Mad Scenes and Exit Arias: The Death of the New York City Opera and the Future of Opera in America

Wall Street Journal veteran opera critic Waleson asks, "Who killed [the New York] City Opera?" She then relates the tumultuous history of the "People's Opera," which for much of its existence was a "battered stepchild" in its home at Lincoln Center in the shadow of the much grander Metropolitan Opera. Tracing NYCO's efforts to provide innovative fare at affordable prices while attempting to operate in the red, Waleson enlivens the narrative with quotations from individuals who played major roles in the development—or demise—of the institution, including diva Beverly Sills and conductor and director Julius Rudel, among others. The author further relates issues of fundraising that affected NYCO fortunes and criticizes its board for inept leadership. Chapters on the future of opera and the "reinvention" of NYCO (born 1943, bankrupt 2013, reborn 2016) are illuminating. Waleson writes with authority on the performing arts scene and what can go wrong in the management of arts institutions.