Opera in the United States

{{short description|none}} thumb|upright=1.2|Metropolitan Opera House, 1937 '''Opera in the United States''' dates to the 18th century.<ref name="Bagnoli1993">{{cite book|author=Giorgio Bagnoli|title=The La Scala Encyclopedia of the Opera|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FUJ0bvo6rQIC&pg=PA295|year=1993|publisher=Simon and Schuster|isbn=978-0-671-87042-3|pages=295–}}</ref>

== 18th and 19th century==

=== Colonial era === The first opera known to have been performed in the American colonies was the ballad opera ''Flora'', which was performed in Charleston, South Carolina on February 8th, 1735.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Scott |first=Bruce |date=2011-05-20 |title='Flora' — An 18th-Century British Invasion |url=https://www.npr.org/2011/05/20/136469565/flora-an-18th-century-british-invasion |website=NPR}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Evenden |first1=Michael |title=Flora's Descent; or Hob's Re-Re-Re-Resurrection |journal=Eighteenth-Century Studies |date=2011 |volume=44 |issue=4 |pages=565–567|doi=10.1353/ecs.2011.0024 |s2cid=162366714 }}</ref> Later in the century, ''The Beggar's Opera'' was performed in New York City in 1750.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last=Snowman |first=Daniel |date=January 1, 2010 |title=Opera in America: New World Overtures |url=https://www.historytoday.com/archive/opera-america-new-world-overtures |access-date=2023-12-08 |website=History Today}}</ref> This continued the trend of the popularity of ballad operas.<ref name=":1" />

=== ''The Disappointment'' === In 1767, a first example of an American Ballad Opera was announced in Philadelphia — ''The Disappointment'' or ''The Force of Credulity'', written under the pseudonym Andrew Barton. It was heavily advertised and fully scheduled to premiere at Philadelphia's Southwark Theatre on April 20, 1767. However, just four days before opening night, the performance was abruptly cancelled. A notice in The Pennsylvania Gazette on April 22, 1767 explained that the play contained too many "personal reflections" that made it "unfit for the stage." In plain terms, it was a biting satire of local Philadelphia figures who were digging for buried pirate treasure, and those influential locals likely used their power to shut it down before the curtain could rise.

The opera was reconstructed by Samuel Adler, it premiered in 1976 at the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York — during the United States Bicentennial.

=== New Orleans === Opera in New Orleans began prior to the Louisiana Purchase, with the first recorded opera being a performance of André Grétry's ''Sylvain'' in May 1796.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Bentley |first1=Charlotte |title=The Race for Robert and Other Rivalries: Negotiating the Local and (Inter)National in Nineteenth-Century New Orleans |journal=Cambridge Opera Journal |date=2017 |volume=29 |issue=1 |pages=94–112|doi=10.1017/S0954586717000064 |s2cid=149376338 |url=https://zenodo.org/record/1048904 |doi-access=free }}</ref> In January 1808, the Théâtre St. Philippe was opened with the U.S. Premiere of ''Une folie'' by French composer Étienne Méhul. The U.S. premiere of Cherubini's ''Les deux journées'' took place there in March 1811. The most famous opera venue in town between 1819 and 1859 was the Théâtre d'Orléans. It was succeeded by the French Opera House, located on Bourbon Street in the French Quarter. This theatre burned down in 1919, causing severe disruption to opera in the city.

=== Lorenzo Da Ponte === [[File:Samuel Morse zugeschrieben Lorenzo Da Ponte New York Yacht Club Detail.jpg|thumb|220px|left|Lorenzo Da Ponte at the New York Yacht Club, 1830 Portrait by Samuel Morse]] The 18th century laid the foundation for the operatic tradition that would thrive in the United States in the subsequent centuries. Despite initial challenges and a limited scope, the interest in opera endured, paving the way for the expansion and diversification of the art form in the 19th century.<ref>{{Cite web |title=American Opera |url=https://www.loc.gov/item/ihas.200197506/ |access-date=2023-12-08 |website=Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. 20540 USA}}</ref> Having had financial troubles in Europe, librettist Lorenzo Da Ponte came to the US in 1805. He settled in New York City first, then Sunbury, Pennsylvania, where he briefly ran a grocery store and gave private Italian lessons. He returned to New York to open a bookstore. He became friends with Clement Clarke Moore, and was named the first professor of Italian literature at Columbia College, an unpaid appointment. He viewed himself as an ambassador of European culture in a barbarous country. He persuaded the Spanish tenor Manuel García to bring his opera troupe to New York, where they performed at the Park Theatre at Park Row in lower Manhattan.

