A History of Opera Music in Boston

A look at the history of opera music in Boston, from its early days in the 18th century to the present.

Early Opera in Boston

Opera music has a long and storied history in Boston, with the first opera house opening in the city in 1733. Since then, opera has been an important part of the city’s musical culture. In this article, we’ll take a look at the history of opera in Boston, from its early days to the present.

First opera house in Boston

The first opera house in Boston was the Charlestown Theatre, which opened in 1793. The theatre was located in the basement of a church on Tremont Street and had a capacity of about 700 people. It staged a mix of operas, plays, and concerts, and was closed after only two years due to financial difficulties.

The second opera house in Boston was the Federal Street Theatre, which opened in 1804. This theatre was located on Federal Street and had a capacity of about 1,500 people. It staged mostly operas and quickly became a popular venue for both locals and visitors to the city. However, it closed after only four years due to financial difficulties.

The third opera house in Boston was the Tremont Theatre, which opened in 1833. This theatre was located on Tremont Street and had a capacity of about 3,000 people. It staged mostly operas and quickly became a popular venue for both locals and visitors to the city. It remained open for nearly 30 years before closing due to financial difficulties.

Boston’s first professional opera company

Boston’s first professional opera company was established in 1910 by a group of local music lovers and performers. The Boston Grand Opera Company gave its first performance on October 15, 1910, with a production of Verdi’s “Il Trovatore.” The company subsequently presented several more operatic productions over the next few years, including one of the first American performances of Puccini’s “La Bohème” in 1911.

The Boston Grand Opera Company ceased operations in 1915, but was succeeded by a new organization, the Boston Opera Association, which presented its first season of performances in 1916. The Boston Opera Association continued to present operatic productions until 1922, when it too ceased operations.

Opera would not return to Boston on a professional basis until 1934, when the New England Conservatory Opera Company was formed. The New England Conservatory Opera Company gave its first performance on December 8, 1934, with a production of Verdi’s ” Falstaff.” The company went on to give numerous performances of both popular and lesser-known operas over the next several years. It ceased operations in 1949.

The Rise of Popular Opera in Boston

In the late 17th century, opera music began to take shape in Boston. This new art form was a mix of music, acting, and poetry, and it quickly gained popularity in the city. By the early 1800s, Boston had become a major center for opera music, and some of the most famous composers of the time wrote operas that were performed in the city.

Boston becomes a center for opera in the United States

During the mid-1800s, Boston became a center for opera in the United States. The city’s opera scene was bolstered by the opening of the Boston Opera House in 1880. This venue helped to attract some of the biggest names in opera to perform in Boston. Some of the most popular operas performed in Boston during this time period include “La Bohème,” “Carmen,” and “The Barber of Seville.”

Opera began to decline in popularity in Boston during the early 20th century. This was due in part to the rise of other forms of entertainment, such as cinema and Broadway musicals. However, opera has seen something of a resurgence in recent years, thanks in part to the opening of new venues like the Boston Lyric Opera House.

The Boston Opera House opens

In October of 1852, the Boston Opera House opened its doors to the public for the first time. This date marks the beginning of a new era in Boston’s musical history—an era in which opera would play a significant role.

The Boston Opera House was built specifically for the purpose of hosting opera performances. It was designed by architect George Nadar and cost a total of $600,000 to construct. The Opera House was intended to be a state-of-the-art facility, and it featured many modern conveniences that were not yet common in most theaters at the time, such as gas lighting and ventilation.

The Opera House rapidly became one of the most popular venues in Boston. In its first season, it hosted a total of 24 operas, including productions of popular works such as Verdi’s “Il Trovatore” and Donizetti’s “Lucia di Lammermoor.” The success of these early productions helped to solidify opera’s place in Boston’s musical landscape.

Opera continued to be popular in Boston throughout the second half of the 19th century. In 1883, another opera house—the New England Conservatory Opera House—opened its doors to the public. This venue helped to foster the development of a new generation of American opera singers, many of whom went on to have successful careers both in the United States and abroad.

By the early 20th century, however, interest in opera began to decline in Boston (as well as in other parts of the country). This decline was due in part to changing tastes among music lovers; but economic factors played a role as well, as many people could no longer afford to attend performances at expensive venues like the Opera House. As a result, both the Opera House and the Conservatory Opera House eventually closed their doors for good.

