New York City Opera Box Office Opens Today for 2009-2010 Season

Single tickets for New York City Opera's 2009-2010 season, the company's first under new General Manager and Artistic Director George Steel, go on sale today, Tuesday, September 8. Coinciding with the release of single tickets, City Opera is pleased to announce the expansion of its popular Opera For All program for 2009-2010 to offer 25% of all tickets throughout the season for $25 or less.

City Opera's Opera For All initiative continues the company's commitment to making opera accessible to all audiences. Approximately 600 tickets per performance are available for $25 or less, including 50 to 75 Orchestra Rush tickets at $25. All single tickets, ranging in price from $12 to $145, are available for purchase beginning September 8 in person at the box office, online at nycOpera.com, or by calling CenterCharge at (212) 721-6500.

"We are excited to kick off our 2009-2010 season and to invite new audiences to discover City Opera with the expansion of Opera for All," stated George Steel. "Subscription sales have been going well for 2009-2010, with half of the performances for our opening production, Esther, already at 50% capacity before the box office has opened to the general public. We are delighted by this strong early response from our audiences and look forward to welcoming them back home in November."

The company will celebrate its return to the stage of the renovated David H. Koch Theater with an opening concert performance, American Voices, on November 5, 2009, which will be followed by a gala dinner honoring David H. Koch. Embracing City Opera's founding commitment to young American artists and its history of launching the careers of some of the finest singers in the world, the concert program features beloved selections from American opera and musical theater performed by stars who have appeared at New York City Opera early in their illustrious careers, along with several debut artists and special guests.

The 2009-2010 season, featuring the first revival of Hugo Weisgall's masterpiece Esther, a newly commissioned production of Mozart's Don Giovanni , Chabrier's rarely performed L'Étoile, the company's Emmy Award-winning production of Puccini's Madama Butterfly and Handel's romantic comedy Partenope, demonstrates City Opera's mission to present innovative productions, to champion contemporary works, to rediscover early and lesser-known operas, and to promote American artists.

Further information on New York City Opera's American Voices concert and 2009-2010 season productions is available online at nycOpera.com.

Tickets

Single tickets, starting at $12, for American Voices and all other City Opera productions can be purchased beginning September 8 in person at the box office, online at nycOpera.com, or by calling CenterCharge at (212) 721-6500.

Subscription sales for New York City Opera's 2009-2010 season also continue. The subscription office can be reached at (212) 496-0600.

For tickets to the gala benefit event, including the concert, please contact the New York City Opera Special Events Department at (212) 870-5595.

About New York City Opera

Since its founding in 1943, New York City Opera has been recognized as one of America's preeminent cultural institutions, celebrated for its adventurous programming and innovative, risk-taking production style. The company's wide-ranging repertory of 275 works spans five centuries of music and includes 29 world premieres and 61 American and/or New York premieres of such notable works as Bartók's Bluebeard's Castle, Britten's A Midsummer Night's Dream, Shostakovich's Katerina Ismailova, Busoni's Doktor Faust, Prokofiev's The Love for Three Oranges and The Flaming Angel, Zimmermann's Die Soldaten, Schoenberg's Moses und Aron, and Glass' Akhnaten. The company has been a leading showcase for young artists, helping to launch the careers of more than 3,000 singers, including José Carreras, Phyllis Curtin, David Daniels, Plácido Domingo, Lauren Flanigan, Elizabeth Futral, Jerry Hadley, Catherine Malfitano, Bejun Mehta, Sherrill Milnes, Samuel Ramey, Gianna Rolandi, Beverly Sills, Norman Treigle, Tatiana Troyanos, and Carol Vaness. In 1983, City Opera made operatic history when it became the first American Opera Company to use supertitles, an innovation that has revolutionized the way opera is produced and appreciated worldwide.

In February 2009, George Steel, former executive director of the Miller Theatre at Columbia University, began his tenure as New York City Opera's new General Manager and Artistic Director. Building on the company's core mission of artistic excellence and accessibility, Mr. Steel's plans include broadening the company's adventurous approach to repertory, supporting the careers of promising artists, and continuing to develop the company's acclaimed education and outreach programs.