They presented a range of Italian operas, among them ''The Barber of Seville'' by Rossini. On May 23, 1826, the Manuel Garcia troupe also performed ''Don Giovanni''. It was the first performance of this opera in America. Manuel Garcia's daughter, Maria, sung the role of Zerlina. Da Ponte was present.

thumb|The Italian Opera House In 1833, at the age of eighty-four, Da Ponte founded the first purpose-built opera theater in the United States, the Italian Opera House. It was located on the northwest corner of Leonard and Church Streets in Manhattan and it was far superior to any theater the city had yet seen.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2007/01/08/nights-at-the-opera|magazine=The New Yorker|date=8 January 2007|title=Nights at the Opera|first=Joan|last=Acocella|author-link=Joan Acocella}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |url=https://quod.lib.umich.edu/m/moajrnl/acw8433.1-08.191/584:8?page=root;size=150;view=image |journal=Appletons' Journal|date=23 November 1872 |volume=VIII |issue=191 |last=Thorpe|first=T. B.|author-link=Thomas Bangs Thorpe|page=580|title=The Old Theatres of New York, 1750–1827}}</ref><ref name=Wilson/><ref>[https://academiccommons.columbia.edu/doi/10.7916/21ff-7613/download Da Ponte in New York, Mozart in New York], Otto Biba, Academiccommons, Columbia University, p. 114-115.</ref> It was a lavish, European-style building with frescoed ceilings and private boxes. But it lasted only for two seasons before the company went bankrupt. Shortly after the death of Da Ponte, his opera house burned down to the ground.<ref name=Wilson>{{cite book |url=https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=hvd.32044079372728&view=2up&seq=212 |pages=173–74 |title=The Memorial History of the City of New-York |volume=IV |editor-first=James Grant |editor-last=Wilson |year=1893 |publisher=New-York History Company |place=New York}}</ref> It was, however, the predecessor of the New York Academy of Music and of the New York Metropolitan Opera.

=== European tours and emergence of American companies === During the 1800s, European opera companies embarked on tours across prominent cities in the United States, introducing timeless masterpieces to American spectators. Memorable shows played a significant role in the increasing appeal of opera. The emergence of American opera companies, such as the Academy of Music in New York City (1854) and the Boston Academy of Music (1853), marked a transition towards establishing a domestically nurtured operatic heritage. Opera in the 19th century became a cultural cornerstone, influencing literature, art, and societal norms. It played a role in shaping the cultural identity of growing cities, with the Metropolitan Opera, founded in 1883, emerging as a major institution.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2016-07-29 |title=Before HD, the Met Tour Brought Opera to the US and World {{!}} Operavore |url=https://www.wqxr.org/story/before-hd-metropolitan-opera-tour-brought-opera-us-world |access-date=2023-12-08 |website=WQXR |language=en}}</ref>

* 1857 Academy of Music, Philadelphia * 1878 Central City Opera House * 1883 Old Metropolitan Opera in New York City * 1928 Boston Opera House * 1929 Civic Opera Chicago * 1932 War Memorial Opera Haus in San Francisco

=== Wagner's immediate recognition === Although German composer Richard Wagner was an outspoken anti-Semite, which was also well-known by then, his work quickly gained popularity in the USA at the end of the 1880s, especially in cities with substantial immigration from Germany (Boston, Philadelphia, Cincinnati, Chicago, San Francisco, Milwaukee). Orchestral excerpts were performed in American concerts by the late 1850s, helping seed interest before full operas appeared. American conductors and impresarios — most notably Theodore Thomas — championed Wagner in concert, normalizing long symphonic excerpts and preludes. The Metropolitan Opera (opened in 1883) quickly became a Wagner stronghold. Its early seasons featured ''Lohengrin'' and ''Tannhäuser'', and by the 1890s the Met was presenting ''Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg'', ''Tristan und Isolde'', and the four ''Ring'' operas (beginning piecemeal, then in cycles), mainly in German with prominent European guest singers.

== 20th century == === Marginalizing black and female composers === While operas by Verdi, Wagner, and Puccini secured great successes, local composers had only little chances of getting staged. Especially African-American and female composers had a hard time to obtain recognition. Edmond Dédé (1827-1901) was a native of New Orleans. He fled to France and wrote the opera ''Morgaine'' in 1887; it was not performed until 2025, and then only in concert version. Neither Scott Joplin (1868—1917) nor his widow succeeded in staging ''Treemonisha'' (1911) during their lifetimes. In another case, a composer has disappeared entirely from public view: Harry Lawrence Freeman (1869—1957) supported himself and his own opera company during his lifetime, playing to predominantly black audiences in Harlem. He was acquainted with many African-American artists associated with the Harlem Renaissance. Twenty-one of his operas, as well as many of his other works, survive in Freeman's own manuscripts, and are kept in a collection of his papers at Columbia University. Nevertheless, there are practically no revivals of his operas.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2009-01-01 |title=Harry Lawrence Freeman |url=http://usopera.com/composers/freeman.html |access-date=2026-03-06 |website=US Opera |language=en}}</ref> Shirley Graham Du Bois (1876-1977) wrote ''Tom-Tom'', an Epic of Music and the Negro. The work was performed successfully in a Cleveland stadium in 1932. Thereafter the work was forgotten for more then 80 years. In 2001, a working score was found at Harvard. A revival is pending.

