What is an Opera?

For most people, if you were to ask them what an opera is, their reply would be "Oper-who?" Opera is the style of performance art that mostly relies on the music of the orchestra and the voice of the performers. There are some operas that are performed on a bare stage with just the prima-donna belting out a story of love and loss. There are also some operas that have extravagant stage sets that would remind you of Broadway. When you go to see an opera, you should really familiarize yourself with the history, the design and the plot of the opera.

The History
Officially, an Opera, or "drama per musica", is "a drama, either tragic or comic, that is wholly or mostly sung with orchestral accompaniment, appropriate costumes, scenery, and action." Opera is a dramatic piece that is sung that really doesn't have an official beginning. Most historians believe that it was invented at the end of the 16th century by the Camerata (a Florentine group). This group was trying to imitate Ancient Greek music. This was a difficult task because Ancient Greek music was rarely written out. It originated as an Italian art form and is now wide-spread. The first opera ever performed was "Dafne" by Marco do Gagliano. Almost every country has their own form of an opera.

The following are some key topics that you should pay close attention to.

Key Opera Terms
Lincoln Center
Opera Houses and Companies in NYC

Key Terms

Within the opera genre, there are numerous terms that will sometimes be said when someone is speaking about an opera.

Tenor: high male voice range, extending from about the 2nd B below middle C to the G above it. The word hails from the latin term "tenere" which mean to hold. You might have heard of the famous 3 Tenors, Jose Carreras, Plácido Domingo, and Luciano Pavarotti. Pavarotti just recently retired from his tenor career at Metropolitan Opera House in Lincoln Center.

Soprano: No, this is not the TV show! Highest vocal register ranging from middle C to 2nd A above it. This person is usually female but can also be a young boy. This style is dramatic, lyric, and coloratura (high and very agile).

Baritone: male voice in a lighter and higher range than a bass but lower than a tenor.

Countertenor: a male singing voice in the alto (lower than soprano) range.

Castrato: male singer with artificially created soprano or alto voice, which is all the result of castration in their boyhood.

Falsetto: high pitch, unnatural tones; about the normal register of the male voice.

Maestro: Conductor of the orchestra

Prima Donna: female star of an opera

Diva: Italian for "goddess"; mortal female divinity; a soprano with tremendous musical virtuosity and a flair for the grandiose.

Lincoln Center

Lincoln Center… When people think of Opera or any other performance art, they usually think of Lincoln Center. Lincoln Center is a 16.3 acre complex that houses 12 resident arts organizations such as Julliard. The Center is known for being the main focal point for all performance arts. There are two opera companies located at Lincoln Center- The Metropolitan Opera and the New York City Opera. Both of these companies offer beautiful renditions of classic and modern operas. The style of the houses also is classic and modern. The set-up is very similar to a regular Broadway stage with a stage and orchestra pit with a combination of old-world opera houses. But there are some differences. For example, each of these houses offer Met Tiles (at the Met) or Supertitles (at the NYS Theater). These items basically are screens within the vicinity of the audience member that display a translation of what the plot is and also the words that are being sung.

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Opera Houses/Companies Found in NYC

Lincoln Center, although very prestigious in the opera community, is not the only opera company or opera house located in NYC. The following are other places where you can expose yourself or your friends/family to this fantastic and beautiful art form.

Opera Houses/Companies found in NYC:
O American-International Lyric Theater 375 Riverside Dr, NYC, NY (212) 662-3468
Bel Canto Opera Company 884 West End Ave, NYC, NY, (212) 222-2733
Bell'Arte Opera Theatre 2109 Broadway, NYC, NY, (212) 595-0317
Center for Contemporary Opera 475 Riverside Dr, NYC, NY, (212) 870-2010
Juilliard Theater 155 W 65th St, NYC, NY, (212) 874-7515
L'Opera Francais De NY 515 W 111th St, NYC, NY, (212) 678-0548
Mannes Camerata & Mannes Opera Ens. 150 W 85th St, NYC, NY, (212) 580-0210
Metropolitan Opera House Lincoln Center, NYC, NY, (212) 362-2000
New World Dancers and Singers 345 W 58th St, NYC, NY, (212) 586-6969
New York Gilbert & Sullivan Players 251 W 91st St, NYC, NY (212) 769-1000
New York Grand Opera 154 W 57th St, NYC, NY, (212) 245-8837
New York Opera Forum 7 W 108th St, NYC, NY, (212) 865-6786
New York Opera Repertory Theatre 180 W 93rd St, NYC, NY, (212) 662-4878
New York State Theater 20 Lincoln Center, NYC, NY, (212) 877-4700
Opera Ebony 2109 Broadway, NYC, NY, (212) 874-7245
Opera Orchestra of NY 228 W 72nd St, NYC, NY, (212) 799-1982