan and other singers appearing in New York City Opera’s Séance on a Wet Afternoon that a work stoppage on April 30 was a virtual certainty absent the successful resolution of a new collective bargaining agreement.

on April 12, 2011 at 12:31 PM

Those of you who have been wondering why the announcement of the New York City Opera’s 2011-2012 seems to be almost a month overdue may not take much consolation in the rumor La Cieca has just heard. According to a reliable source, the company will “probably” not offer a fall season (“due to no money,…

on April 04, 2011 at 2:30 PM