{{Gallery |title= |width=120 |height=140 |align=center |Edmond Dede - Musiker und Komponist.jpg|{{center|Edmond Dédé}} |Scott Joplin 19072.jpg|{{center|Scott Joplin}} |Portrait of Shirley Graham.jpg|{{center|Shirley Graham Du Bois}} |Harry Lawrence Freeman.jpg|{{center|Harry Lawrence Freeman}} }}

The ''Blues Opera'', written in the 1950s, called ″maginficent″ by The New York Times, was never mounted in its full form. The authors were Harold Arlen (1905-1986) and Johnny Mercer (1909-1976), the subject were wealthy Black jockeys in the 1880s. "The lyrics are smart, the music gorgeous."<ref name=McWhorter >John McWhorter: ''Modern opera doesn't need to 'challenge' audiences'', The New York Times, 30 March 2026, 10</ref>

Throughout the entire 20th century, the Met staged only one opera by a woman, ''Der Wald'' by Ethel Smyth, an English composer. The opera ''Cabildo'' by Amy Beach (from 1932) wasn't performed until after her death which occurred in 1944. The operas by Margaret Bonds, like the Christmas opera ''The Ballad of the Brown King'', were often relegated to community or church spaces.

=== ''"Truly American Operas"'' === thumb|left|''Porgy and Bess'', Pittsburgh 2009 The 20th century saw the rise of the "truly American" opera, characterized by drawing upon distinctly American themes, settings, and musical styles, such as jazz and gospel music.<ref name=":2">{{Cite journal |last=Hutchins-Viroux |first=Rachel |date=2004-05-01 |title=The American Opera Boom of the 1950s and 1960s: History and Stylistic Analysis |url=https://journals.openedition.org/lisa/2966 |journal=Revue LISA |language=en |volume=II|issue=3 |pages=145–163 |doi=10.4000/lisa.2966 |issn=1762-6153|doi-access=free }}</ref> In this sense, the first American operas emerged in 1937, with the premieres of Virgil Thomson’s ''Four Saints in Three Acts'', based on a libretto by Gertrude Stein, and George Gershwin’s ''Porgy and Bess''.<ref name=":2" /> The first opera was an immediate success, but subsequently disappeared from the repertoire. The latter, however, became a long-running success and the emblematic ''Black Opera'', despite being written and composed by three white people.

Ten years later, in 1947, immigrant Kurt Weill (1900-1950) composed the score for ''Street Scene'', a 1929 play about a domestic tragedy in a tenement during an oppressive heat wave. The play was by Elmer Rice, the lyrics by Langston Hughes. The opera was described by John McWhorter as "dark and hopless, with angular melodies and busy ensembles – yet all of it immediately relatableon first hearing."<ref name=McWhorter />

The American Indian opera also emerged in the early 20th century, as both Native American composers and librettists, such as Zitkala-Ša (Yankton Dakota) and non-Native composers and librettists drew on Native American characters, stories, and music to create new operas.

=== Post-war period === After World War II, the Ford Foundation began financially supporting the New York City Opera, in an attempt to promote more new American operas.<ref name=":3">{{Cite news |last=Smith |first=Patrick J. |date=1998-09-27 |title=A New Birth for American Opera |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1998/09/27/arts/a-new-birth-for-american-opera.html |access-date=2023-12-08 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> In 1958, at the World's fair in Brussels, American culture was represented by ''Susannah'', an opera by Carlisle Floyd, first performed at the Florida State University in 1955. Susannah Polk, an innocent girl of 18 years, is targeted as a sinner in the small mountain town of New Hope Valley in Tennessee. In 1957, ''Susannah'' had won the New York Music Critics’ Circle Award. It became one of the most performed American operas.<ref>The New York Times: ''Carlisle Floyd, Whose Operas Spun Fables of the South, Dies at 95'', Orbituary, Sept. 30, 2021</ref>

=== Festivals === Following the example of the first European festivals — Bayreuth (1876), Verona (1913), Salzburg (1920) and Glyndebourne (1934) — also in the United States several opera festivals were established in the second half of the 20th century. The Santa Fe Opera and the Glimmerglass Festival have emerged as platforms for showcasing innovation, experimentation, and the vibrant array of voices within the operatic tradition.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2018-07-25 |title=Escape the heat with opera at Santa Fe and Glimmerglass |url=https://www.dallasnews.com/arts-entertainment/performing-arts/2018/07/25/escape-the-heat-with-opera-at-santa-fe-and-glimmerglass/ |access-date=2023-12-08 |website=Dallas News |language=en}}</ref>

[[File:Crosby Theatre-Santa Fe Opera.JPG|thumb|Santa Fe Opera]] [[File:Alice Busch Opera Theater Interior.JPG|thumb|Glimmerglass Festival]] In 1957, the Santa Fe Opera was founded, then the only outdoor theatre in America exclusively designed for opera. It seated 480 and was opened with Puccinis ''Madama Butterfly''. It was enlarged in 1968 and 1998 and now seats 2,128 plus 106 standees. It has achieved an longstanding reputation for carefully selecting young talented singers. The public can observe New Mexico sunsets and participate in traditional tailgate dining during the intermission.

