On Site Opera has just announced shut down.
The decision to sunset was driven by an increasingly challenging environment in funding for the arts combined with rising operational costs. These factors have made it significantly more difficult to continue to produce high-quality, immersive works in a financially sustainable way that ensures fair and equitable compensation for artists and staff. On Site Opera is committed to a responsible, preemptive closure that prioritizes integrity and respect for its community.
“We are immensely proud of what On Site Opera has achieved in reimagining how opera is experienced and setting a standard for artistic excellence in the field,” says Corey Kinger, the President of On Site Opera’s Board of Directors. “While this decision was incredibly difficult, it reflects our unwavering commitment to the values that have guided this company since its inception. As stewards of On Site Opera’s legacy, we could not in good conscience continue without being able to guarantee the company had the future financial foundation necessary to continue to uphold the fairness and artistic integrity that have always been our hallmark.”
Founded in 2012 by Eric Einhorn and Jessica Kiger, On Site Opera debuted with its inaugural production of Shostakovich’s The Tale of the Silly Baby Mouse at The Bronx Zoo and quickly became the country’s leading presenter of site-specific opera, pushing the boundaries of what opera could be. Over its 12 years, the company produced nearly 30 site-specific operas, including five world premieres, and forged partnerships with iconic institutions such as The Metropolitan Museum of Art, The American Museum of Natural History, Harlem’s iconic Cotton Club, the South Street Seaport Museum, and more. The company partnered with Lyric Opera of Chicago, The Atlanta Opera, Caramoor, and the Yarra Valley Opera Festival (Australia) to bring its productions to audiences beyond New York City. From staging operas in unconventional venues such as a New York City coffee shop and Holy Apostles Soup Kitchen to bringing audiences opera by phone and mail during the COVID-19 pandemic, On Site Opera consistently demonstrated a fearless commitment to making opera accessible, innovative, and relevant. Its groundbreaking use of Google Glass supertitles and a multilingual mobile app set new standards in the field.
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