Logging onto City Opera's website this morning, I found this:
"It is with much regret that we announce the end of our fundraising campaign on Kickstarter and the cancellation of the 2013-2014 Season. New York City Opera did not achieve the goal of its emergency appeal, and the board and management will begin the necessary financial and operational steps to wind down the Company including initiating the Chapter 11 process.
For seventy years, since Mayor Fiorello La Guardia established it as "The People’s Opera," New York City Opera has introduced generation after generation of young singers who are stars in the making, brought the public exciting new works and compelling, fresh interpretations of classics, acted as a champion for American composers and performers, and ensured that every New Yorker can experience the live art of opera.
We thank you for your continued support over the years and for making New York City Opera truly "The People’s Opera."
Can't say we didn't see it coming, but it still doesn't seem real. While it's tempting to lay the blame squarely at the feet of General and Artistic Director George Steel, who moved the company out of Lincoln Center and curtailed the season to a mere four productions, he was only playing the cards he was dealt. Nor should folks blame Mayor Bloomberg for refusing to bail out the company at the 11th hour, correctly stating that City Opera's "business model doesn't seem to be working." After all, Bloomberg didn't become a billionaire by chasing good money after bad.
So, instead of playing the blame game, I'd like to take a moment to thank City Opera for all its contributions over the past seven decades: from serving as an incubator to both composers and singers, to championing both Baroque and American opera when neither received their due at that other house across the plaza. (The Met has since increased the frequency of both.) But mostly, I'd like to thank City Opera for providing everyday New Yorkers with a chance to experience the singular magic of opera, without the trappings of wealth or privilege. People didn't go to City Opera to be seen: they went to watch, and to listen. It wasn't perfect, but it was ours. And, it will be missed.