Also the Wolf Trap Opera Company, established in 1971, became known as a premiere residency for emerging singers. It is located in Virginia, in the nations only National Park for the Performing Arts. Through an annual audition tour, its artists are selected from among the best classical vocalists in the USA.

The Glimmerglass Festival, founded in 1975, is located in Otsego County in Upstate New York. Each summer, more than 40 performances of four operas are offered. First the operas were performed in the Cooperstown High School Auditorium, in June 1987 the Alice Busch Opera Theater was opened. Since then, it is the venue of the festival.<ref>Flimmerglass festival: ''[https://glimmerglass.org/past-productions/ Past Productions]'', retrieved on 26 March 2026</ref>

Spoleto Festival USA was established by composer Gian Carlo Menotti in 1977 as a counterpart to the original Spoleto Festival in Italy, founded by Menotti in 1958. It is a multi-disciplinary festival with a strong focus on opera. It is located in Charleston, South Carolina.<ref>Spoleto Festival U.S.A.: ''[https://spoletousa.org Website]'', retrieved on 26 March 2026</ref>

In addition, there are summer seasons at the Opera Theatre of Saint Louis in Missouri, at the Des Moines Metro Opera in Iowa and at the Central City Opera in Colorado. They each present three to four operas every year.

=== New and larger opera houses === * Metropolitan Opera (1966) * Kennedy Center (1971) * Fort Knox (1998)

=== American composers and global recognition === thumb|upright|Cover, 1911 On January 27, 1972, the world premiere of ''Treemonisha'' by Scott Joplin took place in Atlanta, using the orchestration by T. J. Anderson. The work had been completed in 1911 and although the composer's widow tried hard, she did not succeed in getting the opera performed. Only 19 years after her death, ''Treemonisha'' was brought to the stage.<ref>Edward David Latham: ''Tonality as Drama'', Closure and Interruption in Four Twentieth-century American Operas, University of North Texas Press, 2008, 72</ref> It was an immediate success, several productions in the States and abroad followed.

In the second half of the 20th-century, the number of American opera companies continued to grow, but operas written by American composers and librettists were often overlooked, receiving fewer performances and premieres.<ref name=":3" /> In the mid-1980s, a collaboration between Opera America, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the Rockefeller Foundation began, in hopes of reinvigorating the opera scene, particularly encouraging the creation and performance of American-written operas.<ref name=":3" /> The collaboration was seen as a success, particularly because of its outreach to a younger audience; additionally, technology now made it even easier to provide subtitles at performances, allowing for better comprehension of performances.<ref name=":3" />

During the 20th century, American composers such as Samuel Barber, Gian Carlo Menotti, and Leonard Bernstein emerged and gained worldwide recognition for their remarkable contributions to opera. Their works — for example ''Vanessa'' (1958), ''The Consul'' (1950) or ''Trouble in Tahiti'' (1952) — showcased a sense of confidence and individuality in American operatic expression. Also Coplands ''The Tender Land'' (1954) and Wards ''The Crucible'' (1961) deserve to be mentioned.

The American Opera Society (founded in 1951) played a crucial role in commissioning and promoting new American works, contributing to the global operatic repertoire.

=== End of the Met National Tours === The last Met National Tour took place from May 5 to May 31, 1986.It visited only four cities — Boston, Cleveland, Atlanta, and Minneapolis. Among the participating artists were Grace Bumbry, Cornell MacNeil and James McCracken; among the operas performed were such hits as ''Aida'', ''Carmen'', ''La traviata'' and ''Tosca''. The decision to cease the tours was taken by General Manager Bruce Crawford because they were losing roughly $ 1 million per week. After the final performance in Minneapolis the sets and props and costumes per packed into the famous Opera Train who headed back to New York.<ref>The New York Times: ''[https://www.nytimes.com/1986/06/02/arts/met-opera-ends-last-national-tour.html MET OPERA ENDS LAST NATIONAL TOUR]'', 2 June 1886</ref>

