Series contains additional NYCO materials collected and gifted by James North in 2021. Audio and video recordings from the addition are integrated into Series X: Audio-Visual.
Box 227 Folder 1
James North Correspondence, 1990, 2013
A letter from Christopher Keene, outlining his philosophy as New York City Opera Director. A few miscellaneous promos and announcements from the final seasons.
VOX Showcasing American Composers
In 1999, the New York City Opera Company began a series of opera readings called "Showcasing American Composers" ("VOX" was added to the title in 2002, "Contemporary American Opera Lab" added in 20 I 0). Such workshop productions had been common in the opera world, but this was the first to first to use a full opera orchestra, allowing composers and listeners to hear bow the music really sounded. The public was invited, at no cost, but audiences were small in the early year. In 2006, VOX moved to NYU's Skirball Center for the Performing Arts. By this time, VOX had attained a considerable reputation in the opera world, and representatives from many companies swelled the audience. Skirball Center was an ideal site: a modem theater with excellent facilities and 950 seats, now well filled. In later years, a $25 "consignment" for tickets was instituted to contain audience size. Six operas were presented on each of two days (Saturday and Sunday) rehearsals were no longer open to the public, and each opera received 30 minutes rather than 45. Those changes made it more difficult to appreciate an unknown work. To counter that, videos of composers and librettists helped prepare the audience for what it was about to experience.
In its thirteen-year run, VOX presented 129 performances of 125 operas by 115 composer. This collection includes several single-sheet programs for operas in 1999, 2000, and 2001 some of them with libretti. Beginning in 2002, large, multipage booklets were offered for each season, covering all the operas given; a libretto for each was handed out just before its performance; I believe this collection is complete for the years 2002-2012. A plain envelope contains miscellaneous correspondence and papers for 1999-2001, including a letter from Maestro Anton Coppola, hand-written two weeks before his 102nd birthday.
For amatuer recording of the VOX performance, see Audio-Visual Series.
Box 227 Folder 2
1999-2001
Box 227 Folder 3
2002-2004
Box 227 Folder 4
2006-2009
Box 227 Folder 5
2010-2012
Box 227 Folder 6
Programs, 1974-1985
Menotti: The Consul, 1974-04-28m
Korngold: Die tote tadt, 1975-04-04
Menotti: La Loca, 1979-09-23
Handel: Giulio Ce are, 1980-11-04
Janacek: The Makropoulos Affair, 1981-04-19
Janacek: The unning Little Vixen, 1981-10-17m
Floyd: Susannah, 1982-03-24
Montemezzi: L 'amore dei tre rei, 1982-04-09
Cherubini: Medea, 1982-04-21
Strauss: Ariadne auf Naxos, 1982-04-25
Thomas: Hamlet, 1982-09-14
Gluck: Alceste, 1982-10-05
Massenet: Cendrillon, 1983-09-27
Floyd: Of Mice and Men, 1983-10-19
Bizet: Les pecheurs de perles, 1983-11-02
Janacek: The Cunning Little Vixen, 1983-11-19
Rossini: The Barber of Seville, 1984-09-21
Delibes: Lakme, 1984-09-28
Glass: Akhnaten, 1984-11-13
Argento: Casanova, 1985-11-01
Box 227 Folder 7
Programs, 1985-1993
Davis: X (I'he Life and Times of Malcolm X), 1986-10-05m
Stravinsky: The Rake 's Progress, 1987-10-18