Although interest in opera has never reached the same level of popularity that it did during its 19th-century heyday, there are still many opportunities to enjoy this type of music in Boston today. The city is home to several small companies that produce operatic performances on a regular basis, and world-renowned organizations like The Metropolitan Opera often include Boston on their national tours.

Modern Opera in Boston

The Boston Lyric Opera Company

The Boston Lyric Opera Company (BLO) is a professional opera company in Boston, Massachusetts. The company was founded in 1976 by husband and wife team Sarah Caldwell and Jonathon Powell. The first season was held in the Shubert Theatre and featured three productions: Verdi’s La traviata, Britten’s The Turn of the Screw, and Ravel’s L’Enfant et les sortilèges. Since then, the company has grown tremendously, producing over 60 operas in 40 seasons. The company operates out of the Boston Opera House, which it shares with the Boston Ballet and the Boston Symphony Orchestra.

The BLO is committed to presenting opera in English, making it one of the few professional companies in the United States to do so. They have also been instrumental in commissioning and premiering new works by American composers. Some of their more recent productions include world premieres of John Glover’s Moby-Dick (2010) and Mark Campagnone’s Boxing Helena (2011).

The company strives to create an accessible and affordable experience for their audiences. Ticket prices are kept relatively low, and students can purchase rush tickets for $15 on the day of a performance. In addition, the BLO offers free educational programming for all ages throughout the year.

The Boston Opera Festival

In the early 20th century, the Boston Opera Festival was one of the most important events in the city. The festival was started by opera impresario Walter Slade Gurney and lasted for nearly two decades. It featured some of the biggest stars of the day, including Enrico Caruso, Feodor Chaliapin, and Nellie Melba.

Gurney’s success with the festival inspired other promotersto start their own opera festivals in cities across the country. However, none of them lasted as long or was as successful as the Boston Opera Festival. By the early 1930s, the popularity of opera had declined and the festival came to an end.

Today, there are several small opera companies in Boston that perform throughout the year. The Boston Lyric Opera is the city’s largest and most prominent opera company. It was founded in 1976 and has been staging operas in Boston ever since.

The Future of Opera in Boston

The history of opera in Boston is a long and varied one. It has been said that the first opera in Boston was performed in 1733, but there is no real evidence of this. There are, however, records of operas being performed in Boston as early as 1750. The first real evidence of opera in Boston comes from a performance of Handel’s Messiah in 1770.

The Boston Early Music Festival

Since its inception in 1985, the Boston Early Music Festival (BEMF) has been a leader in the field of early music. Recognized as “the largest and most important early music event in North America” (The Boston Globe), the Festival offers an annual series of concerts, opera productions, workshops, educational programs, and CD recordings that attract attendees and participants from all over the world.

Under the artistic leadership of Grammy Award-winning co-founder and artistic director Paul O’Dette and co-founder and executive director Andrew Kirkman, BEMF has produced thirty-five operas – nineteen of which were world premieres – featuring some of the most accomplished singers, conductors, directors, designers,and instrumentalists working in the field today. Recent critically acclaimed productions include Monteverdi’s The Return of Ulysses (2019), Cavalli’s La Calisto (2017), L’Incoronazione di Poppea (2016), Purcell’s The Fairy Queen (2015), Handel’s Almira (2014), and Gluck’s Iphigénie en Aulide (2013).

The Festival presents a musical experience like no other – offering audiences rare opportunities to hear masterpieces from the Baroque era performed on instruments built according to period specifications by today’s foremost builders and played by leading period instrument ensembles from around the globe.

The Boston Conservatory

The Boston Conservatory has a long and illustrious history dating back to 1867. It is the oldest continuously operating conservatory in the United States and has educated some of the most prominent names in the world of opera.

The Conservatory offers a wide range of programs, including undergraduate and graduate degrees, professional training programs, and community outreach initiatives. It is committed to educating the next generation of opera singers, composers, directors, designers, and educators.

The Boston Conservatory has produced many world-renowned opera singers, including Renee Fleming, who is considered one of the greatest sopranos of our time. The Conservatory is also responsible for breeding new talent and keeping opera alive in Boston. In recent years, it has launched several initiatives to promote opera in the city, such as Opera on Tap and OperaHub.

The future of opera in Boston looks bright thanks to The Boston Conservatory. With its commitment to education and outreach, the Conservatory is ensuring that opera will continue to thrive in Boston for years to come.