=== Next generation of American composers === thumb|''Einstein on the Beach'', 2012 thumb|''Nixon in China'', 2024 Three American composers gained recognition worldwide in the 1980s, the 1990s and at the beginning of the new century: * Philip Glass (born 1937) is widely regarded as important representative of Minimal music. He achieved instant fame with ''Einstein on the Beach'' (1976), a collaboration with director and set designer Robert Wilson, who was especially celebrated in Europe. ''Satyagraha'' (1980), ''Akhnaten'' (1983), ''The Voyage'' (1992), and ''The Perfect American'' (2013) followed. He also wrote the scores for Broadway productions such as the revivals of ''The Elephant Man'' (2002), ''The Crucible'' (2016), and ''King Lear'' (2019). For the latter he won the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Music in a Play. * John Adams (born 1947) is considered a post-minimalist composer. His early fame rested on the immediate success of a documentary-style opera called ''Nixon in China'' (1987), followed by the scandal-ridden ''Death of Klinghoffer'' (1991) and ''Doctor Atomic'' (2005), a piece about J. Robert Oppenheimer in Los Alamos. Especially ''Nixon in China'' has been performed all over Europe and is still on the roster of many opera houses after forty years. * Jake Heggie (born 1961) describes himself as a theatre composer who is concerned with "serving [the] drama" and "exploring character."<ref>{{cite web|last1=Heggie|first1=Jake|title=Interview: 'Would you describe yourself as a neo-romantic?'|url=http://www.newmusicbox.org/articles/Would-you-describe-yourself-as-a-neoromantic-Why-not-Jake-Heggie/|website=New Music Box|date=September 2003 |access-date=6 March 2026}}</ref> His first opera made a long lasting impression — ''Dead Man Walking'', commissioned by San Francisco Opera, first performed at the War Memorial Opera House on October 7, 2000 and immediately acclaimed by public and press. ''Dead Man Walking'' is the first and only opera situated in a condemned row of a High security prison, it ends with the execution of Joseph De Rocher, a convicted murderer. Thereafter Sister Helen, who had accompanied him during his time on death row and who wrote the book, stands over his body and sings her hymn one last time. Also this opera secured its place on the roster of major opera houses.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Wilson|first1=Emily|title=25 Years After Its World Premiere, Dead Man Walking Returns to SF Opera |url=https://www.sfcv.org/articles/feature/25-years-after-its-world-premiere-dead-man-walking-returns-sf-opera# |website=Classical Voice|date=9 September 2025 |access-date=6 March 2026}}</ref> Heggie struggled to replicate the success of his debut, five less successful operas followed. But with ''Moby Dick'' (2010), he achieved a second major success.

The works of these composers demonstrate that the choice of themes in the USA is far more tangible and grounded in reality than current European opera productions. A significant discrepancy is also evident in the musical style: while Europe still somehow adheres to the twelve-tone technique, American composers do not shy away from accusations of prioritizing popularity and audibility. Evan Johnson writes: "An “American Composer,” by contrast, operates — or can be successfully interpreted as operating — without the same sense of obligation to history [as his European counterpart]; his or her concern is the present, the tightly bounded experience of a particular work by a particular audience as created by a particular composer with particular interests."<ref>Evan Johnson: ''[https://newmusicusa.org/nmbx/crossing-the-atlantic-a-primer-on-euroamerican-musical-relations/ Crossing the Atlantic: A Primer on Euro-American Musical Relations]'', New Music, Feb. 7, 2007</ref>

=== LGBTQ themes ===

In the 1990s, two major operas with queer representation broke the rule of the unspeakable: * Stewart Wallace’s ''Harvey Milk'' (1995), an adaptation of the life of famed San Francisco Supervisor, and * Paula M. Kimper’s ''Patience and Sarah'' (1998), which showcased opera’s first lesbian relationship. Both operas achieved mainstream success. Once the barrier was broken, also a successful Broadway play — ''Angels in America'' by Tony Kushner — and a Hollywood blockbuster — ''Brokeback Mountain'' by Ang Lee — could be converted into operas, the first one by Hungarian composer Péter Eötvös (Paris 2004), the latter by American Charles Wuorinen (Madrid 2014). Terence Blanchard's queer-themed operas ''Champion'' (2013) and ''Fire Shut Up in My Bones'' (2019), based on the memoir of journalist Charles M. Blow, both premiered in St. Louis. Both became major hits at traditional American opera houses like the Met. In 2016, Gregory Spears presented his opera ''Fellow Travelers'', following a romance between two men working in the U.S. government, set in the 1950s; it premiered at the Cincinnati Opera. American-Canadian singer-songwriter Rufus Wainwright created ''Hadrian'', exploreind the epic, historical love between the Roman Emperor Hadrian and Antinous; this opera premiered in Toronto in 2018.