Mozart: L 'Oca del Cairo. Knussen: Where the Wild Things Are, 1987-11-15m
Moore: The Ballad of Baby Doe, 1988-10-18
Puccini: Madama Butterfly, 1989-07-13
Weill: Street Scene, 1990-09-12
Janacek: From the House of the Dead, 1990-09-18
Schoenberg: Moses und Aron, 1990-10-03
Ravel: L 'heure espagnole. L 'Enfant et les Sortileges, 1990-11-14
Loesser: The Most Happy Fella, 1991-09-04
Korngold: Die tote Stadt, 1991-10-02
Zimmermann: Die Soldaten, 1991-10-08
Jenkins: The Mother of Three Sons, 1991-10-29
Busoni: Doktor Faust, 1992-09-23
Blitzstein: Regina, 1992-10-09
Tippett: The Midsummer Marriage, 1993-09-09
Laderman: Marilyn, 1993-10-06
Foss: Griffelkin, 1993-10-07
Weisgall: Esther, 1993-10-08
Bizet: Carmen, 1993-10-21
Box 227 Folder 8
Programs, 1994-1999
Borodin: Prince Igor, 1994-09-28
Mozart: The Magic Flute, 1994-10-26
Bernstein: Wonderful Town, 1994-11-16
Hindemith Mathis der Maler, 1995-09-07
Hindemith Mathis der Maler, 1995-09-26
Mayuzumi: Kinkakuji, 1995-11-03
Meier: The Dreyfus Affair, 1996-04-05
von Einem: The Visit of the Old Lady, 1997-04-11
Donizetti: Don Pasquale, 1997-11-06
Tan Dun: Marco Polo, 1997-11-19
Picker: Emmeline, 1998-04-08
Britten: Paul Bunyan, 1998-04-22
Floyd: Of Mice and Men, 1998-11-19
Strauss: Intermezzo, 1999-04-21
Rossini: Il viaggio a Reims, 1999-09-29
Central Park: The Festival of Regrets (Drattell), Strawberrry Fields (Torke), The Food of Love (Beaser), 1999-11-16
Box 227 Folder 9
Programs, 2000-2006
Thomson: The Mother of Us All, 2000-03-23
Rameau: Platee, 2000-04-20
Prokofiev: The Love for Three Oranges, 2000-11-02
Moore: The Ballad of Baby Doe, 2001-04-19
Gershwin: Porgy and Bess, 2002-03-14
Sousa: The Glass Blowers, 2002-04-18
Heggie: Dead Man Walking, 2002-09-17
Sondheim: A Little Night Music, 2003-03-12
Adamo: Little Women, 2003-04-08
Bizet: Carmen, 2003-10-21
Wuorinen: Haroun and the Sea of Stories, 2004-11-11
Strauss: Daphne, 2004-09-30
Levy: Mourning Becomes Electra, 2004-04-01
Bizet: Les pecheurs de perles, 2005-04-20
Rossini: Il viaggio a Reims, 2005-09-22
Bennett: The Mines of Sulphur, 2005-11-02
Dukas: Ariane et Barbe-bleue, 2005-10-06
Adamo: Lysistrata, or The Nude Goddess, 2006-03-21
Handel: Semele, 2006-10-04
Mozart: Casi fan tutte, 2006-11-09
Box 227 Folder 10
Programs, 2006-2013
Danielpour: Margaret Garner, 2007-09-26
Handel: Agrippina, 2007-10-24
Barber: Vanessa, 2007-11-06
Bernstein: Candide, 2008-04-09
Weisgall: Esther, 2009-11-19
American Voices, 2009-11-05
Strauss: Intermezzo, 2010-11-09
Bernstein: A Quiet Place, 2010-11-16
Monodramas. Zorn: La machine d'etre. Schoenberg: Erwartung. Feldman: Neither, 2011-03-29
Schwartz: Seance on a Wet Afternoon, 2011-04-26
Rossini: Moses in Egypt, 2013-04-14
Turnage: Anna Nicole, 2013-09-17
Box 227
Mad scenes and exit arias : the death of the New York City Opera and the future of opera in America, by Waleson, Heidi, 2018
Published: New York, New York : Metropolitan Books, Henry Holt and Company
Box 227
The New York City Opera : an American adventure, by Sokol, Martin L., 1981
Published: New York : Macmillan, [1981].
Box 227
New York City Opera sings : stories and productions of the New York City Opera, 1944-79, 1981
Publisher: Richards Rosen Press, New York, N.Y., 1981
North, James H. New York City Opera Annals 1981-2013 (awaiting publication)
Available in digital file format. Please email rbml@columbia.edu