Finally, the 2014 chamber opera ''As One'' by Laura Kaminsky shows the transition journey of a transgender woman.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-06-10 |title=Queer Representation in Opera |url=https://wwhttps://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Opera_in_the_United_States&action=edit&section=17w.laopera.org/discover-la-opera/explore/blog/queer-representation-in-opera |access-date=2026-03-06 |website=LA Opera|language=en}}</ref>

=== Mainstream and transmissions === Although many American opera companies try hard to incorporate contemporary operas in their repertoire, still most of the most performed operas stem from the big three operatic composers — Mozart, Verdi, and Puccini — plus some Italian bel canto composers such as Donizetti and Rossini. The Top 10 of the USA are very similar to European preferences, they contain three operas each by Puccini and Mozart, two by Verdi as well as ''Carmen'' by Bizet and ''Il Barbiere di Siviglia''.<ref>WFMT: ''[https://www.wfmt.com/2025/05/12/most-performed-operas-of-21st-century/ Treasured Titles: Exploring the Most Performed Operas of the Last 25 Years]'', 12 May 2ß25</ref> The only American operas among the Top 50 in the USA are ''Porgy and Bess'' and the Chrismas opera ''Amahl and the Night Visitors'' by Menotti. Currently there are 125 professional opera companies in the USA − led by the Big Four, the Met, the San Francisco Opera, the Lyric Opera of Chicago and the Houston Grand Opera.

The USA were the pioneer of transmitting opera in radio, TV and cinema. The very first attempt started on January 13, 1910: The radio pioneer Lee de Forest undertook the world's first experiment of a live radio broadcast from an opera stage. He installed microphones in the spotlight of the Met and transmitted parts of ''Cavalleria rusticana'' and ''Pagliacci'' starring popular tenor Enrico Caruso. However, the signal was extremely weak and could only be received by very few people using detector receivers.

== 21st century == The American opera scene has witnessed a surge in diversity during the 21st century, as various companies have embraced a broad spectrum of repertoire. In the first decades of the 21st century, women pushed their way into leadership positions in opera — first as conductors and directors, then also as composers and artistic directors. Another trend is the transposition of monumental literary masterpieces to the opera stage — for example, novels by Margaret Atwood, Herman Melville, or John Steinbeck, or plays by Noël Coward or Tennessee Williams, even films like ''Breaking the Waves'' by Lars von Trier. Finally, some of the most important opera houses faced crises in the 2020s — for example, the Metropolitan Opera in New York due to financial difficulties, and the Washington National Opera due to the political restructuring of the Kennedy Center.

=== Opera education === The U.S. has become a hub for opera education, with institutions such as the Juilliard School<ref>{{Cite web |title=Opera Studies - Artist Diploma |url=https://www.juilliard.edu/music/vocal-arts/opera-studies-artist-diploma |access-date=2023-12-08 |website=The Juilliard School}}</ref> and the Curtis Institute of Music fostering the training of aspiring opera professionals. The Metropolitan Opera's Lindemann Young Artist Development Program continues to nurture emerging talent. Opera's influence on American culture persists as it tackles modern-day concerns through inventive performances and partnerships.<ref>{{Cite web |title=OPERA America's Commitment to Equity, Diversity and Inclusivity |url=https://www.operaamerica.org/industry-resources/2019/201901/opera-america-s-commitment-to-equity-diversity-and-inclusivity/ |access-date=2023-12-08 |website=Opera America |language=en-us}}</ref> Composers such as Miguel del Aguila have written numerous operas, among them Time and Again Barela, commissioned by the city of Albuquerque for its tricentennial celebration.

=== Literary masterworks set in music === In Europe, at the turn between the 19th and 20th centuries, the genre of literary opera was created – we think of ''Pelléas and Mélisande'', of ''Salome'', and subsequently also of ''The Cunning Little Vixen'' and ''Wozzeck'' — based on works by Maeterlinck, Oscar Wilde, Těsnohlídek, and Büchner.

''to be added''

=== Female composers, female point of view === Until 2016, the Metropolitan Opera had only ever staged one opera by a woman: Ethel Smyth’s ''Der Wald'' in 1903. This 113-year streak was finally broken by ''L'Amour de loin'', an already successful opera by Finnish composer Kaija Saariaho from 2000 — paving the way for the current surge of American women's works on that stage, such as Jeanine Tesori, Gabriela Lena Frank and Missy Mazzoli.

thumb|upright=1.1|''On Behalf of Nature'' by Meridith Monk, Brooklyn Academy of Music 2014 Suddenly and unexpectedly, around 2015, a brigade of female composers emerged in North America, making a name for themselves with new operatic works such as adaptations of successful films or explorations of social justice themes. Three colleagues had helped pave the way: * Composer Thea Musgrave (born 1928), originally from Scotland, created among others ''Mary, Queen of Scots'' and ''Simón Bolívar'', the latter first shown in 1995 in Norfolk, Virginia. * Meredith Monk (born 1942) creates total works of art that blends music, dance, film, and theater into a single, immersive experience. She often refers to her stage works as ''Musik-Theater'' or ''Opera Epics'', as they break almost every rule of the classical genre. Her most formal opera, ''Atlas'', commissioned by Houston Grand Opera and for the first time performed in 1991, follows the journey of a young woman seeking spiritual enlightenment across the globe.<ref>LA Phil: ''[https://www.laphil.com/musicdb/pieces/4919/atlas-an-opera-in-three-parts ATLAS, an opera in three parts]'', 11 June 2019</ref> * Libby Larsen (born 1950) is still one of America’s most prolific and most performed living composers. Her catalogue of compositions contains more then 500 works, she has worked for every gbrenre of classical music, including 15 operas/chamber operas. In 1990, her opera ''Frankenstein: The Modern Prometheus'' premiered at the Minnesota Opera.<ref>Chicago Tribune: ''[https://www.chicagotribune.com/1990/05/29/new-high-tech-frankenstein-opera-ambitious-but-out-of-control/ NEW HIGH-TECH `FRANKENSTEIN` OPERA AMBITIOUS, BUT OUT OF CONTROL]'', 29 MAY 1990</ref>

The newcomers of the new millennium are:

thumb|''Breaking the Waves'', Opera Philadelphia 2016 * Missy Mazzoli (born 1980) became known for dark, visceral soundscapes. She succeeded in 2016 with ''Breaking the Waves'' for Opera Philadelphia, an adaptation of the legendary film by Lars von Trier, and in 2018 with ''Proving Up'' for Washington National Opera, Opera Omaha and Miller Theatre at Columbia University, based on a short story by Karen Russell. Her fourth opera, ''The Listeners'', premiered in 2022 at the Oslo Opera House, can be considered a modern gothic opera. Due to her rapid career advancement, ''Washington Classical Review'' called Missy Mazzoli "a rock star of the classical world".<ref>''[https://washingtonclassicalreview.com/2018/01/17/composer-missy-mazzoli-is-breaking-the-glass-opera-ceiling/ Composer Missy Mazzoli is breaking the glass opera ceiling]'', 17 January 2018</ref> * Ellen Reid (born 1966) won the 2019 Pulitzer Prize for Music for her opera ''Prism'', which explores the psychological effects of trauma. * Jeanine Tesori (born 1961) created ''Blue'' (2019), focusing on police violence, and ''Grounded'' (2023), exploring the psychological toll of remote drone warfare. ''Blue'' premiered at the Glimmerglass Festival and has been performed at major opera houses, i.e. Chicago and Washington. It won Best New Opera, awarded by the Music Critics Association of North America. ''Grounded'' was commissioned by the Met. * Du Yun (born 1977) often blends operatic tradition with punk and experimental sound. Her opera ''Angel's Bone'' is a harrowing allegory for the modern-day exploitation of vulnerable individuals, using angels to address human trafficking in today's world. The libretto was written by Royce Vavrek. The opera won 2017 Pulitzer Prize. * Gabriela Lena Frank (born 1972) frequently integrates her Peruvian-Chinese-Jewish heritage into her operatic work. In 2022, she presented ''El último sueño de Frida y Diego'', a work co-commissioned by San Diego Opera, San Francisco Opera, Fort Worth Opera, and the DePauw University School of Music. It is considered one of the most successful ''Bio-Operas'' of the 21st century, i.e.operas based on historical figures. When the opera was presented at the Met in 2023, it was their first ever production in Spanish language. The opera is due to be shown also at Lyric Opera of Chicago (in March 2026). * Laura Kaminsky (born 1956) is mainly known for ''As One'', but she also composed ''Time to Act'', commissioned by Pittsburgh Opera, Opera Montana and Boston Conservatory at Berklee, with additional funding by Opera Santa Barbara. The opera tackles the issue of School violence.

thumb|''The Handmaid's Tale'', Demonstration in Haifa, 2023<ref>As there are no pictures from performances available for Wikipedia, we chose one graphic picture from a demonstration</ref> With ''The Handmaid's Tale'', composed by Danish Poul Ruders, the feminist scenario of Margaret Atwood was brought to the opera stage in 2000. Also Toni Morrison contributed vehemently to the implementation of the female view in the operatic world — first in 2005 in Detroit with the opera ''Margaret Garner'', composed by Richard Danielpour, then in 2011 with the play ''Desdemona'', created in cooperation with Peter Sellars and Rokia Traoré.<ref>Yes, the discussion between Morrison and Sellars regarded foremost the Shakespearean play, but as the opera by Giuseppe Verdi, based on the play, is much more often performed, the figure of Desdemona is well-known to opera lovers.</ref> The opera is loosely based on actual events in the life of runaway slave Margaret Garner, who killed her two children to prevent them being returned to slavery.

=== Times of crisis === The 2020s brought crisis to opera in the USA, it suffered massive shortfall. The companies reported dwindling ticket sales, rising costs and slumping philanthropy. According to a report about the Detroit Opera by The Free Press contributions fell $1,889,226 from fiscal year 2023 to 2024, primarily due to a $1,744,477 loss of government grants. Public donations fell by $145,749.<ref>Slipped Disc Records: ''[https://slippedisc.com/2025/07/us-opera-suffers-massive-shortfall/ US OPERA SUFFERS MASSIVE SHORTFALL]'', 18 July 2025</ref> Two prominent institutions were hit especially hard: the Met and the Washington National Opera.

The Met found itself in a desperate hunt for cash. It looked to a foreign government, to new strategies, even to outer space, in order to sustain the country’s largest performing arts organization. Since 2024, the Met had to withdrew many millions from its endowment to address declining revenues, at least a third of its once sacrosanct fund. General manager Peter Gelb sought help from Saudi Arabia — offering five winter seasons in Riyadh — and even courted Elon Musk, promising the tech billionaire — only half jokingly — to produce an opera in outer space, i.e. ''Tosca'' on planet Mars.<ref>The Washington Post: ''[https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/music/2024/02/10/opera-companies-crisis-struggling-closing/ As opera companies struggle to survive, a sustained note of alarm]'', 10 Februar 2024</ref> In February 2026, the Met even considered selling its Chagall murals at Lincoln Center, as long as the new owner accepts the condition that the art works remain in the opera house.<ref>Rehs Galleries, Inc.: ''[https://rehs.com/eng/2026/02/met-opera-considers-selling-chagalls/ MET OPERA CONSIDERS SELLING CHAGALLS]'', 10 February 2026</ref>

thumb|left|The Lisner Auditorium, new home of Washington National Opera since 2026 In January 2026 it was announced that Washington National Opera is leaving the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, its home since 1971. Artistic director Francesca Zambello, who has led the company for 14 seasons, shared her regrets and her hopes, that the WNO ″remains committed to its mission and artistic vision″. After the hostile takeover of the Kennedy Center by the Trump administration, there was no room any longer for productions such as ''Treemonisha'' or ''The Crucible''. WNO returned to its origins, the Lisner Auditorium at George Washington University, a private institution.<ref>NPR: ''[https://www.npr.org/2026/01/10/nx-s1-5671107/kennedy-center-canceled-trump-washington-national-opera-wno Washington National Opera leaves Kennedy Center, joining slew of artist exits]'', 10 January 026</ref> Both ''Treemonisha'' and ''The Crucible'' received enthusiastic acclaim from the public and the press, sold-out performances and standing ovations.<ref>BachTrack: ''[https://bachtrack.com/review-joplin-treemonisha-graves-armstrong-goodwin-washington-national-opera-march-2026 Washington National Opera marches onward with a joyous ''Treemonisha'']'', 20 March 2026</ref> The Washington Post called Zambellos staging of ''The Crucible'' by Arthur Miller and Robert Ward ″gripping″.<ref>The Washington Post: ''[https://www.wsj.com/arts-culture/theater/the-crucible-review-washington-national-operas-nimble-reset-07dd5c2d ‘The Crucible’ Review: Washington National Opera’s Nimble Reset]'', 23 March 2026</ref>

=== First Hawaiian Opera === Set in the mid-nineteenth century, the opera ''Kamalehua, The Shelteing Tree'', is notably the first opera to be written and performed primarily in ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi. It reveals the little-known history of the Hawaiian Kingdom and its early struggles to maintain independence. The opera tells the true story of Timoteo Haʻalilio, Royal secretary and lifelong friend to king Kamehameha III. In the years 1842 to 1845 Haʻalilio travelled to the United States, to Great Britain, Belgium, and France to secure treaties recognizing Hawaiʻi as a sovereign nation. He wanted to protect the kingdom from annexation by foreigners. Haʻalilio was accompanied by the Reverend William Richards, a trusted advisor. The opera premiered in 2026 at the Hawaii Opera Theatre.<ref>Hawaii Opera Theatre: ''[https://www.hawaiiopera.org/shows/mainstage/kamalehua KAMALEHUA: THE SHELTERING TREE]'', The World Premiere, retrieved on 10 April 2026</ref>

==Further reading== *{{cite book|author=Ken Wlaschin|title=Encyclopedia of American Opera|date=24 September 2009|publisher=McFarland, Incorporated, Publishers|isbn=978-0-7864-4596-7}} *''Opera'', entry in "The United States Encyclopedia of History", Volume 13 *{{cite book |last1=Dizikes |first1=John |title=Opera in America : A Cultural History |date=1993 |publisher=Yale University Press |location=New Haven |isbn=0300061013 |pages=611}}

==References== {{Reflist}}

Category:Opera in the United States

Opera in the United States

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